Northland Macy's targeted for closure

[Danny]

Yes, Triumph Church "Praise the Lord" let's go shopping!

[iheartthed]

Yeah, my expectation is that the management pulls a tel-twelve and the mall is turned into an outdoor big box strip mall

Yeah, it's not exactly like Northland is the first mall to die in Metro Detroit. There is a well written playbook on how to bury dead malls... see Wonderland, Livonia, Universal.

[Onthe405]

I think there were 4 floors including the basement during its peak?

313, your recollection is pretty close. There were 4 floors + the Budget store. At 483k sf, the JLH Eastland store was only negligibly smaller than Northland. The actual merchandise display on 4 was substantially less than the other four floors [[1-3 + basement) - maybe even none at all, in retrospect.

Four housed mostly services [[salon, gift wrap, personnel, credit, et al) and the sizable dining room. I don't recall the actual name of the restaurant [[something along the lines of the Great Lakes Grille, perhaps even the Lakeshore Grille--which RHM continues to use at its Detroit area locations).

At any rate, it had a Great Lakes nautical theme, with models of freighters on the walls. I was really fascinated with them as a kid, and used to beg Mom to take us there for lunch.

[Bham1982]

504,000 square feet?!?! Lord, that's a good size for even a downtown flagship! I'm sure Macy's hasn't been using at that footage as of late, but would that have made it it's largest outside New York and Chicago?

I believe the San Francisco flagship is the same size or a little bigger than the Chicago flagship.

The downtown Brooklyn store is massive too; I think close to one million square feet.

I believe the biggest suburban mall Macys is at Roosevelt Field, which is a Long Island shopping mall. Almost 600,000 square feet.

But you're right, the Northland Macys, when it was fully open, was massive, and was probably one of the biggest non-downtown department stores in the U.S.

[Onthe405]

I believe the San Francisco flagship is the same size or a little bigger than the Chicago flagship

True, although somewhat of an apple-orange comparison. Marshall Field State St was built larger in square footage. However, Macy's Union Square expanded years later with the acquisition of the smaller, former Joseph Magnin store across Stockton St [[now Macy's Men's Store) and the former I. Magnin store adjacent to the north, abutting the Square. Undoubtedly, Macy's quotes the square footage of the SF store to include a building which a shopper has to cross the street to get to.

[CassTechGrad]

Sunny skies and a perfect day but no place to park.




Gray skies and a ghost town.

[Bham1982]

That airport-terminal style elevated roadway thingee shown in the first pic doesn't exist anymore, does it?

I visited Northland all the time with my mom as a kid [[though almost never in the last 15 years) and don't recall this.

[DetroitBoy]

That airport-terminal style elevated roadway thingee shown in the first pic doesn't exist anymore, does it?

I visited Northland all the time with my mom as a kid [[though almost never in the last 15 years) and don't recall this.

I am not sure if it still exists. There might be one of the anchor stores which were built after in that space.

Is that second pic really the Southfield Northland? There is another on in a different state and i think that is a pic of it.

[iheartthed]

I am not sure if it still exists. There might be one of the anchor stores which were built after in that space.

Is that second pic really the Southfield Northland? There is another on in a different state and i think that is a pic of it.

Is that even in America? Are those handicap parking signs ADA compliant?

[Jimaz]

Is that even in America? Are those handicap parking signs ADA compliant?

There are several copies of that photo on the 'net.

There's one in this Freep.com article dated Aug 5, 2014.

Summit Place in Waterford Twp. is showing signs of abandonment with grass growing in the cracks of the parking lot and store signs removed on Thursday, June 12, 2014. The shopping center has been closed since 2010 with the exception of a Sears that still operates on the north end. / Jessica J. Trevino/Detroit Free Press

[Bham1982]

Yep, that second pic is Summit Place. The building in the foreground was Hudsons.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

Yep, that second pic is Summit Place. The building in the foreground was Hudsons.

Now the Sears closed the end of last year. More commercial property that sits abandoned in SE Michigan.

[Hermod]

Yep, that second pic is Summit Place. The building in the foreground was Hudsons.

aka Pontiac Mall

[313WX]

It's laughable that they're considering what's happening at Macomb Mall a "comeback."

I suppose if you get rid of half of your mall space to make it seem as if vacancy rates are low, it would seem like a "comeback."

It actually reminds me of Universal Mall during its last days...

[mtburb]

Now the Sears closed the end of last year. More commercial property that sits abandoned in SE Michigan.

Sears at Summit Place just closed? I didn't hear about it.

[softailrider]

That airport-terminal style elevated roadway thingee shown in the first pic doesn't exist anymore, does it?

I visited Northland all the time with my mom as a kid [[though almost never in the last 15 years) and don't recall this.

The bottom part was Hudsons package pickup back in the day.

[Hypestyles]

The Target store doesn't seem to have any deep discounts yet. It's business as usual, so far, but their seasonal section is completely empty now, and in select other sections the stock is becoming slightly more vacant.

most of the food court outlets are closed down. It's down to just the two chinese/asian outlets and the Charley's Steak Sandwiches place.

[Detroit500]

Eventually we will be down to Lakeside, Partridge Creek, Somerset, 12 Oaks, and Laurel Park Place.... Maybe Oakland Mall.

[Bham1982]

Eventually we will be down to Lakeside, Partridge Creek, Somerset, 12 Oaks, and Laurel Park Place.... Maybe Oakland Mall.

And Village at Rochester Hills and Great Lakes Crossing.

[mtburb]

And Village at Rochester Hills and Great Lakes Crossing.

...and Briarwood, Birchwood, Southland and Westland.

[Bham1982]

Briarwood has struggled somewhat in recent years. Probably not a dead malls candidate, but Ann Arbor area residents probably drive the extra 30 minutes to Twelve Oaks.

I honestly have no idea what's going on with Southland and Westland, but given their age, location, demographics, and anchor stores, I would be surprised if they were healthy. If you're relying on Sears and JCPenney, you have challenges.

I've never heard of Birchwood.

Lakeside, to me, looks fairly weak. I think, if anything, it's weaker than Oakland. Lots of vacant stores and an empty parking lot.

[Towne Cluber]

Briarwood has struggled somewhat in recent years. Probably not a dead malls candidate, but Ann Arbor area residents probably drive the extra 30 minutes to Twelve Oaks.

I honestly have no idea what's going on with Southland and Westland, but given their age, location, demographics, and anchor stores, I would be surprised if they were healthy. If you're relying on Sears and JCPenney, you have challenges.

I've never heard of Birchwood.

Lakeside, to me, looks fairly weak. I think, if anything, it's weaker than Oakland. Lots of vacant stores and an empty parking lot.

Briarwood is doing just fine. Largest mall in prosperous Washtenaw County, a major renovation in 2013, an Apple store...and the recent additions of PF Chang's and Bravo hardly indicates "struggle" much less potential "dead mall".

[eastland]

Regarding Eastland, I've heard the reason Macy's is still there is that they actually own their building. Also, I heard Wayne Doran from Ford Land Development say a long time ago that Hudson's was supposed to be at the Ren Cen when it opened but something fell through.

[dtowncitylover]

I've never heard of Birchwood.

Birchwood is Port Huron. Target, Penneys, Sears, Macy's, and Carson's all anchor it. I'm not sure I would lump it in with Metro Detroit malls however because it does cater to the Thumb residents and not to us.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

Sears at Summit Place just closed? I didn't hear about it.

It closed right before Christmas. I got some great deals on Craftsman tools, which I consider the best tools going.