Ruins of North DeKalb Mall

The Location

Decatur is a city just outside Atlanta, Georgia, and close to our own headquarters, which made this an easy project to take on. North DeKalb Mall had sat in the area for a long time before its demolition, and the site gave us a convenient, nearby location to fly and explore. Decatur is known for its walkable downtown and strong sense of local history, which made the loss of a longtime building like the mall notable to residents.

About the Project

This was an independent shoot we took on purely out of interest, capturing North DeKalb Mall in Decatur, Georgia as it was being torn down. We flew FPV through the ruins to document the demolition from the air and explore the gutted interior of the mall. The project was done for historical purposes and to see firsthand what the inside of a collapsing mall looks like. FPV drones like this can slip through narrow, debris-filled corridors that would be unsafe to explore on foot.

Why They Needed It

We took on this project ourselves, not for a client, simply because Decatur is close to our headquarters and the demolition of North DeKalb Mall gave us a rare subject to shoot. Capturing it mattered for historical purposes, documenting a familiar local building before it disappeared for good. It also gave us a chance to explore, from the air and on the ground, what the inside of a mall looks like mid-demolition. Many communities value having a visual record of familiar buildings before they are demolished or redeveloped.