Gutted Mall Concourse, George Air Force Base, Victorville

George Air Force Base operated near Victorville, California, from 1941 until its closure under the 1991 Base Realignment and Closure process, with final shutdown in 1992. The base supported Tactical Air Command and later Air Combat Command units, housing thousands of personnel and their families in an on-site community that included its own retail and services complex. Base exchange and commissary facilities like this one served as the primary shopping hub for residents, functioning much like a small-town shopping center. Since the closure, much of the former base has sat vacant or been redeveloped piecemeal as Southern California Logistics Airport, leaving structures like this one stripped of fixtures and open to decay.

Photo taken in December 2011.