Wayne Hills Mall opened in 1973, part of the enormous expansion of suburban shopping malls that transformed American retail and social life. For decades, stores such as Meyer Brothers, Sam Goody, Waldenbooks and Toys “R” Us made malls not only places to shop but places to meet and spend time. Wayne Hills gradually emptied as department stores failed and shopping, music, books and entertainment moved online. By the time it closed, water pouring through the roof had transformed its corridors into a flooded ruin. The mall was demolished and replaced by a ShopRite.

I started my senior year of high school in 1973, the same year Wayne Hills Mall opened. I had just gotten my driver’s license, and growing up in North Jersey, going to the mall with friends was one way we escaped suburban life. I had actually been to Wayne Hills when it was new, making it one of the few ruins I’ve photographed that I remember when it was alive. Walking into the abandoned mall decades later and seeing Sam Goody, Waldenbooks and an old photo store brought back the records, books and film that were part of my teenage years—and made the mall feel less like someone else’s abandoned history than my own.