Lloyd Center Journal | Horatio Hung-Yan Law

Lloyd Center Journal began as a way to capture my personal experiences at Lloyd Center Mall. Over several months, I found myself returning repeatedly to this place, seeking to understand its spirit. Having experienced growing up in the densely layered urban environments of Hong Kong and New York City, walking through a suburban American mall would normally represent the antithesis of an urban experience. Its bland McDonald-styled shops focus on brand recognition and familiarity rather than the unexpected and unique encounters one would have found in urban settings. As I entered Lloyd Center Mall, I only expected to witness the sad demise of a mall that was destined to be demolished.

Instead, I became fascinated by the vacated storefronts that were emptied of their American blandness and the small minority of new but creative shops. I was captivated by the regal structure that supports the glass-roofed interior and preserves much of the open-air feeling of the original mall. The three-story high oval atrium, custom-built to create a light-filled ice rink, seemed to offer a generous space for joy and laughter, and provided ample room for all those communal memories collected under one roof. The Grand Staircase, an addition from the last renovation, echoed the original spiral staircase of the former open-air mall. Beautifully designed and generously proportioned, it was a public space made for communal gatherings and celebration.

In photographing Lloyd Center, I become aware of how light and the optimistic mid-century design play an important role in my growing sentiment for the place. The initial open-air design, along with later renovations, produces a bright and inviting atmosphere that encourages human interactions and almost betrays its commercial and corporate roots. Perhaps the emptying of the mall has exposed the elegant “bones” under the consumerist veneer, allowing me to discover the tender moments embedded within its hidden humanistic efforts to create emotional connection to its communities.