Summit Place Mall

Infobox shopping mall
shopping_mall_name = Summit Place Mall


image_width =
caption =
location = Waterford Township, Michigan, United States
opening_date = 1963
developer =
manager = Namco Corporation
number_of_stores = approx. 60, originally nearly 200
number_of_anchors = 6 (4 open, 2 vacant)
floor_area = convert|1400000|sqft|m2|abbr=on
floors = 1

Summit Place Mall is an enclosed shopping mall located in Waterford Township, Michigan, United States. The convert|1400000|sqft|m2|sing=on retail center was completed in several phases between 1963 and 1993, and is currently managed by Namco Corporation of California. Summit Place Mall is over sixty percent vacant [ [http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-30313808_ITM Sports center possible for mall: It's idea to revive Summit Place. | Detroit Free Press (Detroit, MI) (April, 2007) ] ] and has been classified as a "dead mall". [ [http://theoaklandpress.com/stories/042907/loc_2007042978.shtml The Oakland Press: Local News ] Dead link|date=October 2008] Currently, the mall features four anchor stores include JCPenney, Kohl's, Macy's, and Sears. Two additional anchor stores, Montgomery Ward and Service Merchandise, have closed and are currently vacant.

History of Summit Place Mall

* 1963: Summit Place Mall made its debut as the "Pontiac Mall", a small regional one-story shopping center with approximately 30 tenants.Anchoring the original mall were Hudson's (including a Hudson's Budget Store), Montgomery Ward, and Kresge. At that point, the mall was approximately convert|500000|sqft|m2.Fact|date=August 2007

* 1973: Sears built a large two-story store on the north end of the site. While the store was not yet attached to the mall, the mall would later connect to it.Fact|date=August 2007

* 1988: JCPenney opened a 2-floor anchor store directly west of Montgomery Ward, and a small connecting wing was completed to attach the new store to the existing mall. Construction began on an expansion which would open a year later.Fact|date=August 2007

* 1989-1990: The mall's new expansion opened to great fanfare. Now Summit Place Mall, the mall had grown to convert|1400000|sqft|m2 and more than 200 tenants. The expansion continued north from the JCPenney wing, before curving northeasterly to a new Kohl's (which opened in 1988 as MainStreet), and then north again, connecting to the Sears that opened in 1973. Furthermore, between JCPenney and Kohl's, the new wing also featured a food court called "Picnic Place", which featured nine eateries and an arcade. It was also around this time that Service Merchandise would open next to Hudson's (in the old Budget Store area), giving the mall a total of six anchors.Fact|date=August 2007

* 1991: Summit Place's developers opened "Summit Crossings" (also known as "Summit West"), a strip mall on the west side of the site, anchored by Office Max, Sports Authority, Target, and Farmer Jack. As of 2008, only Target and OfficeMax remain.Fact|date=August 2007

* 1993: Summit North opened, also built by the mall's developers. Summit North contained Best Buy and Builders Square, the latter of which was converted to Home Quarters.Fact|date=August 2007

* 1995: Gander Mountain built its third Michigan store, located west of Best Buy in a new building.Fact|date=August 2007

* 1998: Great Lakes Crossing, a massive Mills-like outlet mall opens.

*1999: Steak & Shake built a location as an outlot to Summit North, one of the first in the Metro Detroit area. Service Merchandise shuttered all stores during a round of closings.

*2000: Montgomery Ward declares bankruptcy and closes all stores. The store would see periodic use as a paintball arena, and would also host various mall events, but largely it would remain vacant. Hudson's renovates itself, replacing the former restaurant with offices.Fact|date=August 2007

*2001: Hudson's is converted to Marshall Field's. [http://theoaklandpress.com/stories/092105/loc_2005092117.shtml The Oakland Press: Local News ] ] [ [http://theoaklandpress.com/stories/071104/bus_71106.shtml The Oakland Press: Auto/Business: Retailer prepares to welcome new owner ] ]

*2002: General Growth Properties sells the mall to California-based Namco Pool, not to be confused with Namco Ltd. Namco Pool intends to change the name of the mall to Festivals of Waterford, which would add a family entertainment center, a $700,000 [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DTNB&s_site=detnews&f_site=detnews&f_sitename=Detroit+News%2C+The+%28MI%29&p_multi=DTNB&p_theme=gannett&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=116D2B4F68E37BC8&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM Newspaper Archive ] ] kid's play area (located between Marshall Field's and the vacant Montgomery Ward), and a waterpark, which would be on the former Montgomery Ward footprint. [http://www.twp.waterford.mi.us/cpd/Planning/PC/MinutesArchives/2002/11-12-2002.pdf] [ [http://www.spinalcolumnonline.com/1editorialbody.lasso?-token.folder=2002-12-11&-token.story=42439.231113&-nothing Mall plans please township: Spinal Column Online ] ] . That December, the children's play area opens. [ [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DTNB&s_site=detnews&f_site=detnews&f_sitename=Detroit+News%2C+The+%28MI%29&p_multi=DTNB&p_theme=gannett&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F7B8BD3ADC73546&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval= Newspaper Archive ] ]

*2003: Despite the addition of the kid's play area, further revitalization does not materialize. The mall continues to lose tenants.

*December 2005: The Ruby Tuesday restaurant closes. [ [http://theoaklandpress.com/stories/011006/bus_2006011006.shtml The Oakland Press: Opinions ] ]

*September 2006: Marshall Field's is renamed Macy's after parent company May Co. is purchased by Federated Department Stores (now Macy's, Inc.).

*November 2006: The formerly vacant building that housed HQ/Builder's Square is partially converted to Steve & Barry's University Sportswear, replacing a Steve & Barry's which closed at Great Lakes Crossing in nearby Auburn Hills. [ [http://www.steveandbarrys.com/Stores/State/MI/1.aspx Steve & Barry's ] ] [ [http://theoaklandpress.com/stories/111606/bus_2006111629.shtml The Oakland Press: Business ] ]

*January 2007: Victoria's Secret, Bath & Body Works, and the kid's play area all close as the mall continues to die.The kid's play area is later replaced with a skate park, which has since closed.

ummit Place redevelopment

Recent state legislative action has resulted in a law that will allow the owners of Summit Place to receive a tax abatement for redevelopment of the site.cite web |url=http://www.theoaklandpress.com/stories/111005/loc_2005111001.shtml |title=Law will help Summit Place get back on feet |accessdate=2007-08-19 |last=Mossa |first=Lara |authorlink=Lara Mossa |date=2005-11-10 |work=The Oakland Press] The proposed redevelopment calls for demolition of half of the mall, and the rezoning of much of the property to include housing. [cite web |url=http://theoaklandpress.com/stories/111805/loc_2005111801.shtml |title=Housing may replace part of Summit Place mall |accessdate=2007-08-19 |last=Mossa |first=Lara |authorlink=Lara Mossa |date=2005-11-18 |work=Oakland Press] In the spring of 2007, the Township of Waterford, along with consultants Harley Ellis Devereaux and JJR, began the planning stages for re-use of the land. Possibilities include residences, a minor league baseball facility and ice rink.Fact|date=August 2007 In August, Waterford Township explored the creation of a "Corridor Improvement Authority," or CIA, to look into future uses for the property. [ [http://www.spinalcolumnonline.com/1editorialbody.lasso?-token.folder=2007-08-08&-token.story=53461.113117&-token.subpub= Corridor authority proposed: Spinal Column Online ] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.labelscar.com/michigan/summit-place-mall Labelscar's Review]
* [http://www.deadmalls.com/malls/summit_place_mall.html Deadmalls.com - Summit Place Mall]
* [http://www.theoaklandpress.com/stories/091606/bus_2006091635.shtml The Oakland Press - Township waiting for check from owner to start process]
* [http://www.waterwinterwonderland.com/location.asp?id=1099&type=5 Photos of Cinema I & II in the Outlot]