The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely impacted all areas of society. It has exacerbated economic shortfalls in many cities and accelerated the demise of the physical retail industry in particular, antiquated large scale shopping malls. As urban and suburban malls close, many abandoned sites are ripe for redevelopment. Our idea involves a dynamic mix of cultural space, public amenities, restaurants, retail and housing coming together as a new form of community center by re-purposing obsolete sites. The Northland Center Mall in Detroit, Michigan, an underperforming shopping venue, is used as a case study for economic redevelopment and community revitalization through adaptive reuse and creative placemaking for the performing arts.