Mayfair Mall opened in October 1958, featuring more than 70 stores. The mall's original design was a open-air concourse, with Marshall Field's as the northern anchor and Gimbels as the southern anchor. Chicago-based Marshall Field's opened at Mayfair in 1959 to complement Gimbels, which opened just prior to Mayfair being dedicated. Three east-west corridors ran the width of the mall, with each corridor decorated in a different color. The mall's central court also featured a park, which included trees, flowers, benches and picnic tables. In 1973 the 'new' Mayfair Mall was advertised. The mall was fully enclosed. An arcade called The Bazaar replaced the Central Park area of Mayfair. An office tower was built on the southwest side of the mall in 1975, and construction began on a second in November 1977. In 1986, Mayfair was rededicated following a $15 million remodeling effort. The Bazaar and a short-lived ice rink were both removed. A two-level atrium was built, featuring a new food court. The upper level was also expanded, adding of retail space. Following this expansion, the mall included 109 stores including Milwaukee based Boston Store which replaced Gimbels. In 1998, the shopping center was purchased by General Growth Properties. A subsequent renovation project added a movie theater and a Barnes & Noble bookstore in 1999, and more than of retail space to the upper level in 2000. The second floor of the atrium was expanded across the entire mall adding new restaurants and shops. A cinema was also added, acting as a third anchor at Mayfair. Mayfair dealt with increased competition from other Milwaukee area shopping centers, including Bayshore Town Center, which underwent remodeling and nearby Brookfield Square. After a number of incidents involving teens, Mayfair increased security and imposed a student curfew on the weekends In 2005, a Crate & Barrel opened in front of the main mall entrance. The General Cinema multiplex was acquired by AMC Theatres after GCC's purchase by AMC. Marshall Field's converted to Macy's in 2006 as part of the broad rebranding of the Federated Department Stores to the Macy's label. Nordstrom opened in 2015. That Nordstrom was the first full-line store to open in the state of Wisconsin. Nordstrom wanted to meet such high demand, and Milwaukee was the largest metropolitan area without a Nordstrom. Boston Store closed in 2018 due to Bon-Ton filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and closing all stores. Boston Store is going to open next year in 2021.
