In decades past, malls were the place to be if you wanted to show off, socialize, and, of course, shop. But with the rise of online shopping and a widening wealth gap, they’ve been on the decline since the 2010s, leading many malls to sit empty… or to find a second life. Case in point: Michigan’s oldest shopping mall is now being reborn as a “city within a city.”
Northland Shopping Center in Southfield (a suburb of Detroit) first opened in 1954 as a showcase for the department store J. L. Hudson. At that time, it was the largest shopping center in the world, per the Detroit Historical Society. At 1.4 million square feet and 7,500 parking spaces, it was certainly remarkable in size.
According to MLive, the mall closed in 2015 and was purchased by the city of Southfield for $2.5 million shortly after. Demolition began in 2017; later that year, the city pitched the 125-acre space as a potential headquarters for Amazon, but Amazon passed. In 2021, the city sold the land to Contour Companies of Bloomfield Hills for $11.1 million (per Fox 2 Detroit).
The future of Northland Shopping Center
According to the Detroit News, the Northland Shopping Center site will soon be reborn as the Northland City Center. The new “city within a city” is set to be a housing and retail complex with commercial spaces, apartments, and a boutique hotel called the Victor (perhaps it could even become one of Michigan’s most romantic getaways for couples). The city also approved plans for a sports dome, which should make local sports fans happy, especially considering that Michigan has the cheapest ticket prices in America…