Gruen's first design for a shopping mall was commissioned by Detroit's J.L. Hudson Company. A suburban center would be built in the eastern environs of the Motor City. Above, we have a rendering of the Hudson's that was to anchor the prospective EASTLAND PLAZA. The circular structure was to include a rooftop parking deck.
Welcome to the largest mall and retail history site on the internet. The MALL HALL OF FAME is a vintage shopping mall scrapbook. Its focus is on shopping complexes built -in the USA- between 1946 and 1979. This site includes historical sections about regional department stores, discount stores, 5 & 10 stores and supermarkets. Don't forget to visit our four Shopping Mall Memory Lanes, which transport you through time to a mall in 1956, 1963, 1970 and 1977!
Detroit's Eastland Plaza Project
Gruen's first design for a shopping mall was commissioned by Detroit's J.L. Hudson Company. A suburban center would be built in the eastern environs of the Motor City. Above, we have a rendering of the Hudson's that was to anchor the prospective EASTLAND PLAZA. The circular structure was to include a rooftop parking deck.
A rather unconventional plan for what would have been Greater Detroit's first regional shopping center. It would encompass around 1.2 million leasable square feet, with free parking for 6,000 autos.
Gruen's first design for a shopping mall was commissioned by Detroit's J.L. Hudson Company. A suburban center would be built in the eastern environs of the Motor City. Above, we have a rendering of the Hudson's that was to anchor the prospective EASTLAND PLAZA. The circular structure was to include a rooftop parking deck.