South Bay Road (US 113) and Blue Hen Boulevard
Dover, Delaware
The first fully-enclosed shopping center in the Blue Hen State was developed by a joint venture of Wilmington's John A. Robbins and the Jardel Company, Incorporated. The complex was built on a 64-acre site, located .8 miles southeast of the Delaware State House.
In its original state, BLUE HEN MALL encompassed approximately 450,000 leasable square feet and housed thirty-two stores and services. Its tenant roster would eventually list over fifty. The shopping hub consisted of a main retail level, with an upper level Professional Concourse over half of its South Wing.
A 1-level (80,000 square foot) Woolco discount mart was dedicated -as the mall's first operational store- on March 6, 1968. A 2-level (181,500 square foot) J.C. Penney welcomed first shoppers on August 15, 1968, when the mall was officially dedicated.
A formidable competitor came on the scene in the summer of 1982. DOVER MALL {3.1 miles northwest, also in Dover} encompassed over 600,000 leasable square feet. It immediately put the hurt on its older and smaller counterpart.
Following the January 1983 closing of Woolco, Henderson, North Carolina-based Roses moved into the space. The ongoing decline of BLUE HEN MALL was hastened considerably when Penney's defected, to a new store at DOVER MALL, on July 28, 1993.
In October of the same year, Great Neck, New York-based Blue Realty Corporation acquired the struggling shopping complex. At this time, the Woolworth store was in the process of being liquidated. Roses pulled out of its spot in January 1994.
With two idle anchors and many inline store vacancies, it was decided to remarket the past its prime property as a professional complex. The empty Penney's became offices for Aetna Health Care and the State of Delaware, with the old Woolco / Roses re-opening as a NationsBank Credit Card Services Center.
The entire structure was renovated with new roofing, HVAC and electrical systems. Moreover, several windows and exterior entries were installed. The renewed complex, known as BLUE HEN CORPORATE CENTER, was officially unveiled in November 1994.
The Bank of America (nee' NationsBank) Credit Card Services Center closed in late 2006. Newport, Delaware's Pettinaro Real Estate Development Company acquired the BLUE HEN CORPORATE CENTER in 2008.
In December 2009, the BLUE HEN Aetna Health Care facility was shuttered. It was eventually sectioned into eight office suites. In October 2013, it was announced that Bay Health Center would lease 15,000 square feet of the old J.C. Penney / Aetna space.
Sources:
www.labelscar.com
The Morning News (Wilmington, Delaware)
A 1-level (80,000 square foot) Woolco discount mart was dedicated -as the mall's first operational store- on March 6, 1968. A 2-level (181,500 square foot) J.C. Penney welcomed first shoppers on August 15, 1968, when the mall was officially dedicated.
Charter BLUE HEN MALL tenants included Thrift Drugs, Braunstein's, Danneman's Fabrics, World Wide Imports and an F.W Woolworth 5 & 10. The Schwartz Theatres Dover Cinema showed its first feature on March 5, 1969. In the late 1970s, Sears planned to add a store to the south-facing front of the complex, but the deal fell through. The mall would never be physically expanded.
A formidable competitor came on the scene in the summer of 1982. DOVER MALL {3.1 miles northwest, also in Dover} encompassed over 600,000 leasable square feet. It immediately put the hurt on its older and smaller counterpart.
Following the January 1983 closing of Woolco, Henderson, North Carolina-based Roses moved into the space. The ongoing decline of BLUE HEN MALL was hastened considerably when Penney's defected, to a new store at DOVER MALL, on July 28, 1993.
In October of the same year, Great Neck, New York-based Blue Realty Corporation acquired the struggling shopping complex. At this time, the Woolworth store was in the process of being liquidated. Roses pulled out of its spot in January 1994.
With two idle anchors and many inline store vacancies, it was decided to remarket the past its prime property as a professional complex. The empty Penney's became offices for Aetna Health Care and the State of Delaware, with the old Woolco / Roses re-opening as a NationsBank Credit Card Services Center.
The entire structure was renovated with new roofing, HVAC and electrical systems. Moreover, several windows and exterior entries were installed. The renewed complex, known as BLUE HEN CORPORATE CENTER, was officially unveiled in November 1994.
The Bank of America (nee' NationsBank) Credit Card Services Center closed in late 2006. Newport, Delaware's Pettinaro Real Estate Development Company acquired the BLUE HEN CORPORATE CENTER in 2008.
In December 2009, the BLUE HEN Aetna Health Care facility was shuttered. It was eventually sectioned into eight office suites. In October 2013, it was announced that Bay Health Center would lease 15,000 square feet of the old J.C. Penney / Aetna space.
Sources:
www.labelscar.com
The Morning News (Wilmington, Delaware)
The News Journal (Wilmington, Delaware)
www.doverpost.com
www.pettinaro.com
www.doverpost.com
www.pettinaro.com
