Mayfair Mall is a shopping mall located on Mayfair Road (Highway 100) between North Avenue and Center Street in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, United States. It serves the Greater Milwaukee area, also Wisconsin's premier shopping Center and Largest Mall in Wisconsin with 161 stores. Mayfair Shopping Center was constructed from 1956 and completed in 1959 by the Hunzinger Construction Company. It has been expanded several times since it was first built.
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| Location | Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, United States |
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| Coordinates | 43°3′50″N 088°2′41″W / 43.06389°N 88.04472°W |
| Address | Mayfair Road (Highway 100) |
| Opening date | 1958 |
| Developer | Kurtis Froedtert |
| Management | Brookfield Properties |
| Owner | Brookfield Properties[1] |
| No. of stores and services | 161 (November 2023) |
| No. of anchor tenants | 7 (6 open, 1 vacant) |
| Total retail floor area | 1,265,396 sq ft (117,559.1 m2) |
| No. of floors | 2 (3 in Anchors, 2 in Barnes & Noble) |
| Parking | 6,500 spaces |
| Public transit access | Milwaukee County Transit System |
| Website | mayfairmall |
The mall contains 164 stores and the anchor stores are Macy's, Crate & Barrel, The Container Store, Barnes & Noble, Nordstrom and AMC Theatres.[1] There is one vacant anchor store that was once Boston Store.
History
editMayfair Mall opened in October 1958 as a strip mall, featuring more than 70 stores.[2] The mall's original design was a 960-foot (290 m) open-air concourse, with Marshall Field's as the northern anchor and Gimbels as the southern anchor. Chicago-based Marshall Field's opened at Mayfair in 1959 to complement Gimbels, which opened just prior to Mayfair being dedicated. Three east–west corridors (North Mall, Central Park, and South Mall) ran the width of the mall, with each corridor decorated in a different color. The mall's central court also featured a park, which included trees, flowers, benches and picnic tables.[3]
In 1973, the new Mayfair Mall was advertised. The mall was fully enclosed.[4] An arcade called The Bazaar replaced the Central Park area of Mayfair. An office tower was built on the southwest side of the mall in 1975, and construction began on a second in November 1977.[4]
In 1986, Mayfair was rededicated following a $15 million remodeling effort. The Bazaar and the center court ice rink were both removed. A two-level atrium was built, featuring a new food court. The upper level was also expanded, adding 78,000 square feet (7,200 m2) of retail space.[5] Following this expansion, the mall included 109 stores including Milwaukee based Boston Store which replaced Gimbels.
In 1998, the shopping center was purchased by General Growth Properties. A subsequent renovation project added a movie theater and a Barnes & Noble bookstore in 1999, and more than 100,000 square feet (9,300 m2) of retail space to the upper level in 2000.[5][6] The second floor of the atrium was expanded across the entire mall adding new restaurants and shops. A cinema was also added, acting as a third anchor at Mayfair.
Mayfair dealt with increased competition from other Milwaukee area shopping centers, including Bayshore Town Center, which underwent remodeling and nearby Brookfield Square. A teen curfew was instituted in the 2010s due to several incidents within the mall and after films at the multiplex let out on weekends.[7]
In June 2003, Maggiano's Little Italy opened in the Marshall Field's wing.[8] On October 26, 2004, a Cheesecake Factory restaurant opened on an outparcel.[9] In 2005, a Crate & Barrel opened in front of the main mall entrance.[10] The General Cinema multiplex was acquired by AMC Theatres after GCC's purchase by AMC. Marshall Field's converted to Macy's in 2006 as part of the broad rebranding of the Federated Department Stores to the Macy's label.
Nordstrom opened in the mall on October 23, 2015.[11] It was the first full-line Nordstrom store to open in the state of Wisconsin. Nordstrom wanted to meet such high demand, and Milwaukee was the largest metropolitan area without a Nordstrom.[12] The Container Store also opened in 2015.[13]
Boston Store closed in 2018 due to Bon-Ton filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and closing all stores.[14]
2020 shootings
editOn February 2, 2020, Alvin Cole, a 17-year-old, was killed in an incident with police. Cole fired a bullet from a gun before being shot five times by an officer.[15][16] The officer was suspended and eventually resigned after an independent investigation led by former U.S. Attorney Steven Biskupic called for his dismissal due to him being involved in two other fatal shootings, among other issues.[17] The investigation revealed that Cole never shot an officer; the only bullet Cole fired hitting himself in the arm while running away and dropping to the ground.[18][19][20]
On November 20, 2020, a mass shooting occurred at the mall. Eight non-life-threatening injuries were reported, drawing a massive emergency response, including the FBI. The shooter fled the scene afterwards. A 15-year-old was arrested in connection with the shooting.[21]
The Mayfair Collection
editIn fall 2015, a new shopping center opened just northwest of Mayfair Mall known as The Mayfair Collection. It has stores like Nordstrom Rack, Old Navy, Dick's Sporting Goods, Whole Foods Market, and Versona Accessories. It also has a Homewood Suites by Hilton hotel. as well as a planned apartment complex known as Uptown at the District and several restaurants as well. Phase 2 is yet to be complete with stores and restaurants.
References
edit- ^ a b "Mayfair Mall". Brookfield Properties.
- ^ "All Mayfair stores open in January". The Milwaukee Sentinel. September 20, 1958. Retrieved 22 July 2011.
- ^ Lohman, Laurence (October 8, 1958). "Central plaza, malls provide relaxation". The Milwaukee Journal. Retrieved 22 July 2011.
- ^ a b "Mayfair project announced". The Milwaukee Sentinel. November 18, 1977. Retrieved 22 July 2011.
- ^ a b Daykin, Tom (April 13, 2000). "Mayfair plans big expansion". The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
- ^ Hajewski, Doris (2 December 1998). "Mayfair Mall mulls expansion, addition of third anchor store". Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
- ^ Walker, Don (3 January 2011). "Mayfair considering changes after teens storm mall". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
- ^ "Maggiano's brings family dining to Mayfair".
- ^ "The Cheesecake Factory Opens in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin".
- ^ "Wisconsin's first Crate and Barrel opens at Mayfair".
- ^ "Nordstrom readies for opening at Mayfair".
- ^ "Nordstrom Opens Doors At Mayfair In Wauwatosa".
- ^ "Container Store to open at Mayfair Mall this weekend". WISN. September 8, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
- ^ "Bon-Ton Stores closing: See list of Boston Store, Carson's, Younkers, Herberger's stores".
- ^ Zelst, Christina Van (November 21, 2020). "Shooting is latest incident in history of crimes at Mayfair Mall". WITI. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
- ^ Spencer, Suzanne (February 7, 2020). "Wauwatosa police release video from officer-involved shooting at Mayfair Mall". WITI. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
- ^ Report of independent investigator Steven M. Biskupic to the Wauwatosa Police and Fire Commission regarding the conduct of Wauwatosa Police Officer Joseph Mensah
- ^ Dortch, Winnie (October 7, 2020). "Investigator: Wauwatosa cop should be fired after shootings". WDJT-TV. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
- ^ Booker, Brakkton (November 18, 2020). "Suburban Milwaukee Police Officer Who Has Killed 3 People Since 2015 Set To Resign". NPR. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
- ^ Outside investigator: Tosa officer should be fired, citing 'extraordinary' risk of a fourth fatal shooting Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
- ^ Sanchez, Ray; Jones, Kay; Lynch, Jamiel (November 20, 2020). "Eight people injured in shooting at mall near Milwaukee". CNN. Retrieved December 10, 2020.