Tel-Twelve Mall - Southfield MI

Address: Telegraph Rd at 12 Mile
City: Southfield
State: MI
Zip: 48075
County: Oakland
Number of visits to this page: 3436
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General Information:

This mall opened in 1968 anchored by a Montgomery Ward at one end an a K-Mart at the other. Eventually a Crowley's store joined as well. Famed architect Charles N. Agree was the designer. By 2001, the indoor portion of the mall was demolished and was replaced by numerous big box stores. I hung out here alot as a kid and got my first guitar and amp at Montgomery Wards. There was an Orange Julius stand in the mall which I loved. I liked this place because you could walk the entire circuit in about 20 minutes. It had pretty much everything you needed without being overwhelming.

From Wikipedia:

Tel-Twelve Mall opened in 1968 along Telegraph Road just north of Interstate 696 in Southfield, Michigan. The mall initially comprised two anchor stores: Kmart at the northern end and Montgomery Ward at the southern end, with a Chatham supermarket as a junior anchor in between. It was designed by A&W Properties (now Ramco-Gershenson Properties Trust), with Charles N. Agree as architect. It originally featured a fountain and Astroturf floors.

At the time of its opening, Tel-Twelve Mall's viability was questioned by retailers, as Southfield already had a larger shopping mall, Northland Center. Tel-Twelve was expanded four times in its history, eventually gaining a Crowley's department store as a third anchor in 1985, as well as a food court. By 1990, the mall had gained a Kids "R" Us, and Silver's Office Supplies had replaced the Chatham.

In 1994, a renovation of the mall added many stores, including Ruby Tuesday, Old Country Buffet, DSW Shoe Warehouse, and Media Play. The Montgomery Ward store was downsized to make room for MC Sports and Office Depot, the former of which became Circuit City by 1996. Due to space limitations, a portion of the store had to be located across the mall hallway from the rest of the store. It was also the first Circuit City store to be located inside an enclosed shopping mall.

Crowley's closed in 2000, followed by Montgomery Ward a year later. Although the mall was still 85% occupied at the time, its tenant roster was largely composed of local stores. Ramco-Gershenson had made a decision to demolish everything except for Kmart, Montgomery Ward, Office Depot, and Circuit City, and replace the rest of the complex with a strip mall. Kmart closed soon afterward, and its former location at the mall was demolished for a Meijer. The former Montgomery Ward was replaced with Michaels and Pier One, while other big box stores such as Lowe's supplanted the rest of the former enclosed mall space. DSW also relocated to a new store on the site of the mall. Media Play became Best Buy, while the former Circuit City slot eventually became a PetSmart. The Office Depot closed in 2019, and an Ulta Beauty store opened in its place by 2020.

Info Updates:
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 Photos:6
Tel-Twelve Mall - Great Shot Of Entrance From Detroit Public Library
Great Shot Of Entrance From Detroit Public Library
Tel-Twelve Mall - Old Photo
Old Photo
Tel-Twelve Mall - Old Photo
Old Photo
Tel-Twelve Mall - Grand Opening Ad
Grand Opening Ad
Tel-Twelve Mall - Nov 13 1968 Article
Nov 13 1968 Article
Tel-Twelve Mall - Oct 1968 Winklemans Ad
Oct 1968 Winklemans Ad
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