So it seems someone has already tried living in a mall, even if it isn’t exactly how I envisioned it. This may be even cooler. Michael Townsend lived in the mall for four years while it was still running. See his site here, or listen to an interview with him here (streaming below).
[audio:http://thestory.org/archive/the_story_383_A_Home_In_The_Mall.mp3]