These eerie photos of an abandoned mall in Kansas City are surprisingly heartbreaking

(Seph Lawless / Business Insider)

When the Metro North Shopping Center in Kansas City, Mo., opened in 1976, malls were the go-to shopping destinations in America.

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But like so many of its brethren across the country, the 1.2 million square-foot mall eventually saw a decrease in visitors, thanks in part to the rising popularity of online shopping. It closed in April 2014 and is now slated for demolition.

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RELATED: Here’s what happens to malls after department stores close

Photographer Seph Lawless, who’s known for taking pictures of abandoned places, shared these haunting snaps of the crumbling Metro North with Business Insider. Despite being closed less than three years, it looks like it’s been empty for decades.

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