In the meantime, here's a video that Lawless made, documenting his trip.
It is expected to take about four months to complete the razing of the mall.
The village of Matteson, where the mall is located, requested that the property be destroyed, citing safety concerns.
In May, demolition began on the vacant mall.
Lawless collected the photographs in his book, "Autopsy of America: The Death of a Nation," which was released in early 2017.
The trip was part of Lawless's project, Autopsy of America, which is intended to document abandoned and forgotten sites across the US.
Forget shoppers — there isn't not another person in sight.
Shops are dark and empty.
The photographer says he visited the mall on November 20, 2016, just days before Black Friday.
Roughly two years after the mall was ordered to close, Lawless visited to take these photos.
Now, the mall is in a far worse state of disrepair.
At the time, the mall's owner owed $10 million in unpaid fines and taxes, according to local officials.
In November 2014, Cook County judge ordered the closure of the mall following the holiday shopping season.
The mall reportedly failed to make these changes, which included creating new exits to comply with fire codes and replacing electrical and air conditioning systems.
The mall's tenants did not generate enough in rent to pay for the improvements or repairs, according to an attorney for the owner.
The same year, a court-ordered receiver was appointed to force the location to pay taxes and fines, as well as make necessary repairs.
In 2013, the mall's owner told The Chicago Tribune that the mall was losing $2 million a year.
The closure of Sears in 2012 was a major blow to the mall's business.
However, in the mall's final months, it was home to just 40 businesses.
The 700,000-square-foot mall had the capacity to host four anchor stores and 100 smaller shops.
Lincoln Mall first opened its doors in 1973.
However, Lincoln Mall today is more haunted house than shopping hot spot.
A few remnants of the mall's past remain, like these banners.
Today, the mall is empty, except for garbage, dead trees, and a few stray shopping carts.
