Haddonfield Road and Kaighns Avenue
Camden County (Delaware Township / Cherry Hill Township), New Jersey
New Jersey's first interior mall was designed by Los Angeles' Victor Gruen Associates and the George M. Ewing Company of Philadelphia. The complex was built by a joint venture of Philadelphia's Strawbridge & Clothier and the James W. Rouse Company's Community Research & Development subsidiary.
CHERRY HILL CENTER was developed on an 85-acre parcel, located 8 miles east of Center City Philadelphia, in suburban Camden County, New Jersey. The area, originally known as Delaware Township, officially became Cherry Hill Township after the passage of a voter referendum held in November 1961.
The first phase of the shopping hub had been officially dedicated October 11, 1961. A 3-level (215,000 square foot), Philadelphia-based Strawbridge & Clothier opened its doors. Seventy-four inline stores also debuted. Among these were Loft's Candies, Jacob Reed's Sons men's & boys apparel , Florsheim Shoes, Lane Bryant, Holiday Shoes, Orange One Hour Cleaners and Paris Hats.
A second stage grand opening was held September 26, 1962. A 2-level (220,000 square foot), Newark, New Jersey-based Bamberger's joined the mall as a second anchor. Seventeen inline stores were added to the tenant list. Some of these were Calico Fruit Tree Restaurant, Pets & Plants, Incorporated, Josephine's ladies' wear and Paperback Forum.
The junior anchors of the complex were a 1-level (34,800 square foot) S.S. Kresge 5 & 10, (1-level (47,900 square foot) F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10, a (25,600 square foot) Food Fair supermarket and General Cinema Corporation Cinema In Cherry Hill Mall. This venue had shown its first feature on April 11, 1962.
When fully leased in early 1963, CHERRY HILL CENTER spanned approximately 1,100,000 leasable square feet and housed 104 stores and services. It was the largest enclosed mall in the United States.
Retail venues in the CHERRY HILL trade area included MOORESTOWN MALL (1963) {2.9 miles east, in Burlington County}, ECHELON MALL (1970) {6.1 miles southeast, in Camden County}, DEPTFORD MALL (1975) {8.1 miles southwest, in Gloucester County}, BURLINGTON CENTER MALL (1982) {12.3 miles northeast, in Burlington County} and FRANKLIN MILLS (1989) {10 miles northeast, in Philadelphia}.
Several renovations were done at CHERRY HILL CENTER over the years. The One Cherry Hill office tower was completed in 1968. Apparently, the Bamberger's store was expanded to 334,000 square feet at this time. The theater was renovated and re-opened, as the Cherry Hill Cinema I & II, on November 23, 1973.
The Market Court, and Pantry Pride (nee' Food Fair) supermarket, were demolished in the late 1970s. A 2-level North Wing, designed by Chicago's CRS Group, was built. This new section was anchored by a 2-level (174,000 square foot) J.C. Penney, which opened for business on January 3, 1979.
The 13-bay Picnic Food Court was installed in existing mall space in 1985. Its tenants included Food Works, Potato Pub, California Smoothies, El Taco Grande and Little Anthony & the Appetizers. On October 5, 1986, Bamberger's was rebranded as a Macy's. The movie house was permanently shuttered in February 1987. A mall-wide face lift, which refurbished all interior space, was completed in 1990.
Officially promoted as CHERRY HILL MALL, the complex was acquired by the Philadelphia-based Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT) in April 2003. Following the shuttering of the Strawbridge's location in 2006, the new owners embarked on a 220 million dollar mall makeover. The old Strawbridge's building and adjacent Cherry Court were demolished. Their replacement was a 2-level West Wing, anchored by a 2-level (138,200 square foot) Nordstrom. This store opened for business March 27, 2009.
During the renovation, the existing culinary complex was relocated to the Main Level of the North Wing. The 10-bay facility, known as Cherry Hill Cafes, opened in August 2008. It housed eateries such as Salad Works, Chicken Now, Lorenzo Pizza & Steaks, Thai Max and Lotus Express.
A casual dining "Bistro Row" was also added to the front of the complex. Its first offering, Maggiano's Little Italy, served its first meals in March 2009. This was followed by Seasons 52 (March 2009), Bobby's Burger Palace (November 2011) and Grand Lux Cafe (July 2012). With these modifications, CHERRY HILL MALL spanned approximately 1,306,000 leasable square feet and contained 160 stores and services.
A casual dining "Bistro Row" was also added to the front of the complex. Its first offering, Maggiano's Little Italy, served its first meals in March 2009. This was followed by Seasons 52 (March 2009), Bobby's Burger Palace (November 2011) and Grand Lux Cafe (July 2012). With these modifications, CHERRY HILL MALL spanned approximately 1,306,000 leasable square feet and contained 160 stores and services.
Sources:
The Courier Post (Camden, New Jersey)
http://www.therousecompany.com (Website on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
www.labelscar.com
jmonthly.com/articles/lifestyle/newer-bigger-better.html
http://www.cinematreasures.org
http://jsf1.homestead.com / "Local Shopping Memories"
wwwcherryhillmall.com
www.preit.com / Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust
www.labelscar.com
jmonthly.com/articles/lifestyle/newer-bigger-better.html
http://www.cinematreasures.org
http://jsf1.homestead.com / "Local Shopping Memories"
wwwcherryhillmall.com
www.preit.com / Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust
