From a bustling community hub where teenagers flocked and parking was scarce, the Berkshire Mall now sits as a hollowed-out shell, its empty corridors a stark reminder of the changing face of retail in small-town America.

An Abandoned Mall?

The Berkshire Mall in Lanesborough, Massachusetts, once a bustling center of commerce and social life, now stands as a decaying symbol of a nationwide issue plaguing small towns. In its prime, the mall was the town’s largest taxpayer, generating $2.3 million in annual revenue that supported essential services like the police department, schools, and road maintenance. However, by the mid-2010s, major anchor stores such as JCPenney and Sears had closed, leading to a sharp decline in business and culminating in the mall’s near-complete shutdown in 2019.

Photographed for the Business section of the New York Times.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/15/business/malls-empty-small-towns.html

The story of the Berkshire Mall reflects a broader trend of “dead malls” across the United States, where hundreds of similar enclosed shopping centers sit empty, down from 1,100 in 2018. While some communities have successfully repurposed these spaces into housing, healthcare facilities, or sports complexes, many small towns like Lanesborough face significant hurdles. They often find themselves in conflict with mall owners over the future of the properties and struggle to replace the substantial tax revenue the malls once provided. The unique architecture and sheer size of these structures also present major financial challenges for redevelopment.

Once Lanesborough's largest taxpayer, the decaying Berkshire Mall has become a financial headache. A bitter dispute over property taxes between the town and the mall's owners has stalled plans for redevelopment, leaving the community in a costly limbo. — Once Lanesborough’s largest taxpayer, the decaying Berkshire Mall has become a financial headache. A bitter dispute over property taxes between the town and the mall’s owners has stalled plans for redevelopment, leaving the community in a costly limbo.

The decline of the Berkshire Mall is a story told in crumbling infrastructure and nature's reclamation. With a roof needing a $5 million replacement and trees sprouting from the asphalt, the site reflects a nationwide struggle to repurpose these massive, abandoned structures. — The decline of the Berkshire Mall is a story told in crumbling infrastructure and nature’s reclamation. With a roof needing a $5 million replacement and trees sprouting from the asphalt, the site reflects a nationwide struggle to repurpose these massive, abandoned structures.

A standoff with no end in sight: Town officials and the owners of the Berkshire Mall are locked in a battle over the future of the derelict property. While plans for an elderly housing complex are on the table, disagreements over tax burdens have halted any progress.

In Lanesborough, a protracted dispute between the town and the mall’s current owners, JMJ Real Estate Holdings, has stalled any potential progress. The conflict centers on the Baker Hill Road District, a municipal body created to oversee an access road, which is funded by taxes on the mall property. As the mall’s value plummeted from $60.5 million in 2008 to $7.2 million in 2023, tax revenues have fallen, yet the owners argue the current tax bill of $1.15 million is still excessively high for a largely derelict property.

What was once the vibrant heart of a small town is now a symbol of economic decline. The Berkshire Mall's journey from a packed shopping destination to a graffiti-marked, empty building illustrates the profound challenges facing communities that once bet their futures on a retail model that has since collapsed. — What was once the vibrant heart of a small town is now a symbol of economic decline. The Berkshire Mall’s journey from a packed shopping destination to a graffiti-marked, empty building illustrates the profound challenges facing communities that once bet their futures on a retail model that has since collapsed.

Joseph Jones, a manager at JMJ Real Estate Holdings, which owns the mall, said the mall’s tax bill was too high.

Timothy Sorrell, a town selectman and former police chief in Lanesborough, Mass., in May. He recounted an era when the Berkshire Mall was packed.

JMJ’s initial plan to convert the space into a cannabis cultivation site was abandoned due to a slowing market. Their latest proposal involves a large apartment complex for older adults, a project that could address a local shortage of affordable housing. However, the ongoing tax dispute, which has led to a lawsuit by the road district against JMJ, has scared off potential investors. Town officials are reluctant to cut the district’s budget, as this would shift the financial burden for police and road services directly to residents. This stalemate leaves the future of the Berkshire Mall uncertain and serves as a cautionary tale for other small towns that once saw large commercial developments as a financial solution, without foreseeing the long-term consequences of their potential failure.

An osprey family has built a nest on a light pole outside the mall.