Calvert Mall
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Calvert Mall Visited by The Scourge D M Penfold (talk) 19:38, 25 November 2024 (UTC)
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Calvert Mall is a four-block shopping mall located on the boundary of the suburbs of Quarlesbank (the mall's northern half) and Gatcombeton (the mall's southern half). It is usually not populated by more than a hundred survivors at any one time.
In 1978, the Malton Mall Boom was in full swing. Six malls had already been built, a seventh was well underway, and plans for at least three others were in the works, planned for Dakerstown, Owsleybank, and Lerwill Heights. Which was all well and good, but construction on those couldn't begin until at least 1980, and that date was rushing farther and farther away as the northwest lost more and more money to the growing boom down south and east. If it continued, the northwest would never get any malls, and the urban decay they had been witnessing lately would accelerate rapidly.
Two suburbs- Quarlesbank and Gatcombeton- fully recognized the implications of this. Each had been pursuing their own ends to get a mall for themselves, but as the year progressed and money continued to drop off that became completely impossible. The suburban councils knocked heads, and eventually came up with the idea of pooling their money and building a mall on the border for both of them to profit from. The bill was pushed through, and on July 3rd, 1978, in the middle of the anniversary celebrations, a demo team from Zidowsky Construction and Demolition levelled a block of four old warehouses on the Quarlesbank-Gatcombeton border. After the rubble had settled, the council chairs from both suburbs walked to the center of the wreckage and, directly across from each other, dug the first shovelfuls of earth from the lot. The ground had been officially broken for the construction of Calvert Mall, named after a renowned sea captain who had come from the area.
Construction progressed apace after that- the foundation was dug and the concrete poured before the first snowflakes fell, and by March the first floor could be made out, blocked in by I-beams and concrete molds. But in early April the Energy Crisis hit Malton hard, and construction ground completely to a halt. The councils panicked- they had no more money to divert to the project, and every day without the mall there they lost more.
In desperation, the surrounding suburbs- Jensentown, Judgewood and Shuttlebank- all chipped in with a piece of their funding, and slowly the mall ground back into life, though construction progressed at a horribly slow pace. The rest of the year, the mall rose agonizingly against the low skylines, its art deco exterior reflecting the cold autumn light across the suburb.
Though it was sixteen below freezing on the day of completion (January 4th) with thirty-mph winds, the councils from all the participating suburbs and nearly half the combined population of Quarlesbank and Gatcombeton was there for the grand opening. Dressed in all the clothing they could muster, the crowd shivered as the council chairs spoke (quite abruptly) and cut the ribbon, allowing the people into the mall- which to their pleasant surprise was, despite half the city being without power due to the fuel shortage, lit up and warm. Yet this excitement was tinged with a sadness- it had taken a massive effort to get Calvert completed, and the fuel shortage still dragged on. There would be no new malls built for at least two years, and by then the novelty had worn off. The Mall Boom was over.
Next time you pass Calvert Mall, take note of the canvas contraptions on the roof. Though they may just look ornamental in fitting with the "age of sail" theme of the mall, those sails are connected in a saracen fashion to form windmills. These drive turbines deep below the mall (the shafts are hidden inside some of the pillars), meaning that although Calvert IS connected to the city power grid, in a pinch it can provide itself enough power for half the lights and seventy degrees of heat. In the post-Outbreak era, though, many of the turbines have been sabotaged or have fallen into disrepair, so although the windmills may spin, there's no power coming through the wire.
The mall's art-deco exterior is meant to recall a sea in storm (though the effect has been rather heavily ruined post-Outbreak, as many segments have fallen off to reveal the red-brick construction beneath), and the motif continues into the structure- blue and white abound, with motifs and murals of ocean scenes and ships of sail everywhere. The mall's support pillars are dolled up to resemble ship's masts, the floor tiles are arranged in patterns that recall deck planking, and the stores all tend towards nautical themes. You can almost smell the sea air when you walk through the door, and every trip to the mall feels like an adventure in itself.
Coordinates: NW [25, 9], SW [25, 10], NE [26, 9], SE [26, 10]
Nearby NecroTech Buildings
The NecroTech Buildings within ten blocks of the mall, listed from nearest to farthest, are:
| Building | Suburb | Coordinates | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Milnerr Building | Quarlesbank | 23, 03 | 2-3 W, 6-7 N |
| The Balchin Building | Quarlesbank | 20, 03 | 5-6 W, 6,7 N |
| The Marfell Building | Shuttlebank | 33, 15 | 7-8 E, 5-6 S |
| The Haslock Building | Quarlesbank | 29, 01 | 3-4 W, 8-9 N |
| The Evett Building | Quarlesbank | 27, 01 | 1-2 E, 8-9 N |
| The Frappell Building | Shuttlebank | 30, 18 | 4-5 E, 8-9 S |
| The Ludlow Building | Judgewood | 17, 16 | 8-9 W, 6-7 S |
| The Shears Building | Jensentown | 16, 06 | 8-9 W, 3-4 N |
Entry Points
Following the both barricade plans from Gatcombeton and Quarlesbank, this is the designated entry points for the Mall. Please keep these buildings Very Strong Barricaded.
- Theodore General Hospital (29, 10).
- St. Cyprian's Hospital (23, 11).
- the Challes Museum (25, 11).
- The Rason Hotel (24, 08).
- Maddocks Drive Fire Station (22, 9)
News
Please place the latest updates at the top.
News older than one month can be found in the archive.
Remember to keep news entries NPOV for this Suburb page.
Don't be a nobody - sign your posts using ~~~~!
September 21th, 2008 As the Calvert mall seems to be inpenatreble, several zombie hordes have been gathering around the mall making a total of over 20 zombies. More will likely join in and with luck (for the zombies) the mall will fall.
Defenses are all at there highest level, but once there are a few more zed's nearby the mall could fall into zombie hands once again. - General shkkf 9:25, 21 September 2008 (GMT)
September 13, 2008
Currently under attack by Extinction, need reinforcements ASAP. - Velo2
August 7th, 2008
NE corner is ruined and wide open with 15 zeds outside. SE is lit and all but NE are HB+. Unknown numbers (alive or dead) inside -- jordanger 17:13, 7 August 2008 (BST)
July 31st, 2008
Calvert mall is back in survivor control with only a single zombie inside, and he appears to be survivor-friendly (a.k.a. a guy who was killed by hostile hordes. -- EchelonThree 13:33, 31 July 2008 (BST)
July 26th All corners ruined. 3 zeds in each of the southern quarters. None in the northern portions. --Xan2020 02:42, 27 July 2008 (BST)
July 24th There are ~40 zombies outside the SW corner, which is also lit. Not many zombies in the other corners. The SW corner was lightly barricaded last time I logged in but they are rapidly fluctuating due to the large number of zombies (me being one of them!). I can't be certain of the survivor status. Ishmael Davenwood 00:54, 25 July 2008 (BST)
July 4th There are around 30 zombies outside but the mall is firmly in survivor hands with at least 40 scattered around the mall. all corners are extremely heavily barricaded as there was a recent zombie breakthrough in the NW corner. if you have free running come on round! the rebuilding is still underway. --Doctorgun 01:20, 4 July 2008 (BST)
June 19th There are still 30 zombies outside, but there are also 17 zombies inside and the SE corner is ruined. Not many have entered the mall, and not many have left either (except when dragged out by zombies). Generators are all quiet or dead. Pakopako 15:19, 19 June 2008 (BST)
June 18th We need reinforcements as the mall is now under attack again. 30+ Zeds outside have managed to break in once, injuring people and destroying the generator in the SE corner.--Greg Baroque 00:24, 19 June 2008 (BST)
June 9th The mall is back in survivor hands but needs reinfoprcements to help rebuild change the status.--Avatar Aang 01:47, 10 June 2008 (BST)
June 3rd The mall has fallen to various Zeds, and LUE is taking credit. Whether the superhorde has returned or not is yet to be seen. John D Freeman 03:09, 4 June 2008 (BST)
- We didn't touch anything, I swear! We were standing next to Calvert Mall and it just came crashing down. You've gotta believe me! - Brona 00:27, 6 June 2008 (BST)
May 11th
Mall has been back in operating order for over a weak and is holding against a medium sized (10-15) zombie mob. Occasional break ins, but few deaths, and at least one corner powered / all corners barricaded. 
Swiers 23:53, 11 May 2008 (BST)
March 28th
This Mall belongs to The Dead. --Zambargh the Ravener 18:33, 28 March 2008 (UTC)
March 21
Watch the SW corner I awoke to it being at VHB. I caded it back up but there are zombies ready to fight you know.--Aesir Motz
February 9th
We survivors should split up and regorup
-Velo2
February 8th
The Militant Order of Barhah has taken the mall.--Jorm 21:20, 8 February 2008 (UTC)
The NE, SE, and also the SW quadrants have been taken by 40 zombies from the Militant Order of Barhah. Over two dozen bodies lie in the area. The MOB is encouraging more survivors to come to the mall.--FLZombie 18:00, 8 February 2008 (UTC)
February 7th
Zombies have entered building. Many survivors inside. Need help. Urgent. - Henry Morgentaler February 6th
The SW corner is only at lightly strong. Someone should build the 'cades back up to make sure zombies dont get in.
-Velo2
- I wouldn't worry too much about the SW corner, as The Militant Order of Barhah has already ruined the NE. -- Grogh 03:03, 8 February 2008 (UTC)
February 2nd
Overbarricading of Mall.
