BATON ROUGE - The retail landscape in Baton Rouge changed forever when construction crews began the tedious process of tearing down Cortana Mall to make way for the next era of online retail. 

When it opened on May 8, 1976, Cortana Mall was one of the 15th largest malls in the country and the largest in the south.

By October 29, 1997, a sibling was born across town: The Mall of Louisiana. Dwindling sales forced some tough decisions and the footprint of what was Cortana Mall is now the Amazon Fulfillment Center, bringing the 44-year retail reign to an end. 

Watch more of WBRZ’s celebration of 70 years of local and community-driven coverage on YouTube at the playlist below: