Great Lakes Crossing - Early Years and Construction Memories

[mtburb]

This is the thread in which you can post anything you remember about Great Lakes Crossing [[Outlets) and the immediate vicinity [[including the earliest GLX-generated sprawl) as it was in the period beginning in late 1997, through construction and it's eventual opening nearly 15 years ago, up until the JCPenney Outlet store closed; for example, catching a movie in the Star 25 before AMC took over and "dumbed" it down, when Gameworks actually had decent fun things to do or just simply walking into the dressing room at the Steve & Barry's, whatever it was, share it here.

You didn't actually have to go there during that time to post on this thread, you can just post memories of what you heard about it during this time. In fact, if you still have any photos, feel free to share them.

Now, I don't know if I remember anything about Great Lakes Crossing since I was still living in Wyandotte [[now currently living there, ironically enough), then moved to Ogemaw County for a few months in 2001 before moving to southwest Detroit. In fact, I think I may have not visited GLX until circa 2003-04 and even then, I only visited a few parts and have not been back there since around early 2006.

[Wheels]

Worst mall ever!

[DetroitPlanner]

The mall was first proposed by Rouse, the people who brought you Faneuil Hall and Marketplace in Boston MA. Its original name was going to be Auburn Mills, a named shared by many large outlet malls scattered throughout the country.

It was originally going to be twice as big!

Al Taubman ended up being the developer. He still owns it.

[mtburb]

The mall was first proposed by Rouse, the people who brought you Faneuil Hall and Marketplace in Boston MA. Its original name was going to be Auburn Mills, a named shared by many large outlet malls scattered throughout the country.

It was originally going to be twice as big!

Al Taubman ended up being the developer. He still owns it.

I thought it was the Mills Corporation that proposed it, unless they were owned by Rouse back then.

[subsidized]

I've still never been there. I'm kinda proud of that.

[dtowncitylover]

It was originally going to be twice as big!

What?! How? I couldn't imagine another floor or more floor space. Maybe like West Edmonton Mall with a roller coaster?

[compn]

I miss Star Theaters. AMC took away all the fun stuff.

Gameworks was probably the most expensive arcade in the entire metro detroit area. everything was $1.

Only other thing i remember about great lakes crossing was that Michael Moore mentioned it in bowling for columbine. the mother of the 6yo school shooter was working-for-welfare at the fudge shop at GLC. which is why the 6yo was at his uncles house, where he found the gun that he took to school. what a sad depressing story that was every time i passed that fudge shop.

[wolverine]

I remember I was only in 7th grade when I watched it go up. I would see its progress as my parents would take me to events in Detroit as we came down from Saginaw. Upon completion I thought the design was whimsical and crazy....and even at that young of an age, looked cheap to me.

When I was able to drive, I'd stop there for food before Pistons games. Keep in mind I was in high school, so cheap food court food was ideal.

I went there a few times in college and 2008 was probably last time before moving out of state. I have no idea how the mall has changed since then.

To me this mall seems like shining example of the roaring 90's in metro Detroit. So much built up around Baldwin Rd even into the 2000's.

[Hermod]

GLC is a pretty good representation of the "Mills" type of outlet mall. Other examples are Potomac Mills south of Washington DC and Sawgrass Mills on the western edge of Broward County [[Ft Lauderdale). They are generally built on the cheapest land on the edges of a metro area and are considered to be a "destination" rather than a regional mall. They seem to spur development because large numbers of strip malls and big box stores seem to build in the mall area to take advantage of the consumer traffic. There are obviously many other outlet malls of this type, these are just the three I am familiar with.

[Chris Rohn]

I used to hang out at Summit Place Mall as a teen...

[mtburb]

I used to hang out at Summit Place Mall as a teen...

And you posted this in a Great Lakes Crossing-related thread because?

And to get back on topic, do any of you remember what was the very first retailer built as part of the GLX-generated sprawl?

There are obviously many other outlet malls of this type, these are just the three I am familiar with.

Actually, Taubman did eventually build another similar outlet mall, which opened near Miami in the early 2000's and continues to compete with Sawgrass Mills [[which you mentioned as well).

However, I am starting a project to build a fictional similar-style outlet mall [[also built and owned by Taubman), which is located in Georgia. More information is at these links:

http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehou...eb72b524f3e0ca
http://sites.google.com/site/thegmeg.../warner-forest

In fact, my mall is based somewhat on GLX, even the floor plans are identical between both malls.

Upon completion I thought the design was whimsical and crazy....and even at that young of an age, looked cheap to me.

I went there a few times in college and 2008 was probably last time before moving out of state. I have no idea how the mall has changed since then.

I heard somewhere that GLX was themed on the Michigan countryside, however, this mention was on the GLX wiki.

"I have no idea how the mall has changed since then." Well, there were some. Circuit City went out [[along with the whole chain), Gameworks went out, Art Van went in, several tall pylons with the logos of several stores within GLX were put up along I-75 along the north side of the property and of course the addition of "Outlets" to the name. But the most recent one? Well, if you go see GLX on Google Maps, you can now see it's floor plan!

[Chris Rohn]

I posted that because GLC is 100% responsible for killing Summit Place. But malls suck anyway.

[mtburb]

Only other thing i remember about great lakes crossing was that Michael Moore mentioned it in bowling for columbine. the mother of the 6yo school shooter was working-for-welfare at the fudge shop at GLC. which is why the 6yo was at his uncles house, where he found the gun that he took to school. what a sad depressing story that was every time i passed that fudge shop.

Was any part of that movie filmed in GLX at all? [[And on a related note, were any parts filmed in Colorado [[where that massacre took place)?)

[EastsideAl]

Where the hell is Great Lakes Crossing?

[mtburb]

Where the hell is Great Lakes Crossing?

Since you arrived on our fair planet from another one [[that planet is called "The East Side"), here:

http://goo.gl/maps/DsgWh

[Detroitnerd]

“Will we ever be proud of this place? Will we ever drag our visiting relatives out to show off our Edge City, our shining city on the hill?”

--Joel Garreau, Edge City

[JBMcB]

I remember the first couple times I went, pretty soon after it opened. Maybe half of the available space was occupied. I remember a spencer gifts type store [[may have been spencer) that had lots of glow in the dark stuff. Also there was a super bargain basement book seller selling out of date books and overstocks that was *enormous*

I think the next time I started going was when Gameworks opened, where my friends and I would go when we were all home from college.

It's a good place to go in the dead of winter with kids for a walk. My kids like looking at the aquariums at Bass and Rainforest. We don't necessarily spend any money, though I'll pick up a pair of jeans properly made in the US at Neimann Marcus for relatively cheap every once in a while.

[EastsideAl]

Since you arrived on our fair planet from another one [[that planet is called "The East Side"), here:

http://goo.gl/maps/DsgWh

Well, that explains it, I think the only times I've ever been all the way out to Auburn Hills in my life has been for Pistons games.

[Pickford-Bentler]

GLC is a pretty good representation of the "Mills" type of outlet mall. Other examples are Potomac Mills south of Washington DC and Sawgrass Mills on the western edge of Broward County [[Ft Lauderdale). They are generally built on the cheapest land on the edges of a metro area and are considered to be a "destination" rather than a regional mall. They seem to spur development because large numbers of strip malls and big box stores seem to build in the mall area to take advantage of the consumer traffic. There are obviously many other outlet malls of this type, these are just the three I am familiar with.

I live north of Silver Spring and weekend traffic on I-95 makes driving to Potomac Mills a horror. No problem, the area has another "Mills" - Arundel Mills, out by BWI.

[DTWflyer]

I remember watching GLX being built back in the mid/late 90's.
M-DOT first expanded the I-75/Baldwin Rd. interchange in about 1994, putting in the median and loop ramps for Baldwin. The I-75 / Joslyn Rd exit was expanded prior when they built the GM Orion plant and also the Palace.

I remember the property there at I-75 and Baldwin being all fill / quary / and possibly landfill. GLX sprang-up quickly, and then they suddenly threw up all the big boxes there on the north side of I-75.

GLX always seemed to have an identity crisis. It never was certain if it was supposed to be a real mall or an outlet mall. At least now they are marketing themselves as Outlets.

I agree with the poster above who mentioned that GLX is a monument to the go-go 90s era of SUVs, McMansions, Oakland County sprawl, and living high on the hog.

[DetroitPlanner]

I thought it was the Mills Corporation that proposed it, unless they were owned by Rouse back then.

Rouse owned all of the 'Mills' malls at one time. Many REITS will develop them, operate them for a few years while capital costs are low and depreciation makes them very profitable, then dump them. I am surprised that Taubman has held on to Fairlane and 12 Oaks for so long. They must make him a great deal of money as he has long dumped its sister mall Lakeside and sold Briarwood a few years ago.

I would agree that GLC hurt the Summit Place Mall quite a bit. Too much square footage chasing after relatively few dollars. The Waterford/Pontiac/Auburn Hills area is really more poor than most realize. Yes there are some high dollar homes along lakes, but get away from those and its mostly low-income.

[mtburb]

I agree with the poster above who mentioned that GLX is a monument to the go-go 90s era of SUVs, McMansions, Oakland County sprawl, and living high on the hog.

And I thought I was the only one who used the "GLX" abbreviation! Well, maybe both of us and whoever else posted in this thread should someday start a role-playing game that takes place in GLX in January 1999! In fact, we may even include a celebration about that year [[like what Prince predicted way back in 1983!)

Anyways, do you remember the date Great Lakes Crossing Drive [[the street at the southern end of the mall that actually even dips into the city of Pontiac about halfway through near the CN railroad crossing) was built?

[compn]

yesterday i walked out of the emagine theater in fountain walk, novi to a 'flash flood emergency' thunderstorm. walking around the theater to my car, the prospects of having an indoor mall make sense in michigan.

indoor malls are prohibitively expensive, but the weather in michigan is not suited to the design of fountain walk and other outdoor bigbox malls.

of course i had the windows in my car down, it was hot and the weatherman failed me!

[EastsideAl]

indoor malls are prohibitively expensive, but the weather in michigan is not suited to the design of fountain walk and other oudoor bigbox malls.

Except that we had 2 quite beautiful ones here for many years. I have some very warm memories from my childhood of Eastland when it looked like this, instead of like a fortress of dark cave-like corridors.

[DetroitPlanner]

[/COLOR]

Except that we had 2 quite beautiful ones here for many years. I have some very warm memories from my childhood of Eastland when it looked like this, instead of like a fortress of dark cave-like corridors.

To a lesser extent Wonderland had that look as well. The key for these malls were that they were designed for pedestrian movement. Places like Fountain Walk are designed without covered areas to give them more of a 'Downtown Look'. Heck Fountain walk has cars driving around inside it to make it 'feel downtowny' even though it is not. I'd rather have the pedestrian covers and the landscaping.