A frontal view of the Mid-Mod Sears that anchored the east end of the mall.
Photo from Sears, Roebuck & Company Annual Report 1964
NORTHLAND CENTER TENANTS 1964:
LAZARUS (with Beauty Salon, restaurant and freestanding Auto Center) / SEARS (with Coffee House, Garden Center, Pet Shop and freestanding Auto Center) / F.W. WOOLWORTH 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / ALBERS supermarket / A & S Curtain Shop / Baker's Qualicraft Shoes / Beneficial Finance Corporation / Cut-N-Curl Beauty Salon / Economy Savings & Loan / Fanny Farmer Candies / Flagg Brothers Shoes / Flemings Bookstore / Glidden Paint Center / Gray Drug / Holiday Shoes / House of Fabrics / Huntington National Bank / Kay Jewelers / Khourie's ladies' wear / Le Petit Cafe / Lerner Shops ladies' wear / Thom McAn Shoes / Madison's ladies' wear / Marianne Shops ladies' wear / Merle Norman Cosmetic Studio / National Shirt Shops / Northland Barber Shop / Northland Cinema (single-screen) / Northland Junior Bootery / Northland Shoe Repair / Park Federal Savings & Loan / Paris Hats / Phillips Shoes / Richman Brothers men's wear / Rogers Jewelers / Singer Sewing Center / Swan Dry Cleaners / The Limited ladies' wear / The Union Company / Tie Rak / Walker's Suburban / White's Furniture / York Opticians
The Columbus-based Union Company operated a junior anchor store at the original NORTHLAND.
Photo from http://catalog.clcohio.org / Columbus Metropolitan Library
Photo from http://catalog.clcohio.org / Columbus Metropolitan Library
The complex was fully-enclosed and climate-controlled in 1975 and '76. Common areas were embellished with trees, shrubs, fountains and works of art. In this image, we see the West -or Lazarus- Wing. The Limited is on the left, with Lerner Shops across the mallway.
Photo from http://catalog.clcohio.org / Columbus Metropolitan Library
A street side sign displaying the most recent trademark. By the year 2000, the mall was beginning to be outpositioned by newer and more trendy shopping facilities in its trade area. Within a few years, the complex would be virtually vacant.
Photo from www.tallgeorge.com
By 2003, NORTHLAND MALL was shuttered, abandoned and awaiting a wrecking ball renovation.
Photo from www.illicitohio.com
Photo from https://stonehenge-company.com / Stonehenge Company
NORTHLAND CENTER
Morse and Karl Roads
Franklin County (Columbus), Ohio
Sources:
The Columbus Dispatch
Morse and Karl Roads
Franklin County (Columbus), Ohio
NORTHLAND, Greater Columbus' first mall-type shopping complex, was one of three directionally-designated centers that were built in the city's rapidly-expanding suburbs during the 1960s. EASTLAND CENTER, the capital city's first fully-enclosed mall, was dedicated in February 1968. WESTLAND CENTER opened for business in February 1969.
Open-air in format, NORTHLAND CENTER was built on an 84-acre tract, located 6.5 miles north of the Ohio State House. The site was originally within an unincorporated section of Franklin County known as Mifflin Township. It was eventually annexed into the Columbus city limits. The mall was designed by the Grossel & Jensen firm and developed by Cleveland's Visconsi, Mead-Jacobs Company (a precursor of the Richard E. Jacobs Group).
Ground was broken in June 1963, with a formal dedication held on August 13, 1964. There were two anchors in the original 710,000 square foot complex; a 3-level (185,000 square foot), Columbus-based F & R Lazarus and 2-level (212,900 square foot) Sears. Junior anchors were a (25,400 square foot) Columbus-based Union Company and (28,500 square foot) F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10.
Among the forty-three original stores and services were Rogers Jewelers, Lerner Shops, Madison's ladies' wear, Gray Drug and (16,600 square foot) Albers supermarket. The in-mall Cincinnati Theaters Company Northland Cinema showed its first feature as part of the mall's August 1964 grand opening. Lazarus would be enlarged in 1968 and 1974, with the store covering 228,000 square feet.
By 1975, a major mall renovation was underway. Courts and concourses were enclosed and climate-controlled and the movie house twinned. It re-opened, as the General Cinema Corporation Northland Cinema I & II, on October 24, 1975. With all construction completed, the shopping hub, now promoted as NORTHLAND MALL, encompassed approximately 804,800 leasable square feet. A 2-level (182,000 square foot) J.C. Penney was added to the south side in 1979. This expanded the mall's gross leasable area to approximately 986,800 square feet.
The original cinema was shuttered on April 21, 1985. The General Cinema Corporation Northland 8, a freestanding multiplex, was built in the southeast parking area. It opened on December 11, 1985. A 9-bay Food Court was installed in a vacant Woolworth space in 1995.
The once-thriving NORTHLAND MALL was on a downward trajectory by the turn of the 20th century. Its first major rival, COLUMBUS CITY CENTER {5 miles south, in downtown Columbus} made its debut in August 1989. MALL AT TUTTLE CROSSING {8.1 miles northwest, in Columbus} was dedicated in July 1997. EASTON TOWN CENTER {3.5 miles east, in Columbus} was inaugurated in June 1999.
The final blow to NORTHLAND came in November 2001, with the completion of POLARIS FASHION PLACE {5.5 miles north, in Delaware County}. This fully-enclosed, upscale mall snatched all three anchor stores from NORTHLAND. The mall was left anchorless and populated by several mom & pop-type tenants. Most of the major, national chain stores had moved to either EASTON or POLARIS.
A virtually vacant NORTHLAND MALL closed for good on October 9, 2002. The past-its-prime property had been sold to the Columbus Urban Growth Corporation, a consortium of city officials and local businessmen. Their plan, referred to as NorthPARK, proposed to redevelop the greyfield site as a mixed-use retail, office and residential complex.
Demolition of the mall started in January 2004, leaving the Sears, J.C. Penney and Lazarus buildings; the latter being renovated into offices for the Ohio Department of Taxation. The Sears structure was eventually demolished. The land parcel was to be dissected by new city streets. Traffic signals were to be installed, along with sidewalks and landscaping. Unfortunately, the NorthPARK project never got off the ground. Home Depot, plotted to anchor the new complex, backed out of the deal in late 2006.
The 8-screen cinema, which had closed in 2000, was purchased by Vaud-Villities, a local theater group. It became a venue for live productions and rehearsals. In 2010, the theater, which had been renamed the Northland Performing Arts Center, moved into a new space in the old J.C. Penney structure. The remainder of the Penney's building was renovated and retenanted by the Franklin County Department of Job & Family services.
Columbus Urban Growth sold the NorthPARK site in March 2008; the buyer being the Gahanna, Ohio-based Stonehenge Company. They announced a revised plan for redevelopment. In the new proposal, an 80 million dollar retail and office center, known as NORTHLAND VILLAGE, would be implemented in three phases.
Eau Claire, Wisconsin-based Menards broke ground on a 1-level (220,000 square foot) Mega Store in May 2010. The grand opening was held April 12, 2011. Several freestanding structures were added to the site. These included McDonald's, Telhio Credit Union, Tim Horton's, Chipotle Mexican Grill and John's Gourmet Sandwiches. The final phase of the NORTHLAND VILLAGE project entailed construction of a 1-level (108,000 square foot) Kroger supermarket. This store opened its doors on October 19, 2016.
The Columbus Dispatch
The Ohio Jewish Chronicle (Columbus, Ohio)
"Dual Anchor Shopping Centers 1952-1965" / Richard Longstreth
http://www.rejacobsgroup.com / The Richard E. Jacobs Group (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
https://www.cinematreasures.org
https://www.urbangrowth.org / "NorthlandPARK"
https://www.vvproductions.com / Vaud-Villities Productions / "NorthlandPARK"
https://www.cinematreasures.org
https://www.urbangrowth.org / "NorthlandPARK"
https://www.vvproductions.com / Vaud-Villities Productions / "NorthlandPARK"
http://www.stonehenge-company.com
https://www.thisweeknews.com
"Lazarus" and "Eastland Mall" articles on Wikipedia
FAIR USE OF NORTHLAND CENTER IMAGES:
The photographs from The Columbus Metropolitan Library illustrate a key moment in the mall's history that is described in the article. The images are not replaceable with free-use or public-domain images. The use of the images does not limit the copyright owners' rights to distribute the images in any way. The images are being used for non-profit, informational purposes only and their use is not believed to detract from the original images in any way.
Columbus' Eastland Center
The south anchor at EASTLAND -and largest tenant- a 234,400 square foot Sears. This is how the store appeared in 1968.
Photo from www.columbuslibrary.org / Columbus Metropolitan Library
A 1960s promotion for the EASTLAND CENTER mall.
Graphic from the Visconsi-Mead-Jacobs Company
Photo from www.columbuslibrary.org / Columbus Metropolitan Library
A vintage view of the EASTLAND Center Court and mallway entrance of the Penneys anchor store. A water-less "Wonderfall" fountain is seen in the distance. In a contemporary newspaper write-up, it was described as "an illusion created by a million droplets on 1,800 Nylon strands."
Photo from www.columbuslibrary.org / Columbus Metropolitan Library
A vintage view of the Lazarus Eastland mall entry. A sit-down restaurant along the top of the image overlooked the EASTLAND CENTER North Court.
Photo from Wikipedia / "Dirty Harry"
Photo from Federated Department Stores, Incorporated Annual Report 1967
We continue with an exterior view of Lazarus Eastland. The original store covered 125,000 square feet. It was eventually expanded to 190,000.
Photo from Wikipedia / "Dirty Harry"
A snapshot of the north anchor store at EASTLAND. This was taken during the store's Macy's stage.
Photo from Wikipedia / "Dirty Harry"
The north anchor store sported a Macy's brand for a year and a half.
Photo from Franklin County, Ohio
Photo from www.glimcher.com / Glimcher Realty Trust
EASTLAND MALL TENANTS 2007:
J.C. PENNEY (with Styling Salon, Optical Department and Portrait Studio) / MACY'S (with Salon) / SEARS (with Optical Department, Garden Center and freestanding Auto Center) / Aeropostale apparel / American Eagle Outfitters / Andrews Jewelers / Another Goodie Shop / Ashley Stewart ladies' wear / Auntie Anne's Pretzels / B. Dalton Bookseller / Bath & Body Works / Body Jewel / Carlton Cards / Champs Sports / Christian Armory / Christopher & Banks ladies' wear / Claire's Boutique ladies' wear / Deb Shops ladies' wear / Eyebrowz / Fame / Fashion City ladies' wear / Finish Line / Firestone Tire & Auto (outparcel) / Foot Action / Foot Locker / Freedom Wireless / Fun 4 U / FYE (For Your Entertainment) / GNC / Gamestop / Harold Penner Man of Fashion / Hershey's Ice Cream / Hibbett Sports / Imports Chanel / J.B. Robinson Jewelers / Kay Jewelers / Lady Foot Locker / Lane Bryant ladies' wear / Lids / Lenscrafters / Man Alive men's wear / Mastercuts / Modern Nails / MW Tux / Northern Sports / NU Source / PayLess ShoeSource / Pearle Vision Center / Piercing Pagoda / Radio Shack / Rave / Remos / Revol / Sleep Number Store / Spencer Gifts / The Icing / Things Remembered / Trinity Brown Child Care / Underground Station apparel / Victoria's Secret / Vitamin World / Work N Gear / World Spice / Zales Jewelers
IN THE FOOD COURT:
Cajun Express / Chick-Fil-A / Panda Express / Sarku Japan / Sbarro Italian Eatery / Steak Escape / Subway
Photo from Wikipedia / Mike Kalasnik
Refugee and South Hamilton Roads
Franklin County (Columbus), Ohio
The first interior mall in Greater Columbus was built on a 60-acre site, located 8.3 miles southeast of the Ohio State House. The property was adjacent to the proposed route of the "Outerbelt"-Interstate 270 Expressway, with the section accessing the mall opening in late 1970.
EASTLAND CENTER was designed by Visnapuu & Gaede Architects of Cleveland and developed by the Visconsi-Mead-Jacobs Company, also of Cleveland. The first operational store, a 3-level (171,000 square foot) F & R Lazarus, opened for business in August 1967.
A 3-level (149,600 square foot) J.C. Penney was dedicated on January 2, 1968. The single-level mall, which encompassed a total of 950,000 leasable square feet, held its grand opening on February 14 of the same year. A 2-level (234,400 square foot) Sears commenced operation at this time.
Among sixty-nine inline stores were Gray Drug, French's Sidewalk Cafe, Julie Ann Fabrics, Singer Sewing Center, Florsheim Shoes, Rogers Jewelers, Sills Shoes, Record Land, Silverman's men's & boy's wear, Seven Seas Gift Shop, Foxmoor Casuals, Spencer Gifts, an F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10 and outparcel A & P supermarket. The General Cinema Corporation Eastland Cinema opened along with the mall. It was twinned in the 1980s and shuttered in February 1993.
By 1976, the shopping venue was officially promoted as EASTLAND MALL. Its Lazarus store was expanded to 190,000 square feet. A mall-wide face lift was done in 1989. Marble flooring, new wall treatments and skylights were installed. 9 years later, a vacant Woolworth was gutted and replaced by an 8-bay Food Court. This new culinary complex opened for business in October 1998. The first anchor rebranding at EASTLAND MALL transpired on August 1, 2003, when Lazarus morphed into a Lazarus-Macy's. The store was "Macy-ated" on March 6, 2005.
Among sixty-nine inline stores were Gray Drug, French's Sidewalk Cafe, Julie Ann Fabrics, Singer Sewing Center, Florsheim Shoes, Rogers Jewelers, Sills Shoes, Record Land, Silverman's men's & boy's wear, Seven Seas Gift Shop, Foxmoor Casuals, Spencer Gifts, an F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10 and outparcel A & P supermarket. The General Cinema Corporation Eastland Cinema opened along with the mall. It was twinned in the 1980s and shuttered in February 1993.
By 1976, the shopping venue was officially promoted as EASTLAND MALL. Its Lazarus store was expanded to 190,000 square feet. A mall-wide face lift was done in 1989. Marble flooring, new wall treatments and skylights were installed. 9 years later, a vacant Woolworth was gutted and replaced by an 8-bay Food Court. This new culinary complex opened for business in October 1998. The first anchor rebranding at EASTLAND MALL transpired on August 1, 2003, when Lazarus morphed into a Lazarus-Macy's. The store was "Macy-ated" on March 6, 2005.
Meanwhile, the Columbus-based Glimcher Realty Trust had acquired EASTLAND MALL in December 2003. A fourth remodeling had been planned by the previous owner, now known as the Richard E. Jacobs Group. Glimcher went ahead with the project. A thorough renovation was done, which removed landscaping from mall courts. Wall-to-wall carpet was laid in all concourses and a children's play area set up in Center Court.
In addition, the southeast-facing front of the complex underwent a dramatic transformation. 30,000 square feet of "Streetscape" retail was added, comprising ten new store spaces. Moreover, a 1-level (120,000 square foot), Pittsburgh-based Kaufmann's was constructed. The mall now encompassed 1,025,800 leasable square feet and contained eighty inline stores under its roof.
Kaufmann's held a grand opening on October 26, 2005. The store was rebranded in less than a year. As part of the May-Federated merger of 2005, the Pennsylvania-based chain ceased to exist. Stores were refitted with Macy's mastheads on September 9, 2006. The original EASTLAND Macy's, operating in the old Lazarus location since March 2005, was shuttered.
A fifth renovation of EASTLAND was in the planning stages for several years. This would have entailed demolition of the vacant Lazarus-Macy's and construction of a new J.C. Penney in its place. The project, originally scheduled to get underway in 2007, was abandoned when the economy turned sour.
The Great Recession left the Glimcher Realty Trust with an upside down EASTLAND MALL mortgage. They decided to unload the property in an online auction, which was held in June 2014. A single bid -of 18 million dollars- was rejected. In August 2014, Glimcher relinquished ownership of the shopping center to Miami Beach-based LNR Property. The complex was sold to an entity known as Eastland Mall Holdings, Limited Liability Company in March 2015.
Meanwhile, the mall's problems were exacerbated by closings of all of its remaining anchor stores. J.C. Penney shut down in May 2015, followed by Macy's, in March 2017. Sears pulled up stakes in September 2017. By 2019, EASTLAND MALL was rapidly deteriorating. The owner was cited for several health and safety violations, as well as for the condition of the mall and its parking area. The complex was declared a public nuisance. It closed for good on December 26, 2022.
Sources:
Sources:
The Columbus Dispatch
"Dual Anchor Shopping Centers 1952-1965" / Richard Longstreth
http://www.rejacobsgroup.com / The Richard E. Jacobs Group (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
http://www.glimcher.com / Glimcher Realty Trust
https://www.eastlandmall.com
Franklin County, Ohio tax assessor website
http://www.bizjournals.com
FAIR USE OF EASTLAND MALL IMAGES:
The photographs from The Columbus Metropolitan Library illustrate a key moment in the mall's history that is described in the article. The images are not replaceable with free-use or public-domain images. The use of the images does not limit the copyright owners' rights to distribute the images in any way. The images are being used for non-profit, informational purposes only and their use is not believed to detract from the original images in any way.
Toledo's Woodville Mall
The original trademark of Toledo's first enclosed shopping mall.
Graphic from the Edward J. DeBartlolo Corporation
Graphic from the Edward J. DeBartlolo Corporation
A grand opening commemoration of the Glass City's WOODVILLE MALL. Its first thirty-six stores opened their doors on April 15 and 16, 1969.
Advert from the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation
Our first WOODVILLE plan depicts the mall as it stood in late 1969. The single-level center spanned approximately 871,000 leasable square feet, with a 5,000-car capacity parking lot. Its developer, Youngstown's Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation, was quite prolific. In the 1969-1970 time frame, the Corporation had five malls in various stages of completion.
WOODVILLE MALL TENANTS 1969:
J.C. PENNEY (with Coffee Shop, Beauty Salon and freestanding Auto Center) / LASALLE'S (with Beauty Salon) / SEARS (with Coffee House and freestanding Auto Center) / F.W. WOOLWORTH 5 & 10 (with Harvest House Coffee Shop) / FOOD TOWN supermarket / Bernard Wig Salon / Bresler's 33 Flavors Ice Cream / Butler's Shoes / Can-Do Shop / Card Mart / Snack Bar / Chess King men's wear / Clair Hats / Clothes Pin ladies' wear / Cunningham's Drug (with Highland Grill restaurant) / Disc Records / Docktor Pet Center / Father & Son Shoes / Fisher Shoes / Fanny Farmer Candies / Fireside Shops / First Lady Beauty Salon / First National Bank of Toledo / Fox Woodville Mall Theatre (single-screen) / Foxwood Casuals ladies' wear / French Cafe / Goodyear Tire & Auto / Grinnell's TV & Electronics / Gross Photo / Haig / Hanover Shoes / Hardy Shoes / Hobby Center / Hadley's / Home Furniture Company / Homemaker Shops / Hot Sam Pretzels / House of Nine ladies' wear / Hughes & Hatcher men's wear / Jo-Ann Fabrics / Keidan's Jewelers / Kinney Shoes / Marilyn Shop ladies' wear / Mary Jane Shoes / Maternity Modes / Max Davis Jewelers / Memory Lane Card & Gift Shop / Merle Norman Cosmetic Studio / Mode O'Day Frock Shop / National Shirt Shops / National Uniform Shops / Nobil Shoes / Parklane Hosiery / Princess Beauty Salon / Seven Seas Gifts / Strater Dry Cleaners / Tie Rak / Vassiliov Barber Shop / Woodville Coin Shop / Woodville Shoe Repair / Winkelman's ladies' wear / Zales Jewelers
By late 1969, the mall's thirty-six original stores had grown to eighty-seven.
Advert from the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation
The Fox Woodville Mall Theatre made its debut on July 10, 1969. On the bill that evening was "The Lost Man," starring Sidney Poitier, Joanna Shimkus and James Mason.
Advert from Fox Eastern Theatres
The sky blue Center Court at WOODVILLE MALL was remodeled during the 1987 face lift. In the original mall, the area, known as the Marble Court, featured a large, shooting fountain with multicolored lights.
Photo from www.loopnet.com
By the early 21st century, competition from Greater Toledo's FRANKLIN PARK MALL -and other factors- had left WOODVILLE MALL on life support. Elder-Beerman pulled the proverbial plug on their store in September 2009.
Photo from www.loopnet.com
The downward spiral of the complex hastened. After failing a city and county inspection, inline tenants were given eviction notices. All shopping concourses were closed to public access in January 2012.
Photo from www.loopnet.com
The Anderson's store went dark in February 2013.
Photo from www.labelscar.com / "Prange Way"
Sears was the mall's last operational tenant. Demolition of the inline store section of the complex began in March 2014. Sears finally closed its doors for the last time in July of the same year.
Photo from www.loopnet.com
A depiction of a demalled -and "lifestyled"- WOODVILLE MALL. This ambitious redevelopment proposal was never carried out.
Drawing from www.thekronegroup.com
Drawing from M & A Architects
WOODVILLE MALL
Woodville and Williston Roads
Northwood, Ohio
Woodville and Williston Roads
Northwood, Ohio
The first regional-class, fully-enclosed shopping complex in Greater Toledo was also the eighth major retail facility developed by Youngstown, Ohio's Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation. Ground was broken at an 89.8-acre site, located 5.6 miles southeast of the center city, in May 1967.
A "soft opening" was held at WOODVILLE MALL on April 15 and 16, 1969. Thirty-six stores opened their doors. These included Home Furniture Company, Cunningham's Drug, Radio Shack, Thom McAn Shoes, Zales Jewelers and a (15,000 square foot) Food Town supermarket.
A 2-level (165,000 square foot) J.C. Penney held its formal opening on April 16th. The mall's second anchor, a 2-level, (106,000 square foot), Toledo-based LaSalle's, welcomed its first shoppers on August 4, 1969. The third department store at WOODVILLE MALL, a 1-level (146,800 square foot) Sears, was dedicated on October 15 of the same year.
The single-level shopping hub encompassed approximately 871,000 leasable square feet and eventually featured eighty-seven stores and services. Junior anchors were an F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10 and National General Corporation Fox Woodville Mall Theatre (originally a single-screen venue).
WOODVILLE was the only regional mall on the east bank of the Maumee River. It had been built, in the late 1960s, in anticipation of a population boom that never panned out.
Eventually, competition came from newer shopping facilities, such as FRANKLIN PARK MALL (1971) {10.9 miles northwest, in Toledo}, SOUTHWYCK CENTER (1972) {9.3 miles west, in Toledo} and NORTH TOWNE SQUARE (1980) {9.1 miles northwest, also in Toledo}. The fully-enclosed GREENWOOD MALL {9.6 miles northwest, in Toledo} had also opened in 1969. It was a community-class complex that provided no real competition to the larger WOODVILLE property.
The first anchor store rebranding at WOODVILLE MALL took place on October 1, 1981, when LaSalle's (owned by Macy's) was refitted with a Macy's nameplate. This store was shuttered and re-opened, as a Dayton-based Elder-Beerman, on August 7, 1985.
J.C. Penney closed in June 1987. Maumee, Ohio-based The Andersons renovated the building and opened on September 1, 1988. Only the store's 104,700 square foot first level was utilized for retail. Its upper level was dedicated to offices and storage. The Andersons was not a traditional department store, per se, but was a grocery / building supply / lawn & garden outlet.
A 5 million dollar, mall-wide face lift had been announced in March 1987. New landscaping and skylights were installed and mall entrances rebuilt. Concourses were carpeted and the 10-bay Treats Food Court fitted into existing store space in the West Wing. Center Court was also remodeled.
The renovation was completed in late 1987. Regretfully, it did not change the fortunes of the mall, whose decline had been underway for some years. The Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group acquired the mall during their 1996 merger with the Debartolo Realty Corporation. Simon decided to unload the past-its-prime property.
WOODVILLE MALL was sold to Jack Kashani and Sammy Kahen, of Beverly Hills, California, in September 2004. They enlisted the Beachwood, Ohio-based Krone Group as a redevelopment and management agent.
A large-scale renovation was proposed, which was to include a full remodeling and retenanting of the mall. New office and residential space was to be added, as well as an ice rink and multiplex cinema. After the purchase of adjoining land and construction of a new access road into the existing complex, the redevelopment stalled-out. A second plan advocated demolishing the mall proper and reworking its anchor stores into an open-air format. Like the first plan, this project was also abandoned.
The shuttering of Elder-Beerman, in September 2009, added an empty anchor space to the virtually vacant shopping center. Little Neck, New York's Mike Kohan acquired WOODVILLE MALL in November 2009. He initiated repairs to the roof and installed new flooring.
Twelve new stores and services opened during the spring of 2011. A grand re-opening was held in May. New stores and services included CJ's Breakfast & Sandwich Shop, InProcess and MPWA Combat Sports. However, hopes that the mall would continue on an upward trajectory were dashed when Wood County and Northwood City inspectors toured the property in December 2011.
Several problems were found, including buckling floors, mold and mildew and collapsed and leaking roofs. It was also revealed that natural gas service to the mall had been disconnected. The unheated interior had an average temperature of 46 degrees. The Fox Theatre, by now a 4-plex, closed for good on December 14, 2011.
A court injunction was filed December 16 that required for the mall to be shuttered. However, the exterior-entranced Sears and Andersons stores remained in business. Inline tenants were evicted in January 2012, with some relocating to the nearby GREAT EASTERN SHOPPING CENTER. The Andersons, concerned about the deteriorating condition of the mall, finally closed their store on February 16, 2013.
The mall continued to deteriorate, and was eventually deemed a public hazard. A county judge ordered its demolition. A wrecking crew was brought in in March 2014. The mall structure was demolished, leaving three anchors standing. Sears, the last operational store, closed in July 2014. Demolition resumed, with the Sears and J.C. Penney-Andersons structures being bulldozed. Eventually, the abandoned LaSalle's-Elder-Beerman was also knocked down.
Sources:
The Toledo Blade
The Press (Millbury, Ohio)
http//www.labelscar.com
Wood County, Ohio tax assessor website
http://www.loopnet.com
http;//www.cinematreasures.org
http://www.toledoblade.com
http://www.allbusiness.com
http://www.13abc.com
The west anchor of the shopping center opened, as a Detroit-based Hudson's, in July 1971. It would operate under the Marshall Field's banner between August 2001 and September 2006, when it received a Macy's nameplate.
Photo from Toledo Lucas County Public Library
The centerpiece of the Hudson's Court was a 281-foot Alexander Calder sculpture. An associated mobile was suspended from the roof.
Photo from the Community Research & Development Corporation
Center Court at FRANKLIN PARK MALL. A stairway ascended to an upper Mezzanine floor.
Photo from the Community Research & Development Corporation
J.C. Penney at FRANKLIN PARK MALL was also dedicated in July 1971. At the time of its opening, the '70s Brutalist structure was one of the largest stores in the chain. Today, it is Penney's 7th-largest location.
Drawing from the J.C. Penney Company
FRANKLIN PARK MALL, in its original tri-anchor configuration. The 30 million dollar complex covered approximately 940,000 leasable square feet. As the promotion stated, there were "seventy-seven convenient stores in 72 constant degrees."
A detail view of the 1972 site plan. Locations of nineteen charter stores are shown.
The south anchor of the original FRANKLIN PARK MALL started out as a Toledo-based Lamson's. It became a Michigan-based Jacobson's in the mid-1970s.
Drawing from the Lamson Brothers Company
Graphic from the Mercantile Stores Company
The Lion was built as part of a North Wing addition (medium gray). With its completion in 1993, the shopping facility covered approximately 1.07 million leasable square feet and housed 124 stores. There were 5,700 for-free parking spaces. At this time, there were three multiplex cinemas in operation in the vicinity of the mall. This must have been mighty confusing for movie fans!
Graphic from the Westfield Group
WESTFIELD SHOPPINGTOWN FRANKLIN PARK STORES 2003:
DILLARD'S (with Beauty Salon) / J.C. PENNEY (with Beauty Salon and freestanding Home Store) / MARSHALL FIELD'S / A T & T Wireless-T-Mobile (kiosk) / Abercrombie & Fitch apparel / Aeropostale apparel / After Hours By Tuxedo World / American Eagle Outfitters / Ann Taylor ladies' wear / Babbage's electronic games / Bakers Shoes / Banana Republic apparel / Barbara Nolan's Market Research (Mezzanine) / Bath & Body Works / Bebe ladies' wear / Cache / California Nails / Casual Corner-Petite Sophisticate / Cellular Central (kiosk) / Claire's Boutique ladies' wear / Corey's Jewel Box / D.O.C. Eyeworld / Deck The Walls / Dippin' Dots / Dr. Robert Namay, Inc. (orthodontics) / E.B. Brown Optique / Easy Spirit / Eddie Bauer apparel / Express ladies' wear / Express Men / FYE (For Your Entertainment) / Finish Line / Footlocker / Franklin Park Mall Six Theaters (outparcel) / Franklin Park Tailor / G. Thanks cards & gifts / Gadzooks T-shirts / Gap Kids-Baby Gap / GNC / Godiva Chocolatier / Gordon's Gifts / Guess? fashion accessories & apparel / Gymboree children's apparel & toys / Helzberg Diamonds / Hot Topic young ladies' wear / Icing By Claire's / In Style / Itz a Puzzle / J. Crew apparel / J. Foster Jewelers / Jarman Shoes / Johnston & Murphy Shoes / Kay Jewelers / Lady Footlocker / Lane Bryant ladies' wear / Leather Limited / Lenscrafters / Lerner New York ladies' wear / Lids / Limited Too apparel / Merle Norman Cosmetic Studio / Naturalizer Shoes / Osterman Jewelers / Pacific Sunwear / Payless ShoeSource / Piercing Pagoda (kiosk) / Pop Culture / President Tuxedo / Ritz Camera Center / Ruby Tuesday restaurant / Sibley's Silver & Gold Connection / Silverado / Sky Bank / Sole Outdoors / Spencer Gifts / Sports Zone / Sunburst / Sunvision cards & gifts / The Body Shop / The Bombay Company / The Buckle / The Children's Place / The Coffee Mill / The Discovery Channel Store / The Disney Store / The Gap apparel / Things Remembered / Ticknors / Toledo Ballet School / Toledo Trunk Company / Universal Hair & Nails / Vans / Verizon Wireless (kiosk) / Victoria's Secret / Waldenbooks / Watch Station / Wet Seal / Wilson's Leather / Windsor Fashions / Zales Jewelers
IN THE FOOD COURT:
Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips / Chick-Fil-A / Coney Island Hot Dogs / El Camino Real / Great American Cookie Company / Magic Wok / McDonald's hamburgers / Olga's Kitchen / Pretzel Stop / Steak Escape / Subway / Teppanese / Tropical Grill / Villa Pizza
Westfield performed a second mall expansion. This added a South Wing (in medium gray) and two parking garages. An all-new (in-mall) megaplex also replaced all previous freestanding motion picture venues. When construction dust settled in 2005, WESTFIELD FRANKLIN PARK spanned 1.2 million leasable square feet and housed 150 stores. There were now 6,100 parking spaces.
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