The Mall at Westlake

33°23′43″N 86°58′21″W / 33.3952°N 86.9725°W / 33.3952; -86.9725Opening date1969Closing date2009OwnerAnthony UnderwoodNo. of anchor tenants3Total retail floor area300,000 square feet (28,000 m²)No. of floors1

The Mall at Westlake, almost always referred to as Westlake Mall is a vacant and closed community mall in Bessemer, Alabama.

History

Westlake Mall was built on a former lake bed, along US Highway 11. The mall opened in 1969 with three anchors, Sears, Grant's, and Loveman's.

In 1970, former Governor George Wallace held a campaign event for re-election at the mall that was estimated to be attended by 10,000 people, one of the biggest turnouts during his last gubernatorial race.^[1][2]

In the late 1970s and 1980s, the mall saw decline. In November 1983, an 18 year old female was raped after being kidnapped near the mall by masked abductors.^[3] All three original anchors closed by 1989, making it a dead mall or deserted mall. Continuing urban sprawl southwestward toward the Tuscaloosa County line and increased crime and poverty in the city of Bessemer all contributed to the mall's demise.^{[citation needed]}

During the mid 1980s, there was an effort to turn the mall into a factory outlet center, though many regular stores were still open.^[4]

In 1994, Bruno's Supermarkets opened a flagship store in the former Sears anchor location. It was the company's largest store. The mall continued to operate with a small assortment of stores, including a Goody's Family Clothing store in the former Loveman's anchor location.

The Goody's store relocated elsewhere in the late 2000s, and Bruno's filed bankruptcy in 2009, closing its store at the mall.^[5]

The center was sold to Bessemer used-car dealership owner Anthony Underwood, who wants to revive the center once again as an outlet mall. As of 2013^[update], the mall sits vacant and sealed, with several of its entrances blocked.

References

External links

• http://skycity2.blogspot.com/2010/03/west-lake-mall-bessemer-al.html