Meet Me by the Fountain: An Inside History of the Mall
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- Create Date：2022-06-17 17:21:36
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Alexandra Lange
- ISBN：1635576024
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Summary
Few places have been as nostalgized， or as maligned， as malls。 Since their birth in the 1950s， they have loomed large as temples of commerce， the agora of the suburbs。 In their prime， they proved a powerful draw for creative thinkers such as Joan Didion， Ray Bradbury， and George Romero， who understood the mall's appeal as both critics and consumers。 Yet today， amid the aftershocks of financial crises and a global pandemic， as well as the rise of online retail， the dystopian husk of an abandoned shopping center has become one of our era's defining images。 Conventional wisdom holds that the mall is dead。 But what was the mall， really？ And have rumors of its demise been greatly exaggerated？
In her acclaimed The Design of Childhood， Alexandra Lange uncovered the histories of toys， classrooms， and playgrounds。 She now turns her sharp eye to another subject we only think we know。 She chronicles postwar architects' and merchants' invention of the mall， revealing how the design of these marketplaces played an integral role in their cultural ascent。 In Lange's perceptive account， the mall becomes newly strange and rich with contradiction: Malls are environments of both freedom and exclusion--of consumerism， but also of community。 Meet Me by the Fountain is a highly entertaining and evocative promenade through the mall's story of rise， fall， and ongoing reinvention， for readers of any generation。
In her acclaimed The Design of Childhood， Alexandra Lange uncovered the histories of toys， classrooms， and playgrounds。 She now turns her sharp eye to another subject we only think we know。 She chronicles postwar architects' and merchants' invention of the mall， revealing how the design of these marketplaces played an integral role in their cultural ascent。 In Lange's perceptive account， the mall becomes newly strange and rich with contradiction: Malls are environments of both freedom and exclusion--of consumerism， but also of community。 Meet Me by the Fountain is a highly entertaining and evocative promenade through the mall's story of rise， fall， and ongoing reinvention， for readers of any generation。
Reviews
Book Club of One
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Review TK
AnnieM
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Meet Me By The Fountain is a joyful ride through nostalgia as we learn about the rise of the "mall" in suburbia and urban settings and the positive and negative impact on communities due to "urban renewal" programs。 。 Lange is a design critic so we get exquisite detail on the architecture and design of many malls such as North Park， Northland， Mall of America and halls such as Quincy Market/Faneuil Market or Hudson Yards。 I was fascinated by all the thought that went into the design of the shape Meet Me By The Fountain is a joyful ride through nostalgia as we learn about the rise of the "mall" in suburbia and urban settings and the positive and negative impact on communities due to "urban renewal" programs。 。 Lange is a design critic so we get exquisite detail on the architecture and design of many malls such as North Park， Northland， Mall of America and halls such as Quincy Market/Faneuil Market or Hudson Yards。 I was fascinated by all the thought that went into the design of the shape of the mall with anchor stores， the community gathering spaces （hence the title） and the art and "muzak。" But the nostalgia part also shines through in this book， as I read it brought me back to my days at the mall as "someplace to go" when I wasn't sure what I wanted to do -- I could go alone or with my friends -- there are always places to eat， to browse， to see a movie。 As a teenager， I worked during the week and then took my savings to the mall every weekend to shop for the latest fashions I saw in Seventeen Magazine。 Lange also does a great job putting malls in a cultural context -- from zombie movies and books to movies from the 1980's/1990's such as Fast Times at Ridgemont High， Clueless and Valley Girl。 Malls have changed over the years and many have either been torn down or have replaced anchor stores with gyms， warehouses， etc。 The rise of online shopping has cut into profits of brick and mortar stores over time， but at the same time， there is nothing like wandering a mall to people watch and browse merchandise。 My mother who is in her mid 80's told me the other day that "Well I think I will go over to the mall to look around。" Malls can still play a meaningful role for all generations particularly now that we don't have many "town squares" left。 I recommend this book because it is chock full of interesting facts and details。 Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury USA for an ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Erin
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Giveaway Win！
Pop Bop
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A Big Topic Surrounded by Big IdeasThis book is not a nostalgic photo journey。 It's not a personal coming of age tale。 It's not a rigorous architectural evaluation。 It's not a dry history of what was built where and when。 It's not about the past or future of dead malls。 There's some of that here of course， but it's all embedded in a much larger context。 The Mall is treated as an emblem and avatar of everything culturally important that happened between the 1950's and now。 In calm， cool， and deep A Big Topic Surrounded by Big IdeasThis book is not a nostalgic photo journey。 It's not a personal coming of age tale。 It's not a rigorous architectural evaluation。 It's not a dry history of what was built where and when。 It's not about the past or future of dead malls。 There's some of that here of course， but it's all embedded in a much larger context。 The Mall is treated as an emblem and avatar of everything culturally important that happened between the 1950's and now。 In calm， cool， and deeply informed prose our author traces multiple threads that cover race， class， demographics， public spaces， design， soft pretzels， baby booms， first jobs， consumerism， entrepreneurial inspiration， developer economics， ruin porn， and all of the different ways that Malls have helped define the American Dream， and have reflected， decade by decade， where we came from as a society and where we're headed。To be fair， there is some repetition and a few dry stretches， but by and large the narrative moves along at a good pace。 The tone is mellow-professional and assured。 You will recall your own Mall moments and experiences， and perhaps be surprised to remember how much time you spent in Malls and how much of a role Malls played in your social life， your economic life， and your cultural life。 So， come on in and try not to get lost。（Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement， or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review。 Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book。） 。。。more
Sara
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I was a teenager who sometimes hung out at the many malls in my city。 And indeed I would meet people at the fountain， so the title immediately grabbed me。 The book has nostalgic value for readers such as myself who took malls for granted and never really thought about the how and whys of them。 For the reader who wants to dig deep on malls， this is the perfect book。 For others， it may lag a bit， but if you pick and choose from the content， you'll find it very satisfying。 I was a teenager who sometimes hung out at the many malls in my city。 And indeed I would meet people at the fountain， so the title immediately grabbed me。 The book has nostalgic value for readers such as myself who took malls for granted and never really thought about the how and whys of them。 For the reader who wants to dig deep on malls， this is the perfect book。 For others， it may lag a bit， but if you pick and choose from the content， you'll find it very satisfying。 。。。more
Nathan Shuherk
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The earlier parts of this book linger too much on the architectural and over-arching business perspectives of malls， but when the book transitions to a more sociological aspect of malls around the 1980s， it really finds a distinct voice that’s fascinating。 There is both criticism and praise for mall culture - what it has done to suburbia and zoning， shopping， the broadness of mall culture as a defining point of post 1980s pop culture ephemera， and the changing of perspectives surround what malls The earlier parts of this book linger too much on the architectural and over-arching business perspectives of malls， but when the book transitions to a more sociological aspect of malls around the 1980s， it really finds a distinct voice that’s fascinating。 There is both criticism and praise for mall culture - what it has done to suburbia and zoning， shopping， the broadness of mall culture as a defining point of post 1980s pop culture ephemera， and the changing of perspectives surround what malls are and who they are for， in theory and practice。The early chapters would be something I could only recommend to people with niche historical interests， but as the book continued， I couldn’t put it down。There is certainly an entire book waiting from the conclusion mini chapter on malls outside of the United States。 And， perhaps selfishly， I wish there had been some insights into how malls differ regionally in the US。 。。。more
Jennifer Howard
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Growing up in the DC area， I spent time at various area malls but never thought they were all that intriguing。 Little did I know！ Alexandra Lange's MEET ME BY THE FOUNTAIN convinced me that the mall is anything but the anonymous， simply consumerist space my younger self thought it was。 Lange explores decades' worth of mall history from many angles， including architecture/design and urban/suburban planning， what kinds of people malls have been designed to attract， control， or exclude over the dec Growing up in the DC area， I spent time at various area malls but never thought they were all that intriguing。 Little did I know！ Alexandra Lange's MEET ME BY THE FOUNTAIN convinced me that the mall is anything but the anonymous， simply consumerist space my younger self thought it was。 Lange explores decades' worth of mall history from many angles， including architecture/design and urban/suburban planning， what kinds of people malls have been designed to attract， control， or exclude over the decades， how malls have fallen on hard times， and how they're being reimagined and repurposed as new community spaces （hello， ethnoburbs！）。 It's all fascinating， whether or not you were a mall rat as a teen。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Melki
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Every day will be a perfect shopping day。 - Ad for the world's first indoor shopping mall。 I'm old enough to remember the wonders of shopping downtown: enticing store window displays， the sporting goods store turning its backroom into a magical Santa Land every November， the fun and occasional agony of buying my back-to-school wardrobe， and horrifying stretchy gym-suit from the local merchants。 One of the highlights of the year was Sidewalk Sales Days every July。 Streets were closed off to m Every day will be a perfect shopping day。 - Ad for the world's first indoor shopping mall。 I'm old enough to remember the wonders of shopping downtown: enticing store window displays， the sporting goods store turning its backroom into a magical Santa Land every November， the fun and occasional agony of buying my back-to-school wardrobe， and horrifying stretchy gym-suit from the local merchants。 One of the highlights of the year was Sidewalk Sales Days every July。 Streets were closed off to make wandering back and forth between the stores that much easier。 On Friday nights， my parents and I would dine out at a downtown restaurant， but then we'd head to the strip center outside of town。 There wasn't much to it: a Town & Country department store， a Joe， the Motorists' Friend， but it had a great independently owned bookstore where each of us would easily find something we wanted to read。 Then， in the early seventies， the Plaza got some competition - a new mall opened up on the other side of town。 The strip center morphed into an enclosed mall in order to stay alive。 The downtown merchants either headed to the malls or closed their doors。Since my teenage years， malls have been an unforgettable part of my life。 The mall was not only where I shopped and hung with friends， it was actually where I went to see my grandparents。 That dynamic duo loved to be on the go， but every Saturday night， they'd be dining at Woolworth's in one of the booths by the window that overlooked the mall。 I smiled and waved as I strolled past。 My aunt Barb got her dream job there at the mall， demonstrating the pianos and organs for sale at the music store。 I myself spent more than a few years toiling for pennies at various mall stores， from Pearle Vision Center， to Sear's， to JOANN Fabrics。 My friends were other employees I'd met at the mall。 Malls have obviously meant a lot to Alexandra Lange， as well， so much so that she spent many hours researching and writing a book about them。 Her detailed account is exhaustive， and， at times， exhausting to read。 There was honestly more history here than I wanted， from the origins of these climate controlled dreamscapes for consumers， to the stories behind specific malls。 Chapter 5 was more my style， when the author delved more into the cultural， social， and community aspects of the shopping mall。 It was fascinating to read about everything from muzak， to food courts， and all the work that goes into creating an atmosphere that encourages lingering。 She also touches on how malls have become a pervasive part of our popular culture。According to George Romero， we even go to the mall after death。And， no， she has not forgotten mall walkers。Lange also examines the effect of the Covid 19 pandemic on an already dying industry， and envisions the future for malls。 I'm happy to report that in the town where I live now， there has been a resurgence and a rebirth of the downtown area。 Since the pandemic， eight new stores have opened， almost all of them owned by people in their twenties。 Will the downtown area become the new "mall"？ An interesting idea， and something to keep an eye on。 I actually need to mention one other way that malls have impacted my life: thirty-three years ago， I met my husband at a mall when we were both working at B。 Dalton Bookseller。 Perhaps we should have gotten married by the fountain 。 。 。Many thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for this memory-provoking read。 。。。more
Amber Humphries
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I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of Meet Me By the Fountain by Alexandra Lange。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。 Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for this ARCIn her book Meet Me by the Fountain， Alexandra Lange gives us a detailed history of the mall in America。 This book takes a deep look into the classic idea of a "town square，" which shifted into what we know as the modern mall。 From the baby boomers to the mall rats of the eighties， the mall held space in ou I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of Meet Me By the Fountain by Alexandra Lange。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。 Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for this ARCIn her book Meet Me by the Fountain， Alexandra Lange gives us a detailed history of the mall in America。 This book takes a deep look into the classic idea of a "town square，" which shifted into what we know as the modern mall。 From the baby boomers to the mall rats of the eighties， the mall held space in our collective consciousness。 That is， until online shopping and the Pandemic destroyed many US malls。This book was absolutely fascinating， and if you are interested in researching architecture and the use of physical locations in society throughout history then this is the book for you。 While there were a few spots that felt there was a bit too much info， for the most part， this book was easily digested and really put into perspective what we lose by getting rid of malls。 I rate this book 4/5 stars。 。。。more
J Earl
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Meet Me by the Fountain， by Alexandra Lange， is both a well-researched look at the rise and fall （and potential future） of malls as well as a bit of a personal love letter to them。I am a little too old to have had a mall to hang out in， though by my early adulthood they were common enough that they became destinations for purposes other than shopping。 So my memories of the heyday of malls tend toward what they represented to an adult rather than what they represented to someone still in school。 Meet Me by the Fountain， by Alexandra Lange， is both a well-researched look at the rise and fall （and potential future） of malls as well as a bit of a personal love letter to them。I am a little too old to have had a mall to hang out in， though by my early adulthood they were common enough that they became destinations for purposes other than shopping。 So my memories of the heyday of malls tend toward what they represented to an adult rather than what they represented to someone still in school。 The fact that they were destinations in and of themselves for both teens and adults speaks， I think， to the design both physically and marketing-wise。 I thought Lange covered the various aspects rather equitably。 The physical design， the architecture， of these buildings were every bit as important to their success as the stores that were included and the physical location of the property。 So the attention given to design is neither too much nor off topic， it is essential unless one simply wanted a vacuous trip down memory lane。 I love such trips but also appreciate educational and informative trips as well。 I'm not sure why anyone would have thought this was a coffee table book， it is a researched history book， but just in case someone didn't read the book blurb， this is not a coffee table book， nor is this a big picture book。 There are ample photographs to illustrate the points made in the text。 The future of these malls， whether trying to recapture some type of shopping experience or serving a completely different purpose， is intriguing。 I know that one place I lived has seen what had been the biggest mall in the area go through several rebirths， from a very large church to， I believe， some kind of recreational complex （think paintball/laser tag and such）。In addition to those who study social history I would also recommend this to those who remember malls fondly and might want to know more about how and why they came to be as well as how and why they have largely faded away。Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley。 。。。more
Brandon Westlake
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Lange's work looks at the transformations that occur in the American shopping malls， from their first creation to their demise in the 21st century。 She does a great job examining the role that these physical places have， however， I feel there may be a little too much emphasis on the architectural component。 She manages to scatter some stories of shoppers and tenants inside the pages but I was definitely wanting more。 Each chapter is framed by a particular shopping arena; it was a uniquely crafty Lange's work looks at the transformations that occur in the American shopping malls， from their first creation to their demise in the 21st century。 She does a great job examining the role that these physical places have， however， I feel there may be a little too much emphasis on the architectural component。 She manages to scatter some stories of shoppers and tenants inside the pages but I was definitely wanting more。 Each chapter is framed by a particular shopping arena; it was a uniquely crafty way to do some social history。 If someone is looking for history about design and how its influenced by the times， this is a great book to start with。 。。。more
Meg （thyme。for。books）
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I received a complimentary copy of this book。 Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。 Thank you to Netgalley & Bloomsbury USA！Meet Me by the Fountain is a nostalgic look back at shopping malls of yesteryear。 This book is packed with historical information pertaining to the birth of the mall concept。 It also looks to the future of malls post pandemic times。 Meet Me by the Fountain is less of a coffee table book and more of a special interest reference。 While it contains pertinent I received a complimentary copy of this book。 Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。 Thank you to Netgalley & Bloomsbury USA！Meet Me by the Fountain is a nostalgic look back at shopping malls of yesteryear。 This book is packed with historical information pertaining to the birth of the mall concept。 It also looks to the future of malls post pandemic times。 Meet Me by the Fountain is less of a coffee table book and more of a special interest reference。 While it contains pertinent information， the chapters are lengthy。 I do wish that the author would have included more pictures。 This book has a niche topic but those who spent their youth growing up around malls will find it interesting。 。。。more
Crystal Palmisano-dillard
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While this is truly an informative book at it's heart， the nostalgia is what drew me in。As an 80s baby I spent a lot of my tween/teen years getting my first taste of independence at the mall。This book shares how malls got started， unique architecture styles， how malls and race/cultures mixed （or didn't）， the importance of them in the lives of youths， the impact of quarantines and online shopping， and even how they exist overseas。This is a fun read for anyone who has a bit of an emotional attachm While this is truly an informative book at it's heart， the nostalgia is what drew me in。As an 80s baby I spent a lot of my tween/teen years getting my first taste of independence at the mall。This book shares how malls got started， unique architecture styles， how malls and race/cultures mixed （or didn't）， the importance of them in the lives of youths， the impact of quarantines and online shopping， and even how they exist overseas。This is a fun read for anyone who has a bit of an emotional attachment to the mall life。Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy！ 。。。more
Sarah
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