Fairlane Town Center
Encyclopedia
Fairlane Town Center is a super-regional shopping mall
in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan
. Its anchor stores are Macy's
, JCPenney, and Sears. The mall includes an AMC Theatres
multiplex, as well as H&M
, DSW Shoe Warehouse and Bally Total Fitness
among other major stores. The mall is adjacent to the Hyatt Regency Dearborn
and features a large food court
, full service restaurants, several eateries, and merchandise for the urbanized market. The University of Michigan–Dearborn, The Henry Ford
, and the Ford Motor Company headquarters are nearby.
Following a major renovation in 2007, the mall features a large food court
, full service restaurants, several eateries, and merchandise for the urbanized market. The mall is about a 15 minute drive from downtown Detroit, Wayne State University
, or Metro Airport.
, Fairlane Town Center opened on March 1, 1976. The mall is one of three super-regional Taubman malls built in the Detroit metro area in the 1970s, the other two being Briarwood Mall
in Ann Arbor (1973),and Twelve Oaks Mall
in Novi
(1977).
In 1976, the mall opened with JCPenney as the north anchor and Sears as south anchor; Hudson's opened in the following July. Additional features included an ice skating rink (on the ground floor), a 5 screen movie theater
(on the second floor above the ice skating rink), as well as an elevated monorail car that shuttled shoppers between the mall and the nearby Hyatt Regency Hotel. Lord & Taylor
was added in 1978. Saks Fifth Avenue
opened at the mall in 1980. In the early 80s, the ice skating rink was removed and the space was converted to a 5 screen movie theater, operated by United Artists. (5 screens were on the ground floor, and an additional 5 screens were on the second floor.) It was closed in the late 1990s. The space was demolished to make way for a 20 screen Star Theatre multiplex which was added in 1999. Also in 1999 a Lifestyle Cafe (food court) was added. In 2006 AMC merged with Star and it became AMC Star. Saks Fifth Avenue changed its store to an Off 5th Outlet in the late 1990s.
Hudson's adopted the Marshall Field's
name in 2001 shortly before the chain was acquired by May Company
and again in 2005 by Federated Department Stores
; in 2006, the store was converted to Macy's
along with all other Marshall Field's stores in Michigan. In 2004, Fairlane adopted an adult supervision policy to discourage underage loitering. Lord & Taylor closed in 2006.
In 2007, the mall completed a major three year renovation project. The mall secured H&M
as an anchor tenant in 2007. The same year, Off Fifth closed its outlet store at the mall and was demolished in 2008 for a new wing featuring restaurants such as BRAVO! Cucina Italiana and P.F. Chang's China Bistro.
The interior of the Fairlane Town Center is unique and innovative following the themes of other Taubman shopping centers.
The internal pedestrian network consists of two floors through most of the mall, and a third level designed into the middle of the center courts. The middle level design is perhaps one of the most unusual designs of the mall, sharing the concept with Schaumburg, Illinois' Woodfield Mall
and the original Eastridge Center
, in San Jose, California. One side of the center of the mall is lower, and a middle level is formed between the upper and lower levels, thus creating a three level design in the center courts while maintaining a two level design throughout the rest of the mall.
Due to the original Ford ACT
monorail system, there are dual interior courts rather than a single grand court. The south central court was originally designed as an activity center, with a stage and seating areas, and the north central court was designed as the location of a large terraced fountain.
Each anchor court features a large sculpture and seating areas. The interior features terrazzo-tiled flooring, wood trimmed glass railings, and white walls and ceilings articulated with geometric, hexegon shaped skylights featuring three halogen lights mounted on the apex of each dome. Access among the three retail levels is provided by a complex network stairs, ramps, escalators, and two lighted "octa-lift" elevators each located in the center of the mall.
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...
in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan
Dearborn, Michigan
-Economy:Ford Motor Company has its world headquarters in Dearborn. In addition its Dearborn campus contains many research, testing, finance and some production facilities. Ford Land controls the numerous properties owned by Ford including sales and leasing to unrelated businesses such as the...
. Its anchor stores are Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
, JCPenney, and Sears. The mall includes an AMC Theatres
AMC Theatres
AMC Theatres , officially known as AMC Entertainment, Inc., is the second largest movie theater chain in North America with 5,325 screens, second only to Regal Entertainment Group, and one of the United States's four national cinema chains AMC Theatres (American Multi-Cinema), officially known as...
multiplex, as well as H&M
H&M
H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB is a Swedish retail-clothing company, known for its fast-fashion clothing offerings for women, men, teenagers and children....
, DSW Shoe Warehouse and Bally Total Fitness
Bally Total Fitness
Bally Total Fitness is an American fitness club chain which operates 100 gyms, in several U.S. states. In November of 2011, competitor L.A. Fitness took over operation of 171 former Bally locations...
among other major stores. The mall is adjacent to the Hyatt Regency Dearborn
Hyatt Regency Dearborn
The Hyatt Regency Dearborn is a major hotel and conference center located in the Metro Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan at 600 Town Center Drive, near the intersection of Michigan State Highway 39 and U.S. Route 12. The building was constructed in 1976 and is regularly remodeled and...
and features a large food court
Food court
A food court is generally an indoor plaza or common area within a facility that is contiguous with the counters of multiple food vendors and provides a common area for self-serve dining. Food courts may be found in shopping malls and airports, and in various regions may be a standalone development...
, full service restaurants, several eateries, and merchandise for the urbanized market. The University of Michigan–Dearborn, The Henry Ford
The Henry Ford
The Henry Ford, a National Historic Landmark, , in the Metro Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan, USA, is a large indoor and outdoor history museum complex...
, and the Ford Motor Company headquarters are nearby.
Following a major renovation in 2007, the mall features a large food court
Food court
A food court is generally an indoor plaza or common area within a facility that is contiguous with the counters of multiple food vendors and provides a common area for self-serve dining. Food courts may be found in shopping malls and airports, and in various regions may be a standalone development...
, full service restaurants, several eateries, and merchandise for the urbanized market. The mall is about a 15 minute drive from downtown Detroit, Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
, or Metro Airport.
History
Developed by A. Alfred TaubmanA. Alfred Taubman
Adolph Alfred Taubman is an American real estate developer and philanthropist from Michigan. He pioneered the modern shopping mall concept and was described by CBS News as a "legend in retailing" who became wealthy developing upscale shopping malls. He built shopping mall developer Taubman Centers...
, Fairlane Town Center opened on March 1, 1976. The mall is one of three super-regional Taubman malls built in the Detroit metro area in the 1970s, the other two being Briarwood Mall
Briarwood Mall
Briarwood Mall is a shopping mall in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. The mall's four anchor stores are Macy's, JCPenney, Sears, and Von Maur. Surrounded by office and other development, the mall anchors the southern Ann Arbor commercial area around Eisenhower Boulevard and I-94. It serves as...
in Ann Arbor (1973),and Twelve Oaks Mall
Twelve Oaks Mall
Twelve Oaks Mall is a super-regional shopping mall with over 180 stores located in Novi, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The mall is located on the Northeast corner of Interstate 96 and Novi Road. Taubman Centers is the owner and manager of the mall, and it is anchored by Macy's, Lord & Taylor,...
in Novi
Novi
- Places:In Bosnia and Herzegovina:* Bosanski Novi, a town in northwestern region of the country.In Italy:* Novi di Modena, a commune in the province of Modena...
(1977).
In 1976, the mall opened with JCPenney as the north anchor and Sears as south anchor; Hudson's opened in the following July. Additional features included an ice skating rink (on the ground floor), a 5 screen movie theater
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
(on the second floor above the ice skating rink), as well as an elevated monorail car that shuttled shoppers between the mall and the nearby Hyatt Regency Hotel. Lord & Taylor
Lord & Taylor
Lord & Taylor, colloquially known as L&T, or LT, based in New York City, is the oldest upscale, specialty-retail department store chain in the United States. Concentrated in the eastern U.S., the retailer operated independently for nearly a century prior to joining American Dry Goods...
was added in 1978. Saks Fifth Avenue
Saks Fifth Avenue
Saks Fifth Avenue is a luxury American specialty store owned and operated by Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises , a subsidiary of Saks Incorporated. It competes in the high-end specialty store market in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, i.e. 'the 3 B's' Bergdorf, Barneys, Bloomingdale's and Lord & Taylor...
opened at the mall in 1980. In the early 80s, the ice skating rink was removed and the space was converted to a 5 screen movie theater, operated by United Artists. (5 screens were on the ground floor, and an additional 5 screens were on the second floor.) It was closed in the late 1990s. The space was demolished to make way for a 20 screen Star Theatre multiplex which was added in 1999. Also in 1999 a Lifestyle Cafe (food court) was added. In 2006 AMC merged with Star and it became AMC Star. Saks Fifth Avenue changed its store to an Off 5th Outlet in the late 1990s.
Hudson's adopted the Marshall Field's
Marshall Field's
Marshall Field & Company was a department store in Chicago, Illinois that grew to become a major chain before being acquired by Macy's Inc...
name in 2001 shortly before the chain was acquired by May Company
May Company
May Company may refer to several American businesses:*The May Department Stores Company, a defunct retail company acquired by Federated Department Stores in 2006**May Company California, a defunct California department store that merged with J. W...
and again in 2005 by Federated Department Stores
Federated Department Stores
Macy's, Inc. is a department store holding company and owner of Macy's and Bloomingdale's department stores. Macy's Inc.'s stores specialize mostly in retail clothing, jewelery, watches, dinnerware, and furniture....
; in 2006, the store was converted to Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
along with all other Marshall Field's stores in Michigan. In 2004, Fairlane adopted an adult supervision policy to discourage underage loitering. Lord & Taylor closed in 2006.
In 2007, the mall completed a major three year renovation project. The mall secured H&M
H&M
H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB is a Swedish retail-clothing company, known for its fast-fashion clothing offerings for women, men, teenagers and children....
as an anchor tenant in 2007. The same year, Off Fifth closed its outlet store at the mall and was demolished in 2008 for a new wing featuring restaurants such as BRAVO! Cucina Italiana and P.F. Chang's China Bistro.
Architecture
The interior of the Fairlane Town Center is unique and innovative following the themes of other Taubman shopping centers.
The internal pedestrian network consists of two floors through most of the mall, and a third level designed into the middle of the center courts. The middle level design is perhaps one of the most unusual designs of the mall, sharing the concept with Schaumburg, Illinois' Woodfield Mall
Woodfield Mall
Woodfield Mall is an enclosed super-regional shopping mall located in the northwest Chicago suburb of Schaumburg, Illinois, United States, at the intersection of Golf Road and Illinois Route 53....
and the original Eastridge Center
Eastridge Center
Eastridge Center is a shopping mall in eastern San Jose, California owned by General Growth Properties. The mall has an enclosed shopping area, restaurants and theaters...
, in San Jose, California. One side of the center of the mall is lower, and a middle level is formed between the upper and lower levels, thus creating a three level design in the center courts while maintaining a two level design throughout the rest of the mall.
Due to the original Ford ACT
Ford ACT
Ford's ACT, short for Automatically Controlled Transportation or Activity Center Transit, was a people mover system developed during the 1970s. One interesting feature of the ACT is that it allowed bi-directional travel on a single rail—cars passed each other by switching onto short bypass lanes on...
monorail system, there are dual interior courts rather than a single grand court. The south central court was originally designed as an activity center, with a stage and seating areas, and the north central court was designed as the location of a large terraced fountain.
Each anchor court features a large sculpture and seating areas. The interior features terrazzo-tiled flooring, wood trimmed glass railings, and white walls and ceilings articulated with geometric, hexegon shaped skylights featuring three halogen lights mounted on the apex of each dome. Access among the three retail levels is provided by a complex network stairs, ramps, escalators, and two lighted "octa-lift" elevators each located in the center of the mall.