Granite Street and Interstate 93
Braintree, Massachusetts
Planning for the third regional-class shopping mall in Greater Boston got underway in 1955. The complex was built on part of a 125-acre plot, located 11.8 miles south of the Massachusetts State House. The site was adjacent to the terminus of the Southeast Expressway, which had opened to traffic in June 1959.
SOUTH SHORE PLAZA was designed by Victor Gruen & Associates and developed by a joint venture of Boston's Cabot, Cabot & Forbes, Larry Smith & Company and John Hancock Mutual Life. The complex was originally an open-air venue.
The first operational store, a 3-level (120,000 square foot) Filene's, was dedicated February 20, 1961. By August, twenty-seven stores were up and running. A formal opening was held on October 13, 1961, with music provided by members of the Boston Pops orchestra. The mall now housed thirty stores and services.
Among these were Charles B. Perkins Tobacconist, Fanny Farmer Candies, Kennedy's of New England, Thayer-McNeil Shoes, Wilbar's, a Stop & Shop supermarket and S.S. Kresge 5 & 10. A 2-level (85,000 square foot), Boston-based R.H. Stearns began business October 30, 1962.
The first mall expansion added two dual-level store blocks to the East Wing. This was anchored by a 3-level (311,000 square foot), Boston-based Jordan Marsh. The "Jordan's" store opened for business on September 30, 1967. SOUTH SHORE PLAZA now spanned approximately 757,000 leasable square feet and housed seventy-two stores and services.
The mall proper did not have a movie theater, per se. However, the Affiliated Theaters' South Shore Plaza Twin Drive-In was situated .5 mile southwest. First features were shown on July 22, 1960. The drive-in was joined by the General Cinema Corporation Braintree Cinema I & II, which was built on a pad situated .4 mile southwest of the mall. This theater was dedicated on November 10, 1966. It was eventually reconfigured as the South Shore Cinema I-II-III-IV.
SOUTH SHORE PLAZA, a regional-class shopping venue, had no sizable competition in its vicinity. DEDHAM MALL (1960) {7.6 miles northwest, in Dedham}, WESTGATE SHOPPERS' PARK (1963) {8.6 miles south, in Brockton} and HARBOURLIGHT MALL (1976) {4.5 miles northeast, in Weymouth}, were smaller, community-type shopping malls.
In fact, the entire leasable area of the DEDHAM or HARBOURLIGHT centers could have fit into the Jordan Marsh at SOUTH SHORE PLAZA with room to spare. A more formidable rival, the regional-class HANOVER MALL {10.3 miles southeast, in Hanover}, debuted in 1971. In order for SOUTH SHORE PLAZA to remain competitive, a large-scale renovation was required.
This two-phase project got underway in August 1976, with courts and concourses being fully-enclosed. Filene's was enlarged by expanding into the R.H. Stearns store, which had been shuttered September 1, 1977. Phase Two extended the mall's South Wing to a 2-level (123,000 square foot) Lord & Taylor, which welcomed its first shoppers on April 2, 1979.
A new North Wing was anchored by a 2-level (210,000 square foot) Sears, which debuted October 11, 1980. An adjacent parking garage was also built. SOUTH SHORE PLAZA now housed over 100 stores and services.
In 1992, the South Shore Cinema I-II-III-IV was shuttered and demolished. It was replaced by the General Cinema Corporation Braintree 10 megaplex, which opened in May 1993. The theater was rebranded as an AMC venue in 2002.
Meanwhile, a third mall renovation was announced in December 1993 and was underway by May 1995. Mall concourses were double-decked. Fifty-four stores were added, including The Boardwalk Cafes, an 11-bay food court. A second parking garage was built. Filene's was enlarged -into a 227,000 square foot store- with a western addition.
The new and improved SOUTH SHORE PLAZA was officially dedicated on February 6, 1997. The complex now encompassed approximately 1,200,000 leasable square feet, contained 180 store and services, and was the second-largest mall in Massachusetts (following NORTHSHORE MALL, in Peabody). The Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group acquired SOUTH SHORE PLAZA when it bought the twenty-three-mall portfolio of New York City's Corporate Property Investors, in 1998.
Jordan Marsh had been converted to the Macy's masthead on March 31, 1996. Anchor store rebrandings continued into the 21st century. Following the Federated / May merger of 2005, Filene's ceased to exist. The SOUTH SHORE PLAZA location closed in March 2006 and re-opened, as a Macy's, in May. The original Macy's (in the old Jordan Marsh) was shuttered in July.
A fourth major renovation of SOUTH SHORE PLAZA began in May 2007. The vacant Jordan Marsh / Macy's was razed and a 3-level East Wing built. This was anchored by a 3-level (150,000 square foot) Nordstrom, that was dedicated March 26, 2010. In addition, a 1-level (150,000 square foot) Target, situated in the mall's basement level, opened in October 2010. As part of the renovation, the existing mall was given an interior makeover, with new soft seating, skylights and a remodeled Food Court.
With this expansion, SOUTH SHORE PLAZA encompassed 1,589,000 leasable square feet and assumed the position of third-largest retail hub in Massachusetts (following the NATICK and NORTHSHORE malls).
In 2009, SOUTH SHORE PLAZA faced a new lifestyle-type rival. Stores at LEGACY PLACE {7.6 miles west, in Dedham} opened for business between July and August. Construction on another potential lifestyle-format competitor was put on hold, due to The Great Recession.
In April 2012, it was announced that a prospective WESTWOOD STATION {6 miles southwest, in Westwood} would be renamed UNIVERSITY STATION. The mixed-use complex was completed in March 2016.
Ireland's Primark chain began opening United States stores in late 2015. The bulk of these were installed in downsized Sears locations at various East Coast malls. A SOUTH SHORE PLAZA Primark, occupying 41,000 square feet of Sears' upper level, opened for business on June 15, 2017. Lord & Taylor, a mall anchor since 1979, went dark on December 29, 2020.
Sources:
The Boston Globe
Norfolk County, Massachusetts tax assessor website
www.cinematreasures.org
"Paragon On The Blizzard" by Mark Snyder
Carter & Burgess Construction website
Jordan Marsh had been converted to the Macy's masthead on March 31, 1996. Anchor store rebrandings continued into the 21st century. Following the Federated / May merger of 2005, Filene's ceased to exist. The SOUTH SHORE PLAZA location closed in March 2006 and re-opened, as a Macy's, in May. The original Macy's (in the old Jordan Marsh) was shuttered in July.
A fourth major renovation of SOUTH SHORE PLAZA began in May 2007. The vacant Jordan Marsh / Macy's was razed and a 3-level East Wing built. This was anchored by a 3-level (150,000 square foot) Nordstrom, that was dedicated March 26, 2010. In addition, a 1-level (150,000 square foot) Target, situated in the mall's basement level, opened in October 2010. As part of the renovation, the existing mall was given an interior makeover, with new soft seating, skylights and a remodeled Food Court.
With this expansion, SOUTH SHORE PLAZA encompassed 1,589,000 leasable square feet and assumed the position of third-largest retail hub in Massachusetts (following the NATICK and NORTHSHORE malls).
In 2009, SOUTH SHORE PLAZA faced a new lifestyle-type rival. Stores at LEGACY PLACE {7.6 miles west, in Dedham} opened for business between July and August. Construction on another potential lifestyle-format competitor was put on hold, due to The Great Recession.
In April 2012, it was announced that a prospective WESTWOOD STATION {6 miles southwest, in Westwood} would be renamed UNIVERSITY STATION. The mixed-use complex was completed in March 2016.
Ireland's Primark chain began opening United States stores in late 2015. The bulk of these were installed in downsized Sears locations at various East Coast malls. A SOUTH SHORE PLAZA Primark, occupying 41,000 square feet of Sears' upper level, opened for business on June 15, 2017. Lord & Taylor, a mall anchor since 1979, went dark on December 29, 2020.
Sources:
The Boston Globe
Norfolk County, Massachusetts tax assessor website
www.cinematreasures.org
"Paragon On The Blizzard" by Mark Snyder
Carter & Burgess Construction website
www.simon.com / Simon Property Group
"South Shore Plaza" article on Wikipedia
