Somerset Collection

History

On April 14, 1967, Saks Fifth Avenue opened a 70000 sqft stand-alone store on Big Beaver Road in Troy, an affluent suburb 20 miles northwest of downtown Detroit. A one-floor upscale "Somerset Mall" designed by Louis G. Redstone Associates, was built onto the existing Saks, with a new Bonwit Teller store as the other anchor. Thirty five additional stores opened, including I. Miller, Abercrombie & Fitch, Mark Cross, and FAO Schwarz.

Bonwit Teller markedly renovated its store in 1988, only to close in 1990 after the chain went bankrupt. In 1991–1992 the center was renamed Somerset Collection, a second level was added, and Neiman Marcus opened a 141,000-sq. ft. store on the site of the razed Bonwit Teller. A 21,000-sq. ft. Barneys, 13,000-sq. ft. Crate & Barrel and luxury stores like Tiffany also opened over the course of 1992.

Following the popularity of the revamped mall, co-owners Forbes/Cohen Properties and Frankel Associates opened a new three-story $30,000,000, 940,000 sq ft expansion across from Somerset Mall on August 11, 1996, designed by JPRA Architects.

Michigan's first Nordstrom and a Hudson's (became Marshall Field's in 2001 and finally Macy's in 2006) anchored the three-story expansion, named Somerset North. When Marshall Fields transitioned to Macy's in 2006, Somerset became one of only three malls in the country to host all four department stores.

Connecting Somerset North and Somerset South is a 700 ft enclosed bridge known as the "Skywalk" over Big Beaver Road. The enclosed, climate-controlled skybridge was one of the first of its kind in the country, featuring moving walks to move shoppers between Somerset Collection South and Somerset Collection North.

Two years after Somerset North opened, Somerset South was renovated. In late 1998, Saks expanded by 40,000 sq ft and added a parking structure. Crate & Barrel added an additional floor dedicated to sales of furniture, as did Banana Republic.

In 2004, Somerset South was further renovated. The mall features lighting by Paul Gregory (Focus Lighting), a continuous skylight, glass elevators, and fountains designed by WET. The Somerset Collection includes several notable sculptures, including a Finnish Sorvikivi Floating Stone fountain. Mall at Millenia, in Orlando, Florida, also designed by JPRA Architects, was based on Somerset Collection and is similar in design. Neither mall has kiosks.

In December 2009, the Forbes Company acquired an adjacent site on which an open-air mixed-use development known as the Pavilions of Troy was proposed. Although plans were approved, the project did not move forward, and no further plans were announced.

In 2012, calling it “strategic capital investments”, Saks renovated its store after it identified the Somerset location as having “high growth potential”.

In 2016, Chick-fil-A opened a location in the Peacock Cafe food court, the first location in Metro Detroit that was not at the food court of a college campus or airport.

In 2017, Zara opened its first store in Michigan on the first and second floors of the Macy's wing.

By 2023, since the government lockdown, Somerset Collection has added several newest additions, among them are Prada, Vuori, Gucci Men's Store, Moncler, Balenciaga, Breitling, Fabletics, Hermès, Diptyque, and Dior.

Shops and restaurants

The Somerset Collection contains 1450000 sqft of gross leasable area with over 180 stores. The four department store anchors are: Nordstrom (240,000 sqft) and Macy's (300,000 sqft) in Somerset North, and Neiman Marcus (141,000 sqft) and Saks Fifth Avenue (160,000 sqft) in Somerset South.

The third level of the Somerset Collection North features a food court called The Peacock Cafes, featuring 10 restaurants and seating for 650 customers.

Special events

Special events are hosted at Somerset Collection year-round. The layout includes stages for the performing arts. The special events include yoga classes, special savings, Santa visits during the Christmas season, fashion shows, and other events sponsored by the Collection and individual stores.

In 2011, the Forbes Company debuted a group of pop-up mini-shops called Somerset Collection CityLoft in Downtown Detroit, specifically at the Lower Woodward Avenue Historic District, which had been a major Detroit shopping district. Various stores from Somerset have opened pop-up shops on Merchant's Row in the 1200 to 1400 block of Woodward Avenue, generally open the last Thursday to Saturday of the month from June through August, and occasionally September. In 2012 this concept was extended to the Christmas season, with CityLoft Holiday "Yappy" Hour.

Gallery

SomersetCollectionNeimanMarcus.jpg | Somerset South at Neiman Marcus somersetsign.jpg | Somerset Collection North sign Somersetsouthsculpture.jpg | Sculpture at Somerset South somersetgranitesphere.jpg | One of the two Granite Sorvikivi Floating Stone spheres at Somerset Collection North.

References

References

1. "The Forbes Company - Home". The Forbes Company.
2. Groover, Joel (June 1, 2004).[http://retailtrafficmag.com/mag/retail_privacy_please/ Privacy Please] {{webarchive. link. (2007-09-27 . ''Retail Traffic'' Penton Media. Retrieved on September 3, 2007.)
3. [https://www.thesomersetcollection.com/mobile-directory/ Directory]
4. (13 August 1967). "Geoffrey Beene -- a Natural for the Grand Opening". Detroit Free Press.
5. (17 June 1965). "Saks store to be built in Troy". Detroit Free Press.
6. Meyer, Katherine Mattingly and Martin C.P. McElroy with Introduction by W. Hawkins Ferry, Hon A.I.A.. (1980). "Detroit Architecture A.I.A. Guide Revised Edition". [[Wayne State University Press]].
7. "Somerset Collection Vertical Expansion - Clark Construction Company".
8. (5 January 2011). "Saks Fifth Avenue to leave Denver's Cherry Creek mall after 20 years". denverpost.com.
9. (16 August 1998). "Somerset South Upgraded and Expanded". Detroit Free Press.
10. "IESNYC - Home Page". iesnyc.org.
11. "Floating Granite Ball Fountain Somerset Mall".
12. (19 March 2010). "Economic Stars Out of Alignment for Multiuse Developments". crainsdetroit.com.
13. (26 February 2013). "Saks Incorporated Announces Results for the Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year Ended February 2, 2013". [[Business Wire]].
14. "Peacock Cafe in Troy - Restaurant reviews".
15. "Michigan's first Zara store is open in Troy and it's pretty great".
16. "Mall Directory for Somerset Collection in Troy Michigan".
17. "Somerset Collection - About Us - Somerset Collection". Somerset Collection.
18. "Somerset Collection's CityLoft Returns to Downtown Detroit with 40 Brands". visitdetroit.com.
19. "Nearly 200 Dogs Will Shop Downtown for the CityLoft Holiday "Yappy" Hour Tomorrow | the Somerset Collection".