Last days of Cary Towne Center

Opened in 1979 and expanded in 1991, Cary Towne Center is slated to be demolished in early 2021 to make way for a new mixed-use development site called Carolina Yards. Only the remaining tenants, Belk and Dave & Busters, are expected to keep their existing locations.

Sad to see this mall, a place I frequented in the 2000s, a ghost of its former self. The newer east wing, with long-gone tenants JCPenney, Sears, and Macy's (Hecht's until 2006), as well as the food court and carousel, has been permanently closed and walled off and awaiting demolition. For now, only the original pinwheel wing remains with a few remaining stores. Dillard's has already shuttered, while Belk barricaded itself and has to be accessed from outside the mall.

UPDATE: In January 2021, Cary-based Epic Games (yes, the company behind Fortnite) announced the purchase of the mall property to be converted to its new, enlarged campus, slated for completion around 2024. While I think it might actually work out, seeing this is like the fifth attempt to redevelop the mall (at one point IKEA planned to replace the east wing), anybody want to guess if this falls through as well?