Several modifications have been made by 2020. Filene's was rebranded by Macy's in the fall of 2006. Store space adjacent to Best Buy (part of the old Lechmere) has gone through various incarnations. It is now divided between three tenants. Sears pulled up stakes in late 2018. The vacant store was partially demolished, with the remaining structure divided six ways.
THE MALL OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
South Willow Street and Interstate 193 (293)
Manchester, New Hampshire
Plans for the first major shopping mall in the Granite State were announced in April 1976, with construction commencing in the following July. THE MALL OF NEW HAMPSHIRE was designed by Boston's Sumner Shein and developed by Newton-based State Properties of New England. The fully-enclosed complex was built on a 48.6-acre plot, located 2.7 miles southeast of center city Manchester.
The mall's first operational tenant, a 1-level (110,000 square foot) Sears, opened for business on July 18, 1977. The first Filene's in New Hampshire (a 1-level store of 60,000 square feet) was formally dedicated on August 11th. The first Lechmere built outside of Massachusetts (which comprised 1-level and 62,000 square feet) made its debuted on October 3rd.
A mall-wide grand opening had been held on September 20, 1977. The 12 million dollar shopping venue spanned 525,000 leasable square feet and housed forty-two stores and services (out of an eventual eighty-three).
THE MALL OF NEW HAMPSHIRE was the state's largest retail center. Charter stores included B. Dalton Bookseller, Casual Corner, Chess King, Hickory Farms of Ohio, Music World, Wallach's and Cherry, Webb & Tourraine. An 8-bay Food Court included McDonald's, Alamode, Orange Julius, Blake's Creamery and Yogurtime.
Shopping hubs in the THE MALL OF NEW HAMPSHIRE trade area included BEDFORD MALL (1969) {2 miles west, in Hillsborough County}, ROCKINGHAM MALL (1971-1999) {16.3 miles southeast, in Salem}, PHEASANT LANE MALL (1986) {17.1 miles south, in Nashua} and MALL AT ROCKINGHAM PARK (1991) {16.1 miles southeast, also in Salem}.
A prospective renovation of THE MALL OF NEW HAMPSHIRE first came to light in 1993. The 50 million dollar project got underway in March 1996. Its first phase involved construction of a new 2-level (165,000 square foot) Filene's, at the southwest corner of a newly-enlarged mall site.
After Filene's relocated into their new store, on November 21, 1996, the old location was demolished. A 2-level (101,300 square foot) J.C. Penney was built, which was dedicated on April 18, 1998. The mall structure had also been expanded to connect the new Filene's and Penney's stores. At the same time, Sears was enlarged to 136,400 square feet.
When the construction dust settled in late 1998, THE MALL OF NEW HAMPSHIRE enveloped 930,000 leasable square feet and housed over 120 stores and services. It now followed MALL AT ROCKINGHAM PARK and PHEASANT LANE MALL, as the state's third-largest shopping complex.
Lechmere's shuttering, in the fall of 1997, provided space for two new junior anchors. A (41,000 square foot) Best Buy welcomed its first shoppers on October 16, 1998. Kitchen, Etcetera filled the remainder of the space.
In February 1999, a joint venture of the Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group and Canadian Pension Plan bought fourteen shopping malls from New England Development (a 1978 reincorporation of State Properties of New England). Included in the transaction was THE MALL OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.
Filene's received a Macy's moniker on September 9, 2006. Kitchen, Etcetera was shuttered in August 2004 and followed by a New Jersey-based A.C. Moore Arts & Crafts. This store closed in late 2015 and was replaced by Glowgolf, a glow-in-the-dark mini-golf course, in early 2016. This was short-lived. The vacated space was divided three ways, with new Comcast / Xfinity and Burgerim Gourmet Burgers stores setting up shop.
The mall's 41-year-old Sears went dark in November 2018. The vacant building was partially demolished, with the remainder reconfigured with six store spaces. The largest of these was occupied by a (45,000 square foot) Dick's Sporting Goods, which debuted on October 31, 2019. A (44,900 square foot) Dave & Buster's Grand Sports Cafe opened on August 24, 2020.
Sources:
The Union-Leader (Manchester, New Hampshire)
The Nashua Telegraph (Nashua, New Hampshire)
http://www.labelscar.com
www.simon.com / Simon Property Group
Hillsborough County, New Hampshire property tax assessor website
http://www.labelscar.com
www.simon.com / Simon Property Group
Hillsborough County, New Hampshire property tax assessor website
"Mall of New Hampshire" article on Wikipedia
