Waterford, Michigan - circa 1960s
Pontiac Mall (renamed, Summit Place, around 1989), also dubbed "The Mall" in its early years (as seen in a previous entry), is seen here (postmark is late sixties) in this fantastic retro interior postcard view! A plethora of stores are visible: Singer, Zuibach's Suburban (have no idea what that was), an HHS clothing store, and a florist way down at the end, among others. Lots of neat sculptures and other decor flourishes in evidence, too, with a fountain in the court and also what appears to be an aquarium (clearer when magnified) in the center of the image--the aqua colored thing. Maybe it was just a display case, though, I'm not sure.
This is another instance where I wish I could go back in time and walk around inside this scene just one froogin' time! Love to be there, at that time.
Alas, according to most sites, Summit Place is now considered to be a "dead mall". To me it really sounds more like it's in the slow process of dying, though, since a truly dead mall, to my way of thinking, is one that's actually shuttered and/or gone. This one appears to be still hanging on, with lots of redevelopment plans in the works or underway. Check out the resource links below for more on that, as well as lots more history.
I definitely suggest also taking another gander at this other post I did on Pontiac Mall last year, to see this interior from what appears to be the opposite end of this court. It's pretty nice, too!
Mall history: 1963 - present
Current website: n/a
Current aerial view
Info from Wikipedia
Resource links: 1, 2, 3, 4
Previous entries: 1, 2, 3
God this is such a gorgeous photo. Such wonders of modern arhcitecture.
ReplyDeleteI think I see Kresge's red sign reflecting to the right. That would mean that Kresge was on the left, meaning that this is looking north from Hudson's. Kresge was cut up into smaller stores, and I think the only one of those smaller stores still open is Deb Shop.
ReplyDeleteI love the roof on this mall. Too bad they don't have a Website. I'm confused how it is layed out. looks like they expanded with some haphazzard-looking buildings.
ReplyDeletescott
Bigmallrat, here's a directory I made earlier this year before Field's switched to Macy's:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.angelfire.com/mi4/malldirectories/marble/summit.html
Thanks for this, Keith. The other photos of this mall are among my favorites, so I appreciate the different perspective. Hope you got the third set of J-Mall pics.
ReplyDeleteI pratically grew up in "the Mall" or the Pontiac Mall, as many residents mistakenly called it.
ReplyDeleteKresges was located at the center of the original mall. If you came in through the main doors and kept walking, first you'd fall into the fountain, but afterwards, Kresges would be your destination.
I remember doing business with Grinnell's Music, which sold pianos and organs, but they also had a fairly good selection of record albums & Cunningham Drugs. There was also a HHS, Winkelman's (clothing store for women...I actually worked at their main office in Detroit, when I graduated college), the Mall Optical Center, The Book Nook, Aladdin's Castle video arcade and a coney island restaurant.
This was all long before they added in the South Mall behind Hudson's. Also long before they had the roof collapse over towards Hudson's.
It was a great place to be back in the day.
Anyone recall what year the roof partially collapsed? I was a security guard there when it happened. Worked over 100 hours that week. For the life of me I can't recall the year and haven't been able to find it via google.
ReplyDeleteZoom in on the pic and you'll see mushroom? shaped stools around the fountain. Must have been around 1967-68, I was having a grand time sliding on the terrazzo floors and cut my chin on my zipper. Poor grandma 'bout had a conniption. Took three stitches for being a brat. I remember the security guard being helpful - and (pardon please) possibly my first interaction with (grandma's words) "a nice colored man".
ReplyDeleteI took some of my first dates there.
Question; Was it the first mall of it's kind? With stores open onto a large commons area?
Does anyone know where the Ted's Cafeteria was located within the mall? I seem to remember it was near Kresge's but not sure if it was towards Hudson's or Montgomery Ward's.
ReplyDeleteI loved Ted's as a kid. It was so fancy! Yes, near Kresge's, closer to Hudson's
ReplyDeleteThe photo in this posting is without a doubt not from "The Pontiac Mall", "The Mall" or "The Summit Place Mall". If this photo was from that mall, in the location from where the picture was taken there would be one of the anchor stores either Hudson's or Montgomery Ward's at the end of the corridor in the photo, there isn't. Also, the island in the lower left hand corner of the photo is not an accurate representation of the islands at "The Pontiac Mall". Another difference is how the ceiling trusses run in comparison to an correct photo from that mall is posted in the other posting. "http://mallsofamerica.blogspot.com/2005/12/mall.html" I have lived near there many years and spent many hours there.
ReplyDeleteUpon further research it looks like is could be from "The Pontiac Mall", yet I still question the island which was for many years was a fountain.
ReplyDelete