Eastland Center (Michigan)

Coordinates: 42°26′53″N 82°56′07″W / 42.4481°N 82.9354°W / 42.4481; -82.9354
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Eastland Center
Eastland Center logo
Signage along Beaconsfield and Vernier Road
Map
LocationHarper Woods, Michigan, United States
Coordinates42°26′53″N 82°56′07″W / 42.4481°N 82.9354°W / 42.4481; -82.9354
Opening date1957
Closing dateNovember 2021
DeveloperJ.L. Hudson Corporation
OwnerNorthPoint Development[1]
ArchitectVictor Gruen
No. of stores and services2
No. of anchor tenants6 (2 open, 4 vacant)
Total retail floor area1,415,557 sq ft (131,509.5 m2).
No. of floors1 with partial lower level (2 in former Sears, 4 in former Macy's)
Parking7613 spaces
Public transit accessBus transport DDOT 17
Bus transport SMART 610 (Sundays), 730
WebsiteNone

Eastland Center was an enclosed shopping mall located in the city of Harper Woods, an inner-ring suburb of Detroit, Michigan, United States. Opened in 1957, the mall had been expanded several times since. K&G Fashion Superstore and Shoppers World were the final anchor stores, with four other vacant anchors left by Sears, Target, Burlington, and Macy's.

History[edit]

The shopping center would have been Michigan's first shopping center constructed on 8 Mile and Kelly Road but the idea was scrapped. The mall was developed in 1957 by Hudson's, a Detroit-based department store chain (and corporate predecessor of Target Corp) that also developed Northland Center, another Detroit area mall.[2]

In 1975, Eastland Center was enclosed, with JCPenney opening as an additional anchor store. A food court and movie theater were added to the eastern wing in 1985.[3] MainStreet, a department store chain based in Chicago, Illinois, opened at the mall in the 1980s. The MainStreet chain was bought out and renamed by Kohl's in 1989. Kohl's closed at Eastland Center in 1995,[4] and was replaced with Target a year later.[2][5] In 1993, Eastland underwent a major renovation and expansion. As part of this renovation, Montgomery Ward was added as a new anchor.[6] It closed in 1998, followed by JCPenney closing two years later.

2000s[edit]

After the loss of Montgomery Ward in 1998, the mall was at 78% occupancy.[7][8] Eastland Center was acquired by the Shopco Advisory Group in 1999, with plans for renovation;[9] under Shopco's tenure, new stores were added.[10] In 2001, the Hudson's was rebranded to Marshall Field's. In September 2003, Sears opened in the former JCPenney space. The same year, the mall's twin theater was demolished, with a Lowe's home improvement store (detached from the mall itself) being built on the site of the former twin theater in the northeastern corner of the property. A new, much smaller food court was created from retail space in the Sears wing.[11] Marshall Field's, in turn, was acquired and renamed Macy's in 2006.

Steve & Barry's, a discount clothing retailer, opened on the first floor of the former Montgomery Ward store in 2004. At the time, the Eastland Center store was the second-largest Steve & Barry's in the chain.[12][13] Shopco continued to manage the mall until selling it to Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation in 2005. Jones Lang LaSalle assumed management of the mall in 2005. With the management change came some new stores, including the addition of K&G Fashion Superstore in 2006.[14] In 2007, Target completed a renovation of its interior and exterior, as well as an expansion to accommodate a pharmacy, Starbucks, and Pizza Hut. Eastland Center announced in 2008 that Burlington Coat Factory would be added to the east end of the mall, which opened in September 2009.[15]

2010s to present[edit]

In 2010, the mall saw Shoppers World take over the former Steve & Barry's space.[16] Sears closed in 2013.[17] Just like Northland, Spinoso bought Eastland in July 2015.[18] Macy's closed its store at the mall on March 19, 2017, after nearly sixty years of business under various nameplates.[19] The following year, Target also closed its Eastland store on February 3, 2018.[20] Two months later, Burlington shuttered its store at the mall in April 2018.[21] In October 2018, the mall was sold to Kohan Retail Investment Group.[22][23] Then, in June 2021, Kohan sold the mall to NorthPoint Development, who plans to demolish the mall and convert the property to warehouses and industrial buildings.[1] The mall was slated to stay open through the holiday season, but the interior closed in November. K&G and Shopper's World remained open for the holiday season, but were closed by the time demolition began in April 2022..[24][25]

"The Lion and Mouse"[edit]

One of the mall's centerpieces upon opening was a nine-foot sculpture of a lion and a mouse, titled "The Lion and Mouse" sculpted by Marshall Fredericks. In 1957, the mouse was stolen from the sculpture, only to be replaced by another mouse; in total, the sculpture has gone through no fewer than six mice. In 2007, the sculpture's original mouse was returned to the mall by the person who stole it.[26]

Violence[edit]

The mall had been the location of much gang violence. On September 24, 2010, 30-year-old Cedell Leverett was shot four times as he sat outside the mall in a Mercedes. Police say someone inside a burgundy Chrysler 300 pulled the trigger.[27] In November 2010 two people were critically wounded when two gunmen opened fire.[28] In August 2014 two people were seriously injured by assault rifle fire in the mall parking lot.[29] The day after Christmas 2015, a shooting occurred outside the Burlington Coat Factory at the mall, causing the mall to be locked down and later closed early. The victim of that shooting was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, three suspects were arrested. [30]

The area immediately west of Eastland Center, between Schoenherr and Kelly roads, is reported by the Detroit Police Department as among the most dangerous areas in Detroit, with 2,770 reported gunshots over a 14-month period between October 2014 and December 2015, leaving residents of both Harper Woods and Detroit as well as former visitors to Eastland Center wary of gun violence.[31]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Roberts, Adrienne. "Proposed demolition plan for Eastland Center could make room for an industrial complex". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2021-06-23.
  2. ^ a b "Eastland Center history.(News)(Brief Article)(Chronology) Industry & Business Article - Research, News, Information, Contacts, Divisions, Subsidiaries, Business Associations". 29 September 2007. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007.
  3. ^ "Michigan Tourism Theaters Auto Racing Motels Lakes Resorts Drive In Theaters Cinemas Amusement Parks Nostalgia Travel Photos Weather". Waterwinterwonderland.com. 2016-06-05. Retrieved 2017-02-26.
  4. ^ Deck, Cecelia (March 14, 1995). "Northland and Eastland Kohl's stores to close". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1E, 6E. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  5. ^ Eastland Center at Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "Eastland Center Expansion, Renovation Planned - Free Online Library". Thefreelibrary.com. Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2017-02-26.
  7. ^ [1][dead link]
  8. ^ "CBSi". FindArticles.com. Retrieved 2017-02-26.
  9. ^ "Shopping Centers Today". 2007-09-28. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2017-02-26.
  10. ^ "Fixing Eastland; Owner looks to home stores to shore up mall. Industry & Business Article - Research, News, Information, Contacts, Divisions, Subsidiaries, Business Associations". 29 September 2007. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007.
  11. ^ "Aging Detroit Mall Gains New Lease on Life with New Retailers. | Detroit Free Press (Detroit, Michigan) (via Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News)". 2007-09-30. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2017-02-26.
  12. ^ "CBSi". FindArticles.com. Retrieved 2017-02-26.
  13. ^ Diepenbrock, R.J. (2004-10-28). "Macomb Daily : Business Briefing 10/28/04". Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2017-02-26.
  14. ^ "K & G Fashion Superstore Opens :: 06/02/2006 :: Eastland Center, Harper Woods, MI". Shopeastland.com. Archived from the original on 2012-04-26. Retrieved 2017-02-26.
  15. ^ "Burlington Coat Factory is Coming to Eastland Center :: 04/09/2008 :: Eastland Center, Harper Woods, MI". Shopeastland.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2017-02-26.
  16. ^ "Shoppers World Comes to Eastland Center :: 07/20/2010 :: Eastland Center, Harper Woods, MI". Shopeastland.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2017-02-26.
  17. ^ Guest, Greta. "Michigan to lose 6 Kmart, Sears stores." Detroit Free Press. December 30, 2011.
  18. ^ Eastland Centermall falls in receivership, stays open
  19. ^ "Macy's closing 68 stores, including four in Michigan". WXYZ.com. 2017-01-04. Retrieved 2017-02-26.
  20. ^ "Target at Eastland Mall set to close".
  21. ^ "More stores close at struggling Eastland Center mall". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2018-10-20.
  22. ^ Reindl, J. C. "Dying Eastland Center mall sold for $3.1M in bidding war". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2021-06-23.
  23. ^ Kurt, Nagl (29 November 2018). "Eastland's new owner brings big promises, spotty record of mall redevelopment". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  24. ^ Williams, Candice. "Eastland Center wraps last holiday season. Next up: Demolition and redevelopment". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  25. ^ Welle, Elissa. "Demolition begins at Eastland Center mall in Harper Woods". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
  26. ^ "Prodigal mouse returns: Pilfered icon back at mall after 50-year trip | the Detroit News | detroitnews.com". www.detnews.com. Archived from the original on 21 January 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  27. ^ Staff, WXYZ.com Web (25 September 2010). "Man shot in car outside Eastland Mall". Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  28. ^ "Shooting at Michigan mall injures 2". CNN.com. Retrieved 2017-02-26.
  29. ^ "Detroit rapper, girlfriend injured in shooting outside". Clickondetroit.com. 2014-08-28. Retrieved 2017-02-26.
  30. ^ "Shooting investigation at Eastland Mall". Clickondetroit.com. 2015-05-11. Retrieved 2017-02-26.
  31. ^ "Shots heard every four hours in Detroit hotspot". Detroitnews.com. Retrieved 2017-02-26.

External links[edit]

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