The once-thriving retail and community center of the San Fernando Valley is being dismantled piece by piece.
Earlier this week, demolition crews began demolishing Valley Plaza in North Hollywood, once touted as the largest shopping center on the West Coast.
In August, the Los Angeles Board of Building and Safety Commissioners declared six buildings on the site a public nuisance.
The decision came at the request of many, including Los Angeles City Councilman Adrien Nazarian, who represents the area and called for action after years of faltering redevelopment and growing safety concerns.
Opened in 1951, the shopping center was once a jewel of the San Fernando Valley, but over time it began to fall apart. It was severely damaged during the 1994 Northridge earthquake, and many retailers that once called the mall closed and never returned.
Abandoned for nearly a decade, the mall has become a hotspot for fires, settlement and criminal activity.
It is unclear what will happen to the site next, but Nazarian previously said the cost of demolishing the arena would fall on the owner.
The closure and demolition of a once-popular mall is not unusual in the United States, as consumer spending and shopping habits shift from brick-and-mortar businesses to online retailers.
San Bernardino’s Carousel Mall, which was built in the 1970s like Valley Plaza and closed permanently in mid-2010, was also demolished last year after falling into disrepair and becoming the site of several high-profile incidents, including fires, a fatal shooting and a death by electrocution.
This former shopping center is set to be redeveloped into a mixed-use property consisting of commercial and residential space.