Tag Elkhart Indiana

New Life for the Pierre Moran Mall?

Ted Shideler 5 Comments
Read time: 5 min.

Although Elkhart, Indiana’s Pierre Moran Mall was the first of four to eventually open in Michiana, it was mostly empty during my visits in the early 2000s. It’s mostly empty today too, eighteen years after a $10 million project converted it to an outdoor power center called Woodland Crossing. Last week, news broke that the city of Elkhart is stepping in to try and change things.

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The Elkhart County, Indiana Courthouse in Elkhart (1915-1972-)

Ted Shideler Leave a comment
Read time: 7 min.

Lots of Hoosier cities are home to prominent intersections. One of the most famous is 96th Street and Hague Road just east of I-69! Elkhart -which flourished for much of the 20th century thanks to the musical instrument and RV industries- had its own landmark junction downtown: for about 45 years, the corner of 2nd and High signified the city’s prosperity and promise. 

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The Pierre Moran Mall in Elkhart: Resting -and Rusting- in Pieces

Ted Shideler 10 Comments
Read time: 18 min.

Filled with empty storefronts and deserted hallways, dead malls are a haunting reminder of a bygone era of retail. Recently, they’ve been blowing up my social media feeds as prime locations for urban explorers to go investigate as eerie relics of the past. But what about zombie malls- establishments that have risen from the grave under new guise to continue on long after their original demise? Elkhart’s old Pierre Moran Mall is one. Known as Woodland Crossing since 2006, portions of the mall rest -and rust- in pieces. 

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The Elkhart County, Indiana Courthouse in Elkhart (1971-)

Ted Shideler Leave a comment
Read time: 7 min.

A couple of years ago, I joined the Facebook group I Grew Up in Elkhart, IN because, well, I sort of did. My dad moved to the area in the late 1990s to take a marketing job with the musical instruments conglomerate Conn-Selmer, so I grew up there for two-day biweekly periods from the age of seven or so up through my sophomore year of high school when I lived with him. I’m probably the least qualified member of that group given that it took me two decades to learn that there’s a courthouse in downtown Elkhart, but I joined it nonetheless.

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The Elkhart County, Indiana Courthouse (1871/1905-)

Ted Shideler Leave a comment
Read time: 5 min.

Indiana’s historic courthouses have always been calling cards for travelers. Often reaching unprecedented heights, they stood as testaments to a county’s ambition and vision! Believe it or not, Elkhart County once featured a courthouse too tall for its county seat. In 1905, it was altered to better fit the community. That version still stands, and one of Indiana’s finest.

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