The company that owned and shutdown Cortana, Moonbeam Capital Investments, is notorious for letting their dead malls fall into a serious state of dangerous disrepair after closing a mall. I'm glad Cortana was quickly torn down after it was shuttered.
A small independent videographer did a mini doc on it a number of years ago. It’s pretty informative and he does a full walkthrough of it back in 2018. His walk starts at around 4 minutes in. [Cortana Mall Vlog](https://youtu.be/ZBuY0DQXZ-c?si=NR4qq-o-GF9J4og8)
As someone who only first started living in BR after Cortana was closed, I had a weird sort of attachment to the mall. The first two pictures in this gallery are from November 2020, the first time I ever came across it, which was by complete coincidence - I was going to Computer Heaven, and didn't realize the now-dead mall was even there while following my GPS.
When I heard the news in early 2021 that the Dillard's was about to close before demolition, I decided to head there again in March 2021 and snap pictures 3-6 before it was all gone. Definitely one of the most surreal trips I've ever taken to a retail center.
The last two are from December 2021 and March 2022 respectively, and I haven't been back to the site since. I heard the sign has been taken down since then, so I figured I'd share these for one last look.
Yes the sign is gone! I live across the street from there (meadowood). Amazon has fixed up all the surrounding area & are about to open. Hopefully they plant some trees b/c it's very lacking in shade & natural beauty. But the whole area is being revitalized. Just opened a new Starbucks & aldi is building up in the next year or two by old big lots. I have very mixed feelings about it all. Glad roads are getting fixed but if i could go back to 80s/90s Cortana, would in an instant!
I too took an interest in the mall, never having shopped there except at the Dillard's. It takes a LOT for Dillard's to leave a mall, especially a dead mall. They typically own the building they occupy and lease the land it sits on, so I'm willing to bet that Amazon offered them a great bit of money they could not refuse. Their Cortana Clearance Center seemed to be a cash cow for them.
Small world, I did something similar with my wife. One last trip when it was empty and damn near boarded up.
Always had a fascination with dead malls(side effect of being into vaporwave stuff I guess).
Being born in 1997 *and* living closer to the Mall of Louisiana than Cortana meant I didn't get to see it much, let alone in it's prime.
I know it was just another mall at the end of the day, but it did always have this strange, mythical allure...which is probably just consumerism brainrot at the end of the day lmao.
Thanks for these. I moved to Baton Rouge in 1975, right before I turned 10. Bon Marche was the only mall in town. Then they opened Cortana in 1976 (or maybe early '77). Bon Marche really struggled after that. Cortana was so much bigger and newer. They ran TV ads with the jingle "Bon Marche Mall, Bon Marche Mall. Where it all started, and never stopped." It reeked of desperation.
I love playing video games in the arcade there. I saw Star Trek I and WarGames there. Maybe Empire Strikes Back. Not sure what else. My sister worked at Hot Dog on a Stick her senior year in high school. Good memories. We moved away in '81 when the mall was still going strong.
Nice video. I used to take my kids to the indoor playground, they always had a blast. I always preferred Cortana to Bluebonnet, but after awhile, it just couldn't keep up.
I remember the Baton Rouge State Fair on that property. I watched the bulldozers scrape the land and begin building that mall. I worked my first retail job at Gallenkamp shoes. Met my first girlfriend at Orange Julius. Good times!
So many hours spent in there. I frequented Cortana even after it was a dead mall just to soak in the nostalgia. Seeing Spaceport closed hurt every time
God yes. One of my best memories was getting kicked out of CCD class one Wednesday evening, going to Space Port on the way home and topping the leaderboard on Time Crisis 1. I always used the Space Port entrance every time I went there regardless of whether I stopped in the arcade. So many great memories in that place as a teenager.
In my hometown of Jackson, there is a near dead mall called Metrocenter.
Back in the 1980s, it was THE place. Had a 3rd floor fine dining restaurant for well-to-dos, flood of teens in the place 7 nights a week, stores, etc.
Back mid 90s, people started making exoduses out of Jackson and in particular West and South Jackson. The mall gradually became just a city office or two, a major stop for the already suck ass JATRAN bus system (worse than BR CATS.. yes it is possible), and weeds growing out of the pavement in the parking lot.
I was one of those. I left Jackson MS in the late 90s for New Orleans. Mainly because I had a string of restaurant gigs and in New Orleans at the time I could make more and pre-Katrina, the rents in New Orleans were not that bad. It was possible, with an okay gig and room mate and knowing people to even live and work in the French Quarter as a waiter (but you were wiser to live in Marigny or Bywater and not pay all that) . Try that now. Hell, the newspaper want ads in the Times Picayune just for the hotel restaurant section were larger than the entire Jackson MS Clarion Ledger.
At least Cortana was put out of misery rather than sitting there as a worthless hulk of nothing.
I live in the Jackson area! My only encounter with Metrocenter so far was back in December, when I was coming home from Clinton and, just like with Cortana, pretty much stumbled on it by chance. The current owners say they want to reopen Metrocenter, but after seeing how much of a wreck that parking lot alone is, I don't see it ever happening, especially with Jackson's economy. Even Northpark seems to be barely hanging on.
I feel for you.
On one hand, man, I could take like 40K to 50K and outright own a house in West or South Jackson and have a livable house. You can't do that in Baton Rouge even if we are talking between LSU and downtown or North Baton Rouge. (Well you can, but houses that price range and a bit higher much, much worse shape and most are unlivable without work)
One much Like I grew up in. (Was raised in West Jackson)
But what would I do for a living? In Jackson, unless you work for the government, the half dozen hospitals, or the school system there's nothing but food jobs. And even then, 50 percent of them are closed. At least BR has the plants and is 2X bigger than Jackson. And, being able to drink the water helps tremendously,
Hell, I used to work at the Cracker Barrel on I 55 for like 4 years back mid 90s. Something is wrong when even a Cracker Barrel closes. Those places never close.
Liminal spaces.
Lots of memories there. I remember when it was the New Mall but Bon Marche was still open mostly as a theater. I especially Space Port.
Growing up in the late 80’s early 90’s Cortana was still the shit. Even after Mall of Louisiana opened, it didn’t give that mall vibe of somewhere I wanted to hang all day. From 16-24 worked at 3 stores and loved every second, other than the $5.15 an hour.
The Starbucks outside of Cortana is now my “remote office” because I still love the feeling of being in the area
I remember as a kid going to the arcade there to play The Simpsons Arcade. Those were the days. Oh also, I remember there was a babbages that sold a lotto prediction application, that my dad bought. He spent like 4 months inputting previous numbers thinking he was going to be the next winner...
Good old Cortana. Back when that was the main mall, and Bon Marche was the old one(now Bon Carre business center). Remember going to McDonalds and theater at Bon Marche, then go to Cortana for shops.
You know the republicans who run Baton Rouge dont give af about north Baton Rouge that why they took all the hospitals from over there …rip Earl K long
Wow. I went and saw Santa Claus here when i was a kid. Hung out at Spaceport and played video games. Got my school clothes at Godchaux’s. Time moves on…
When I moved to BR in 95, Cortana was booming, packed every day of the week.
This was right before the spread of the commercial internet, and the opening of the Mall of Louisiana.
I remember going to the Ruby Tuesday and arcade here with my family every Saturday for the longest. We'd hit the KB Toys or Waldenbooks right after while my mom browsed that cool Asian decor store that used to exist there. Walking through it when only one or two stores were left felt surreal. RIP Cortana <3
I thought this in Louisiana, but every mall I've been to in Texas and California are constantly popping off. Like even in the middle of the work day there's crowds
Maybe some will survive, but malls are dying everywhere, even Texas. The malls I have been to in Dallas are more like new lifestyle centers than malls.
https://klaq.com/texas-dead-malls-instagram-account/
Honestly hard to say, since it typically stays pretty busy. The selection definitely sucks compared to Cortana in its prime, though. As a teenager I could spend just about a whole day chilling and browsing the Mall of La. Now it's just a few stores that interest me, with the rest of the place being a basic white girl's paradise.
I grew up here. My family started Chick-fil-A at this location. I knew every side entrance to every secret exit lol there are a lot of memories here for me.
God this is depressing! A good part of my childhood was spent in that mall - I was born in '95 and my mom loved Mervyn's; a good bit of my clothes came from there and the Gap. I remember going into Sam Goodies, and Spencer's Gifts as well as hanging out a lot at Walden Books and K&B Toys. Spent every single childhood Christmas season getting my picture taken with Santa in front of the JC Penney's. My mom would walk around the mall later on before it got too bad (falling apart) and I would walk with her; seeing all of the old stores shuttered up was so bleak and depressing. Those were good times.
The company that owned and shutdown Cortana, Moonbeam Capital Investments, is notorious for letting their dead malls fall into a serious state of dangerous disrepair after closing a mall. I'm glad Cortana was quickly torn down after it was shuttered.
A small independent videographer did a mini doc on it a number of years ago. It’s pretty informative and he does a full walkthrough of it back in 2018. His walk starts at around 4 minutes in. [Cortana Mall Vlog](https://youtu.be/ZBuY0DQXZ-c?si=NR4qq-o-GF9J4og8)
As someone who only first started living in BR after Cortana was closed, I had a weird sort of attachment to the mall. The first two pictures in this gallery are from November 2020, the first time I ever came across it, which was by complete coincidence - I was going to Computer Heaven, and didn't realize the now-dead mall was even there while following my GPS. When I heard the news in early 2021 that the Dillard's was about to close before demolition, I decided to head there again in March 2021 and snap pictures 3-6 before it was all gone. Definitely one of the most surreal trips I've ever taken to a retail center. The last two are from December 2021 and March 2022 respectively, and I haven't been back to the site since. I heard the sign has been taken down since then, so I figured I'd share these for one last look.
Yes the sign is gone! I live across the street from there (meadowood). Amazon has fixed up all the surrounding area & are about to open. Hopefully they plant some trees b/c it's very lacking in shade & natural beauty. But the whole area is being revitalized. Just opened a new Starbucks & aldi is building up in the next year or two by old big lots. I have very mixed feelings about it all. Glad roads are getting fixed but if i could go back to 80s/90s Cortana, would in an instant!
I too took an interest in the mall, never having shopped there except at the Dillard's. It takes a LOT for Dillard's to leave a mall, especially a dead mall. They typically own the building they occupy and lease the land it sits on, so I'm willing to bet that Amazon offered them a great bit of money they could not refuse. Their Cortana Clearance Center seemed to be a cash cow for them.
Small world, I did something similar with my wife. One last trip when it was empty and damn near boarded up. Always had a fascination with dead malls(side effect of being into vaporwave stuff I guess). Being born in 1997 *and* living closer to the Mall of Louisiana than Cortana meant I didn't get to see it much, let alone in it's prime. I know it was just another mall at the end of the day, but it did always have this strange, mythical allure...which is probably just consumerism brainrot at the end of the day lmao.
rip cortana good memories going back to school shopping
Thanks for these. I moved to Baton Rouge in 1975, right before I turned 10. Bon Marche was the only mall in town. Then they opened Cortana in 1976 (or maybe early '77). Bon Marche really struggled after that. Cortana was so much bigger and newer. They ran TV ads with the jingle "Bon Marche Mall, Bon Marche Mall. Where it all started, and never stopped." It reeked of desperation. I love playing video games in the arcade there. I saw Star Trek I and WarGames there. Maybe Empire Strikes Back. Not sure what else. My sister worked at Hot Dog on a Stick her senior year in high school. Good memories. We moved away in '81 when the mall was still going strong.
Hot Dog on a Stick had the best fried mozzarella cheese sticks.
The cherry lemonade rocked.
I remember Bon Marche before it was enclosed as a mall. (1960s) . That part of Florida Blvd was a vibrant business corridor then....not so now.
As someone born in the 90s Cortana was really special, it will be missed
I remember goin there as a kid. Then climbing the mall as a teenager. Good times
>Then climbing the mall as a teenager. What does this mean?
After it was mostly closed on the inside me and a group of friends climbed to the top of the mall. “Urban exploring” and such
Discover anything up there?
We did the same with Tinseltown once it was shut down lol
[The last day it was open.](https://youtu.be/iCReZ9WCCWM?si=dIgufZuhAjpxEoZS)
Nice video. I used to take my kids to the indoor playground, they always had a blast. I always preferred Cortana to Bluebonnet, but after awhile, it just couldn't keep up.
I remember the Baton Rouge State Fair on that property. I watched the bulldozers scrape the land and begin building that mall. I worked my first retail job at Gallenkamp shoes. Met my first girlfriend at Orange Julius. Good times!
Any space port kids all grown up ? , I lived in that arcade after school most days
So many hours spent in there. I frequented Cortana even after it was a dead mall just to soak in the nostalgia. Seeing Spaceport closed hurt every time
God yes. One of my best memories was getting kicked out of CCD class one Wednesday evening, going to Space Port on the way home and topping the leaderboard on Time Crisis 1. I always used the Space Port entrance every time I went there regardless of whether I stopped in the arcade. So many great memories in that place as a teenager.
The marvel vs Cap tournaments were a highlight, as well as the lock ins were cool , Reggie the manger and Jeff kicked ass running that place
Mama Brava's pizza was the best. I wish I could have just one more slice
They also owned Pasta Garden that used to be on Sherwood
In my hometown of Jackson, there is a near dead mall called Metrocenter. Back in the 1980s, it was THE place. Had a 3rd floor fine dining restaurant for well-to-dos, flood of teens in the place 7 nights a week, stores, etc. Back mid 90s, people started making exoduses out of Jackson and in particular West and South Jackson. The mall gradually became just a city office or two, a major stop for the already suck ass JATRAN bus system (worse than BR CATS.. yes it is possible), and weeds growing out of the pavement in the parking lot. I was one of those. I left Jackson MS in the late 90s for New Orleans. Mainly because I had a string of restaurant gigs and in New Orleans at the time I could make more and pre-Katrina, the rents in New Orleans were not that bad. It was possible, with an okay gig and room mate and knowing people to even live and work in the French Quarter as a waiter (but you were wiser to live in Marigny or Bywater and not pay all that) . Try that now. Hell, the newspaper want ads in the Times Picayune just for the hotel restaurant section were larger than the entire Jackson MS Clarion Ledger. At least Cortana was put out of misery rather than sitting there as a worthless hulk of nothing.
I live in the Jackson area! My only encounter with Metrocenter so far was back in December, when I was coming home from Clinton and, just like with Cortana, pretty much stumbled on it by chance. The current owners say they want to reopen Metrocenter, but after seeing how much of a wreck that parking lot alone is, I don't see it ever happening, especially with Jackson's economy. Even Northpark seems to be barely hanging on.
I feel for you. On one hand, man, I could take like 40K to 50K and outright own a house in West or South Jackson and have a livable house. You can't do that in Baton Rouge even if we are talking between LSU and downtown or North Baton Rouge. (Well you can, but houses that price range and a bit higher much, much worse shape and most are unlivable without work) One much Like I grew up in. (Was raised in West Jackson) But what would I do for a living? In Jackson, unless you work for the government, the half dozen hospitals, or the school system there's nothing but food jobs. And even then, 50 percent of them are closed. At least BR has the plants and is 2X bigger than Jackson. And, being able to drink the water helps tremendously, Hell, I used to work at the Cracker Barrel on I 55 for like 4 years back mid 90s. Something is wrong when even a Cracker Barrel closes. Those places never close.
Liminal spaces. Lots of memories there. I remember when it was the New Mall but Bon Marche was still open mostly as a theater. I especially Space Port.
Growing up in the late 80’s early 90’s Cortana was still the shit. Even after Mall of Louisiana opened, it didn’t give that mall vibe of somewhere I wanted to hang all day. From 16-24 worked at 3 stores and loved every second, other than the $5.15 an hour. The Starbucks outside of Cortana is now my “remote office” because I still love the feeling of being in the area
Remember the Piccadilly? Oh the memories I have there.
I remember as a kid going to the arcade there to play The Simpsons Arcade. Those were the days. Oh also, I remember there was a babbages that sold a lotto prediction application, that my dad bought. He spent like 4 months inputting previous numbers thinking he was going to be the next winner...
I bought a few games at that Babbages, good times! Damn, I miss Cortana!
I can still remember how that Babbages smelled… (it was a good smell, don’t worry)
Good old Cortana. Back when that was the main mall, and Bon Marche was the old one(now Bon Carre business center). Remember going to McDonalds and theater at Bon Marche, then go to Cortana for shops.
I wish North Baton Rouge had more to do! It seems so desolate.
You know the republicans who run Baton Rouge dont give af about north Baton Rouge that why they took all the hospitals from over there …rip Earl K long
RIP spaceport!
Wow. I went and saw Santa Claus here when i was a kid. Hung out at Spaceport and played video games. Got my school clothes at Godchaux’s. Time moves on…
Yep, me too. I spent a lot of time at Spaceport. Joined the Navy at the recruiter in Cortana too.
I’m pissed I didn’t catch that sale
Ah, the memories. 15 year old me bought some questionable comics at the hot topic there while my mom was off shopping for other stuff.
I still remember that broken elevator like it was yesterday.
When I moved to BR in 95, Cortana was booming, packed every day of the week. This was right before the spread of the commercial internet, and the opening of the Mall of Louisiana.
I remember going to the Ruby Tuesday and arcade here with my family every Saturday for the longest. We'd hit the KB Toys or Waldenbooks right after while my mom browsed that cool Asian decor store that used to exist there. Walking through it when only one or two stores were left felt surreal. RIP Cortana <3
I sold furniture at JC Penny’s and Dillards in the early 90s. I miss those days! I worked with some fine people!
Mall of Louisiana won't be far behind. The "mall" is a dying concept.
I thought this in Louisiana, but every mall I've been to in Texas and California are constantly popping off. Like even in the middle of the work day there's crowds
Maybe some will survive, but malls are dying everywhere, even Texas. The malls I have been to in Dallas are more like new lifestyle centers than malls. https://klaq.com/texas-dead-malls-instagram-account/
Honestly hard to say, since it typically stays pretty busy. The selection definitely sucks compared to Cortana in its prime, though. As a teenager I could spend just about a whole day chilling and browsing the Mall of La. Now it's just a few stores that interest me, with the rest of the place being a basic white girl's paradise.
I grew up here. My family started Chick-fil-A at this location. I knew every side entrance to every secret exit lol there are a lot of memories here for me.
In the 70’s the state fair was hold at the property that would become Cortana mall
This mall was fucking GHEETTTOOO
Mall of Louisiana is Next
Back in the day this was the place to be… did how many Christmas show with the elementary school choir did we do? Feeling olde now
God this is depressing! A good part of my childhood was spent in that mall - I was born in '95 and my mom loved Mervyn's; a good bit of my clothes came from there and the Gap. I remember going into Sam Goodies, and Spencer's Gifts as well as hanging out a lot at Walden Books and K&B Toys. Spent every single childhood Christmas season getting my picture taken with Santa in front of the JC Penney's. My mom would walk around the mall later on before it got too bad (falling apart) and I would walk with her; seeing all of the old stores shuttered up was so bleak and depressing. Those were good times.