Lakeview Square

Lakeview Square Mall is an enclosed shopping center on Beckley Road in Battle Creek, Michigan, near the junction of Interstate 94 and M-66. The property was proposed in 1980 by Sidney Forbes and Maurice Cohen of Forbes/Cohen Properties and opened to the public on August 3, 1983. Its development required approval from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to relocate Brickyard Creek, which ran along the western portion of the site. At opening, Lakeview Square was anchored by JCPenney, Sears, and Hudson's. The Hudson's location later became Marshall Field's in 2001 and Macy's in 2006. The original tenant mix also included a Big Boy restaurant, Cole's, Zales, and Florsheim. The mall was intended to serve as a regional retail destination for Battle Creek and surrounding communities, complementing rather than simply replacing downtown shopping facilities. In 1993, Kalamazoo-based Gilmore Brothers added another department-store presence, although that retailer later vacated the property. The mall expanded its entertainment role in 1995 when a movie-theater complex opened in the Sears wing. General Growth Properties acquired Lakeview Square, together with Westwood Mall and Lansing Mall, from Forbes/Cohen in 1998. During the late 1990s and 2000s, the center received additional investment and tenant changes: Old Navy opened in 1998, the property was remodeled in 1999, and Dunham's Sports arrived in 2006 after relocating from nearby Minges Creek Plaza. Steve & Barry's replaced Old Navy in 2007 but left after the retailer's 2008 bankruptcy; the space later became home to Shoe Dept. Encore. A later remodeling around 2010–2011 removed the food court and replaced it with a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant, reflecting a broader shift from traditional enclosed-mall food courts toward standalone dining. Ownership changed again when the mall was sold to Cushman & Wakefield in 2011 and then to GK Development in 2013. GK Development is identified as the mall's manager and current ownership entity in the available reference material. Lakeview Square subsequently experienced the anchor-store contraction affecting many American regional malls. Macy's announced in January 2017 that it would close the location as part of a nationwide store-reduction program; the store shut in March 2017. JCPenney announced its own closure in March 2017, with the store leaving on July 31 of that year. Sears announced in November 2018 that it would close the mall location in February 2019. With that closure, Lakeview Square lost all of its traditional department-store anchors. Tenant departures continued in the late 2010s and early 2020s. FYE left in July 2018, while Bath & Body Works later moved to a larger premises at Harper Village Center nearby. Claire's relocated to a Walmart Supercenter, Auntie Anne's departed, and Maurices later moved into a former Gordon Food Service building. The mall nevertheless retained a smaller group of operating tenants, including Horrocks Farm Market, Extra Space Storage, Barnes & Noble, Shoe Dept. Encore, Dunham's Sports, GNC, and Chinese Wellness. Its present role is therefore less that of a conventional department-store-anchored mall and more that of a mixed retail and service property with selected destination tenants.

Lakeview Square Mall originated in a 1980 proposal by Sidney Forbes and Maurice Cohen of Forbes/Cohen Properties. The planned center occupied land on Beckley Road in southern Battle Creek, bounded by Interstate 94 to the north and M-66 to the east. Because Brickyard Creek crossed the western side of the proposed site, the developers needed authorization from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to relocate the creek before construction could proceed. The enclosed mall opened on August 3, 1983, with JCPenney, Sears, and Hudson's as its principal anchors. Hudson's was later rebranded Marshall Field's in 2001 and Macy's in 2006. Early specialty tenants included Big Boy, Cole's, Zales, and Florsheim. Cole's had relocated from the Downtown Michigan Mall, while Zales and Florsheim also moved from the former Michigan Mall. Gilmore Brothers, a department store based in Kalamazoo, opened at Lakeview Square in 1993. Lakeview Square added a movie-theater complex to the Sears wing in 1995, broadening the property beyond conventional retail. General Growth Properties acquired the mall in 1998 from Forbes/Cohen, in a transaction that also included Westwood Mall and Lansing Mall. Old Navy opened that year in space previously associated with Gilmore Brothers. A mall remodeling followed in 1999. The property continued to change during the 2000s. Dunham's Sports opened in 2006 after moving from Minges Creek Plaza. Steve & Barry's replaced Old Navy in 2007, but the chain's bankruptcy led to its departure in 2008. Shoe Dept. Encore subsequently occupied the space. Around 2010–2011, another remodeling removed the food court and introduced Buffalo Wild Wings in its place, signaling a move toward restaurant-based customer traffic. Ownership changed twice in the following period. Cushman & Wakefield acquired the property in 2011, and GK Development acquired it in 2013. GK Development is identified in the available material as the mall's manager and current ownership entity. The center then lost its department-store anchors. Macy's announced its closure in January 2017 and completed the shutdown in March. JCPenney announced a closure in March 2017 and left on July 31. Sears announced in November 2018 that it would close in February 2019. After Sears departed, Lakeview Square no longer had a conventional department-store anchor. Further departures reduced the conventional mall tenant base. FYE left in 2018. In the period around late 2022 and early 2023, Bath & Body Works moved to a larger site at Harper Village Center, Claire's relocated to a nearby Walmart Supercenter, and Auntie Anne's left the mall. Maurices later relocated to a former Gordon Food Service building in late 2023. Despite the contraction, the property continued operating with a smaller group of retailers, restaurants, service businesses, grocery uses, and storage-related tenants. Horrocks Farm Market and Extra Space Storage are identified as current anchors, while Barnes & Noble, Shoe Dept. Encore, Dunham's Sports, GNC, and Chinese Wellness are among the other named occupants.

• 2023

  Maurices relocates

  [1]Lakeview Square Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Maurices left the mall and moved into a former Gordon Food Service building.

• 2019

  Sears closes

  [1]Lakeview Square Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Sears closed its Lakeview Square store in February, leaving the mall without a traditional department-store anchor.

• 2017

  Macy's and JCPenney closures announced

  [1]Lakeview Square Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Macy's closed in March, while JCPenney closed on July 31, removing two of the mall's three traditional department-store anchors.

• 2013

  GK Development acquires the property

  [1]Lakeview Square Mallen.wikipedia.org

  GK Development acquired the mall and is identified as its manager in the reference material.

• 2011

  Cushman & Wakefield acquires the property

  [1]Lakeview Square Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The mall was sold to Cushman & Wakefield.

• 2006

  Dunham's Sports opens

  [1]Lakeview Square Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Dunham's Sports opened after relocating from nearby Minges Creek Plaza.

• 1999

  Mall remodeling

  [1]Lakeview Square Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The property underwent a remodeling program.

• 1998

  General Growth Properties acquires the mall

  [1]Lakeview Square Mallen.wikipedia.org

  General Growth Properties bought Lakeview Square together with Westwood Mall and Lansing Mall.

• 1995

  Movie theater complex added

  [1]Lakeview Square Mallen.wikipedia.org

  A cinema complex opened in the Sears wing, adding an entertainment component to the property.

• 1993

  Gilmore Brothers opens

  [1]Lakeview Square Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Kalamazoo-based department store Gilmore Brothers opened a location at the mall.

• 1983

  Lakeview Square opens

  [1]Lakeview Square Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The mall opened on August 3 with JCPenney, Sears, and Hudson's as its principal anchor stores.

• 1980

  Development proposal announced

  [1]Lakeview Square Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Sidney Forbes and Maurice Cohen of Forbes/Cohen Properties announced plans for a new enclosed mall on Beckley Road in Battle Creek.

A regional enclosed shopping center serving Battle Creek and nearby Southwestern Michigan communities, with a current tenant mix focused on grocery, books, sporting goods, footwear, services, dining, and storage rather than traditional department-store anchors.

• Shopping center · 1983

  Enclosed retail mall

  Lakeview Square's core offering is an enclosed, multi-tenant shopping environment serving Battle Creek and surrounding communities. Historically, the center combined department stores with specialty retailers, restaurants, entertainment, and personal services. Following the departure of its traditional anchors, the property operates with a more compact and diversified tenant base.

• Grocery and specialty food

  Horrocks Farm Market

  Horrocks Farm Market is identified as one of the mall's current anchor uses. Its grocery and specialty-food role provides a recurring destination function that differs from the discretionary shopping traditionally generated by department stores.

• Storage services

  Extra Space Storage

  Extra Space Storage is identified as a current anchor use at Lakeview Square. The storage operation represents the property's adaptation toward service-oriented occupancy after the loss of its former department-store anchors.

• Books and media

  Barnes & Noble

  Barnes & Noble is listed among the mall's major tenants. The bookstore provides a destination retail use within the center's reduced but still active tenant mix.

• Sporting goods · 2006

  Dunham's Sports

  Dunham's Sports opened at Lakeview Square in 2006 after relocating from Minges Creek Plaza. It supplies sporting goods and active-lifestyle merchandise and remains one of the named major tenants.

• Footwear

  Shoe Dept. Encore

  Shoe Dept. Encore occupies the space formerly used by Steve & Barry's after that retailer left following its 2008 bankruptcy. It is one of the mall's named major tenants and contributes footwear-focused retail to the current mix.

• 2018

  Sears anchor closureOther

  Background

  Sears announced a nationwide closure program that included its Lakeview Square store.

  Action taken

  The Sears location closed in February 2019.

  Aftermath

  Sears's departure left Lakeview Square without any traditional department-store anchors.

  Source

• 2017

  Department-store anchor closuresOther

  Background

  Macy's and JCPenney announced closures during 2017 as part of nationwide store-reduction programs by their respective retailers.

  Action taken

  Macy's closed in March 2017, and JCPenney closed on July 31, 2017.

  Aftermath

  The mall lost two of its three traditional department-store anchors, contributing to a substantial change in its operating model.

  Source

• 2010

  Replace the food court with a restaurant useStrategy

  Background

  During a remodeling period around 2010–2011, the mall revised its dining configuration.

  Action taken

  The food court was removed and a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant opened in its place.

  Aftermath

  The change reflected a shift toward standalone restaurant traffic rather than a conventional enclosed-mall food-court model.

  Source

1. 1Lakeview Square Mallen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Lakeview Square Mall official websitelakeviewsquare.com