FAQ:
What is MALL TOWN?
MALL TOWN is a 10-minute short documentary film about Lloyd Center, a beloved mid-century mall in Portland, Oregon. On the verge of closing, the mostly empty mall finds temporary new life as an "arts district" featuring everything from a magic show, a comic book store, roller disco, tattoos and much more, becoming a makeshift small town. Can capitalism and community co-exist?
When did you make this movie? And how long did it take?
I started filming in late 2021, during Covid, right after Lloyd Center announced it was likely to close. I filmed primarily during 2022 and 2023 and did post-production in 2024, wrapping up right before the end of the year.
What’s the history of Lloyd Center before 1960?
If you’re a history and/or urban planning geek, as I have become, it’s pretty fascinating. Though Lloyd Center didn’t actively displace Black families, it was part of the city leader’s broader (and very racist) gentrification plan to raze Black neighborhoods in order to create a “white corridor” from downtown to the new shopping mall. If you want to take a deeper dive into the history of Portland’s land settlement, buy this book by historian Carl Abbott, emeritus professor of urban studies and planning at Portland State University, who was kind enough to be interviewed for “Mall Town.” Of course, it’s important to acknowledge that long before Lloyd Center and European settlement of Portland, the area was home to numerous Native American tribes.
Who is the Lloyd of “Lloyd Center?
Ralph B. Lloyd, the son of a Confederate soldier, was a Californian oil magnate who dreamed of building the world’s largest shopping mall after he struck it rich with oil. He started developing the idea of Lloyd Center as early as 1924, but had to postpone plans during the Depression. He was then put off by the material and labor shortages caused by WWII. After the war, he submitted his plans, but died at 78 at his Beverly Hills home in September 1953, seven years before his eponymous mall would finally open. If you’re curious, you can read more at The Oregonian.
Who designed Lloyd Center?
It was designed by John Graham Jr., an architect of Seattle’s Space Needle and one of the architects credited with creating the 20th century American mall. A decade before Lloyd Center, Graham Jr. designed Northgate Mall in Seattle, which was nearly the country’s first mall.
What's next for Lloyd Center?
The future of Lloyd Center is still up in the air… sort of. It seems likely it will be turned into a mixed use community with housing, shops, and offices. But it will also (maybe) be turned into a baseball studio and/or a concert venue. I started the film wanting to focus on alternate uses for the Lloyd Center space and ended up wanting to focus on the present and the people at the mall trying to create community.
The truth is that nothing will happen quickly and it’s likely the future of the mall won’t be fully unveiled for a decade or so. The future is unclear, but one thing is for certain: the “new’ Lloyd Center will have an ice skating rink, though it will likely be a newer and smaller rink (which is a shame for folks still bemoaning the loss of the bigger rink back in 2014!).
Why didn't you include this particular shop or event that happened at Lloyd Center?
I’m sure you’re disappointed we didn’t mention your favorite Lloyd Center shop from over the years. You can read about some of them here. As you can imagine, we couldn’t include every single Lloyd Center business in this 10-minute documentary. We’d love to hear about your favorite Lloyd business (past or present).
Did Tonya Harding really learn to skate at Lloyd Center?
Yes, Tonya Harding first encountered ice skating at Lloyd Center and insisted she had to try it, even though she was deemed too young, at first. She persisted until Lloyd Center skating teacher Diane Rawlinson agreed to take her on as a student. Rawlinson became Harding’s longtime coach.
In making this film, I reached out to Harding’s reps and she declined to appear on camera. You can see a video of her skating for fans at Lloyd Center (maybe in the ‘90s?) here (but I couldn’t get the rights to use it).
Did any other famous people perform at the mall?
In 1965, in honor of Lloyd Center's fifth birthday celebration, Louis Armstrong performed along with his “All Stars,” clarinetist Peanuts Hucko & trombonist Trummy Young, in front of a crowd of nearly 30,000. Singers Ella Fitzgerald and Andy Williams, and magician Chuck Jones were among the other performers who appeared to packed crowds at the mall during its mid-century heyday. Check out photos at The Oregonian.
Any other pop-culture tidbits about the mall?
Filmmaker Gus Van Sant’s 2007 film “Paranoid Park” was shot at Lloyd Center, and Michael Raines, the photographer who appears in “Mall Town,” appeared as a young skateboarder. You can check out the trailer here, though it doesn’t seem to feature either Michael or Lloyd Center.
In the ‘90s, comedian and “Never Not Funny” podcast host Jimmy Pardo played a character named “Lloyd” in this ad for Lloyd Center, which features the mall’s once bustling food court.
On April 21, 1973, Senior Chess Master Jude F. Acers of San Francisco set the Guinness World Record for most simultaneous chess exhibitions, at Lloyd Center. Acers took on 117 challengers at once inside the mall. After 13 hours and 14 minutes, he had won 93 games, tied 11 and lost 13.
Wasn’t there a legal case having to do with free speech and Lloyd Center?
The mall continued to make news when, in 1972, Vietnam protesters sued the mall’s owners after they were escorted off the property for handing out anti-war leaflets. The case went up to the Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of the mall as private property, a ruling that reverberates today, as Facebook has become the new “marketplace.” If you want to nerd out, read more here.
What has happened to all the stores and indie businesses in the film?
A number of the businesses featured have since closed, but not all. In many cases, the shops moved to a different location in town to expand, or to focus on their online business. But even more creative endeavors have opened at the mall since we finished filming at the end of 2023. A summer camp now occupies the former Marshalls for part of the year, and many new ventures have opened, including an independent cafe, a pinball machine museum, an outer-space themed playroom, and several new non-profit organizations.
Where can I see this movie?
I’m applying to film festivals, and will begin screening in April 2025 (will share the details once the news is announced!).
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Additional questions?
Write to us here.
Support small businesses and nonprofits at Lloyd Center. Below is just a sampling, listed alphabetically…
All American Magic
Brainbox Science
Brickdiculous
Building Blocks 2 Success
CHAP: Children’s Healing Art Project
Electronic Music Club
Floating World Comics
Gambits Cards and Hobbies
Joe Brown’s Carmel Corn
Keia and Martyn’s Coffee
ILY2 Youth Arts Programming
NAACP - Portland branch
Portland Bridge Club
Portland Chess Club
Project Lemonade
Secondhand Pet Supply
Stackin Kickz
Star Tropics pinball museum
The Street Trust
Synth Library Portland