Do you love going to the mall? Probably not so much if you happen to work inside one! Well, imagine actually living in the mall itself! Well, there was a room known as the ‘accidental room’ inside of a shopping center, and this man decided to live inside it.
Big Idea
It was 1999 and a huge mall development was complete. The shopping center was built in Providence Rhode Island and boasted 160 stores inside its 1.4 million square foot space. Every day, a man by the name of Michael Townsend ran past the mall. Michael was an artist and, at the time, a drawing instructor.
Michael enjoyed exploring and in such, while still being built, he discovered what seemed to be an accidental room. So, it looked like it served no purpose and did not appear to be a shop.
During the Christmas season of 2003 and 2004, radio ads for the Providence Place Mall featured an enthusiastic female voice talking about how great it would be if you (we) could live at the mall. The central theme of the ads was that the mall not only provided a rich shopping experience but also had all the things that one would need to survive and lead a healthy life.
Michael Townsend
The Mall House
Four years had passed, it was now 2003, and Michael discovered that the room inside the mall was unused. This is when he thought he himself would use it. He planned to only stay in the 750 square foot room for a week. He ended up living there for four years.
During its construction I identified the 750 sq. foot space that the apartment currently occupies. The space was used to store materials during the mall’s construction and remained classifiably underutilized and abandoned once the mall opened.
Michael Townsend
Michael managed to live, unnoticed, inside this room for a long, long time. He even planned on completing his kitchen, installing new flooring, and even adding another bedroom. Unfortunately for him, he was discovered before those plans could take place.
Plans to finish the kitchen, install the wood flooring, add a second bedroom and replace the outdated cutlery were put on permanent hold recently as I was apprehended leaving the apartment. The security personnel who took care of the situation did so in a fluid and professional manner. I admit to being caught off guard after four years, and apologize for not being as forthcoming immediately with information regarding my work.
Michael Townsend
No Punishment
Michael was fortunate not to be punished for his squatting at the mall. However, the security banned him from the shopping center for life, of course. He also makes mentions on his website that he is not homeless and has a job.
How anyone can go undetected, living in plain sight, for that long is beyond us. Nonetheless, what a cool story!
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