Not really sure why, but I have a fascination with abandoned buildings. Maybe it’s the eeriness to it all. Chicago-based photographer Brian Ulrich has done something I’ve always wanted to do, which is, put together a collection of abandoned shopping malls and spaces around the U.S. The Morning News writes, “Landscaping overgrows, walls develop mildew, ceilings cave in—a building can be shut down, but that doesn’t make it go away. Brian Ulrich’s photographs of closed-down malls and big-box retail stores reveal the potential ghost towns lying inside successful shopping complexes all across America.”

Aside from the photos, there’s also an interview to go along side the pictures. Among the highlights is this quote, “I think many of the initial ideas that Victor Gruen had for malls were in the right direction, but sadly they’ve fallen so far from community center. People are moving back to downtowns, largely where community is unavoidable. One has to know one’s neighbor, and when you buy something from a merchant you know, you’re aware of the intrinsic act of exchange. I cringe to think we’ll all just be under one giant Costco roof like in the movie Wall-E in the future, though it sometimes it seems quite feasible. Though the internet serves as a much better roof than Costco!”

See all the photos and read the interview here.