For the first time in over a year, WISN 12 News cameras were granted rare access Monday inside the former Northridge Mall weeks before a contractor is set to begin demolition.
The city of Milwaukee acquired the site of the former mall in January 2024 after a judge granted a foreclosure following years of unpaid taxes by U.S. Black Spruce Enterprises, the Chinese-based company that owned the property.
Since gaining access to the buildings, the city of Milwaukee says they have secured the premises and added 24/7 on-site security.
This comes after years of vandalism at the property including a string of dangerous arsons in the summer of 2022.
That vandalism was still on full display Monday. Stores once filled with eager shoppers are now littered with shattered glass, graffiti and broken property. Mold and asbestos cover the floors and walls.
"It's a real health and safety issue," Benji Timm, a project manager with the Department of City Development said. "It doesn't take long for people to get inside, for Mother Nature to work her magic on a building like this."
The city says they are now working with Veit, a Minnesota-based contractor to begin asbestos abatement and demolition by late summer.
Timm says the process will likely take close to a year to complete. The city hopes to have a more concrete timeline in August when they plan to hold a special public meeting.
In the meantime, the City has launched two websites to provide updates on the project and give community members a chance to weigh in on what they'd like to see built on the property once the former mall is removed.
Dan Bell intensifies