By Kiya McClenton

The Carousel Mall opened its doors for shoppers in 1972 but under an entirely different name. The 43-acre mall was previously opened as Central City Mall and was named such in 1972 and 1991. It held over 50 stores, with the most notable ones being JCPenney, Montgomery Ward and The Harris Company.

The mall was soon remodeled to have a carousel inside, rebranding itself to the more known Carousel Mall. The city hoped to attract more families and kids with its amusement-like theme, however, this did not bring the results that were hoped for.

There were multiple factors contributing to the downfall of this unique shopping center. According to The Sun, San Bernardino City Councilman Fred Shorett explained that the city could not support funding 2 malls. The second mall being referred to is the Inland Center Mall, which opened in 1966. With more customers going to the Inland Center Mall, major retailers began dropping out of the Carousel Mall.

As stated in a commentary by David McClerans, a long-time resident of the Inland Empire, after the company owning Montgomery Ward went under in 2001, JCPenny was the last major retail store left in the Carousel Mall until eventually closing in 2003. The mall also went through several resales to major companies between 2006 and 2008.

As the years went on, more and more stores in the mall began to close, and the mall was losing consumers. With only 17 of the original 52 stores remaining, the San Bernardino city officials were forced to make the decision to close the mall. The Carousel Mall was closed on August 17, 2017, and it sat abandoned like a ghost town for several years, resulting in several incidents.

The mall reportedly suffered several break-ins and multiple fires were started inside the building by homeless squatters. In October 2017, KTLA reported that the body of a man was found inside an electrical vault in the building; the individual was determined to be a homeless man who had gotten electrocuted while scavenging the abandoned mall. These growing crimes pushed the city’s officials to move forward with the demolition process of the mall.

The City of San Bernardino announced in a statement on its website that a demolition ceremony would be held on April 24, 2023. Many San Bernardino residents attended the ceremony and described their bittersweet feeling as the Carousel Mall came to an end. The deconstruction of the mall was completed in November 2023.

With the deconstruction of the mall, residents began to wonder what the city’s plans for the empty space were. The mayor of San Bernardino Helen Tran stated to ABC7 that the future plans for the site would “revitalize downtown San Bernardino.” The Sun reported that the city plans to redevelop the site with several buildings that will bring many opportunities to residents. However, this renovation could take up to 15 years, according to Councilman Theodore Sanchez.

The Carousel Mall's unique theme and concept aimed to attract more attention and shoppers, but the planning and execution of the mall's location was a major contributor to its downfall. With a competitor mall that was opened just a few years earlier and only a few miles away, the Carousel Mall did not attract enough customers for the city to sustain both malls. With fond memories of what used to be, San Bernardino residents have high hopes for the future plans of this now-empty site.

The Downfall of Carousel Mall