A. Alfred Taubman, Mall Pioneer, Passes Away

A. Alfred Taubman, developer and founder of Taubman Centers (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), died Friday night after suffering a heart attack at his home.

Taubman was known for a host of high-profile properties including Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Ill.; the Mall at Short Hills in Millburn, N.J.; Cherry Creek in Denver; and the Beverly Center in Los Angeles.

An architect by training, Taubman was credited with “a sensitivity to aesthetics and an attention to detail unlike other developers and builders,” according to Women’s Wear Daily. His son, William Taubman told the publication, “He loved great form, simple great modernist form, but integrity in every way was important to him.”

Michael Gould, former chair, Bloomingdale’s, and a longtime friend of Taubman said, “He didn’t just love the architecture of what he was building. He loved the merchandise and had a feel for the way the customer shopped and how the merchandise should flow.”