This is 99% invisible. I'm Roman Mars.

In downtown Providence, Rhode Island, there's a large plot of land that sits on the bank of the

Wunasquatuckett River. In 1838, it was the home of the Rhode Island State Prison,

which was notorious for its horrid smell, dreary outward appearance and reputation for solitary

confinement. Later, the land house the continuing education reputation for

the solitary confinement.

Later, the land house the continuing education campus for the University of Rhode Island.

And after that, a dirt parking lot called Ray's Park and Lock.

Then in 1999, in a grand effort to revitalize the city and with much fanfare,

the Providence Place Mall was opened.

That's Vanessa Lowe, producer of the podcast, Knock Turn.

The mall costing $500 million was what was known as a super regional,

a one-stop shopping destination, housing everything consumers could possibly want or need in a totally enclosed space.

Partially funded by taxpayer money, it spanned 13 acres, offered 1.4 million square feet of retail space and dominated the riverfront.

It was the largest construction project in Providence's history. This one building and we sort of stood in awe watching it get built.

Michael Townsend is an artist who lived nearby when the mall was still under

construction in the 1990s. His daily running route took him past the

construction site and Michael says that as he watched it go up he had an open

mind about the project he was

cautiously optimistic that it would be a welcome addition to the neighborhood.

But yeah that didn't last long. Yeah it's funny the the revulsion to a building like that doesn't really kick in until the skin gets put on.

When something is in its erector set mode, when you're just seeing the skeleton, like,

...