Amanda Hoover for NJ.com

BURLINGTON TWP -- Burlington Center Mall on Mount Holly road opened 35 years ago this month, and for decades it served as a bustling point in the community with more than 100 retail, food, beauty and arcade storefronts.

But today, the building is full of mostly vacant halls. Escalators carry a sparse number of shoppers from the upper to lower levels, although there's little to see on either. Buckets are clustered together and spaced throughout the mall, collecting water droplets that fall from above, and untouched children's rides and games play music and laughter that echo past shuttered store fronts, a scene reminiscent of a deserted carnival.

Stepping into Sears, Bath & Body Works or Foot Locker, it's clear to see the chains are carrying out business as usual at the locations. But the corridors just outside stretch past shuttered shops, where metal gates block off empty, outdated fronts; some still bear the names of past tenants, while others have stains and peeled paint, making it nearly impossible to envision the last store to serve customers there.

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Amanda Hoover | For NJ.com

Online shopping has shifted the retail landscape across the nation, leading to a decline in traditional malls and retail sales. But the affliction isn't always as visible as at Burlington Center. An NJ.com ranking of all the state's malls placed the Burlington Township shopping center dead last, noting it had the fewest dining and shopping options as well as a lack of atmosphere.

And while some ideas to modernize the site or redesign it entirely have been put forward in recent years, all have languished, convincing more retailers to pull their businesses from the space each year.

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Amanda Hoover | For NJ.com

The mall opened in August of 1982 on the nearly 42-acre site. In the late 1990s when Jager Management purchased the space, it was valued at $10.5 million.

JCPenney became a third anchor, along with Sears and Strawbridge's, which later became a Macy's. At the time, the mall was credited with linking Mount Holly and Burlington Township, and leading to other development along the corridor.

By the time the mall's current owner, Moonbeam Capital Investments, bought it in 2012, it was only worth $4.4 million.

Above, one of the former anchor stores sits empty, with overgrown grass encroaching on the sidewalk and parking lot.

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Mall Directory

The mall's current directory lists 16 stores, along with two offices for security and management. That leaves around 100 vacant storefronts, as well as the two empty anchor sites.

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Gang violence

The mall briefly closed due to gang violence on January 13, 2007.

That, some say, likely set the mall on a path to decline, as shoppers began to question safety at the mall.

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Amanda Hoover | For NJ.com

"It is dead," said Betty Lawson, a 61-year-old Willingboro resident who found herself shopping at the mall last week. She said she came specifically to shop at Bath & Body Works, but didn't see much else that interested her.

"I would like there to be more stores if they're going to revive the area," she said, but noted that she would rather see the 40-some acre space turned into a recreation center for youth, allowing kids to spend time outside playing sports. "That could be nice."

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The elephant fountain

A major focal point of the mall was the an elephant fountain, made by Philadelphia-based artist Zenos Frudakis. The 12-by-11-foot bronze statue depicts a boy riding on the back of an elephant, which is shooting water out of its trunk. It stood outside of Strawbridge's for many years.

In the video above, Frudakis talks about his inspiration and process in making the sculpture.

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Renovations delayed and closing rumors

Moonbeam Investments Capital previously floated a $230 million expansion of the mall, which would include a movie theater, restaurants and additional shopping, according to the Burlington County Times.

But that effort has been scaled back and delayed, leaving the mall's future uncertain. Rumors of its closing spread frequently, but employees at the center's remaining stores say they have not heard any definitive word from either their employers or the mall.

When questioned about the future of the mall and its anchor there, Sears, which owns its place, did not confirm any closures.

"We can only speak for our store, a store that is open and serving our customers and members every day," said Chris Brathwaite, a spokesman for the company.

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The mall in 2015

In 2015, videographer Dan Bell took a camera through the halls of Burlington Center as part of his Dead Malls series, which documents declining shopping centers around the country.

At the time, several fast food restaurants remained in the food court and more shops lined the halls, although few people are seen perusing the mall in the recording.

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An uncertain future

While various projects have been proposed by current owner Moonbeam Capital Investments, none have moved forward, and the mall has continued to clear out.

"We’ll understand they’re getting serious about moving forward once we get some contact or communication regarding a designation or the sites," Burlington Township Mayor Brian Carlin said in an interview last week.

But simply remodeling the mall likely isn't enough, he added, noting that online retail, particularly from giants like Amazon, has shifted the way people shop. Drawing both shops and people back to a mall site will take more than just a new coat of paint.

"We would all love to see the mall site as a vibrant, thriving economic center," Carlin said. "But we're fully recognizing that the idea of a mall or a mega shopping complex they had started to move forward with is probably not a reality. It’s kind of up to their creativeness to figure out what the best use for that site is."

Moonbean did not respond to requests for comment.

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Amanda Hoover | For NJ.com

An 'extremely depressing' sight

"I haven't been here in three years," said Tina Milas, who lives in Burlington and stopped by the mall to visit Sears. She usually travels to the area's larger malls, in Cherry Hill or Moorestown.

"I walked inside and I was like, what the heck happened?" she said. "This mall used to thrive, it steadily declined."

Milas said she frequented the mall for decades, taking her young children there, one of whom eventually got an after school job working in the mall. But as options dwindled and retailers left, she found herself taking her business elsewhere.

On the summer afternoon, she gestured around the nearly vacant parking lot and said, "This is extremely depressing."

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Amanda Hoover can be reached at ahoover@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @amahoover. Find NJ.com on Facebook.