Westwood Mall (Jackson, Michigan)
Encyclopedia
Westwood Mall is an enclosed shopping mall
serving the community of Jackson, Michigan
. It opened in 1972 and features three anchor store
s: J.C. Penney
, Wal-Mart
and Elder-Beerman
. It is managed by General Growth Properties
.
, now J.C. Penney
) and Montgomery Ward
as its anchor stores. Elder-Beerman
was added as a third anchor in September 1993. General Growth Properties
acquired the mall from Forbes/Cohen in 1998, along with nearby Lansing Mall
and Lakeview Square
.
In 2004, Wal-Mart
opened its first Jackson location, a Supercenter, on the site vacated by Montgomery Ward three years previous. Five years later, the company expressed interest in purchasing houses behind the mall to build a retention basin
.
Several stores closed in the mall in the late 2000s, including Gap
, Ritz Camera and an original tenant, Crown & Carriage Gifts. Despite the loss of these stores, the mall retained a higher occupancy rate than the national average.
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
serving the community of Jackson, Michigan
Jackson, Michigan
Jackson is a city located along Interstate 94 in the south central area of the U.S. state of Michigan, about west of Ann Arbor and south of Lansing. It is the county seat of Jackson County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 33,534...
. It opened in 1972 and features three anchor store
Anchor store
In retail, an anchor store, draw tenant, anchor tenant, or key tenant is one of the larger stores in a shopping mall, usually a department store or a major retail chain....
s: J.C. Penney
J.C. Penney
J. C. Penney Company, Inc. is a chain of American mid-range department stores based in Plano, Texas, a suburb north of Dallas. The company operates 1,107 department stores in all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. JCPenney also operates catalog sales merchant offices nationwide in many...
, Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
and Elder-Beerman
Elder-Beerman
Elder-Beerman is a U.S. chain of department stores founded in 1883 and owned by The Bon-Ton. The chain is based primarily in the United States' Midwest region...
. It is managed by General Growth Properties
General Growth Properties
General Growth Properties, Inc. is a publicly traded real estate investment trust in the United States. It is based in Chicago, Illinois at 110 North Wacker Drive, a historic building designed by architectural firm Graham, Anderson, Probst & White...
.
History
The mall was built in 1972 with Wurzburg's (later Knapp'sKnapp's
The J.W. Knapp Company, more commonly known as "Knapp's", was a chain of department stores based in Lansing, Michigan.-History:In 1893, Joseph W. Knapp, a salesman originally from Hillsdale, Michigan opened a dry-goods, coat and carpet store in Albion, Michigan in partnership with Frank W. Jewett,...
, now J.C. Penney
J.C. Penney
J. C. Penney Company, Inc. is a chain of American mid-range department stores based in Plano, Texas, a suburb north of Dallas. The company operates 1,107 department stores in all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. JCPenney also operates catalog sales merchant offices nationwide in many...
) and Montgomery Ward
Montgomery Ward
Montgomery Ward is an online retailer that carries the same name as the former American department store chain, founded as the world's #1 mail order business in 1872 by Aaron Montgomery Ward, and which went out of business in 2001...
as its anchor stores. Elder-Beerman
Elder-Beerman
Elder-Beerman is a U.S. chain of department stores founded in 1883 and owned by The Bon-Ton. The chain is based primarily in the United States' Midwest region...
was added as a third anchor in September 1993. General Growth Properties
General Growth Properties
General Growth Properties, Inc. is a publicly traded real estate investment trust in the United States. It is based in Chicago, Illinois at 110 North Wacker Drive, a historic building designed by architectural firm Graham, Anderson, Probst & White...
acquired the mall from Forbes/Cohen in 1998, along with nearby Lansing Mall
Lansing Mall
Lansing Mall is an enclosed shopping mall located in Delta Charter Township, Michigan, United States, just outside Lansing, the state capital of Michigan. Opened in July 1969, the mall comprises of gross leasable area, with more than 100 stores and restaurants, as well as a food court. Anchor...
and Lakeview Square
Lakeview Square
Lakeview Square is an enclosed shopping mall serving the city of Battle Creek, Michigan. It opened in 1983 and features three anchor stores: JCPenney, Macy's and Sears. The mall is managed by Cushman & Wakefield.-History:...
.
In 2004, Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
opened its first Jackson location, a Supercenter, on the site vacated by Montgomery Ward three years previous. Five years later, the company expressed interest in purchasing houses behind the mall to build a retention basin
Retention basin
A retention basin is used to manage stormwater runoff to prevent flooding and downstream erosion, and improve water quality in an adjacent river, stream, lake or bay. Sometimes called a wet pond or wet detention basin, it is an artificial lake with vegetation around the perimeter, and includes a...
.
Several stores closed in the mall in the late 2000s, including Gap
Gap (clothing retailer)
The Gap, Inc. is an American clothing and accessories retailer based in San Francisco, California, and founded in 1969 by Donald G. Fisher and Doris F. Fisher. The company has five primary brands: the namesake Gap banner, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta. As of September 2008,...
, Ritz Camera and an original tenant, Crown & Carriage Gifts. Despite the loss of these stores, the mall retained a higher occupancy rate than the national average.