Eastland Mall (Charlotte, North Carolina)

Eastland Mall was a shopping mall in Charlotte, North Carolina. The center opened in 1975 as the then-largest mall in North Carolina with three anchor department stores, Belk, J.C. Penney and Ivey's, and a Sears store joined four years later. Burlington Coat Factory, the mall's final anchor, has closed, leaving all anchors vacant. The mall was owned by Glimcher Realty Trust and the City of Charlotte. Glimcher requested the mall be put into receivership due to heavy debt, and there have been reports of the mall entering foreclosure. LNR sold the interior space in the mall to Boxer Properties of Houston for $2 million. It has ceased operations as of June 30, 2010 but a new owner plans to reopen the mall by late 2011. While closed the property owner is still expected to keep the mall secure, safe and tended to as required by city ordinance.

The Eastland Community Transit Center, a planned stop on the LYNX Rapid Transit Services Center City Corridor, is located in the parking lot at the mall.

History

Development began on a shopping center in east Charlotte in the early 1970s after seeing the success of SouthPark Mall about six miles (10 km) away. Henry Faison, the developer, recalls planning the mall with a team of only six people. In 1975, Eastland Mall opened to much fanfare as the biggest mall in North Carolina at that time (superseded shortly after by Hanes Mall). Eastland Mall had a skating...
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