Planning and opening
Planning for the mall began in 1967 when the J.L. Hudson Corporation purchased land at the intersection of 12 Mile and Novi roads. Prior to its development as a mall, the site was proposed to be used as a landfill. Opposition by residents and the then-Village of Novi prevented the establishment of the landfill.
Another mall proposal in Farmington Township (now Farmington Hills) was proposed by The Taubman Company and Homart Development. Sears was signed on to anchor the proposed shopping center, and Hudson's was rumored to anchor the mall as well. The mall was to be located at Thirteen Mile Road, between Haggerty and Halsted, and set to open in 1974.[3] Opposition to the proposed mall in Farmington Township pushed the developers west to the current location in Novi.
Twelve Oaks Mall was then developed as a joint venture between A. Alfred Taubman, Homart Development, and the Dayton-Hudson Corporation,[4] Excavation of the site began in the spring of 1975, and construction began later that fall. The mall opened on August 2, 1977, anchored by Hudson's, with Sears opening on October 1, 1977, Lord & Taylor on March 6, 1978, and finally JCPenney on May 3, 1978.
The mall was designed by Gruen Associates,[5] founded by the pioneer of the American shopping mall Victor Gruen, and Richard Prince. The head builder was Richard Marrone. The mall is one of three super-regional Taubman malls built in Metro Detroit during the late 1970s, the other two being Lakeside Mall in Sterling Heights and Fairlane Town Center in Dearborn.
21st century
In 2001, Hudson's converted to Marshall Field's. In 2002, The Taubman Corporation demolished the defunct United Artists Theatres and made way for a new "Lifestyle Cafe" food court, and allowed kiosks in the mall for the first time. This marked a change in Taubman policy, as it was originally believed that a food court would invite teenage loitering and that kiosks diminished the upscale atmosphere of the mall.
In 2005, The Taubman Corporation announced a $63 million expansion project, which includes a 97000 sqft of common space, and a new 165000 sqft Nordstrom store.[2] The expansion made Twelve Oaks Mall one of Taubman's largest mall properties.[2] Construction began in February 2006, with Clark Construction Company taking on the project. Also in 2006, Marshall Field's converted to Macy's, and expanded to 300,000 sq ft.
In September 2007, the new Nordstrom opened with over 40 small specialty shops. The new anchor store was built on the southeast side of the mall, adjacent to the existing Lord & Taylor store.
