Westland Mall

Westland Mall was a one-level shopping mall 11.0 miles (17.7 km) northeast of downtown Columbus, Ohio, between West Broad Street, Georgesville Road and Interstate 270 in the city of Columbus. It had four anchor spaces which once housed JCPenney, Macy's, Sears and Staples.
== Mall History ==
Westland Mall was open to the public on February 12, 1969, developed by Richard E. Jacobs Group. It's original anchors included JCPenney, Lazarus, Sears and Woolworth. The first store on the land was a free-standing Lazarus which opened in 1962, the mall was built only just seven years later. Other original tenants included Gray Drug, The Limited, Charter, House of Fabrics, Orange Julius and Waldenbooks. In July 1971, General Cinema opened a two-screen movie theater outside the mall near the southeast parcel. From 1977-1980, the mall served as the studio for the groundbreaking teenage variety show, America Goes Bananaz on Columbus' experimental cable service QUBE. Lazarus was enlarged to 215,000 square feet and the mall was expanded and converted into 860,000 square feet. In early 1986, a new theater opened by General Cinema not far from the original two-screen cinema, the new theater had eight-screens and replaced the original twin theater.
In 1982, Westland was enclosed, and a north entryway was added with space for additional tenants. The upper floor of Sears was closed to customers and converted into office space for their in-house credit card, Discover, in October 1987. A Chi-Chi's restaurant opened at the mall's north entryway in the fall of 1987. Woolworth closed in January 1994 during the chain's restructuring process that resulted in the elimination of its 400 stores. It was renovated into a Staples with no concourse access and Footaction USA that faced the interior.
== Decline ==
The decline of Westland Mall began in the late 1980s as larger shopping malls opened around the Columbus area. During the '80s, Sears was downsized to a one-level store. In July 1997, JCPenney moved out of Westland to join the new Mall at Tuttle Crossing in Dublin. Also in 1997, Woolworth closed, and it was replaced with a Staples in 2000. In November 2002, Westland was sold to Sammy Kahen and Jack Kashani, two Beverly Hills-based realtors. They announced a plan to redevelop Westland, which included demolishing the mall. However, these plans failed to materialize. 
Although once considered a major landmark in the Columbus area, Westland Mall faced numerous challenges toward the end of the 20th century, ultimately leading to its loss of status as a premier shopping destination for the city's far west side. The opening of the nearby Mall at Tuttle Crossing in 1997 posed a significant threat, drawing away many customers who might have otherwise patronized Westland. JCPenney notably abandoned Westland for Tuttle, while other major stores like Express and The Limited also departed. 
In 2003, Kashani, a developer who also owned North Towne Square in Toledo, Ohio, purchased the mall and attempted to reposition it as a "bazaar"-style mall featuring specialty shops such as a used bookstore, arts and crafts dealers, and a karate school. The Lazarus store underwent conversions to Lazarus-Macy's in 2003, and later to Macy's in 2005, before ultimately closing in 2007. However, by that time, virtually all of the newer stores added under Kashani's ownership had also shuttered.
During this time, tenants continued to leave the mall for other Columbus area malls or shopping centers. The mall was then sold in April 2005 to The Krone Group. A Chi-Chi's restaurant that had an entrance from the outside closed in 2004 when the chain went bankrupt. It was replaced with an "Ocean Bar & Grill" restaurant. In March 2005, Lazarus was converted into Macy's, but the store closed in July 2007. In November 2012, the mall entirely closed, with only Sears and Staples remaining. Notably, they closed off their in-store entrances into the mall walkway. Staples eventually closed in late 2015, whereas Sears shut down in September 2017, ultimately leaving the entire mall devoid of business.
Additional points of interest outside of the mall but on its block include: a Sears Auto Center that closed in 2014 and is now a Highland Protection security guard site, an NTB (National Tire & Battery) building on the further south that had closed sometime in 2011, a former Firestone, a shopping center to the southeast with a Mexican supermarket (namely La Plaza Tapatita), possibly the abandoned General Cinema (which had shuttered in 2008), a still open Bob Evans, and a recently constructed Sheetz gas station.
Despite the mall's closure, it is still used for events, such as a gun show which is held multiple times each year in the former JCPenney building, an annual carnival in the parking lot dubbed as the West Columbus Fair, and rather recently, drive-in live concerts.
By 2010, Westland Mall housed fewer than 15 active businesses. The only remaining national retailers were Sears, Finish Line, Champs Sports, GNC, and Staples, with the rest of the operating storefronts consisting of small, bazaar-style shops, eateries, Westland Arcade, and a local branch of the Franklin County Sheriff's office.
Sears sealed its entrance to the mall in September 2011.
As of 2023, the mall has been slated for demolition, due to begin in June 2023 and to be lasted six to eight months.
On February 3, 2023, a news article on NBC4 came out on a potential revitalization that was to follow the destruction of Westland Mall. The destruction is finally to be set during the spring of 2023. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has announced $20,000,000+ for the revitalization of the area.
The Macy's building was fully demolished in August 2023, and asbestos removal at the building took place the following month. Demolition of the Westland Mall continued into October of that year.
As of October 2023, the Sears, Sears Auto Center, NTB, and JCPenney structures still stand. The Sears building will be demolished after C&E Gunshows' contract with LGR Weston expires in December 2023. As of July 2024, a majority of the structure has been demolished.
Category:Malls in Ohio
Category:Richard E. Jacobs
Category:Columbus Area Malls
Category:Malls in the United States
Category:Dead Malls
Category:Abandoned malls
Category:Malls that opened in 1969
Category:Former JCPenney-anchored Malls
Category:Former Macy's-anchored Malls
Category:Former Lazarus-anchored Malls
Category:Former Woolworth's-anchored Malls
Category:Former Sears-anchored Malls
Category:Former Malls
Category:Defunct malls
Category:Former Staples-anchored Properties