Briarwood Mall - History

History

Originally developed by developer A. Alfred Taubman in 1973, it was anchored at the time by Hudson's, JCPenney and Sears. A Lord & Taylor wing was added in 1980, only to close in 1994. The store was replaced by Jacobson's that year. Taubman's shopping center interests became a publicly traded real estate investment trust, Taubman Centers, in 1992. In 1998 Taubman Centers simplified its corporate structure and turned over full ownership to its financial partner, the GM Pension Trusts. Jacobson's would close in 2002 after the chain declared bankruptcy. The mall received a major renovation the following year. Taubman continued to manage the mall until 2004, when The Mills Corporation became 50 percent owner and manager. That same year, a Von Maur opened on the former Jacobson's site. In 2007, Simon Properties gained control of the Mills. It is Simon's very first managed property in the state of Michigan.

Briarwood Mall has also been home to a movie theater since its grand opening, originally run as "United Artists Briarwood." Since the closure of many of United Artists' theaters in the late 1990s, the theater has been operated as "Madstone Theater of Ann Arbor", "Village 7 Theaters", and currently as "Movies at Briarwood", operated by Teicher Theaters. The theater later reduced to four screens, as the other three screens have been taken over by a new Pottery Barn.

The theaters closed again in 2010, with an MC Sports replacing them.