Westland Center was developed by J.L. Hudsons Corporation. When opened in 1965, it was

Michigan's first fully enclosed, climate controlled mall. It was designed by Victor Gruen

Associates and Louis G. Redstone Associates.

Westland Center played a bit of local history. During the early 1960s, the city of Livonia wanted

to annex the part of Nankin in which the mall was to be built. The shopping center eventually

opened in 1965, joining Northland and Eastland malls in other Detroit Metro cities. In reaction to

Livonia's annexation attempts, the people of Nankin voted to change the remainder of the

township as a city on May 16, 1966 to the city of Westland, named after the mall. At that time, it

was the fourth largest city in Wayne County.

During its opening, the mall's anchors were a four-story Hudson's department store, a Kresge

store, and a Kroeger supermarket. During the mid-1970s, Kroger closed and was demolished for a

J.C. Penny department store in 1976. As the department store was built by A. Alfred Taubman,

he went on with his company to build the other Taubman malls. In the early 1980s, MainStreet

joined the mall and remained there until Kohl's converted from that store in 1988. When

Kresge closed its doors it was replaced with smaller stores. A renovaton was done to the mall in

2000, first that was renovated was the Hudson's court, by removing the 20 ft. wall mounted clock,

the carpeting was renovated, and it added 20 ft. rectangular squares mounted on the ceiling. In