Route 24 and Reynolds Memorial Highway
Brockton, Massachusetts
Massachusetts' first fully-enclosed shopping mall was developed by the Campanelli Brothers of Boston, who ran New England's largest residential development company. The retail facility was built on a 48.3-acre tract, located 20 miles south of the Massachusetts State House, in suburban Brockton.
Originally known as WESTGATE SHOPPERS' PARK, the 356,000 square foot center opened its first stores on February 24, 1963. A 1-level (73,000 square foot), Boston-based Gilchrist's began business on October 23, 1963. New London, Connecticut-based Bradlees dedicated a 1-level (75,000 square foot) Family Center on November 7, 1963. This was this chain's fifteenth location. Other charter mall tenants were Cherry & Webb ladies' wear and an F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10.
WESTGATE ANNEX and WESTGATE PLAZA structures were situated in the northeast and southwest parking areas, respectively. These small strip centers housed additional stores. Gilchrist's opened a freestanding Auto Service Center in September 1964. The mall site also included the freestanding Chapel At The Mall, which was attended by the Franciscan Friars of Atonement.
Brockton, Massachusetts
Massachusetts' first fully-enclosed shopping mall was developed by the Campanelli Brothers of Boston, who ran New England's largest residential development company. The retail facility was built on a 48.3-acre tract, located 20 miles south of the Massachusetts State House, in suburban Brockton.
Originally known as WESTGATE SHOPPERS' PARK, the 356,000 square foot center opened its first stores on February 24, 1963. A 1-level (73,000 square foot), Boston-based Gilchrist's began business on October 23, 1963. New London, Connecticut-based Bradlees dedicated a 1-level (75,000 square foot) Family Center on November 7, 1963. This was this chain's fifteenth location. Other charter mall tenants were Cherry & Webb ladies' wear and an F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10.
WESTGATE ANNEX and WESTGATE PLAZA structures were situated in the northeast and southwest parking areas, respectively. These small strip centers housed additional stores. Gilchrist's opened a freestanding Auto Service Center in September 1964. The mall site also included the freestanding Chapel At The Mall, which was attended by the Franciscan Friars of Atonement.
Shopping hubs in the vicinity of WESTGATE included SOUTH SHORE PLAZA (1961) {8.6 miles north, in Braintree}, DEDHAM MALL (1965) {12.2 miles northwest, in Dedham} and HANOVER MALL (1971) {11.1 miles northeast, in Hanover}.
The General Cinema Corporation Cinema I & II Westgate Mall, showed its first features on April 17, 1965. The theater was built, as a freestanding structure, on the western periphery of the shopping center. It re-opened, as a 4-screen venue, Oct 7, 1970. In 1976, a fifth screen was created. By the late 1980s, Westgate Cinema Centre was operating with 8 screens. The theater closed in October 2004 and was demolished in the summer of 2005.
Meanwhile, the first mall expansion had been completed in March 1971. This project enlarged the Bradlees store to 110,000 square feet. In mid-1977, the Gilchrist's store was shuttered. It re-opened, as a Boston based Jordan Marsh, on October 13 of the same year. A Northeast Wing was added to the mall in 1984-1985, which included Marshalls, Child World and twenty additional store spaces.
WESTGATE MALL prospered until 1992, when the superregional SILVER CITY GALLERIA {15.6 miles south, in East Taunton} was dedicated. SOUTH SHORE PLAZA {in Braintree} also completed a renovation, which doubled its size.
As a result, WESTGATE began losing tenants. Jordan Marsh closed and re-opened, as a Macy's, in March 1996. Child World and Woolworth were shuttered in 1992 and 1997, respectively. By 1998, WESTGATE was in a pronounced state of decline. Newton-based New England Development bought the mall in 1999. They embarked on a major renovation, repositioning the complex as a value-oriented venue.
Marshalls expanded into a new (28,000 square foot) store. The original location, and a vacant Child World, were razed. These were replaced by a 2-level (126,000 square foot) Sears. A newly-expanded and renovated shopping center, now encompassing 552,900 square feet, was re-dedicated on November 26, 2000.
Bradlees closed in March 2001. The building was razed and replaced by a 1-level (140,000 square foot) Filene's, which welcomed first shoppers on March 26, 2003. Other new mall tenants included Best Buy, Old Navy and Dick's Sporting Goods (a freestanding store built on the site of the old cinema).
As a result of the Federated / May merger of 2005, Filene's was converted into a Macy's on September 9, 2006. The mall's original Macy's (in the old Gilchrist's / Jordan Marsh) had been vacated. The building was eventually bulldozed. Work was to begin on The Village, a lifestyle addition, in the spring of 2008. This was to be constructed on the old Gilchrist's / Jordan Marsh spot and be anchored by a Showcase megaplex cinema. However, the expansion, scheduled for a fall 2010 completion, was never built.
The mall's proprietor, Australia-based Babcock & Brown, declared bankruptcy. WESTGATE MALL was foreclosed on in October 2009, with an auction attempted in December. This was unsuccessful and the shopping center remained for sale. Newton, Massachusetts-based New England Development repurchased the property in June 2010.
Massachusetts-based TJX Companies owned and operated T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, A.J. Wright and HomeGoods stores in the United States. In the early 2010s, TJX eliminated the A.J. Wright name, with stores closing in February 2011. An outparcel A.J. Wright, at WESTGATE MALL, was converted into a Marshalls.
The old Marshalls in the mall was retenanted by CW Price; a division of Los Angeles-based National Stores. This location was shuttered in March 2015, when it morphed into a Fallas; another National Stores division. Fallas went dark in August 2018, as a result of the impending bankruptcy of National Stores. The vacant mall space was leased as Liam's Home Furniture, which welcomed first customers on January 5, 2020.
Meanwhile, New England Development had started construction on the abandoned south addition in April 2011. The original plan had been drastically changed. Instead of a cinema, the expansion would be anchored by a freestanding (80,000 square foot) Tewkesbury, Massachusetts-based Market Basket discount supermarket. The grocery, and three inline stores, opened for business May 22, 2012.
With their completion, WESTGATE MALL encompassed approximately 571,900 leasable square feet and housed sixty-nine stores and services. One of these (Macy's) would be shuttered in March 2017. Burlington, Planet Fitness, PCX apparel and Dick's Sporting Goods filled the Macy's space. The 1-level (43,000 square foot) Burlington opened on September 28, 2018, with Dick's dedicated on August 8, 2020.
Another mall store would soon be going through a merchandising mutation. Best Buy was shuttered in February 2021 and re-opened, as a Best Buy Outlet, in May. A second anchor store went dark on May 2, 2021, with Sears ending its 20-year association with WESTGATE MALL.
Sources:
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Enterprise (Brockton, Massachusetts)
Plymouth County, Massachusetts
www.labelscar.com
www.atonementfriars.org
www.labelscar.com
www.atonementfriars.org
http://www.shopatwestgate.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
www.shopatwestgate.com
www.enterprisenews.com
http://movie-theatre.org / Mike Rivest
https://nerej.com
FAIR USE OF WESTGATE PHOTO:
The photo from The (Brockton) Enterprise helps to illustrate a key moment in the history of the mall that is described in the article. The image is of lower resolution than the original (copies made would be of inferior quality). The image is not replaceable with a free-use or public-domain image. The use of the image does not limit the copyright owners' rights to distribute the image in any way. The image is being used for non-profit, informational purposes only and its use is not believed to detract from the original image in any way.
www.shopatwestgate.com
www.enterprisenews.com
http://movie-theatre.org / Mike Rivest
https://nerej.com
"Westgate Mall" article on Wikipedia
FAIR USE OF WESTGATE PHOTO:
The photo from The (Brockton) Enterprise helps to illustrate a key moment in the history of the mall that is described in the article. The image is of lower resolution than the original (copies made would be of inferior quality). The image is not replaceable with a free-use or public-domain image. The use of the image does not limit the copyright owners' rights to distribute the image in any way. The image is being used for non-profit, informational purposes only and its use is not believed to detract from the original image in any way.
