Shopping Centers Today is the news magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
Issue link: https://sct.epubxp.com/i/513366
"Alfred Taubman perfected the mall model, as is evident when you look at the company's luxury centers," said Michael P. Kercheval, ICSC's presi- dent and CEO. "But that wasn't enough for him. He dedicated himself to sharing his success by giv- ing generously to so many educational and cultural institutions. He was a self-made man who not only lived the American Dream, but did all that he could to help others to do so too. He was a great citizen." Seeking at first to develop projects that could AlfrED TAuBMAn, an industry pioneer and founder of Taubman Centers Inc., died April 17. He was 91. A self-made billionaire who developed his first large shop- ping center in 1953, Taubman conceived of, and perfected, many of the planning and design techniques that have become ubiquitous in the modern mall. Taubman was one of the first developers of his time to view shopping centers as more than simply real estate to be leased, and drew on his background in architecture and store planning to create some of the most success- ful and upscale malls across the country, from Beverly Center in los Angeles to The Mall at Short Hills in northern new Jersey. compete with powerful downtown shop- ping districts, Taubman upped the stakes significantly when it came to building large-scale projects. In 1971 he developed what is considered by many to be the first super-regional mall, Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Ill., near Chicago. The project was 2 million square feet when it opened and was subsequently expanded. "Alfred is in shopping centers the greatest product person I've ever met," said Peter linneman, emeritus professor of real estate at the university of Pennsyl- vania's Wharton School. "His genius was really understand- ing how space works and how to design retail space to create an exciting and A. Great works A. Alfred TAubmAn owned The vision, buT he AlwAys shAred The rewArds By Anna Robaton o b i t u A r y 52 S C t / J u n e 2 0 1 5