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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Lakeside Mall

Lakeside Mall is a defunct super-regional shopping mall in Sterling Heights, Michigan. Located on the M-59 commercial corridor, the mall is currently anchored by Macy's and JCPenney via exterior entrances, with two vacant anchor stores previously occupied by Lord & Taylor and Sears. With 1,550,000 square feet of retail space spanning two floors, Lakeside was the largest mall in Michigan by leasable square footage at the time of its closing.

Following years of decline in occupancy and foot traffic, Lakeside Mall closed permanently on June 30, 2024. The property is planned to be redeveloped into Lakeside Town Center, a mixed-use development, with construction expected to begin in 2025. The remaining anchor tenants, Macy's and JCPenney, are expected to remain in place during construction, though the rest of the mall will be demolished at an undetermined date.

History

Lakeside Mall started as a joint-venture between A. Alfred Taubman and Homart Development. It opened on March 2, 1976 with four anchor stores: Hudson's, Sears, Crowley's, and JCPenney, with Lord & Taylor added in 1978 as a fifth anchor. The mall was designed and built in a similar style to other Taubman-developed malls of the era, including Fairlane Town Center and Twelve Oaks Mall elsewhere in the Detroit suburbs.

In 1983, Toys "R" Us opened a store across from the mall. In 1999, after the Crowley's chain filed for bankruptcy, Hudson's purchased the Crowley's building and moved its men's clothing and home goods into the space, an arrangement that continues today under Macy's.

In the 1980s, the mall was the first in Michigan to feature an indoor tubular waterslide called the Hydrotube, The waterslide covered large areas of the mall, making it highly notable.

In 1988, Rodamco acquired Homart's interest in the center and became a 50/50 joint venture partner with Taubman. In 2000, Rodamco became 100-percent owner of Lakeside in an interest swap with Taubman involving Twelve Oaks Mall. In 2001, Hudson's stores were renamed Marshall Field's as part of a nameplate consolidation by parent Target Corp. Steve & Barry's also opened. Lord & Taylor reconstructed and expanded their existing store in 2003. FYE relocated in 2006 to a smaller store, and H&M opened its first Michigan location in June 2006.

Marshall Field's was one of several nameplates converted to Macy's in 2006, as Federated Department Stores (now Macy's, Inc.) had acquired Marshall Fields' then-parent, May Company. Both the main and auxiliary Field's stores at Lakeside Mall were rebranded. A year later in 2007, plans were announced for a $3 million renovation of the mall and its periphery. Renovations included new signage and improved pedestrian access to the mall. Exterior renovations began in late 2008. In 2014, Lakeside Mall cleared out a part of the lower level Sears wing to make way for an MC Sports. In 2016, a Jeepers! opened, relocating from Great Lakes Crossing Outlets. MC Sports closed in 2017 along with the rest of the chain due to their bankruptcy. Also in 2017, the mall was acquired by Jones Lang LaSalle, due to GGP defaulting on one of its loans. Later in the year, Macy's Backstage opened in part of the main Macy's store.

Decline and redevelopment

In May 2018, Sears announced the closure of their Lakeside store, alongside 62 other underperforming stores; the store closed on September 2 of that year. Later, in June 2019, Lord & Taylor announced that their Lakeside location would also close; it closed on September 15, 2019.

By 2018, plans were being considered to redevelop Lakeside. The mall was sold to Out Of The Box Ventures, a division of Miami-based Lionheart Capital, for $26.5 million in December 2019. In addition, it was announced that the mall's surrounding properties would be developed in an enhanced development surrounding the mall.

On May 1, 2024, Lakeside's owners announced that the mall would permanently close on July 1, 2024. Its closing date was later moved to June 30, though news reports of the date conflicted until its closure.

References

  1. ^ "Lakeside Mall - Sterling Heights, MI". Spinoso Real Estate Group. Retrieved 2021-11-06.
  2. ^ "Downtown Ferndale Retail Market Analysis" (PDF). Ferndale Downtown Development Authority. Gibbs Planning Group. 2015-12-17.
  3. ^ "Public will have a chance to own a piece of Sterling Heights' Lakeside Mall after it closes for good this weekend". WWJ Newsradio 950. Audacy, Inc. 2024-06-26.
  4. ^ Roskopp, Jack (2024-06-28). "An ode to Lakeside Mall, the forgotten crown jewel of Michigan malls". WDIV.
  5. ^ "Lakeside Mall to close Sunday: one era ends, a new one begins". The Macomb Daily. 2024-06-29.
  6. ^ Johnson, Myesha (2024-06-30). "Lakeside Mall, the latest to undergo redevelopment, closes its doors. Shoppers say goodbye". The Detroit News. Archived from the original on 2024-07-01.
  7. ^ "Page View". Archived from the original on 2012-08-02.
  8. ^ ". Hudson's plans growth at mall: Retailer will move its men's, home shops to Crowley's location at Lakeside Mall". The Detroit News. 25 March 1999. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
  9. ^ "Hydrotube". Hydrotube. Oakland County Moms. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  10. ^ "Taubman, Rodamco Swap Interests in Twelve Oaks, Lakeside". www.crenews.com.
  11. ^ Snavely, Brent. "No Field Day". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
  12. ^ Guest, Judith (11 October 2005). "Lakeside Mall wins H&M apparel store" (PDF). Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-08. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  13. ^ Oparka, Terry (15 August 2007). "Lakeside Mall to get face-lift". C & G Newspapers. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  14. ^ "Macy's aims to draw bargain hunters with new outlet store concept". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved 2018-10-20.
  15. ^ "Sears stores in Dearborn, Sterling Heights closing". The Detroit News. 2018-05-31.
  16. ^ Hotts, Mitch (2018-09-02). "Final sale — Sears at Lakeside Mall closed forever". The Macomb Daily.
  17. ^ "Lord + Taylor closing store at Lakeside Mall by September". WXYZ-TV. 2019-06-05.
  18. ^ Hotts, Mitch (2018-10-01). "Lakeside Mall could make way for downtown Sterling Heights". The Macomb Daily. Archived from the original on 2024-07-01.
  19. ^ "New Miami-based ownership promises mixed use revamp of Lakeside Mall in Sterling Heights". WXYZ. 2019-12-18.
  20. ^ Williams, Candice (November 1, 2022). "Business: Lakeside Mall redevelopment gets thumbs-up from Sterling Heights council". The Detroit News. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  21. ^ Reindl, JC (May 1, 2024). "Lakeside Mall in Sterling Heights to permanently close July 1". Detroit Free Press.