DEAD MALLS of Michigan: Flint’s Courtland Center (Eastland Mall)

Before the water crisis, before General Motors pulled over 70,000 jobs, Flint, Michigan, was poised to be one of Michigan's largest and potentially prosperous towns. With an influx of families and retail to be sold, the Eastland Mall opened in 1968 with a 1,000-seat movie theater, 44 interior retailers, and 3 anchor stores. Today, it sits as a nearly vacant reminder of how much shopping has changed since then.

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Anchored initially by Woolco (a discount retailer owned by Woolwoorths that would eventually be sold to Walmart), Federal's (Detroit-based retailer), and The Fair, Flint's then Eastland Mall would see a parade of businesses march in and out of the coveted anchor locations, including Mervyn's, Crowley's, and eventually JC Penney.

The Fall of Flint's Eastland Mall - Courtland Center

It's not completely dead, but it's devoid of the merchants, merchandise, and merriment of shoppers looking to part with their money. Instead, Flint, Michigan's Courtland Center Mall sits as 472,000 square feet of untapped potential.

Malls figured out early on that providing an experience, like movies, within the mall leads to greater sales opportunities for their tenants. This thinking has been reinvented by incorporating trampoline parks, indoor go-cart facilities, and other pay-to-play activities, bringing communities back to the mall.

Regarding Midwest mall sights, there was one stop every kid begged their parents to make: the fountain. Something about water flowing indoors and spraying into the air was fascinating then, as it is now.

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At its apex, the Courtland Center Mall had over 80 retailers. Today, it rings hollow with considerably fewer. Though there's no official listing of tenants available, a look through the gallery below shows how empty this former retail mecca is, while also showing endless potential.