Westland Mall (Ohio)

Westland Mall is a demolished 860,000-square-foot (80,000 m2) shopping center located at the intersection of U.S. Route 40 and Interstate 270 on the west side of Columbus, Ohio.

A Sears auto center and appliance store, Harvest House Cafeteria, Merle Norman Cosmetics, and Andre Duval beauty salon opened in late 1968 before the rest of the mall.

From 1977 to 1980 it served as the studio for the groundbreaking teenage variety show, America Goes Bananaz on Columbus' experimental cable service QUBE.

Although considered a major landmark in the Columbus area, Westland Mall faced many challenges towards the end of the 20th century that would eventually see it lose its status as a premier shopping destination for the city's far west side.

The remainder of operating storefronts were small, bazaar-style shops, eateries, and a local branch of the Franklin County Sheriff's office.

[4] In 2008, home-improvement retailer Menards made plans to expand into the Columbus market at Westland Mall, which would have been redeveloped into an open-air shopping center.

[5] In 2012, a new Hollywood Casino was constructed and opened near the site of Westland Mall, spurring new growth in the surrounding area that had become economically depressed.

The Sears portion of the lot, including the auto center just south of the main shopping building, were sold to LGR Weston in April 2019.

The former JCPenney store was used for community events hosted by the mall, including about six gun shows per year, which have now moved to the former Sears building.

Aerial view, 2020