Back in 2003, eight artists embarked on an unusual creative experiment inside Providence Place, a shopping mall in Providence, Rhode Island. Led by artist Michael Townsend, the group secretly constructed a 750-square-foot apartment in an unused section of the shopping centre. The artists continued their secret project for approximately four years, staying there intermittently before mall security eventually discovered the apartment in 2007.
They furnished the hidden space with everyday items, including a sofa, television and gaming console, and used it as a place to spend time together. What began as an experiment in reclaiming commercial space later became the subject of the documentary Secret Mall Apartment, directed by Jeremy Workman, and a community arts initiative involving the same shopping centre.
Director Jeremy Workman (right) stands with artist Michael Townsend on April 27 beside a recreation of the secret apartment that Townsend and his fellow artists built inside Providence Place mall. (Sophie Park/The Washington Post) The apartment remained undetected for approximately four years. In 2007, Townsend invited an artist from Hong Kong to visit the space. The film premiered at the SXSW Film Festival in 2024 and subsequently received a theatrical release in 2025.
ICSC reported strong audience engagement and publicity results from the campaign, including increased visitor numbers during its first four Saturdays.
The initiative was designed to reconnect Providence Place with the local creative community, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers. The hidden apartment was constructed in an unused area within the mall’s structure, near the cinema and parking facilities. The artists concealed the space behind a wall made from cinderblocks and installed a lockable door. Over time, they transformed the empty area into a furnished living space. The apartment reportedly contained a sofa, television, PlayStation, books, photo albums and other household objects. The group also brought in appliances, including a waffle-maker. The space did not have running water, meaning the residents relied on public facilities in the mall. They also used the shopping centre’s electricity, making the apartment dependent on the infrastructure of the building they had entered without permission. The visitor’s presence attracted the attention of mall security, which subsequently discovered the hidden apartment. Townsend later acknowledged that bringing an outsider into the space violated one of the group’s rules. The discovery brought the experiment to an end and led to legal consequences for Townsend. Townsend became the principal person associated with the incident and accepted responsibility for his involvement While the project involved eight artists. The story later inspired Secret Mall Apartment, a documentary directed by Jeremy Workman. The film combines archival footage recorded by the artists with interviews conducted years after the apartment was discovered. The footage provides a record of the group’s construction work, daily activities and unusual living arrangement. The documentary also examines the broader social and economic issues surrounding the project, including gentrification and the displacement of artists from creative spaces. Actor Jesse Eisenberg was involved as an executive producer. The programme included tape-art installations, workshops and an augmented-reality project involving students from the Rhode Island School of Design. A wooden model of the mall was also created by artist Colin Bliss, one of the original participants. These figures were presented as campaign results and should be understood as claims made by the organisers rather than independently audited measurements.
The artists continued along different professional paths after the apartment project. Townsend remained involved in artistic work, while Valdez-Young pursued work in design research and education. Zehngebot continued his career as an artist. Other members of the group also remained connected to the arts and education sectors. Their reunion for the documentary offered an opportunity to revisit the motivations behind the apartment and reflect on how their lives had changed. The project, which began as a secret occupation of commercial space, eventually became a documented example of experimental art, urban change and the complicated relationship between artists and property owners.