KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MI
GENEALOGY & LOCAL HISTORY
KALAMAZOO PEDESTRIAN MALL
In 1959, at a cost of $60,000, the City of Kalamazoo created the first downtown pedestrian mall by blocking off traffic from three blocks of the main commercial area on Burdick Street. The Mall Financed and promoted by downtown business owners was part Victor Gruen's 1958 "Kalamazoo 1980" plan. It was hoped the mall would revitalize the downtown area to compete with the movement of retail businesses to suburban malls. The mall featured all the important department and clothing stores of its era, but the trend in commerce was away from department stores and men's clothing stores. The mall now features many specialty stores. In 2000, the mall was reopened to limited automobile traffic.
click on link to see photos !
| Burdick Street 1940's | Burdick Street 1955 | Mall 1955 |
1955 - South Burdick Street looking north, a time when downtown Kalamazoo was still the place where people shopped at "dime" stores like Woolworth's, Grant's, and Kresge's or at upscale Gilmore's Department store. The era of large suburban shopping malls like those on South Westnedge and West Main had yet to come. And, it was a time before the big discount stores such as Meijer's Thrifty Acres and K-Mart.
click on link to see photos !
"The park-like mall offers shoppers
relaxation for the family.
This permanent mall is a
constant attraction for tourists and business executives."
| After Construction | 4 Views of the Mall | Anchor of the Mall, Gilmore Brothers Dept. Store |
click on link to see photos !
| Mall Fountain | Mall Pool | J C Penny 1960's |
click on link to see photos !
| 1960 | Walgreen's & W T Grant |
| Two views of the mall probably in the 1960's | 1963 showing the then very popular Schensul's Cafeteria |
| Aerial view about 1965 | About 1967 ( 8 Years later)South Burdick Street looking north |
| 1960 Magazine Article about Merchant Views of the Kalamazoo Mall | The Mall near Michigan Ave., 1970 |
| Kooi Knapper Men's clothing store, undated |
1974
- "The Kalamazoo Mall in downtown Kalamazoo Michigan is a colorful garden complete with pools, fountains, trees and pleasant places to just relax and enjoy the scenery. The Burdick Street Mall was the first to be built in the United States." |
click on link to see photos !
| 1980 | 2000 - Open To Limited Auto Traffic |
See the Historical Marker and 1980 Tornado pages for more Mall photos
click on link to see photos !
| Demolition of Gilmore's Department Store, September, 2000. |
|
In addition the Library has a number of Mall photographs viewable on line, following are links to a few of them: Gilmore Brothers Department Store, ca 1960 Kalamazoo Mall (south from Michigan Avenue), Kalamazoo, ca 1960 Louie's News and Pipe Shop, 1984
Jacobson's Department Store, 1984
Some urban planners have cited the Kalamazoo Mall as a city planning project that achieved far less than hoped, but at least it was accomplished at something like a bargain price of $60,000, a modest sum for a city project even in the 1950's. See the following link: |
Return to Kalamazoo Co. Michigan USGenWeb page
All rights reserved.
This site may be freely linked to
but not duplicated
in any fashion without my consent.
The information on these pages is meant for personal genealogical
research
only and is not for commercial use of any type.
