The original trademark for the Pioneer Valley shopping hub. It was the Rouse Company's eleventh shopping mall.
Graphic from The Rouse Company
Showing posts with label Massachusetts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Massachusetts. Show all posts
Gazebo Court, at EASTFIELD MALL, which included a bird aviary. In all, there were three fountain court areas in the original complex.
Photo from NATCO Natural Color Card Company
EASTFIELD MALL TENANTS 2000:
SEARS (with freestanding Auto Center) / FILENE'S / J.C. PENNEY OUTLET STORE / 60 Minute Photo / Avenue / Babbage's / Batteries Included / Bath & Body Works / Bank Boston ATM / Born & Raised USA / Coffee Cabana / Celluar One / Comfort Footwear / Community Police / Consumer Opinion Center / CVS Drug / Doctor Pecora, Optometrist / Dream Machine / Foot Action USA / Foot Locker / Friendly's Ice Cream / GNC / Have A Ball / Jiffy Lube at Sears Auto Center / Kay-Bee Toys / Kids Rides / Lady Foot Locker / Lenscrafters / Lids / Mall Barber Shop / Manisha Furniture / Master Cuts / McDonald's / Mykonos / Nail Studio / Northern Reflections / Old Navy / PayLess ShoeSource / Radio Shack / Rave / Record Town / Richard's Furniture / Salsa Gourmet Mexican / Showcase Cinemas Eastfield Mall 16 / Sizes Unlimited / Subway / Valley Dental / Vibrations / Villa Pizza / Waldenbooks / Yum Yum Kitchen
The 16-plex at EASTFIELD MALL was acquired by Rave Motion Pictures in January 2010 and was sold to Cinemark Holdings in November 2012.
Photo from http://thecaldorrainbow.blogspot.com
It was all about August! The mall's Forbes & Wallace store was shuttered in August 1976. It re-opened, as a J.C. Penney, in August 1977 and morphed into a J.C. Penney Outlet Store in August 2005. The store closed for good in August of 2011.
Photo from http://thecaldorrainbow.blogspot.com
Originally a Springfield-based Albert Steiger Company, the store seen here operated as a Boston-based Filene's for nearly 12 years. It was rebranded as a Macy's in September 2006. That store, in business for over 9 years, was shuttered in March 2016.
Photo from http://thecaldorrainbow.blogspot.com
EASTFIELD entered a downward spiral in the 2010s; this attributed to the rise of online retail and shuttering of the mall's three anchor department stores.
Photo from Wikipedia / John Phelan
Sears, the final operational EASTFIELD anchor, went dark in September 2018. A redevelopment of the shopping hub had been in the planning stages for a number of years. Initially, it was stymied by multiple ownership of three anchor buildings. The vacant J.C. Penney was acquired by the mall owner in 2011, with the former Macy's being purchased in 2017.
Graphic from https://www.eastfieldmall.com
Original drawing from the Mountain Development Corporation
Alas, Mountain Development sold the EASTFIELD property in March 2023. An all-new redevelopment plan was drawn up by the new proprietors. The mall was knocked down, leaving only the Sears building (surrounded in blue) standing. An open-air power center, known as SPRINGFIELD CROSSING, is being built.
Original drawing from https://atlanticretail.com / Atlantic Retail
EASTFIELD MALL
Boston Road / US 20 and Fernbank Road
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield, Massachusetts
The first fully-enclosed shopping center in Western Massachusetts was built by Maryland's James Rouse Company, under the auspices of its Community Research & Development subsidiary. EASTFIELD MALL was developed on a 43.6-acre site, located 5 miles northeast of center city Springfield.
The single-level complex, designed by Grand Rapids' Daverman & Associates, was officially dedicated on April 1, 1968. Two anchor department stores opened on this day; a 2-level (121,000 square foot), Springfield-based Forbes & Wallace and 2-level (201,000 square foot) Sears. Forty-four inline stores also held grand openings.
On August 1, 1968, a 2-level (117,000 square foot), Springfield-based Albert Steiger Company welcomed its first patrons. By this time, the mall contained sixty-four tenant spaces. Some of its charter stores and services were Peerless Company, Chess King, Anderson-Little, Thom McAn Shoes, Mall Barber Shop, Baker's Shoes, a Friendly's Ice Cream, Music City Record Store and Flaming Pit Steakhouse.
The General Cinema Corporation Eastfield Cinema showed its first feature December 25, 1968. With its completion, EASTFIELD MALL encompassed approximately 656,000 leasable square feet.
Retail rivals in the Pioneer Valley included BAYSTATE WEST (1970) {a center city Springfield Urban Renewal project}, FAIRFIELD MALL (1974) {4.8 miles northwest, in Chicopee ["chik-uh-pee"]} and HOLYOKE ["hohl-ee-ohk"] MALL (1979) {7.8 miles northwest, in Holyoke}.
Anchor rebrandings commenced with the shuttering of the mall's Forbes & Wallace store, which transpired on August 7, 1976. The vacant space was taken by J.C. Penney, who held their grand opening on August 10, 1977.
Meanwhile, the mall's movie theater had re-opened, as the Eastfield 1 & 2, in October 1976. The theater was shuttered in late 1985. In January 1986, construction commenced on a 2.5 million dollar renovation. 90,000 square feet of the southeast corner of the mall, including the vacant cinema, was gutted and extended. This area was rebuilt as the 10-bay Market Shed Food Court, which was completed in October 1986.
A second anchor conversion involved the Albert Steiger Company, which closed on March 12, 1994. The EASTFIELD MALL location was one of six Steiger's stores sold to May Department Stores, of St. Louis. The building was remodeled and re-opened, as a Boston-based Filene's, on November 9, 1994.
Clifton, New Jersey's Mountain Development Corporation acquired EASTFIELD MALL in April 1998. Soon after, plans were announced for a revitalization, which was to include the addition of the Showcase Cinemas Eastfield Mall 16. Construction got underway in March 1999 with the megaplex cinema opening for business on August 22 of the same year. The mall now enveloped approximately 824,000 leasable square feet.
The most recent nameplate changes at EASTFIELD MALL involved Filene's, which was Macy's-branded on September 9, 2006, and the Showcase Cinemas, which became the Rave Eastfield 16 in April 2010 and the Cinemark Eastfield Mall 16 in November 2012. The mall's J.C. Penney was demoted to an Outlet Store August 10, 2005 and was shuttered in August 2011.
In early 2015, three major inline stores shut down; Radio Shack, Deb Shops and American Eagle Outfitters. The vacant Penney's was leased as a 1-level Spirit Halloween on an intermittent basis. Macy's pulled the proverbial plug on their EASTFIELD store in April 2016, leaving only Sears to sustain the shopping hub. This 50-year-old store would close for good in late 2018.
Mountain Development had drawn up plans to demall the EASTFIELD complex. Inline store space would be demolished, leaving three anchor structures, and the multiplex cinema, standing. The new EASTFIELD COMMONS would include retail and residential components; these presented in an "Old Timey Downtown" motif.
On March 17, 2020, the Cinemark multiplex shut down as a precaution against the Covid-19 pandemic . In June, it was announced that the theater would not re-open. In March 2023, The past its prime property was sold to a joint venture of Onyx Partners, Limited and Atlantic Retail; both headquartered in Needham, Massachusetts.
The new owners soon announced plans for SPRINGFIELD COMMONS, a 386,700 square foot power center. This complex would be anchored by a 1-level (106,400 square foot) BJ's Wholesale Club and 1-level (148,500 square foot) Target. EASTFIELD MALL closed for good on June 15, 2023. Demolition commenced in August. Ground was broken for BJ's Wholesale Club on July 8, 2025.
Sources:
The Springfield Republican
http://caldorrainbowblogspot.com / Nicholas DiMaio webmaster
http://www.eastfieldmall.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
http://www.therousecompany.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
https://massrods.com / Hampden County, Massachusetts Registry of Deeds
http://www.mountaindevelopment.com / Mountain Development Corporation (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
https://movietheatreorg.wordpress.com / Mike Rivest
https://www.masslive.com
https://atlanticretail.com / Atlantic Retail
https://onyxpartnersltd.com / Onyx Partners, Limited
https://www.westernmassnews.com
Boston's Shoppers' World
This sign, which stood along Worcester Road, beckoned shoppers to visit America's second suburban shopping mall.
"Klattu barada Jordan Marsh?" The sight of this futuristic, spaceship-shaped Dome Store might lead one to imagine the Gort robot walking out of its main entrance.
"The Day The Earth Stood Still" premiered on September 28, 1951. The "space ship" Jordan Marsh at SHOPPERS' WORLD was dedicated less than a week later.
Graphic from 20th Century-Fox Film Corporation
A Brockelman's Fine Foods "super mart" was the first grocery store to operate at the SHOPPERS' WORLD mall. The store had 20,000 square feet of selling space and included a bakery and delicatessen.
Drawing from National Suburban Centers Trust, Incorporated
Plotkin Brothers, a Back Bay specialty retailer, also opened a store in the original mall. It sold the latest ladies' fashions and accessories.
Drawing from National Suburban Centers Trust, Incorporated
The official dedication of SHOPPERS' WORLD was held on the same day the first game of the World Series was being played, in New York City. Concerned that this might effect attendance at the mall's grand opening, a staff of "Ask Me Girls" was put in place; each with a portable radio in hand. They kept customers up to date on the ball game.
Photo from https://www.framinghamhistory.org / The Boston Globe
SHOPPERS' WORLD was situated around a large, open Central Green, with a kiddie ride area on its northern perimeter. In its original state, the mall encompassed approximately 500,000 leasable square feet. The vast parking area could accommodate 6,000 autos at one time. The center was conceived as a two-anchor operation, with large department stores at either end. The second anchor store would not be completed until 1967.
SHOPPERS' WORLD TENANTS 1952:
JORDAN MARSH (with bakery) / Berny's Linen Shop / Beverly's, Incorporated ladies' wear / Brett's Leather Goods / Brockelman's Fine Foods (with bakery & delicatessen) / C & T Paint & Wallpaper / Candy Cupboard / Cinema in the Shoppers' World (single screen) / Country Flair Sportswear / Creed's Ice Cream Parlor & Restaurant / Dorothea's Millinery / Duncan McAndrew Tailor / Femina Beauty Salon / Framingham Trust Company / Fitts Photo & Sport Shop / G.A. Sawyer men's wear / Gorin's Department Store / House of Kenney Interior Design / Idea Box Cards & Gifts / J.M. Lord's-Modern Age home furnishings / Jordan Marsh Furniture / Kennedy's of New England / Kerwin's Shoes / Lepie's Drapes & Curtains / MacDonnell's ladies' wear / Modell's men's wear / Peck & Peck ladies' wear / Pierre Marcel Coiffures / Plotkin Brothers ladies' wear / Sarni's Cleaners / Sears Catalog & Appliance / Sharaf's Restaurant / Shoppers' World Gulf Station (outparcel) / Spencer Shoes / Stork Time Maternity / Talcoff's Shoes / The Pharmacy / Tic Toc Donut Shop / Tots 'n Teens children's wear / Van's Hosiery Shop / WKOX Radio Studio
A high-definition Complete Plan depicts the Lower Level of the SHOPPERS' WORLD mall, as it was configured in 1952.
Original drawing from The Architectural Record / November 1951
Original drawing from The Architectural Record / November 1951
A cut-away view of the north end of the center. It had several unique design features, such as the absence of stairs or escalators between the two retail levels. Patrons entered from the parking lot and used ramps to get either up or down. In essence, the mall was handicapped-accessible years before this was mandated.
The famed Jordan Marsh Dome Store anchored the south end of the double-decked mall.
Photo from Allied Stores Corporation Annual Report 1951
An aerial view shows Jordan Marsh and its relation to the south end of the shopping complex.
Photo from Allied Stores Corporation Annual Report 1951
The Cinema In The Shoppers' World was dedicated, along with the mall, in October 1951.
Photo from www.generalcinematheatres.com
The Brockelman's grocery store was acquired and rebranded by the Stop & Shop chain. The conversion took place in September 1953.
Advert from the Stop & Shop Supermarket Company
A late 1950s aerial view of the facility, which was heralded as "The Showplace of New England." Within a year, an expansion of the Jordan's store would be underway.
Photo from Allied Stores Corporation Annual Report 1957
The Fountain On The Mall was installed on the Central Green in October 1963. Patterned after water features at the 1939-1940 New York World's Fair, it featured synchronized colored lights and an accompanying musical soundtrack. This played over loudspeakers placed throughout the mall.
Photo from http://natickmass.info
Our third -and final- SHOPPERS' WORLD plan dates to 1974. The north end of the complex has been sealed-off with the addition of a Jordan Marsh Great Basement Store and enclosed atrium area (in medium gray). This new Jordan's was completed in 1967. The final addition ever done at the mall, a second enlargement of the cinema, is shown in light gray.
Photo from Massachusetts Institute of Technology Libraries / Julie Johnson
A parting view of the SHOPPERS' WORLD courtyard, which is decorated for one of the mall's final yuletide seasons. On the left, we see the cupola atop the Santa Kiosk. In the distance is the 20-foot-high "General," who commanded a battalion of twenty-four wooden soldiers. These had been crafted by Hal Purrington, a mall maintenance worker, in 1975.
Photo from https://www.massmoments.org
Alas, America's second shopping mall was done in by newer enclosed centers in its vicinity. The complex bit the proverbial dust in the mid-1990s and was replaced by an open-air power center.
Photo from http://www.ddr.com / Developers Diversified Realty, Incorporated
SHOPPERS' WORLD
Worcester and Cochituate Roads
Framingham, Massachusetts
The first mall-type retail facility in New England was developed by a joint venture of Boston's Suburban Centers Trust, Incorporated and New York City's Alstores Realty Corporation (a division of Allied Stores). Its trend-setting design was envisaged by five firms; New York City's Ketchum, Gina & Sharp, Boston's Frederick J. Adams, Boston's John T. Howard, Cambridge, Massachusetts' Anderson & Beckwith and Grand Rapids, Michigan's Kenneth C. Welch. The landscape architects on the project were Boston's Arthur & Sydney Shurcliff.
SHOPPERS' WORLD was built on a 70-acre tract, nestled between two major highways, that was located 18 miles southwest of downtown Boston. Construction got underway in April 1950, with an official grand opening being held on October 4, 1951. Massachusetts Governor Paul A. Dever (D) officiated at the dedication, which included an appearance by actress Anita Eckberg. Also speaking at the ceremony were Huston Rawls, President of Suburban Centers Trust, Incorporated, and Edward R. Milton, President of Jordan Marsh department stores.
Open-air in format, the 500,000 square foot SHOPPERS' WORLD was heralded as "a palace from another world". The 8.5 million dollar complex opened with forty stores, with this number eventually being expanded to fifty. There was free parking for 6,000 autos.
A spaceship-shaped Jordan Marsh was the first suburban branch of the Boston-based chain. This 3-level (175,000 square foot) store sat at the southern end of the complex and was 227 feet in diameter and 54 feet in height. Two 2-level mall wings extended north from Jordan Marsh. At the center of the center was a 100-foot-wide Central Green that was landscaped with flowers, shrubbery and trees. 15-foot-wide walkways surrounded the Green on three sides. On the fourth was a kiddie ride area.
One of the more interesting design features of SHOPPERS' WORLD was the absence of stairways or escalators between floors. Patrons entered from the parking lot and took ramps, going either up or down, to the get to the two retail levels.
The Midwest Drive-In Theatres Framingham Cinema in the Shoppers World showed its first feature on October 4, 1951. Other charter stores and services included a 1-level (18,000 square foot) Kennedy's of New England, 2-level (30,000 square foot) Gorin's ladies' wear, 1-level (20,000 square foot) Brockelman Brothers Fine Foods and a studio for radio station WKOX.
Although most original mall stores were profitable, the physical operation of the complex proved problematic. By 1953, the Suburban Centers Trust had filed for bankruptcy reorganization. The reasons for this included errors in estimating operating costs and the failure of the owner to sign a second anchor store. By 1955, Alstores Realty was in control of the mall.
The first SHOPPERS' WORLD expansion got underway in September 1958. The project would enlarge the existing "Jordan's" to 235,000 square feet and add a freestanding Jordan Marsh Car Care Center. The revamped store was dedicated on October 11, 1959. A second phase expansion added a 2-level (33,000 square foot) Stop & Shop supermarket to the north end of the West Wing. This store opened for business on October 5, 1961.
This renovation was followed by an enlargement of the existing cinema into a twin-screen venue. The General Cinema Corporation Cinema I & II made its debut on May 20, 1964. A 2-level (72,100 square foot) Jordan Marsh Great Basement Store was also built, which opened for business on July 29, 1967.
The final mall expansion, completed in 1974, brought the General Cinema Corporation Cinema IV. In 1982, the movie house at SHOPPERS' WORLD was reconfigured as a six-screen venue. Meanwhile, the Stop & Shop grocery was shuttered, with Toys "R" Us leasing the building in 1979. The mall proper now encompassed approximately 725,000 leasable square feet.
The completion of NATICK ["nay-tik"] MALL {.3 mile east, in Natick}, in 1966, did not immediately impact business at SHOPPERS' WORLD. However, as the years progressed, stores began relocating from SHOPPERS' WORLD to the newer, fully-enclosed NATICK MALL. A second competitor for SHOPPERS' WORLD was CHESTNUT HILL MALL (1974) {11 miles east, in Newton}.
Enclosed malls continued to proliferate in the MetroWest suburbs, which caused the open-air SHOPPERS' WORLD to decline. A plan had been formulated by November 1990, whereby SHOPPERS' WORLD would be redeveloped into an upscale, fully-enclosed shopping center. NATICK MALL would be rebuilt as an open-air power center.
Chicago-based Homart Development bought both properties in early 1992. They reversed the previous redevelopment plan, rebuilding the NATICK property as an upscale interior mall, which was officially dedicated in November 1994. SHOPPERS' WORLD would now be reconstructed as a power center.
Meanwhile, the General Cinema Corporation Framingham 14 was built on a pad lying between the NATICK MALL and SHOPPERS' WORLD sites. The megaplex showed its first features on December 16, 1994. Two additional screens were added in 1999, with the complex becoming an American Multi-Cinema venue in 2002.
The original SHOPPERS' WORLD mall had been demolished in December 1994. It was replaced by a 96 million dollar power center, also known as SHOPPERS WORLD (spelled sans-apostrophe). The first stores were open by August 1995, with the new shopping hub being officially dedicated in the following year.
Charter SHOPPERS WORLD tenants included a (45,000 square foot) Toys "R" Us, (40,000 square foot) Jordan Marsh Furniture Gallery and (39,800 square foot) T.J. Maxx. The center was acquired by Beachwood, Ohio-based Developers Diversified Realty, Incorporated in November 1995.
Sources:
The Boston Globe
Architectural Record / Volume 110, Number 5 / November 1951
Allied Stores Corporation Annual Reports 1951 and 1957
"Shoppers' World" / Framingham News / October, 1951
"Shopping Centers: Locating Controlled Regional Centers" Eugene J. Kelley -1956
"Dual Anchor Shopping Centers 1952-1965" / Richard Longstreth
https://exhibitions.framinghamhistory.org
https://sca-roadside.org / "Regional Shopping Centers Have Made A Decisive Imprint On America's Landscape" / Kathleen Kelly Broomer / 1994
http://www.framinghamnatickretail.com / Justin Tardiff webmaster
http://framingham.wordpress.com
https://patch.com
https://www.framinghamhistory.org
https://www.cinematreasures.org
Boston's Northshore Center
The second mall-type complex in Greater Boston was completed 7 years after SHOPPERS' WORLD. In this aerial view, we see Beantown's up-and-coming NORTHSHORE CENTER while it was under construction. The facility would be officially inaugurated in September 1958, when it would be heralded as the largest shopping complex in New England.
Photo from Allied Stores Corporation Annual Report 1957
Filene's Northshore, which opened in September 1957, was the first operational tenant at the complex. Although the basic mall was designed by Seattle's John Graham, Junior, this particular store was envisaged by Raymond Loewy.
Photo from Library of Congress
Photo from Library of Congress
Photo from Allied Stores Corporation Annual Report 1958
Photo from Bromley & Company, Incorporated / George Jeans
An inside view of the Jordan Marsh Northshore store.
Photo from Allied Stores Corporation Annual Report 1964
Another inside view shows the shiny new Stop & Shop supermarket at NORTHSHORE CENTER. In 1958, it was the largest store in the chain.
Photo from Stop & Shop, Incorporated Annual Report 1958
NORTHSHORE CENTER TENANTS 1960 :
FILENE'S (with Beauty Salon, Picnic Box Restaurant, Circle Soda & Snack Bar) / JORDAN MARSH (with Skyline Restaurant) / STOP & SHOP supermarket / J.J. NEWBERRY 5 & 10 (with restaurant and snack bar) / S.S. KRESGE 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / A.S. Beck Shoes / Barricini Candy / Breck's Home & Garden Center / Brigham's Restaurant / Charles E. Luriat Company / Charles B. Perkins Tobacconist / Charles Sumner / Coleman's Fashion Shop / Conrad & Chandler / Fanny Farmer Candies / Flagg Brothers Shoes / Frank Zona, Beautician / Grad's Town & Country Shop / H.C. Wainwright & Company / Handcraft House Gifts / Hardware, Incorporated / House of Nine ladies' wear / Household Finance Corporation / Howard Clothes / Jay's of Temple Place / Jenney Service Station (outparcel) / Kay's Newport Shoes / Kennedy's of New England / Kiddie Towne / Kwik Cleaners & Laundry / Lauriat's / Lerner Shops / Liggett-Rexall Drug (with luncheonette) / Ludlam's Pet Shop / Merchants Warren National Bank / Morse Shoes / Murray's Stationery / National Shirt Shops / Paine Furniture Company / Parklane Hosiery / Peck & Peck ladies' wear / Peter Pan Coffee Shop / Polcari's Barber Shop / St. Therese's Carmelite Chapel ("Church In The Mall") / S.S. Pierce Company / Shayne / Stork Time Maternity Shop / The Cottage Yarns / The Disc Shop records / Thom McAn Shoes / Thomas Long Jewelers / Warren Five Cent Savings Bank / Wethern's / Windsor Button Shop / W.W. Winship
A NORTHSHORE CENTER logo montage includes trademarks of some of the mall's original inline stores. The Stop & Shop supermarket was described as "A whole new wonderland of shopping ease and comfort." The J.J. Newberry (Newberrys) location was the largest in the 478-store chain.
Photo from http://www.flickriver.com / "Flickriver PhotoStream" / William Bird
And now, a photographic trip down NORTHSHORE MALL memory lane. The following snapshots were taken in October 1957.
Graphic from Federated Department Stores, Incorporated
Above, we see a display in the Women's & Misses Department.
Photo from Library of Congress
Photo from Library of Congress / https://www.shorpy.com / Shorpy, The American Historical Photo Archive
Ladies Shoes are on display in this view.
Photo from Library of Congress
The Filene's' Northshore Intimate Department.
Photo from Library of Congress
And Layette Department.
Photo from Library of Congress
Here, we see the Boys (3-to-6 years-old) Department. I wonder if they have any Davy Crockett hats, a very hot-selling item at the time?
Photo from Library of Congress
Moving right along, we come to the Boys (age 7 & up) Department.
Photo from Library of Congress
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