Hampton Towne Centre
.jpg) Interior of Hampton Towne Centre, March 2003 | |
 | |
| Location | Essexville, Michigan, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 43°35′34″N 83°50′03″W / 43.5927°N 83.8343°W |
| Address | Center Avenue and Pine Street |
| Opening date | 1975 |
| Closing date | September 15, 2010 |
| Previous names | Hampton Square Mall |
| Developer | Ramco-Gershenson Properties Trust |
| Owner | Art Dore |
| Architect | Charles N. Agree |
| No. of stores and services | 37 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 4 |
| Total retail floor area | 350,000 square feet (33,000 m2)[1] |
| No. of floors | 1 |
Hampton Towne Centre, formerly Hampton Square Mall, was an enclosed shopping mall in Hampton Township, Michigan, just outside the city of Essexville, Michigan, United States. Built in 1975, the property became a dead mall following the closure of its anchor stores, and ultimately closed in 2010. The building, vacant except for a thrift store, an intermediate school district, and a Michigan Department of Human Services office, was owned by Art Dore who died November 2 of 2022.
History[edit]
The mall was developed by Ramco-Gershenson Properties Trust of Southfield, Michigan, with Charles N. Agree as the architect. Original anchors were Kmart[2] and William C. Wiechmann Company of Saginaw.[3] Both anchors represented changes for their respective chains: the Kmart (opened in 1974, a year before the remainder of the center) was among its first mall-attached stores,[4] and it was the first Wiechmann's location away from Saginaw.[5] An A&P supermarket was also attached. The mall also included a Perry pharmacy and an MC Sports.[1] In 1981, a customer was charged for murdering his wife while she was working at the Lerner New York store in the mall.[6] In October 1989, the mall expanded with the addition of a J. C. Penney store, which moved from downtown.[7][1] The mall's main customer base was residents of The Thumb.
The mall became increasingly vacant in the 1990s and early 2000s, particularly after the opening of Bay City Mall in 1991 and the closure of all three anchor stores; J. C. Penney defected to the new mall in 1993,[7] and Kmart closed in 2002. At this point, the mall complex was largely used for non-retail purposes, including a Michigan Department of Human Services office, the Bay-Arenac intermediate school district, and yearly use for the Bay County library's book sales. The mall ultimately closed in September 2010.[8] One of the last remaining tenants, Mandarin House Chinese restaurant, moved to a new location.[9] The Department of Human Services offices have remained after the closure, along with a thrift store called The Cat's Meow located inside the former A&P space.
Local businessman Art Dore purchased the mall in August 2011 and announced plans to reopen it as a mixed-use property featuring offices and retail.[10][11]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Directory of major malls. MJJTM Publications Corp. 1990. pp. 323–324.
- ^ "Michigan". CSA Super Markets. Lebhar-Friedman. 1973.
- ^ Gross, Stuart D. (1980). Saginaw, a history of the land and the city. Greater Saginaw Chamber of Commerce. p. 193. ISBN 9780897810166.
- ^ "Years Past". Bay City Times. October 2, 2004. p. A4.
- ^ "Years Past". Bay City Times. November 5, 2005. p. A4.
- ^ "Wife shot". Ludington Daily News. 15 May 1981. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
- ^ a b "Drained from Downtown". Bay City Times. August 16, 2005. p. A9.
J.C. Penney Co. Inc. ... Moved to the Hampton Square Mall in October 1989 after 30 years downtown at the corner of Center Avenue and Adams Street. In February 1993, it moved from the Hampton Square Mall to the Bay City Mall, its present location.
- ^ Wayland, Michael (28 August 2010). "After 35 years, Hampton Towne Centre in Hampton Township to close Sept. 15, according to tenant". mlive.com. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
- ^ White, Sue (23 December 2010). "Mandarin House stays true to its roots". mlive.com. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
- ^ Setter, Holly (9 August 2011). "Hampton Township hoping for a boost from mall purchase". mlive.com. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
- ^ Setter, Holly (3 August 2011). "Art Dore adds Hampton Towne Center to property portfolio, plans to restore it to former glory". mlive.com. Retrieved 14 November 2014.