SIGNAL HILL MALL: STATESVILLE, NC
Matt Wilda's Commentary
Posted February 28, 2009 (user submitted)
On a trip back home to North Carolina in May 2008, I decided to pay a visit to a mall I remembered from my childhood and thought might now be a good candidate for deadmalls.com, Signal Hill Mall in Statesville, NC.
I don't know much about the history of this mall, but based on the architecture and the fact that it's been there as long as I can remember, I'd guess it was built some time in the 1970s. When I was a kid the Boy Scouts held their annual Scout Show and the district Pinewood Derby championship there (for all I know they still do). For that reason, even though I lived about halfway between Statesville and Charlotte, where a trip to "the mall" usually meant one of the larger malls in Charlotte, I visited Signal Hill Mall many times when I was younger.
I hadn't been to Signal Hill Mall since I was in high school in the 1990s. At that time the mall still seemed fairly healthy. A lot has changed since then. Three of the four anchor stores do still seem to be holding on -- Belks, Sears, and JC Penny. The fourth, Peebles, is closed. About half of the other stores are now vacant, including Chic-Fil-A, one of the mall's only two eateries. The other, IHOP, is still there. This relatively small mall doesn't have a regular food court. Wooton's Jewelers was having a going out of business sale during my visit. A few of the stores have been taken over by non-profit organizations like the Children's Museum.
I snapped a few photos during my visit, links and descriptions are included below:
![](http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y49/mtwilda/NC%20Trip/P1010062.jpg)
The front of the mall from the parking lot. The Sears sign and light pole are clearly showing their age. (Sorry about getting my car's antenna in the shot)
![](http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y49/mtwilda/NC%20Trip/P1010063.jpg)
The front of Belk's
![](http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y49/mtwilda/NC%20Trip/P1010064.jpg)
Inside the mall. The former Chick-Fil-A is in the foreground on the left, now boarded up and covered with children's drawings. That thing in the middle is a sort of island with benches in it. At the far end by the American flag are JC Penny and the former Peebles. There are a few shoppers, but traffic is pretty light for a Saturday afternoon.
![](http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y49/mtwilda/NC%20Trip/P1010065.jpg)
A former jeweler and candy stand. The full name of the candy stand is "Sweet and Nutty." On a personal note I have many memories of requesting candy from that stand as a child. Sometimes I got it and sometimes I didn't .
Links
http://www.signalhillmall.com - Signal Hill Mall official web site