  W_6_mile Member Username: W_6_mile Post Number: 8 Registered: 01-2008 |
I remember the ashtrays with sand in them throughout the mall. I remember this artwork suspended in the air in the grand court, I remember the lowercase 70s style lettering that spelled hudson's in the interior of the mall. I also remember Burger King near JC Penney. And of course alot of white people. | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 4396 Registered: 10-2003 |
As I said on the other thread, I remember a monorail of some sort, and Santa scaring me. | ||
Rsa Member Username: Rsa Post Number: 1366 Registered: 10-2003 |
i was just asking people the other day what happened to the monorail? those who actually remember it don't seem to recall it much after 1980. it seems strange to me that they'd go to the expense of installing something so extensive only to remove it a few years later. anybody know the scoop? | ||
Leland_palmer Member Username: Leland_palmer Post Number: 428 Registered: 08-2004 |
I was probably to expensive to run. It only ran to the hotel and back. | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 4398 Registered: 10-2003 |
Was it always a Taubman mall? | ||
Leob Member Username: Leob Post Number: 106 Registered: 10-2005 |
The Monorail went out of service. It became prohibitively expensive to maintain. Also, rumour has it the Hyatt no longer was interested in being connected to the Mall. They felt it added little value to their guests' stay. Rarely did anyone visiting the mall have a legitimate reason to visit the hotel. Most were tourists or worse, mobs of kids filling the lobby. | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 1743 Registered: 07-2004 |
I remember when white people went to Fairlane too. In fact, I've been calling white commercial flight the "Fairlane Effect" informally. | ||
W_6_mile Member Username: W_6_mile Post Number: 13 Registered: 01-2008 |
Fairlane has always been a Taubman Mall. | ||
Smogboy Member Username: Smogboy Post Number: 6813 Registered: 11-2004 |
I always remembered going to the Hudson's at Fairlane Mall as opposed to the closer Northland because it always seemed as though they had a larger and better selection of cool clothes to buy. I also had an uncle that worked at the Hyatt Regency so every now and then we would actually hop on that monorail with a purpose in mind as opposed to so many others who just rode it for the novelty effect. | ||
Oldredfordette Member Username: Oldredfordette Post Number: 3577 Registered: 02-2004 |
I worked at Fairlane in 1981. It was like living in an MC Escher painting, trying to get from one store to another was a horrendous affair. The monorail was gone by then. | ||
Elevator_fan Member Username: Elevator_fan Post Number: 30 Registered: 04-2004 |
The monorail, or as they called it, "ACT" for Automatically Controlled Transport, was built as a prototype for Ford to show off to potential clients. Ford built a similar system at the Hartford, CT airport, but it never was put into use because of cost issues. Two things killed it off: 1) Ford decided to withdraw from the people mover business because Westinghouse was winning most of the business; and 2) The newly opened Ritz Carlton Hotel complained that it wasn't fair that the Hyatt got service and they didn't. Seeing as how Ford didn't need a marketing tool any longer, they tore it down rather than extend it. There were often long waits at both the mall and hotel ends. Everyone wanted to ride it. And the traffic the people mover produced made for long lines for lunch at the Hyatt's Rotunda revolving rooftop restaurant and Kafay's Place second floor restaurant. I've got to believe the Hyatt misses that business. Some history: http://media.ford.com/newsroom /release_display.cfm?release=1 5069 An interesting comment from an ACT designer is towards the bottom here: http://mallsofamerica.blogspot .com/2006/12/fairlane-town-cen ter.html | ||
Craig Member Username: Craig Post Number: 614 Registered: 02-2007 |
ORF - I hate to contradict you, but the monorail was up and running into the mid/late '80s. I spent a lot of time in the mall post '81 and the monorail was still in operation. The monorail was installed as a showpiece for some unit of Ford Land Management or engineering. A long time ago Ford was dipping a toe into mass transit and, the word was, that a general lack of interest/customers deflated the project & willingness to subsidize the little tram. If the books truly could be opened I'm sure that it would be obvious that there was a direct correlation between the rise in crime in the mall and the loss of customers & shops. In the span of a few years the place degraded into the wild west, with massive brawls, crowds of rowdy teens, beatings, and armed robberies in the public restrooms. Why would anyone want to shop under those conditions? | ||
Carolcb Member Username: Carolcb Post Number: 3443 Registered: 11-2006 |
We still go to Fairlane and I have no problem with it.....but it does wear one out! I am so sick of snobs right now as long as people are nice that is all I require. I just had a flashback about Escher circa 1977! | ||
Detroitgalaxian Member Username: Detroitgalaxian Post Number: 17 Registered: 06-2006 |
Check these out! http://mallsofamerica.blogspot .com/2006/12/fairlane-town-cen ter.html http://mallsofamerica.blogspot .com/2006/01/fairlane-town-cen ter.html http://mallsofamerica.blogspot .com/2007/04/fairlane-town-cen ter-with-dearborn.html | ||
Elevator_fan Member Username: Elevator_fan Post Number: 31 Registered: 04-2004 |
For the truly obsessed, information about, but sadly no longer photos of, the clone system in Hartford is here: http://web.archive.org/web/200 10303104719/ceraonline.org/cer acollection/carbia0102.htm | ||
Wanderinglady Member Username: Wanderinglady Post Number: 24 Registered: 10-2007 |
I remember Fairlane had an ice skating rink. The monorail and the glass elevators were big deals when the mall first opened. | ||
Craig Member Username: Craig Post Number: 616 Registered: 02-2007 |
Carol - good luck, but think safety. More than once we saw Security escorting a bloodied shopper out of the restroom areas after being robbed. Another common caper was snatching a woman's purse as she sat to try on shoes. Plenty, plenty of war stories, and all of the them awful. | ||
W_6_mile Member Username: W_6_mile Post Number: 16 Registered: 01-2008 |
This mall currently has its three original anchors (excluding the Hudson's/Field's name change) Lord & Taylor (1978) closed in 2006 Saks (1980) closed 2007. Saks is to be torn down to add restaurants and entertainment venues. The bus stop has be relocated near Macy's which I dont like because the passengers walk thru the cars parked to get in the mall and I dont think that's secure. As a result of this relocated bus stop the passengers are walking thru Macy's to get into the mall. I dont think Macy's appreciates that. | ||
Oldredfordette Member Username: Oldredfordette Post Number: 3579 Registered: 02-2004 |
Craig, my husband saw my post and corrected me before you had the chance to. Ooops! (I probably couldn't find it in the maze) | ||
Rsa Member Username: Rsa Post Number: 1367 Registered: 10-2003 |
wow, great info and links guys! answered all of my questions. altho, given the state of ambitious and abandoned schemes in this area, they would've just left the tracks in place instead of demolishing them. then again, this area does like their demolition! thanks to all. | ||
Carolcb Member Username: Carolcb Post Number: 3444 Registered: 11-2006 |
People don't mess with me. ( - ; | ||
W_6_mile Member Username: W_6_mile Post Number: 17 Registered: 01-2008 |
Carol there are snobs @ Fairlane? | ||
Carolcb Member Username: Carolcb Post Number: 3445 Registered: 11-2006 |
Gosh, not like some places. I just want people to act like they want my money - and expect other shoppers not to knock me down going to where they are going. I am sick of what I am currently calling entitlement, snobs, whatever, just plain RUDE. I also still have real memories of eating souffles, rack of lamb, oysters over at the Hyatt...Atlantic Char? | ||
Mercman Member Username: Mercman Post Number: 47 Registered: 10-2006 |
I always wondered about that monorail. This Cougar Brochure photo was taken in front of the Hyatt, but as long as I can recall, there was never a monorail! Click below: <img> (Message edited by mercman on January 04, 2008) | ||
Spitty Member Username: Spitty Post Number: 652 Registered: 07-2004 |
I really like to go there on my lunch break. A lot of Ford offices surround the mall, and a lot of restaurants in the food court offer a Ford discount. There are not that big of crowds either, so you can get in and out in a hurry if you need to do some shopping. The mall combined with the new stores off of 94 between oakwood and outer drive, you can get pretty much anything you need on your way home from work. | ||
Onthe405 Member Username: Onthe405 Post Number: 31 Registered: 11-2007 |
OK, I'm showing my age here, but I recall vividly the 1976 TV ads promoting the simultaneous openings of FTC & Lakeside. I think they started running around Feb. The announcer (and the print ads) touted: "ON MARCH 1, 1976 THE WAY YOU SHOP WILL CHANGE FOREVER" it showed throngs of shoppers (clad in platform shoes & bell bottoms) riding the trademark scenic elevators and walking the switchback stairways. It was obviously stock footage from another cookie-cutter Taubman design in another city. Keep in mind at that time a multi-level mall was really novel to the Detroit area (I guess Eastland's lower concourse doesn't qualify). Like everyone else, I couldn't wait to take a peek, and visited both within a few weeks of opening (including the monorail). It was wall-to-wall people for the first 6 months. My first job in March '76 was at Big Boy Lakeside. There was a line outside every day I worked there until I went to college late in summer. Like many of the clothing fashions, it's amazing how quickly & poorly these 1970s relics have aged. This includes the fad John Portman-designed Hyatt Regencys (ATL/Dearborn/SF/CHI), Peachtree Plaza/ATL, Bonaventure/LA, and, go ahead, flame away--the Renaissance Center. They are almost universally panned by architecture critics/aficianados as dysfunctional in design and dated eyesores in aesthetics. Personal nostalgia aside, I tend to agree. | ||
401don Member Username: 401don Post Number: 193 Registered: 11-2007 |
Little off topic but is it just in the Detroit area or nationwide that the malls don't have large food courts (i.e. Oakland, Fairlane). In Canada all of the malls have huge food courts. In Detroit, you tend to have stand-alone rests. in the parking areas. Great Lakes crossing is one exception I know of. | ||
W_6_mile Member Username: W_6_mile Post Number: 21 Registered: 01-2008 |
Well 401 the majority of the malls in metro Detroit were not built with food courts. Fairlane, Somerset and Great Lakes Crossing have large food courts. 12 Oaks and Lakeside are decent sizes also. Oakland, Northland and Eastland are not so grand in size. The first food court I remember was Wonderland's it was a nice size. It has a arcade near it. | ||
Detroitrise Member Username: Detroitrise Post Number: 1300 Registered: 09-2007 |
Eastland used to have a huge food court before it was demolished in the early 00s. Northland has a nice sized one too. It's not nationwide though because I know of several malls nationawide with huge food courts. | ||
W_6_mile Member Username: W_6_mile Post Number: 23 Registered: 01-2008 |
As a matter of fact Southland had a food court but got rid of it in favor for Best Buy. |
