How This Abandoned Mall In Bangkok Became The World's Largest Urban Aquarium
On our RANDOM WEDNESDAY column this week, we take you to the middle of Bangkok, just a few blocks away from the city’s tourist spots where lies a secret world that's both dark and incredible for those who dare to take the road less traveled.
By Sadho Ram — 02 Jul 2014, 02:15 PM — Updated about 10 years ago
There's something incredibly random and eerie about an abandoned shopping mall. Perhaps it's the stark contrast from its intended purpose?
The Hawthorne Plaza Mall. It was opened in 1977 in partial hopes to revive the city of Hawthorne. At one point, it had 134 stores, but during the ’90s the mall went into decline. By 1999, it had closed. The mall is featured in 2001’s Evolution and 2002’s Minority Report.
Image via instagram.comTo see such a sterile place once designed to entice throngs of shoppers into its doors, now so completely devoid of any human life, dilapidated and darkened with time. It's basically the very definition of post-apocalyptic.
theverge.com
But in the case of the New World shopping mall in Bangkok, abandonment by humans doesn't quite equate with lifelessness
After descending the staircase at a vacant shopping mall in Bangkok, professional cook and photographer Jesse Rockwell discovered a wholly different take on beasts inheriting the Earth: fish. Specifically exotic koi and catfish, teeming by the thousands in a secret subterranean aquarium.
The New World Mall closed down in 1997 due to a breach of zoning laws. In 1999, a suspected arsonist burned down much of the structure, leaving it without a roof.
As seen in these photos from Rockwell, the resulting "urban aquarium" is at once delightful and surreal
Rockwell writes on his blog A Taste of The Road that someone deliberately introduced the fish into the abandoned mall, but that locals in Bangkok's old town "discourage people from visiting it"
At some point in the early 2000′s an unknown person began introducing a small population of exotic Koi and Catfish species. The small population of fish began to thrive and the result is now a self-sustained, and amazingly populated urban aquarium. I will not tell exactly where it is, as locals somewhat discourage people visiting it.
tasteoftheroad.comHe says he had to wait for a policeman to leave before entering, which makes his resulting images all the more breathtaking
Interested in getting there? Here's how:
The mall is only around 5 minutes’ walk from Khao San Road. Walk to the end of Khao San Road where the small glass police station is and turn right onto Chakrabongse Road. Then walk straight ahead until you come to the junction with Phra Sumen Road.
renegadetravels.comThis intersection is known as Bang Lam Pu Junction. You will see the main entrance to New World Mall here, but you can’t get in from the front.
io9.com
Turn right into Phra Sumen Road and walk for around 200 meters until you get to Krungthai Bank. Turn right into the small lane alongside the bank – Soi Kraisi.
renegadetravels.com
Once you’ve turned into Soi Kraisi, you’ll see the entrance a few meters ahead to your right. This is private property – see important note below. There is usually food for the fish for sale in the basket that you can see hanging at the entrance. Just take a bag and leave 10 baht in the cup.
renegadetravels.comHowever, in response to these photos, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has closed the building and ordered an inspection
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has declared the derelict New World department store, including its ground floor fishpond, off-limits. Pramern Krairos, deputy director of Phra Nakhon district office, inspected the store in Bang Lamphu and ordered it closed for safety reasons with immediate effect. A committee will work with the BMA’s Public Works Department to inspect the building and report its findings in a month, he said. If found unsafe, the building will be demolished and the fish removed from the inundated floor.
bangkokpost.comOtherwise, the committee will order the owners, who also own the former Kaewfah Plaza department store, to adopt safety measures which will allow them to maintain the building as well as the fishpond. Mr Pramern said the building structure seemed fine, but he feared young visitors might fall into the pond. He said he feared water in the pond also could be a source of infection.
io9.com
City officials inspect retained floodwater, which has become a fish pond, inside the abandoned and badly damaged New World shopping mall in Bang Lamphu. City Hall ordered it to be knocked down 10 years ago.
Image via bangkokpost.comOfficials from the BMA's Department of Environment have collected samples of water from the pond to test its quality, and sprayed pesticide to kill mosquitoes. The troubled New World mall was built in 1982.
bangkokpost.com