# The Mall at Westlake

Bessemer, AL · mall · tier: draft · Retrofit Atlas record `m-a5d0ef4da3` · release 2026-10-21

Canonical: https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/al/bessemer-the-mall-at-westlake/  
JSON: https://retrofitatlas.org/data/records/m-a5d0ef4da3.json · Provenance: https://retrofitatlas.org/data/records/m-a5d0ef4da3.provenance.json · API: https://retrofitatlas.org/api/v1/sites/m-a5d0ef4da3

## Facts

| Field | Value | Provenance |
|---|---|---|
| Status | closed | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Strategy | redevelop | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| New use | industrial | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| What is there now | shuttered center | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Opened | 1969 | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Closed | 2009 | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Retrofit year | 2025 | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |

## Quoted support

- **year_opened**: “The mall opened in 1969 with three anchors, Sears, Grant's, and Loveman's.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mall_at_Westlake
- **year_closed**: “Bruno's filed bankruptcy in 2009, closing its store at the mall.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mall_at_Westlake
- **after_notes**: “The shuttered center was sold to Bessemer used-car dealership owner Anthony Underwood” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mall_at_Westlake
- **status**: “vacant for 16 years” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mall_at_Westlake
- **strategy**: “would be redeveloped as Marvel City Business Park, an industrial park” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mall_at_Westlake

## Anchors

Sears, Grant's, Loveman's

## Timeline

- 1969: Mall opened with three anchors Sears, Grant's, Loveman's
- 1970: George Wallace campaign event at the mall
- 1983: Rape and kidnapping near the mall
- 1985: Effort to turn mall into a factory outlet center
- 1989: All three original anchors closed
- 1994: Bruno's Supermarkets opened flagship store
- 2000: Goody's store relocated elsewhere
- 2009: Bruno's filed bankruptcy, closing its store
- 2025: Announced redevelopment as Marvel City Business Park

## Background (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened)

The Mall at Westlake, typically referred to as Westlake Mall, was an enclosed shopping mall in Bessemer, Alabama.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mall_at_Westlake

## Sources

- Quoted support for year_opened — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mall_at_Westlake

## Cite

Retrofit Atlas (2026). "The Mall at Westlake, Bessemer, AL." Record m-a5d0ef4da3, release 2026-10-21, tier draft. https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/al/bessemer-the-mall-at-westlake/ (accessed 2026-10-21).

```bibtex
@misc{retrofitatlas_bessemerthemallatwestlake,
  title = {The Mall at Westlake, Bessemer, AL},
  author = {{Retrofit Atlas}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/al/bessemer-the-mall-at-westlake/}},
  year = {2026},
  note = {Record m-a5d0ef4da3, release 2026-10-21, tier: draft. Built on the Retrofitting Suburbia map (Dunham-Jones and Williamson) and the sources listed on the record. Accessed 2026-10-21}
}
```

Licence: research use only; terms undecided with the authors (https://retrofitatlas.org/licence/). Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0. Tiers: curated = from the authors' public map, not reviewed by them; draft = imported or model-extracted, unreviewed.