Philadelphia's King Of Prussia Plaza

The Delaware Valley's middle-market mall for the masses opened in stages in 1962 and '63. In this photo, we see the Mall of the Flags, at the front of the complex. A nameplate for Thrift Drugs can be made out on the left. Off in the distance is the peaked roof of an Acme Markets grocery store.
Photo from WYCO Products

The community known as King of Prussia, Pennsylvania was named after a local 18th century tavern. It had taken its name from King Frederick II (a.k.a. Frederick The Great) of Prussia, a former German state.
Image from Wikipedia / Anton Graff

In 1963, KING OF PRUSSIA PLAZA housed tenants such as a Korvettes discount mart, F.W. Woolworth and prototype, full-line J.C. Penney. The complex spanned around 700,000 leasable square feet, with an eventual fifty stores and services. Free parking was provided for 9,000 autos. One might notice that the designations of two adjacent Interstate highways are different than they are today. These roadways would be renumbered in February 1964.

KING OF PRUSSIA PLAZA TENANTS 1963:

E.J. KORVETTE (with attached Furniture & Carpet Center and freestanding Tire Center) / J.C. PENNEY (with Minute Man Snack Bar, beauty salon, optical department and portrait studio) / ACME MARKETS / F.W. WOOLWORTH 5 & 10 (with freestanding Harvest House Restaurant and Kiosk Snack Shop) / THRIFT DRUG (with luncheonette) / Adams Clothes For Men & Boy's / Baker's Shoes / Brooks Sporting Goods / Country Flair, Limited ladies' wear / Cutler Paints / Dial Shoes / Fashion Bug ladies' wear / Flagg Brothers Shoes / Horn & Hardart Retail Store / Household Finance Corporation / Jackman's men's wear / Junior Shoe World / King's Max For Snax / Maffel Beauty Shop / Marlboro Book Store / Marianne Shops ladies' wear / Marquetland's Candies / Mila Fabrics / Miles Shoes / Mincarelli Barbers / Norge Cleaning Village laundromat / Philadelphia National Bank / Philadelphia Saving Fund Society / Provident Tradesmens Bank / Quaker City Federal Bank / Ritchey Gift Shop / Schearer Florist / Singer Sewing Center / Stephensons Studios Photographers / William A. Schwartz, Optician / Wurlitzer Music Company

An Acme Markets grocery was one of the mall's first operational tenants. The "A-Frame" -style store opened for business in September 1962 and awarded S & H Green Stamps with every purchase.
Photo from the American Stores Company / ACME Markets

In this vintage view, we see a children's play area along the north concourse. A Marianne Shops storefront is seen in the center of the photo, with the famous Clock Tower rising in the distance.
Photo from WYCO Products

Woolworth's Harvest House Restaurant at KOPP was not adjacent to the variety store. It was located in another part of the shopping complex.

Photo from the F.W. Woolworth Company Annual Report 1965

On the mall's north concourse was a hexagonal Woolworth's Snack Shop. It was operated in conjunction with the Woolworth's store seen on the left.

Photo from the F.W. Woolworth Company Annual Report 1965

An octagonal John Wanamaker department store joined KING OF PRUSSIA PLAZA in August 1965. It featured two restaurants, The Rose Garden and Coffee Shop, a beauty salon and the Audobon Community Room.

Gimbels-Philadelphia dedicated their sixth store, at KING OF PRUSSIA PLAZA, in May 1966. Some of its features were a beauty salon, community auditorium, upscale restaurant and snack bar.
Drawing from Gimbels Brothers, Incorporated

Gimbels and John Wanamaker connected into a 2-level, heated and air-conditioned concourse that was added to the north side of the existing open-air complex. This newly-built section was referred to as the Enclosed Mall.
Photo from https://www.valleyforge.org

In a circa-1973 physical layout, the Enclosed Mall is shown in light gray. The original open-air structure, or Outdoor Mall, appears in black. In its entirety, KING OF PRUSSIA PLAZA encompasses 1.3 million leasable square feet and contains 119 store spaces.

A small concourse, originally known as the Piccadilly Arcade, was sandwiched between the Penneys and Korvettes stores and provided a connection between the Enclosed and Outdoor Malls. By the early 1970s, this section had been renamed Continental Arcade.
Photo from www.flickr.com / "Djramone"

A Sears "Store of the Future" was added during an early 1980s expansion of KING OF PRUSSIA PLAZA. The store took the place of a shuttered and demolished Korvettes. Sears opened in July 1983 and anchored the west end of the mall for over 30 years.
Photo from http://www.mitchglaser.com

As construction was getting underway on the new Sears and West Wing, the original section of open-air mall was rebuilt as a fully-enclosed structure. With the completion of the adjacent COURT AT KING OF PRUSSIA mall, in August 1981, the original shopping center was renamed PLAZA AT KING OF PRUSSIA.

In 1996, the PLAZA has just emerged from a massive makeover. The remodeling began in 1992, when J.C. Penney relocated into the former Gimbels / Stern's store. The bulk of the 1963 structure was then razed and replaced by a 2-level -very upscale- South Wing (in light gray). The mammoth mall now encompassed around 1,680,000 leasable square feet and contained 240 stores and services under its roof.

A new Lord & Taylor was part of the 1990s PLAZA renovation. This 120,000 square foot store opened in October 1995. It was followed by new Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom stores, which welcomed their first shoppers in March 1996.

As part of the mall's metamorphosis, all previously existing common area was given a post-modern, 1990s-style face lift. In this image, we see the shopping concourse that connected the old and new sections of the PLAZA. Storefronts on the left had been installed in the original (circa-1963) J.C. Penney structure. 
Photo from www.simon.com / Simon Property Group

In this drawing, we depict the ever-changing anchor store line-up in the north section of the PLAZA mall. Some stores had sported four different nameplates over the years.

Case in point, the PLAZA Sears. It was closed down in two stages. Dick's Sporting Goods set up shop in the upper level in November 2014. A downsized Sears in the lower level closed for good in January 2015. Irish fashion retailer Primark assumed 80,700 square feet of the lower level and opened for business in November 2015.

Photo from www.primark.com

In the 1990s, the PLAZA and COURT malls began to be promoted as the KING OF PRUSSIA COMPLEX. They were two adjacent malls joined by a covered walkway, known as The Crosswalk. In early 2013, work commenced on The Connector, a 150 million dollar, enclosed concourse to link the two malls into a single entity.
Drawing from www.simon.com / Simon Property Group

A cut-away view shows three components that comprise today's super-sized shopopolis. The ground floor of the PLAZA is on the same level as the upper concourse of the COURT (with most anchor stores having three floors). The two malls are now linked by THE CONNECTOR, which is part of an Upper Level. Note: the Mid-Level shown on the official website store map is indicated, on current leasing plans, as the Main Level.

In this plan, we see the original PLAZA mall (in black) on the left. The Connector (medium gray) extends over to the COURT mall, also in black and on the right. When all construction dust settled in August 2016, the amalgamated mall encompassed 2,651,600 leasable square feet and housed 394 stores and services. Its ample parking facilities had space for over 13,300 autos.

We now embark on a tour of The Connector concourse at KING OF PRUSSIA. Here, we see the west end of the new walkway and a corridor that extends to an entrance of the Neiman Marcus department store.
Drawing from www.simon.com / Simon Property Group 

The Connector added a third food court to the mammoth shopping hub. Known as Savor, it features seven restaurants. The mall's initial culinary complex, The Garden, opened (on the ground floor of the PLAZA mall) in 1983. The Cafe (located on the upper floor of the PLAZA) was completed in the mid-1990s.
Drawing from www.simon.com / Simon Property Group

In our final rendering, we see the east end of The Connector. A set of escalators travel to -and from- the Main (or Mid) Level of the COURT mall. 

Drawing from www.simon.com / Simon Property Group  

KING OF PRUSSIA PLAZA

West Delkalb Pike / US 202 and North Gulph Road
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

Now part of one of the largest and most upscale shopping complexes in the nation, KING OF PRUSSIA PLAZA had quite humble beginnings in the early 1960s. A single-level, open-air center was built on a 120-acre parcel. Once comprising the William C. Wilson Maple Croft Farm, the plot was located 15.5 miles northwest of Center City Philadelphia, in an incorporated section of Montgomery County known as Town of Upper Merion.

The site was sandwiched between the Pennsylvania Turnpike Delaware River Extension and Schuylkill ["skool-kil"] Expressway. The Turnpike section, which passed north of the mall, opened to traffic in August 1954. The Schuylkill Expressway, traveling southwest of the site, was officially dedicated in September of the same year.

KING OF PRUSSIA PLAZA was developed by the Philadelphia-based M.A. Kravitz Company (later known as the Kravco Company). The first two operational stores were dedicated September 18, 1962. These were a 2-level (200,000 square foot), New York City-based E.J. Korvette discount mart and (27,000 square foot) Acme Markets grocery store. The Korvettes operation included a Carpet & Furniture Center and freestanding Tire Center.

A 3-level (152,000 square foot) J.C. Penney, was dedicated on August 15, 1963. It was the first full-line, suburban shopping center store in the chain, then based in New York City. Unlike the standard Penney's, the KOPP store featured a greatly-expanded line of merchandise. There were thirty-two major departments, including home furnishings, sporting goods, paints and hardware, "Penncrest" -brand home appliances and electronics and ladies' sportswear designed by London's Mary Quant. A freestanding Penneys Auto Center would be added at a later date. 

Fourteen inline stores opened for business along with J.C. Penney. A 3-day grand opening celebration included performances by a costumed Prussian band, celebrity appearances and puppet shows. Six additional KING OF PRUSSIA PLAZA stores began business on August 23, 1963, as part of second grand opening. This celebration was hosted by Mrs. Mary Ann Boylan, "Queen of King of Prussia Plaza."

When fully leased, the mall encompassed approximately 700,000 leasable square feet and housed over fifty stores and services. These included Baker's Shoes, Country Flair Limited, Dial Shoes, Jackman's men's wear, Thrift Drugs, Marianne Shops ladies' wear, National Bank, Ritchey Gift Shop and a Horn & Hardart Retail Store.

A (46,600 square foot) F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10 featured an adjacent Snack Shop, as well as a Harvest House Restaurant, which was located in another section of the mall. Stores in KING OF PRUSSIA PLAZA were situated along its four attractively-landscaped concourses. There were children's play areas, gazebos, fountains, an octagonal amphitheater and clock tower.

The first expansion of the mall was done in the mid-1960s. A 3-level (194,000 square foot), Philadelphia-based John Wanamaker department store was dedicated August 2, 1965. This was connected into a fully enclosed, bi-level mall, added to the north side of the existing Penney's. The addition was also anchored by a 3-level (229,000 square foot) Gimbels-Philadelphia, which held its grand opening on May 2, 1966.

The first theatrical venue at -or around- KING OF PRUSSIA PLAZA opened in August 1956. The Budco Valley Forge Drive-In, located on a pad northeast of the mall, was in operation until 1975. The Stanley Warner Plaza Theatre was built in the mall's west parking area. Originally a single-screen venue, its first feature was shown on May 19, 1965. The theater was twinned in November 1978 and shuttered in 1999. 

Meanwhile, in the late 1970s, the Kravco Company began making plans for an upscale counterpart of KING OF PRUSSIA PLAZA. COURT AT KING OF PRUSSIA was built on a 30 acre tract, located across Goddard (now Mall) Boulevard from the original PLAZA mall. The new shopping complex, which housed 902,000 leasable square feet, opened in August 1981.

As part of the dedication, KING OF PRUSSIA PLAZA had been renamed PLAZA AT KING OF PRUSSIA. A major renovation of the northwest end of the structure soon got underway. Korvettes, which has been shuttered in 1980, was razed. It was replaced by a fifty-store addition.

This included the 14-bay Garden Food Court and a 2-level (212,000 square foot) Sears "Store of the Future." This was dedicated on July 25, 1983. PLAZA AT KING OF PRUSSIA now encompassed approximately 1,300,000 leasable square feet and contained 133 stores and services.

Major shopping facilities in the vicinity of PLAZA AT KING OF PRUSSIA included PLYMOUTH MEETING MALL (1966) {5.7 miles northeast, in Montgomery County}, EXTON SQUARE MALL (1971) {12.8 miles southwest, in Chester County}, MONTGOMERY MALL (1977) {11.9 miles northeast, in Montgomery County} and WILLOW GROVE PARK MALL (1982) {14.5 miles northeast, also in Montgomery County}.

Nameplate conversions at PLAZA AT KING OF PRUSSIA began in the late 1980s. Gimbels was shuttered August 9, 1986 and re-opened, as a Paramus, New Jersey-based Stern's, on August 18 of the same year.

By the early 1990s, the COURT AT KING OF PRUSSIA mall had become hemmed in, with no room for expansion. The economy was booming, with a greater demand for luxury goods. Kravco decided to change the marketing focus at the PLAZA mall, making it into an even more upscale shopping venue than the adjacent COURT property.

A 185 million dollar renovation was formally announced in March 1993. This would add 414,000 leasable square feet and three new anchor stores. As a first stage of the upcoming remodeling, J.C. Penney relocated into a vacant Stern's store on November 4, 1992.

With this move completed, the south section of the circa-1963 mall was demolished. It was replaced by a bi-level, 120-store structure. Three new top-tier anchors were built; a 3-level (225,000 square foot) Nordstrom, 2-level (120,000 square foot) Lord & Taylor and 3-level (138,000 square foot) Neiman Marcus.

A newly-refurbished PLAZA AT KING OF PRUSSIA officially opened for business on November 2, 1995. It now sported six anchors and two large parking structures. The mall spanned approximately 1,680,000 leasable square feet and featured over two 240 stores and services.

Abraham & Straus in the COURT mall had morphed a Philadephia-based Strawbridge & Clothier on March 7, 1988. The John Wanamaker PLAZA store closed on August 28, 1995. It was rebranded, as an Arlington, Virginia-based Hecht's, on September 3 of the same year. Hecht's at the PLAZA mall was refashioned into a Strawbridge's in July 1996. There were now two Strawbridge's operating at the PLAZA and COURT malls. The COURT mall store was short-lived. It closed for good on January 27, 1999.

A new theatrical venue was built on a pad located .4 mile northwest of KING OF PRUSSIA PLAZA. The first features at the United Artists King of Prussia 16 were shown on April 21, 2000. The cinema was eventually expanded with an IMAX auditorium. It became a Regal property in 2002.

Indianapolis' Simon Property Group established an eighty-percent share in Kravco Investments in November 2003, with the name of the concern being changed to Kravco Simon Investments. This entity owned both the PLAZA AT KING OF PRUSSIA and COURT AT KING OF PRUSSIA malls.

A Macy's had been in operation at the COURT mall since October 1986. As a result of Macy's August 2005 purchase of May Department Stores, Strawbridge's locations were converted to the Macy's masthead. The PLAZA Strawbridge's was rebranded as Macy's Plaza on September 9, 2006.

This store was shuttered in July 2007. The building would sit vacant for 4 years before being demolished in July 2011. A 2-level (100,000 square foot) section of stores was built. The ten-tenant addition featured a remodeled mall entrance, parking garage and new locations for Forever 21 and H & M.

In August 2011, the Simon Property Group established a ninety-six-percent ownership share in the two KING OF PRUSSIA properties, removing most involvement of the Kravco entity. In November, they announced a major expansion of the malls, which got underway in January 2013.

Two existing complexes would be physically connected via a forty-eight-store structure. This was to encompass 140,000 leasable square feet and include the upscale Savor food court. The merged mall was officially dedicated on August 18, 2016. It now encompassed approximately 2,651,600 leasable square feet, with a retail roster of nearly 400 stores and services. The complex was now officially promoted as KING OF PRUSSIA.

A major anchor store change took place as the connecting concourse was being built. In January 2014, Sears Holdings announced that they would be leasing upper level space for a (75,000 square foot) Dick's Sporting Goods. This store held its grand opening November 7, 2014. The KING OF PRUSSIA Sears, by then downsized into its lower level, closed for good in January 2015. Irish fashion retailer Primark reconfigured a 2-level (80,700 square foot) section and opened for business on November 25, 2015.

Plano, Texas' J.C. Penney chain announced the closing of 120 mall-based stores in March 2017. The KING OF PRUSSIA location, a tenant since August 1963, would be among these. A liquidation sale commenced April 17, with the store going dark on July 31, 2017. Meanwhile, the interior of the PLAZA section of the mall was given a face lift to refurbish its dated 1990s decor and make it more consistent with newer construction. The project got underway in April 2018 and was completed in June 2019. 

 

Lord & Taylor shuttered their KING OF PRUSSIA store on February 27, 2021. The building is being renovated by the Netflix streaming service. They are creating Netflix House, an experiential entertainment venue. The 120,000 square foot facility will include show-themed set replicas and restaurants, escape rooms, mixed reality games, a playground, theater and gift shop. Netflix House will open two locations during 2025; one at the KOP mall and another at GALLERIA DALLAS.

Sources:

The Philadelphia Inquirer

J.C. Penney Company Annual Report 1963
http://www.philadex.com
"Paradox Unbound, My Pilgrimage To King Of Prussia Plaza" / Mitch Glaser http://www.mitchglaser.com
https://tehistory.org / Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society
History Quarterly Digital Archives / April 1991
http://www.mainlinemedianews.com

http://www.bizjournals.com / Peter Van Allen
Comment posts by David Meehan , "Go Nordrike!" and Matthew Terry
http://www.primark.com
http://www.cinematreasures.org

https://www.netflix.com
"King Of Prussia Plaza" and "Court At King Of Prussia" articles on Wikipedia

Milford's Connecticut Post Center

A newspaper spread announcing the September 1960 grand opening festivities at CONNECTICUT POST CENTER.
Advert from the Sol G. Atlas Realty Company

A physical layout of the original mall. Its 2,000-foot-long shopping concourse was shaded by stands of juniper and crabapple trees. There were thirty-five original stores and 5,500 for-free parking spaces. During its early years, the complex did not have a major department store as its anchor. An Alexander's was added, which opened in August 1962.

CONNECTICUT POST CENTER TENANTS 1962:

ALEXANDER'S (with Pharmacy) / STOP & SHOP supermarket / W.T. GRANT / S.S. KRESGE (with luncheonette) / BRADLEES / A.E. Alling Rubber Company / Arthur's Youth Center / Baker's Shoes / Besse-Richey family apparel / Bond Clothes / Carnay Curtains / County Hardware / Cutler Record Shop / First New Haven National Bank / Franklin-Simon / Gilbert's Bakery / Gino's of Palm Beach / Happy House / Kennedy's of New England / Liggett Rexall Drug / Lofts Candies / Martin Paint & Wallpaper / Michaels Jewelers / Miles Family Shoe Center / One Stop Services Center / Eli Moore / Raphan Carpet Company / Post Hairdressers / Sib's Restaurant & Delicatessen / S. Silver, Incorporated / W. &  J. Sloan Home Furnishings / Thayer-McNeil shoes for ladies / Thom McAn Shoes / Virginia Shops ladies' wear / Wilbar's Shoes

The Fantasy Land Train was a CONNECTICUT POST attraction in the early 1960s. The trackless, kiddie ride railroad traveled up and down the shopping concourse. There were five components. From right-to-left, they were the Chug-A-Puff smiling engine, Cinderella's Coach, Circus Band Wagon, Happy Pumpkin and Little Red Caboose. 

Advert from Sol G. Atlas

A vintage image shows the inside of the CONNECTICUT POST Stop & Shop supermarket.

Photo from Stop & Shop, Incorporated Annual Report 1960

The original single-screen Milford Cinema, which was a 1965 addition to the mall. The freestanding motion picture palace was twinned in 1972 and refitted with four screens in 1982.

Photo from Milford County, Connecticut 

Shoppers stroll the open mallway in August 1974. Thom McAn Shoes and S.S. Kresge are seen on the right. Alexanders would be off to the left, across the mall's Central Court.
Photo from https://www.flickr.com / Andy Blair

A sign announces the "Post Mini-Mall". This collection of twelve shops and services was on the north end of the complex.
Photo from https://www.flickr.com / Andy Blair

H.B. Davis Distributors operated a CONNECTICUT POST store for a number of years. It was situated in the south end of the mall.
Photo from https://www.flickr.com / Andy Blair

Australia's Westfield bought the complex in 1981. It continued to operate as CONNECTICUT POST MALL for 17 years. In the meantime, Caldor built a store on the south end (1977). Hartford's G. Fox opened a new store (1991), that was rebranded by Filene's (1993). J.C. Penney also established a CONNECTICUT POST store in a vacant Alexander's (1991). At the time of this plan (1994), the service basement of the mall has just been refitted as a second retail floor (Level I).

A southward-looking aerial of the complex, circa-1998. This was image taken just before the north and south ends were totally reconfigured.
Photo from http://classes.yale.edu / Alex MacLean

Sears' CONNECTICUT POST store was built on space previously occupied by a Stop & Shop supermarket. The Sears store welcomed its first customers in April 2001.
Photo from Milford County, Connecticut 

G. Fox's CONNECTICUT POST store became a Boston-based Filene's in February 1993. A third level was added to the building in 2005. The store was rebranded as a Macy's in September 2006.
Photo from www.fusco.com / Fusco Builders

We switch to a depiction of Level I for this layout. The mall, now officially known as WESTFIELD CONNECTICUT POST, was given a major makeover in the mid-2000s. Its south end was rebuilt into a vertically-stacked Target, Dick's Sporting Goods, Food Court and megaplex cinema. Two parking garages were also added. The shopping facility, which covered 1,334,000 leasable square feet, was now the state's largest mall.

The WESTFIELD CONNECTICUT POST Target was dedicated in March 2006.

Photo from www.centennial.com / Centennial Real Estate

Dick's Sporting Goods, also a part of the south side rebuild, opened at the same time.
Photo from www.centennial.com / Centennial Real Estate

Center Court in Connecticut's oldest shopping mall. Sears would be straight ahead in this view, with Macy's off to the left.
Photo from www.centennial.com / Centennial Real Estate

A corporate joint venture acquired the shopping hub in late 2015 and changed its name. It would be known, once again, as CONNECTICUT POST MALL.
Graphic from www.shopconnecticutpostmall.com

Much has changed by late 2018. The cinema megaplex has been rebranded on two occasions. It became a Rave (2010) and then Cinemark (2013) venue. Penney's pulled the plug on their store in 2017. It re-opened, under the Boscov's banner, in late 2018...just as the mall's 17-year-old Sears was pulling up stakes.

CONNECTICUT POST CENTER
Boston Post Road / US 1 and Interstate 95
Milford, Connecticut

Construction commenced on the Nutmeg State's first shopping mall in November 1957. CONNECTICUT POST CENTER was developed by New York City's Sol Atlas and designed by Lathrop Douglass, also of New York City, and Milford's Jesse James Hamblin. The open-air facility was constructed on a 75 acre parcel, located 6 miles southwest of downtown New Haven, in suburban Milford.

The site was adjacent to a newly-completed segment of the Connecticut Turnpike (Interstate 95). The 500,000 square foot retail complex, hailed as the largest between New York City and Boston, consisted of a single level of retail with a service basement beneath.

On September 14, 1960, the first stores in the 30 million dollar venue opened for business. The grand opening commenced at 7 pm and extended into the night. It included fireworks, a parade, dancing, fashion shows, concerts and appearances by several dignitaries.

Fifty stores and services would eventually be housed in CONNECTICUT POST CENTER. These included County Hardware, Franklin-Simon, Kennedy's of New England, a W.T. Grant variety store, S.S. Kresge 5 & 10, Bradlees "suburban self-service department store" and Stop & Shop supermarket.

New York City-based Alexander's opened a 3-level (155,000 square foot) anchor store on August 21, 1962. This was the sixth unit in the chain and the first outside the New York City metropolitan area. The General Cinema Corporation Milford Cinema was built as a southwest parking lot outparcel. The single-screen venue was officially dedicated April 2, 1965.

TRUMBULL SHOPPING PARK {5 miles west, in Trumbull} became the first retail competitor, in 1964. This was followed by CHAPEL SQUARE, New Haven's downtown redevelopment shopping center, which was completed in 1967.

By the early 1970s, several charter tenants at CONNECTICUT POST CENTER had closed. The shopping hub now housed stores such as Giftique, Lynn's Hallmark, Whelan Drug, Friendly Frost Appliances and a Hill's supermarket. The Post Mini-Mall contained twelve boutique-type stores.

A fire spread through the south end of the complex in May 1976. The Hills supermarket, Lynn's Hallmark and W.J. Sloan furniture store were destroyed. The area was rebuilt as a 2-level (86,000 square foot) Caldor discount mart. The 27th store in the Norwalk, Connecticut-based chain, it opened for business April 27, 1977.

The open shopping concourse had been fitted with a SkyShield type of (partial) enclosure in the late 1970s. This afforded some protection from the elements, but did not provide for heating or air-conditioning of the space. In 1981, Australia-based Westfield acquired the complex and renovated it into a fully-enclosed and climate-controlled facility. It was promoted as CONNECTICUT POST MALL, but the local populace continued to refer to it as "Milford Mall."

Alexander's became the first of the original anchors to close, in 1988. This store re-opened as a J.C. Penney on August 7, 1991. At the time, the shopping center was undergoing a third renovation and expansion, to the tune of 75 million dollars. A 2-level (150,000 square foot), Hartford-based G. Fox was built. It opened in 1991 and was rebranded, by Boston-based Filene's, on February 1, 1993.

In the following year, the basement at CONNECTICUT POST MALL was refitted as a second retail concourse (Level I). In addition, the Sky View Food Court was installed on a newly-constructed third floor. The official name of the complex was changed to WESTFIELD SHOPPINGTOWN CONNECTICUT POST in November 1998. The mall encompassed 777,000 leasable square feet and housed 132 stores and services.

The Stop & Shop supermarket moved to a freestanding location. Its store on the north end of the mall was razed. A 2-level (178,000 square foot) Sears took its place and opened for business on April 1, 2000. Caldor had been shuttered on May 15, 1999. The vacant store provided the impetus for a major redevelopment of the south end of the center. A groundbreaking was held October 12, 2004. 

The abandoned Caldor, and some adjacent south end store spaces, were demolished. In all, 480,000 square feet of new retail and entertainment area was constructed. New stores and services included a 1-level (125,000 square foot) Target, 2-level (84,000 square foot) Dick's Sporting Goods, 9-bay Food Court, a state-of-the-art movie multiplex and two parking garages.

Target was dedicated on March 1, 2006, with the Showcase Cinema de Lux 14 showing its first features on March 10th. At the same time, a third level (consisting of 75,000 square feet) was added to Filene's. The store, now encompassing 225,000 square feet, was rebranded by Macy's on September 9, 2006. 

Now officially known as WESTFIELD CONNECTICUT POST, the shopping complex encompassed 1,334,000 leasable square feet and housed over 150 stores and services. The Cinema de Lux 14 was rebranded as the Rave Motion Pictures Connecticut Post 14 in May 2010. In November of the same year, one of its auditoriums re-opened as an IMAX theater. In June 2013, the venue was rebranded under the Cinemark banner.

Westfield sold the shopping hub in December 2015. It was acquired by a joint venture of San Antonio's USAA Real Estate, Dallas' Centennial Real Estate and San Francisco's Montgomery Street Partners. Its official name soon reverted back to CONNECTICUT POST MALL.

J.C. Penney announced the shuttering of 120 mall-based stores in March 2017. The CONNECTICUT POST location, in business as a Penney's for nearly 25 years, went dark on July 31, 2017. Reading, Pennsylvania's Boscov's chain expanded the vacant store from 155,000 to 200,000 square feet and opened for business on October 4, 2018.

Sources:

The Bridgeport Sunday Post (Bridgeport, Connecticut)
The Bridgeport Sunday Herald (Bridgeport, Connecticut)
The New Haven Register (New Haven, Connecticut)
www.contact.com / "Keys To The Highway" / Melissa Nicefaro / July 8, 2002
www.fusco.com / Fusco Construction
Assessor's Online Database For Milford County
www.associatedcontent.com / "Cinema de Lux Key Feature In New Mall Addition" / Posted by Corey Sipe / August 15, 2006
www.westfield.com / The Westfield Group
www.centennial.com / Centennial Real Estate

"Westfield Connecticut Post" article on Wikipedia
"Filene's" article on Wikipedia

Charleston's Charles Towne Square

A rendering of the Lowcountry retail complex. It encompassed around 550,000 leasable square feet and contained sixty-four stores and services under its roof.

Drawing from Melvin Simon & Associates

CHARLES TOWNE SQUARE is one of the most difficult American malls to research. With just a short -20-year- trajectory, it was demolished and off of the retail radar screen before the 1990s came to an end. No site plans or store maps are available over the internet. In spite of this, we have created a provisional physical layout.

Photos of this mystery mall are also unavailable. Here is the only CHARLES TOWNE SQUARE snapshot that I could find. Montgomery Ward was renovated in the early 1990s, when a new-style "Wards" nameplate replaced its original "Blue Bar" trademark. 
Photo from "LocationResearch"

After spending nearly 5 years in a downward spiral, the mall was knocked down in 1997. The Regal Charles Towne Square Stadium 18, a state-of-the-art multiplex cinema, was built on the former mall site. The megaplex was dedicated in May 1999 and was in operation for over 20 years. It was shuttered in December 2019 and demolished soon after.  
Photo from http://www.scmovietheatres.com

Marriott's Courtyard Charleston North / Coliseum hotel also opened in 1999. It took the place of the freestanding Penney's Auto Center, which had become a Firestone Car Care in 1983.
Photo from www.marriott.com

A new City Hall for North Charleston was built on the CHARLES TOWNE SQUARE site. It was completed in the fall of 2009. 
Photo from Wikipedia / John Rutledge Smith

CHARLES TOWNE SQUARE

Mall Drive and West Montague Avenue

North Charleston, South Carolina

1972 was an eventful year in the South Carolina Lowcountry. The City of North Charleston was incorporated on June 12th. On the previous day (June 11th), NORTHWOODS MALL, the region's first fully-enclosed shopping center, had opened its doors. ASHLEY PLAZA MALL, the second enclosed shopping hub in Greater Charleston, was dedicated in August.

The third air-conditioned mall in -or around- the Port City was developed by Indianapolis' Melvin Simon & Associates (the precursor of today's Simon Property Group). CHARLES TOWNE SQUARE was designed by the Lafaye, Lafaye & Associates firm, of Columbia. The single-level shopping hub was built on a 36.7-acre plot, located 6.9 miles northwest of downtown Charleston. The mall site was adjacent to a section of the Interstate 26 expressway that had opened to traffic in March 1969.

A 2-level (150,000 square foot) Montgomery Ward became the mall's first operational store on November 5, 1975. On March 3rd, 1976, a 2-level (158,200 square foot) J.C. Penney was dedicated, along with a (36,500 square foot) Edward's 5 & 10 and twenty-four inline stores. A mall-wide grand opening was held on March 25, 1976. 

CHARLES TOWN SQUARE encompassed approximately 550,000 leasable square feet and, when fully leased, housed sixty-four stores and services. Charter tenants included Sharpe's Formal Wear, So-Fro Fabrics, Pete Banis Shoes, Spencer Gifts, The Bandbox ladies' wear, Reynold's Menswear, Musicland, Brooks Fashions, The County Seat, Topps & Trousers, Athlete's Foot, Zales Jewelers, a John Huguley & Company Book Store, Aladdin's Castle video arcade and Piccadilly Cafeteria. 

The official dedication of the mall was a star-studded occasion, with an American Bicentennial motif. Governor James B. Edwards (R) proclaimed March 25, 1976 as "Charles Towne Square Day." Ed McMahon, co-host of NBC-TV's "Tonight Show With Johnny Carson", donned Revolutionary War attire and served as Master of Ceremonies. 

Celebrity guests included actor Claude Akins, star of NBC TV's "Movin' On" series, and Roosevelt "Rosie" Greer, NFL star player. The dedication day commemoration included a parade, fife and drum music and an appearance by the Marine Corps Band & Flag Review. 

Commercial competitors of CHARLES TOWNE SQUARE were the aforementioned NORTHWOODS MALL (1972) {4.7 miles northwest, in North Charleston} and ASHLEY PLAZA (1972) {4.3 miles south, in Charleston}. Eventually, there was CITADEL MALL (1981){5.3 miles southwest, also in Charleston}.

The General Cinema Corporation Charles Towne Cinemas I & II showed its first features in June 1976. In September 1977, the Edward's chain was absorbed by Nashville, Tennessee's Kuhn's-Big K. All former Edward's stores, including the CHARLES TOWNE SQUARE location, were rebranded as Big-K-Edward's. The store received a third nameplate in 1982, when it became a Baton Rouge-based Wilson's Catalog Showroom. In mid-1985, a fourth nameplate was installed; that of Nashville-based Service Merchandise.

J.C. Penney began renovating their CHARLES TOWNE SQUARE unit in April 1985. The building was given an interior face lift, with various product lines being expanded. The revitalized store was re-dedicated on November 6, 1985.   

By early 1992, a store exodus was underway at CHARLES TOWNE SQUARE. The center had been eclipsed by two of its competitors; NORTHWOODS MALL and CITADEL MALL. Service Merchandise pulled out of CHARLES TOWNE SQUARE in the early 1990s. J.C. Penney relocated to NORTHWOODS MALL in February 1993. Both store spaces at CHARLES TOWNE SQUARE would never be retenanted.

By August 1996, the complex, with just one operational anchor, was 60-percent vacant. The Simon DeBartolo Group announced a redevelopment plan in June 1997. The majority of the mall would be razed and replaced with two big-box-type stores and a power-format strip plaza of seven retailers. Wards, its Auto Center -and a freestanding bank- would be left standing.

Demolition of CHARLES TOWNE SQUARE commenced in September 1997 and was complete by November.  Piccadilly Cafeteria had relocated into a freestanding store, built at the southwestern edge of the mall site, on August 14, 1997. Piccadilly was joined by a new multiplex, the Regal Charles Towne Square Stadium 18, which showed its first features on May 19, 1999. The Marriott Courtyard Charleston North-Coliseum hotel also opened in 1999.

Montgomery Ward shut down in March 2001; in effect, throwing a monkey wrench into Simon's plans for a power center redevelopment. The Wards structure would sit vacant until August 2004, when Verizon began renovating it into the Carriage Hill Executive Center (call center). This facility was officially dedicated on February 28, 2005. A new City Hall for North Charleston opened on September 20, 2009.

Sources:

The News-Courier (Charleston, South Carolina)

The Post & Courier (Charleston, South Carolina)

Charleston County, South Carolina property tax assessor website

http://www.cinematreasures.org

https://www.verizon.com

"Charles Towne Square" article on Wikipedia

Columbia's Dutch Square 

The third enclosed shopping mall in South Carolina was built by the same company who developed the first. Greenville's Caine Company dedicated the McALISTER SQUARE complex in March 1968. Their DUTCH SQUARE property welcomed its first shoppers in August 1970.
Graphic from the Caine Company  

A pre-construction rendering of DUTCH SQUARE. When completed, the shopping venue would feature three anchor stores and span nearly 510,000 leasable square feet.
Drawing from the Caine Company