ARTS&LIFE BOOKS
A rendering of the front entrance
CONTOUR DEVELOPMENT GROUP
The ‘Center’ of It All Former Oak Park mayor updates his book on Northland Mall. SHARON LANDAU LEVINE SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
F NAFTALY
ormer Oak Park Mayor Gerald E. “Jerry” Naftaly exhibited his skills in archiving memories and documenting local history in his 2016 pictorial work titled Northland Mall. Now, he is releasing an expanded edition of his book that includes everything from the first edition, including the mall’s founding and a glimpse at what the future holds for Jerry this iconic property. Naftaly I got a chance to ask Mayor Naftaly about the new edition of the Northland Mall book, which just won a “Finalist Award” from the International Book Awards. What motivated you to write about Northland Mall? I wrote the first edition in 2016. Like many people in our area, I grew up with Northland. My life mirrored that of Northland. I was born in 1952, the same year as the groundbreaking. My parents moved our family to Oak Park in 1954, which was the same year the mall opened to the public. My dad, Bill, took me to Hughes & Hatcher, Phillip Shoes and more. My mother, Northland elephant Grace, dragged with tower in the me to Kresge’s, background
Cunningham’s, Hudson’s and others. As I got older, I rode my bike with friends to pick up WKNR Keener 13 and CKLW music guides from Sam Press’ Ross Music. I bought records and Panasonic reel-to-reel tape recorders at Chuck Bassin’s Land of Hi-Fi and the latest cameras at Dunns. Years later, working at my brother’s CPA firm, I’d pick up client financial records from some stores. Older still as a stockbroker, some of the same employees became my clients. Sadly, my mother passed away as Northland was closing in March 2015. What alerted you to Northland’s demise? Major anchors, like TJ Maxx, Target and then Macy’s, were closing from 2013 to the first weeks of 2015. I had read in 2014 that the mall owners defaulted on a $30 million payment. The mall went into receivership, and I reached out to attorney John Polderman, asking permission to talk to then mall manager Miles McFee. I arranged a private meeting and tour with several friends. The Southfield police chief assigned officers to join our tour during their rounds, giving me credibility in talking with store owners and taking photos. So, your book examines some of the stores? Yes, the second edition includes everything in the first edition plus another 50 pages. There are dozens of photographs and memories of businesses, sculptures and activities that attracted us to Northland. The book contains the history
of the mall, from Victor Gruen, the visionary who created Northland Mall, to the Webber brothers, nephews of Joseph L. Hudson who financed the Northland Mall project. You’ve shared some of Northland’s history in Jewish History Facebook pages? Yes, interestingly, Victor Gruen (19031980), the pioneer of Northland and other shopping malls was born into a middle-class Jewish family in Vienna, Austria. As I researched the businesses, I found that many Jewish friends were owners, employees or related to someone who was. That included the Mummp, a music venue for teens. What are the plans for the Northland site? The city of Southfield sold the property to Contour Companies of Bloomfield Hills (Ascension Health bought 5 acres). I’ve known the chief architect, Bruce Allen Kopytek, for many years. (He’s authored
books on Jacobson’s and Crowley’s). Contour shared renderings for the plans to revitalize the property, and I’ve included seven in this book. Contour announced: “The project consists of two phases. A 1,339-unit apartment community in 14, five-story buildings. Six buildings will have a commercial component on the ground floor facing Greenfield Road. The J.L Hudson store, once the world’s largest branch department store, continued on page 40 JULY 8 • 2021
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