Sunset Place Photo Tour Explores the Mall's History As a Gathering Space

When the Shops at Sunset Place opened in 1999, hopes were high for the futuristic-looking outdoor mall. It was just a beat before the turn of the millennium when malls were still a thing. Even Cher took a break from singing the national anthem at the Super Bowl to hit up the newly opened Virgin Megastore to discuss "Believe" with Virgin CEO Richard Branson.

Many of the teens that worked at that Virgin, as well as the PacSun, AMC Theatres, and even Banana Republic, like me, knew that the spot wasn't historically a draw for shoppers because they'd grown up going to Miami Children's Museum at the always-empty Bakery Centre in that same exact spot. Now, a mere 25 years later, Sunset Place is following the Bakery Centre into Miami's collective memory of temporary and ill-fated ventures. It's fated to be demolished and replaced with, get this, another mall, but this time, it has residences above it.

To bid farewell to this semi-beloved third place, head to the gates of Sunset Place on Saturday, December 14, for an exploratory photo walk, film screening, and vigil hosted by preservationist and photographer Sierra Grace. On her popular Instagram account, @lushsuburb, she calls the megamall "Miami's very own Roman Empire" and documents the Magic City's distinctive but endangered gathering spaces.

These events will be part of her new guerrilla-style series, Miami Malling, which expands upon past tours she's done solo and with O, Miami Poetry Festival. Her aim is to protect and increase awareness of these nostalgic spaces and encourage people to take action to preserve their surroundings. "I think that civic spaces matter, public gathering spaces really matter, who owns land really matters," she says. "We see these civic spaces disappearing. I think malls are the best civic spaces out there."

Grace does not advocate for malls, but her tours will explore their role in our history, their rise and fall in popularity, and how we live in and with them. "The word 'malling' is about the overdevelopment of malls in the '80s and '90s, but it's also about just hanging out at the mall," she explains.

Miked and armed with the mall's history and lore, she'll be ready to share information and emotions with visitors this Saturday. The tour will include a photo walk from 2 to 5 p.m., meeting at the mall's entrance on Sunset Drive. Other event organizers include Daniela Llanes and Richard Ramos of analogue Cardinal Film Lab. People are encouraged to bring their cameras.

"It's not just someone blabbing the history," she explains. "It's a contemporary way, a take on preservation where it talks about what's coming next. It's also about being nosy and asking questions." She shows participants the ways that they are kept from engaging in their communities. For example, on a past walk, she's seen flyers for public hearings advertised in hard-to-see places. The aim is to empower folks to take action and get involved in their communities.

The walk will be followed by a 16mm screening of the short film Metropolis in the Sun about Miami architectural styles at the final restaurant in Sunset Place, Tea & Poets, from 5:30 to 6 p.m. That portion of the evening will be hosted by Katharine Labuda, who is behind the AV Club project, which showcases forgotten footage from the Miami-Dade Public Library System archives. Afterward, from 7 to 8 p.m., participants will be part of an LED candlelight vigil for Sunset Place, where the public can bring photos for an altar and offer their own eulogies for the mall.

The afterparty is fittingly at beloved South Miami bar and restaurant Fox's Lounge, which was revamped and reopened in recent years. "They went away and came back in such a wonderful way — that resilience and neighborhood pride," Grace says. "People love to talk shit about Florida, but we're the main character in so many ways. We're the it girl." It just may take more people like Grace, who love the city and want to preserve it, for Miamians and people everywhere else to notice.

Shops at Sunset Place Photo Walk. 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, December 14, at the Shops at Sunset Place, 5701 Sunset Dr., South Miami; instagram.com/lushsuburb.