Westgate Mall; Brockton, Massachusetts

Westgate Mall pylon in Brockton, MA

The Westgate Mall in Brockton, Massachusetts is the oldest enclosed shopping mall in Massachusetts, opening in 1963. There are several older malls–such as South Shore Plaza, Northshore Mall, and Shoppers World–but they were all built as primarily outdoor shopping malls that were later enclosed (or, in the case of the latter, demolished). Westgate was the state’s first fully enclosed shopping mall.

Westgate Mall in Brockton, MA

The 600,000 square foot mall, located at the junction of routes 24 and 27 in Brockton, a city of 92,000 about 20 miles south of Boston, is mainly interesting for its historical ups and downs. Located halfway between the massive, dominant South Shore Plaza (at present still the largest mall in the Boston area) and the newer, larger Silver City Galleria in Taunton, Westgate has been hemmed in by its large competitors and was near death a few years back. As you can see from these photos, it has survived.

For many years, the Westgate Mall was a relatively successful mall serving Boston’s southern suburbs, along the route 24 corridor. It was located in Brockton, one of Massachusetts’ more troubled industrial cities, but its location near the freeway meant it was accessible enough from surrounding suburbs that this was not generally a problem. Westgate was anchored, initially, by Bradlees, Woolworth, and a relatively small Jordan Marsh store. I’m not even positive that this store was built as a Jordan Marsh because its diminutive stature (50,000 square feet or so) is counter to the types of stores Jordan Marsh was building at the time. Later on (I would estimate the early 1980s), a long side wing was added to connect to two new anchors: Marshalls and Child World.

The Westgate Mall was hit hard in the 1990s by a series of major changes. In 1992, the 1.2 million square foot Silver City Galleria opened in Taunton, about ten miles to the south, and in 1996 the South Shore Plaza, about ten miles to the north, doubled in size to become the Boston area’s largest shopping mall. In addition, Westgate’s anchor base took a trio of hits when Child World, Woolworth, and Bradlees all shut (and the mall’s junior anchor, Cherry & Webb, shut as well). By the late 1990s, the mall was nearly vacant and was in danger of closing. In addition, the Westgate Mall’s sprawling outlots turned into a graveyard of forgotten retail, including HQ, Paperama, Purity, and more.

A 2000 renovation and aggressive retenanting by management company Jones Lang Lasalle saved the Westgate Mall. The Child World/Marshalls twin anchor was demolished and the end of the mall reconfigured to house a Sears store, relocated from a standalone space on route 123. The Woolworth was carved into mall space; much of it houses an Old Navy store, but many other standard mall stores fill portions of the space. Filenes later demolished the Bradlees space and opened one of their most modern prototype stores in 2002 or 2003, and a long side wing (part of which was home to the old Cherry & Webb and part of which was a Chuck E Cheese) was reconfigured to hold a Best Buy. In addition, the Westgate Mall has benefited in the past year or so due to its location only one exit south of one of the only Ikea stores in New England. The mall’s proximity to other, larger malls and the stigma associated with its Brockton location still limit its success somewhat (note the vacant Gap store in one of these photos) but it’s a largely successful mid-sized mall that fills in the gaps between bigger malls in a densely populated suburban region.

The small, old Macy’s store–once one of the lone signs of life in the entire mall–was shut due to the Federated/May merger, and is now listed as a “future development area” on the mall directories. Take a good look at this aged anchor–its one of the last signs of the mall’s advanced age.

Former Westgate Mall Macy's in Brockton, MA

Westgate Mall in Brockton, MA Sears at Westgate Mall in Brockton, MA Sears at Westgate Mall in Brockton, MA

Marshalls at Westgate Mall in Brockton, MA Former Filene's at Westgate Mall in Brockton, MA Westgate Mall in Brockton, MA

Westgate Mall in Brockton, MA Westgate Mall in Brockton, MA Former Macy's at Westgate Mall in Brockton, MA

Westgate Mall in Brockton, MA Westgate Mall in Brockton, MA Former Macy's at Westgate Mall in Brockton, MA Westgate Mall in Brockton, MA

Westgate Mall in Brockton, Massachusetts Dead Gap at Westgate Mall in Brockton, Massachusetts Westgate Mall in Brockton, Massachusetts Westgate Mall in Brockton, Massachusetts

Westgate Mall in Brockton, Massachusetts Westgate Mall in Brockton, Massachusetts Westgate Mall in Brockton, Massachusetts Westgate Mall in Brockton, Massachusetts

Westgate Mall in Brockton, Massachusetts

Atrium Mall; Newton, Massachusetts

Atrium Mall in Newton, Massachusetts

In general, most of the enclosed malls that survive in today’s marketplace are the big boys, the million-square-foot plus behemoths that can squeeze every retailer under the sun into a single building.

I’ve noticed one very notable exception to this, however. There seems to be a number of small, upscale, niche-oriented enclosed malls that thrive in upscale suburbs of large cities. Marketfair in Princeton, New Jersey; The Galleria at Mt. Lebanon outside Pittsburgh, PA, and this mall, Newton’s Atrium Mall, all fit that bill. I wrote about Atrium’s sister mall, The Mall at Chestnut Hill, a few days ago. This one, which opened much more recently (late ’80s or early ’90s) is right across the street, wedged into a triangular lot at the corner of Boylston St. and Florence St.

One thing that’s really strange about the Atrium Mall is that it’s essentially anchorless beyond an oddly-shaped Borders store, and that makes it feel far larger than its 205,000 square feet. It also stands four full levels, and is situated on such a small parcel of land that the entirety of the parking is tucked underneath the building in a very deep parking garage. As this is a pretty upscale center, they do offer valet parking, and there’s even a carwash located down on the valet level of the parking garage.

Beyond Borders, Atrium Mall is tenanted by the kinds of mid-to-high-end tenants you might expect to find, such as Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, J. Crew, Abercrombie & Fitch, The Gap, and Anthropologie. There are also several sit-down restaurants, including local Vietnamese kitchen Pho Pasteur along with Bertucci’s and the Cheesecake Factory.

Because the mall is so small and vertical, there are no hallways, per se; instead the entire mall is organized around one large, central atrium (which makes sense) that’s shaped roughly like a grand piano. The architecture of the building (which is very unusual for a suburban mall) along with its relatively short sight lines make the Atrium Mall feel far larger and grander than you might expect. The drawbacks are the hassles involved with such an arrangement: having to park 4 levels deep and not being able to browse on a single level make browsing at the ol’ Atrium into a time consuming task. Still, I think part of this mall’s appeal, for many people living in the Chestnut Hill area, is that it’s always a bit less frantic and underpopulated than the large Natick Mall about eight miles to the west.

Perhaps the most interesting design element (and really, there are many) is the way the different levels don’t stack over one another exactly, allowing a scene like the one below, where Borders actually scoots out from under a mall level, allowing a view directly INTO the store:

Atrium Mall in Newton, Massachusetts

Atrium Mall in Newton, Massachusetts Atrium Mall in Newton, Massachusetts Atrium Mall in Newton, Massachusetts Atrium Mall in Newton, Massachusetts

Atrium Mall in Newton, Massachusetts Atrium Mall in Newton, Massachusetts Atrium Mall in Newton, Massachusetts Atrium Mall in Newton, Massachusetts

The Mall at Chestnut Hill; Newton, Massachusetts

Mall at Chestnut Hill pylon in Newton, Massachusetts
One of the common–and unsurprising–themes that I’ve observed in my travels to visit shopping malls throughout the country is that the most successful malls are often the ones that have had recent renovations, while the older ones are the ones that are flagging. If anything, this is the main reason why “dead malls” are somewhat more interesting than successful malls; they still maintain more of their history and mid-century architectural detail.

The Mall at Chestnut Hill in Newton, Massachusetts, is a huge exception to that rule. Unfortunately, it seems the renovation is finally coming after many years.

Main entrance at The Mall at Chestnut Hill in Newton, MA

Despite the mall’s brutalist 1970s architecture and prodigious use of browns and oranges, this upscale mall has long served a higher-end wedge of Boston’s inner southwestern suburbs. Located at the junction of route 9 and the Hammond Pond Parkway on the Newton/Brookline city line, the mall serves as the centerpiece of the “Chestnut Hill” area, a vaguely defined inner ring suburb that encompases parts of Newton, Brookline, and even possibly a small piece of the city of Boston itself in the West Roxbury neighborhood. In addition to the Mall at Chestnut Hill, there is also another enclosed shopping mall, the Atrium Mall, located across the street.
The Mall at Chestnut Hill is a two-level dumbell-style mall that is relatively small for its design, with about half a million square feet of floor space. It has had a relatively stable roster of high-end tenants over the years. The mall has long been anchored by Filene’s and a Bloomingdale’s Mens and Home store. Surprisingly, the Bloomingdale’s store itself is not large enough to house all of the necessary departments, so the entire women’s department has always been exiled to a separate store located in an adjacent strip mall. The Chestnut Hill Mall Bloomingdale’s store is the only one in all of New England. Most of the rest of the tenants–Banana Republic, Crate & Barrel, etc.–are what you’d expect to find in a mall of this type. I used to define this mall as being “like a regular mall, except with FAO Schwarz and HMV instead of KB Toys and FYE.” Despite that both of those stores long ago vacated the mall, the comparison still holds up.

Unfortunately, it seems that the mall’s status as a 1970s holdout may be coming to an end. When I visited yesterday, parts of the mall (especially the center court and old penny fountain) were under construction, and it seems that the entire mall is getting a long overdue (but extremely disappointing) overhaul. Simon, the mall’s owner, has put together a PDF detailing some of the changes to take place, and it includes many “before” photos as well as an aerial shot of the mall. As a result of the Federated/May merger, the Filene’s store is being converted to Bloomingdale’s, and I’m not sure if this means that the off-mall women’s store is moving into the mall, or if Bloomingdale’s is vacating their current store and moving operations into the new store. It’s somewhat surprising that Federated didn’t open a Macy’s in the space, since no other Macy’s store exists nearby.
Despite the dated decor, The Mall at Chestnut Hill has always seemed quietly elegant, and it’s decor seemed more reminiscent of old PBS television shows than of anything truly derelict. It was a mixture of quaint and adventurous, but never dowdy. Let’s hope it stays that way, at least in part.

Thankfully, there are more pictures than just my own floating around on the web. Because this mall hosts an Apple Store, it means it’s also been the focus of the fervent Apple cult, a member of which took this set of photos when the store held its grand opening. This aerial photo also gives a sense of how close the mall is to the center of Boston.

Former Filene's store at The Mall at Chestnut Hill in Newton, MA Bloomingdale's store at The Mall at Chestnut Hill in Newton, MA The Mall at Chestnut Hill in Newton, MA

The Mall at Chestnut Hill in Newton, Massachusetts The Mall at Chestnut Hill in Newton, Massachusetts The Mall at Chestnut Hill in Newton, Massachusetts The Mall at Chestnut Hill in Newton, Massachusetts

The Mall at Chestnut Hill in Newton, Massachusetts The Mall at Chestnut Hill in Newton, Massachusetts The Mall at Chestnut Hill in Newton, Massachusetts The Mall at Chestnut Hill in Newton, Massachusetts

Prangeway: I visited this mall with Caldor on August 24, 2001 and snapped the photos below.  Note the feathered, brimmed hat character in a couple of the pictures.  She became a running gag for us when describing the type of person who shops at this elite, upscale genre of retail center.  Enjoy her and the mall from 5 years ago.

The Mall at Chestnut Hill in Newton, Massachusetts The Mall at Chestnut Hill in Newton, Massachusetts The Mall at Chestnut Hill in Newton, Massachusetts  

 The Mall at Chestnut Hill brimmed hat lady getting in her car in Newton, Massachusetts Brimmed hat lady shopping in The Mall at Chestnut Hill in Newton, MA

 

Meadow Glen Mall; Medford, Massachusetts

Meadow Glen Mall main entrance in Medford, MA

We’ve recently blogged about the Mystic Mall and Assembly Square Mall in Boston’s inner northern suburbs. There’s a third mall that completes this particular mini-trade area: Medford’s Meadow Glen Mall.

Of the three, Meadow Glen is by far the nicest and is the only one that remains open as an enclosed shopping mall. It is not, however, much larger than the others. Situated in a high-visibility location on Route 16 just east of the Mystic River and I-93, it’s at the western end of the Wellington Circle retail district. At about 400,000 square feet, the mall is a simple dumbell-style shopping mall anchored by Kohl’s and Marshall’s. Constructed in 1979 on the site of a former drive-in theatre, the center features a food court and lots of neon that’s indicative of its vintage. The different zones of the parking lot are even named after old movie stars as a nod to the site’s history as a drive-in theatre.

When Assembly Square Mall was still open, the two malls enjoyed a symbiotic relationship. Assembly Square hosted Kmart and Jordan Marsh and Meadow Glen Mall hosted Bradlees and Marshalls, and each also had about 40 other stores and a food court. Realistically, Meadow Glen’s initial setback came with the death of its sister mall–because Assembly Square failed, the Wellington Circle area lost its cache as a shopping destination. So while Meadow Glen Mall still had some first-tier mall tenants like Express, the other half of the puzzle (retailers like The Gap) were no longer around because of the failures at Assembly Square. This meant that shoppers seeking a one-stop destination went to larger nearby malls in Burlington, Cambridge, Saugus, or Peabody.
Meadow Glen Mall pylon in Medford, MAThis would change in 2000, when the 600,000 square foot big box-style Gateway Center opened in Everett, about a mile to the east. The center quickly became the center of retail activity in the area, and even duplicated several stores (Old Navy, Bath and Body Works, Famous Footwear) from Meadow Glen Mall. Then, in 2001, the entire Bradlees chain folded, causing the mall to lose its principal anchor.

The space would remain vacant for about a year before Kohl’s opened a store in the Bradlees space. During that time, the mall would lose some tenants, including the aforementioned Express as well as the Old Navy store (one of Massachusetts’ first). Still, the mall remained mostly leased, and (apart from a few shifts, such as the swift arrival and departure of Pay/Half in the Old Navy space) the arrival of Kohl’s was a stabilizing force.

Today, the mall remains mostly leased and is a pleasant smaller mall and an ideal example of what I often term “soccer mom malls;” convenience-oriented, slightly off-price, mid sized centers. I honestly don’t know why these centers aren’t more successful in dense suburbia because they put stores that require a large number of monthly visits in an environment that’s less time consuming than a larger enclosed mall, but which also provides pedestrian space and room for smaller, in-line retailers. In the past few years, retail has exploded around the Wellington Circle area, with the opening of the mixed-use Station Landing development and the re-opening of Assembly Square Mall as Assembly Square Marketplace, but demographic changes in the area and increased competition from other nearby centers have caused some slides in the quality of stores (Adam’s Furniture, a local store that has long occupied the former Kmart at the Mystic Mall, has moved into the former Old Navy space.) Because malls of this size and type are having a lot of difficulty, I hope to see it continue to thrive (and pull out of its current minor malaise), especially since its the lone remaining enclosed mall in its trade area.

Also, check out this vintage-ish photo of the old pylon!

Meadow Glen Mall in Medford, MA Meadow Glen Mall Kohl's in Medford, MA Meadow Glen Mall in Medford, MA

Meadow Glen Mall food court in Medford, MA Meadow Glen Mall in Medford, MA Meadow Glen Mall in Medford, MA Meadow Glen Mall in Medford, MA

Meadow Glen Mall in Medford, MA Meadow Glen Mall in Medford, MA Meadow Glen Mall in Medford, MA Meadow Glen Mall in Medford, MA

Prangeway: Check out these pictures I took on August 24, 2001.  A major difference is the announcement of Kohl’s coming to the mall.  This was one of Kohl’s major expansions, taking over many former Caldor and Bradlees stores in the northeast United States. 

Meadow Glen Mall in Medford, MA Meadow Glen Mall in Medford, MA Meadow Glen Mall former Bradlees coming soon Kohls in Medford, MA

Meadow Glen Mall in Medford, MA Meadow Glen Mall exterior in Medford, MA

A Strip Mall by Any Other Name…

Artists' renderings of the proposed Loop complex in Northborough, MA

…is a lifestyle center.

It was announced today that Northborough, Massachusetts–a town that sits in the center of the sprawling web of suburbia between Boston and Worcester–will soon be getting one of the franchise “Loop” concept shopping centers. Named after Massachusetts highway 213, which completes a freeway “loop” around the city of Lawrence, it’s a particularly odd choice to use to name an entire string of centers in faraway places like Kissimmee, Florida. While The Loop Northborough will include a housing component, the site plan (available on the website, and reproduced below) reveals that, bar the presence of a few gazebos and decorative lamp posts, the center is (much like its namesake twin in Methuen) really just a strip mall.

I suppose that labeling this a “lifestyle center” helps move it through the permitting process, since these centers aren’t yet as demonized as malls, big box centers, or strip malls. Still, is it really that much to ask that they deliver on their promise? I’ve seen centers that are well-done, with shops organized along a main street promenade (such as Main Street at Exton, in Exton, Pennsylvania), but this is really little more than a strip mall disengenuously being sold as “pedestrian friendly” or, somewhat laughably, as an “inspired streetscape design, [with] wide sidewalks, custom storefronts with colorful awnings, [and] plentiful landscaping.” Furthermore, the site seems to imply that there is a lack of true “pedestrian friendly” shopping in the area, despite that the massive Solomon Pond Mall opened just a few miles away in Marlborough ten years ago. I’m certain some of this is true, but the plot plan shows long rows of stores facing inward towards a sea of parking. How is this evocative of small-town America, or friendly to pedestrians? The caveat is that, at least according to the artists’ renderings, it will have attractive storefronts and wider sidewalks to accomodate pedestrians, so I may yet be convinced. But at least for now, you can color me unimpressed.

Site plan for the planned shopping center The Loop in Northborough, MA

Mystic Mall; Chelsea, Massachusetts

Mystic Mall Logo in Chelsea, MA

In one of my inaugural posts about the Billerica Mall, I noted that it was one of four malls around the Boston area constructed with the same basic design. Mystic Mall is another, and it’s in the process of being torn down.

Before I wax poetic about the ol’ Mystic Mall, let me add a pair of disclaimers: I’m sorry for a) talking so much about Massachusetts and b) focusing so heavily on dead malls lately. The former is something of a necessity on my part given my location, but I do branch out often. Similarly, these two have converged in part because news has dictated it so: demolition efforts have begun at both the Billerica Mall and the Mystic Mall very recently, and I wanted to get these pictures up and send out an alert for any soul who may wish to swing by and take a look before it’s too late.

OK, now that we’ve got business out of the way, we can talk about Mystic Mall, a largely forgotten inner city mall that’s been shuttered for four years. Unlike the nearby Assembly Square Mall, which has made constant news since closing in 1999, the Mystic Mall is not located in a desirable location and its redevelopment hasn’t captured the imagination of ambitious New Urbanists. Like the Billerica Mall, the Mystic Mall was constructed in the early 1970s, and it housed a Market Basket (without a mall entrance) and a Kmart. While Billerica is deep in the northwestern suburbs of Boston, however, Mystic Mall is located in the heart of the dense urban city of Chelsea, built as part of a redevelopment effort in the middle of an eighteen-block swath of land that was destroyed by the Second Great Chelsea Fire of 1973.

Vandalized rear entrance to Mystic Mall in Chelsea, MA

From the outset, the little Mystic Mall had the deck stacked against it. Located on Everett Street a half mile off busy route 16–the main retail corridor for the area–and buried deep in a section of Chelsea known for gas fields, warehouses, strip clubs, and scrap yards–it wasn’t exactly in the middle of a shopping mecca. Like its three sister malls (the Billerica Mall, the Woburn Mall, and Weymouth’s Harbourlight Mall), Mystic Mall sports a brutalist, ’70s modern decor that’s heavy on such out-of-favor architectural characteristics as corduroy concrete. All four malls had about as much charm as a subway station, with dark interiors and exposed concrete walls. Furthermore, it was located within a few miles of several larger, more successful malls, mainly the Meadow Glen Mall in Medford and the Assembly Square Mall in Somerville. Lastly, crime in the area (or at least the impression of it being unsafe) largely kept away everyone but local residents.

What is weird about this place is that it hummed along relatively well until 2002. Granted, towards the end of its life, most of the stores inside were local, secondary tenants catering to the largely Latino local clientele, but it was mostly leased. Then in early 2002, it was announced that the mall was going to be redeveloped and it was rather abruptly shuttered and all of the stores vacated. The lone exception was one cross wing in front of the old Kmart, which had long since been taken over by a local furniture and housewares store called Adam’s, and two other local stores adjacent to it within the center. At the opposite end of the mall the Market Basket and Brooks Pharmacy stores, which both had exterior entrances, remained open. After this initial buzz of activity, however, the news on the center stopped coming, and it was just left to rot, making its abrupt abandonment even sadder.

While details are still hard to come by, it does seem as though the Mystic Mall is actually going to be demolished in the very near future. Several of the last remaining tenants have vacated the center (and Adam’s Furniture is apparently moving out) and the entire center of the mall has been gutted. Reportedly the two anchor buildings, which sit at opposite sides of the lot, will remain while the entire center of the mall is demolished.

I’m not really sure about Mystic Mall’s redevelopment prospects. Given its location, it wouldn’t make sense for residential and most of the successful retail development in the area is clustered a bit to the west, around busy Wellington Circle at routes 16 and 28. The best bet is probably to incorporate a smaller shopping center with industrial and office uses, especially since it’s difficult to find such a large and unbroken piece of real estate so close to the center of Boston.

Former Speedy Muffler and Kmart Auto Center at Mystic Mall in Chelsea, MA
The pictures below were all taken in late May, 2006. I wanted to highlight the one above in particular, because it’s kind of neat. You can (clearly!) see that this building was once a Speedy Muffler location, but before that it was the Kmart Auto Service center. It’s actually part of the main Kmart building in the mall.

Mystic Mall pylon in Chelsea, MA Brooks Pharmacy at Mystic Mall in Chelsea, MA Main entrance at Mystic Mall in Chelsea, MA

Adam's Furniture (former Kmart) wing entrance at Mystic Mall in Chelsea, MA Market Basket at Mystic Mall in Chelsea, MA Side of former Kmart at Mystic Mall in Chelsea, MA

Rear entrance behind Market Basket at Mystic Mall in Chelsea, MA An entrance at the abandoned Mystic Mall in Chelsea, MA Second Street (rear) facing side of Mystic Mall in Chelsea, MA

Second Street (rear) facing side of Mystic Mall in Chelsea, MA Interior of Mystic Mall in Chelsea, MA Adam's Furniture (former Kmart) at Mystic Mall in Chelsea, MA

Interior of Mystic Mall in Chelsea, MA Interior of Mystic Mall in Chelsea, MA Adam's (Former Kmart) entrance to Mystic Mall in Chelsea, MA Interior of Mystic Mall in Chelsea, MA

Prangeway: Here are some vintage photos of Mystic Mall from August 24, 2001.  They feature more of the interior of the mall, which was vacated and closed off in 2002 except for the area by Adam’s furniture.  Also, one of the pictures is a candid of Caldor laughing at a vacated Deb Shop in the mall after we reminisced about how Deb’s fixtures and overall design in general were ridiculous up until the 1990s.  The hanging metal trapeze-looking things and the store’s color scheme of purple, magenta, and sometimes bright green were very new-wave and would be considered kind of outrageous (and maybe a little S&M, if you know what I mean) today.

Mystic Mall pylon in Chelsea, MA Caldor laughing at a closed Deb Shop at Mystic Mall in Chelsea, MA dark, cavernous corridors in Mystic Mall in Chelsea, MA

Mystic Mall in Chelsea, MA The Seafarers Bed inside Adam's furniture at Mystic Mall in Chelsea, MA Adam's Furniture at Mystic Mall in Chelsea, MA

Mystic Mall in Chelsea, MA Mystic Mall exterior in Chelsea, MA

Assembly Square Mall, Disassembled; Somerville, Massachusetts

Assembly Square Marketplace pylon, Somerville, MAThe redevelopment of the Assembly Square Mall has been long and complicated, but the first chapter has been written after years of delay.

Assembly Square Mall Entrance

The Assembly Square Mall in Somerville, Massachusetts, opened in 1981 inside of a former Ford Motors Assembly Plant along the banks of the Mystic River. The site had more recently been a distribution center for First National Supermarkets (who were later Finast, later Edward’s, then bought by Stop & Shop). A Jordan Marsh store located in Malden Center relocated to the northern end of the mall, and a Kmart store anchored the southern end of the center. At 340,000 square feet, it was like many smaller “dumbell” style malls of its era, with an anchor at each end of the mall and a straight hallway between, with a food court in the center that was likely added at a later date. At the time it was lauded as a creative reuse of a former industrial property. Sometime later (probably the early 1990s), a big box center with Home Depot and Circuit City was added to the site, with frontage along I-93. You can see a satellite view of the mall property here, with the Home Depot and Circuit City building towards the bottom of the frame at New Road and Mystic Avenue.

By all accounts, Assembly Square did quite well until 1997. In 1996, Macy’s acquired the local Jordan Marsh chain and re-branded their stores as Macy’s. Macy’s and Kmart made for strange bedfellows in this little mall (as did Kmart and Jordan Marsh, frankly), but Macy’s must’ve felt it wasn’t worth keeping this undersized store open, and it closed. I first visited two years later, in 1999, and by that time the mall was hurting severely. It felt as though the mall died very, very quickly as it still had updated storefronts from many recognizable national chains (Gap, CVS, etc.) but they had gone dark. The food court was almost completely empty. Mall management had blocked off the entire half of the mall leading from center court to the former Macy’s, and a Building 19 junk store was preparing to open in the former Macy’s, without mall access. It was surprisingly empty, given that, aesthetically, it was a reasonably nice mall. It was bright, with high ceilings and skylights and planters, and felt thoroughly modern inside. Similarly, parts of the interior were still a reflection of the building’s heritage as a factory, with many exposed beams and architectural elements, especially inside of the Kmart store.

Within six months, the mall would be shuttered, and Kmart would renovate their store, removing these very architectural details. Building 19 occupied the former Macy’s/Jordan Marsh, where it was possible to walk around and see the old jewelry counters and even old carts from inside the mall being used as store displays. Until 2004, it was possible to walk through Building 19 to the mall entrance and look through the glass doors down the vast expanse of empty mall.

These pictures were taken with my camera phone (sorry!) in early (February?) 2005, when construction was just beginning on the Assembly Square Mall. Note the still-quite-clear “Jordan Marsh” labelscar in one of these shots, as well as the boarded up McDonalds, which had a greenhouse seating area adjacent to the food court entrance of the old mall.

Wide angle shot of Assembly Square Mall in Somerville, MA Former food court entrance and McDonald's storefront at Assembly Square Mall Wide angle of former Assembly Square Mall in Somerville, MA

Former Mall Entrance at Assembly Square Mall under construction Former Jordan Marsh at Assembly Square Mall in Somerville, MA Former Assembly Square Mall plyon in Somerville, MA

May 2005, when the building was completely torn apart:

Assembly Square Demolition, Spring 2005 Assembly Square Demolition, Spring 2005 Assembly Square Demolition, Spring 2005

The redevelopment of Assembly Square has been complicated and politically-loaded, which is part of why it’s already dragged on for seven years. Unlike most dead malls, Assembly Square is located in an area with a shortage of buildable land and high property values, only a couple miles from downtown Boston and near a variety of transportation corridors. There’s been a major tug of war between one small residents group, the Mystic View Task Force, the city of Somerville, and the developers about what should be done with the site. At the root of it was a proposed IKEA store, along with whether *any* big box uses should’ve been permitted at the site. The Assembly Square Mall site is located on the banks of the Mystic River, adjacent to mass transit (though there is not currently a stop), and only a few miles from downtown Boston. It’s often been remarked that Fenway Park is closer to downtown than Assembly Square.

There have been a variety of plans to develop the property, and they’ve changed dramatically over the years. Most involve incorporating some big box with denser, pedestrian friendly development organized around a gridwork of streets and facing towards the river. I doubt this is the last time Labelscar will be posting about this mall, because it’s a major redevelopment story here in the Northeast, and the battle is far from over.

Map of proposed Assembly Square Mall development
As it stands today, the original mall building has been transformed into a relatively attractive big box center, complete with the very snazzy pylon (shown at the top of this post) facing route 28. The former Jordan Marsh/Macy’s has been converted to a Christmas Tree Shop and Staples, and the remainder of the mall has been carved into A.C. Moore, The Sports Authority, Bed Bath and Beyond, and TJMaxx ‘N More.

Note the former Jordan Marsh (Macy’s, Building 19, etc.) in early 2005, versus today:

Assembly Square Mall Jordan Marsh Store Christmas Tree Shop (former Jordan Marsh) at Assembly Square Marketplace Staples at Assembly Square Marketplace in Somerville, MA

Other photos of the center today, including the outbuildings:

Assembly Square Marketplace TJMaxx and Kmart stores AC Moore and Sports Authority in the body of the former Assembly Square Mall Movie Theater Sign facing I-93 at Assembly Square Mall in Somerville, MA

Movie Theaters at Assembly Square Mall in Somerville, MA Home Depot and Circuit City, which were pre-existing outbuildings at Assembly Square Mall

Prangeway: Here are some photos I took of then-shuttered Assembly Square Mall on August 24, 2001.  Notice the inside of Building 19.  It’s apparent they never did anything to renovate or alter in any form the former Jordan Marsh/Macys space; they simply just put out their junk for sale and that was that.  Also note the several pictures into the then-shuttered mall: one is looking from the Building 19 anchor into the mall, and the others are looking inside doors which were open that day due to construction work on the mall.  We were very curious about the work and conjectured that possible activity such as demolition or even re-operning of the property was imminent.  However, nothing happened – the mall remained closed and sat quietly until it was demolished in 2005.

Assembly Square Mall Building 19 in Somerville, MA Assembly Square Mall overgrowth in Somerville, MA Looking into Assembly Square Mall from Building 19 in Somerville, MA

Inside Building 19 Formerly Macys / Jordan Marsh in Somerville, MA Inside Building 19 Formerly Macys / Jordan Marsh in Somerville, MA Inside Building 19 Formerly Macys / Jordan Marsh in Somerville, MA

Inside Building 19 Formerly Macys / Jordan Marsh in Somerville, MA Assembly Square Mall shuttered entrance in Somerville, MA Assembly Square Mall construction in Somerville, MA

Assembly Square Mall construction in Somerville, MA Assembly Square Mall construction in Somerville, MA

Shoppers World in the Era Before Big Box; Framingham and Natick, Massachusetts

Jordan Marsh's old Framingham Store

The golden triangle area of Framingham and Natick Massachusetts is one of the most active retail districts in the northeastern portion of the United States, and while today it’s dominated by only one enclosed shopping mall, it used to be home to 5 “malls” of various size and design. One of those was Shoppers World, which was demolished and reconfigured as a big box center in 1994. We just found a great page including some photos of the old Shoppers World in the days before it was demolished, and we’re quite impressed. I do remember seeing the domed Jordan Marsh landmark once, right before it was torn down, but I never got to see the insides of this outdoor mall. Also make sure to note the presence of another retail relic: Herman’s Sporting Goods.

Today, Shoppers World is a large big box center with stores like Best Buy, Bob’s Stores, Barnes & Noble, and Toys ‘R Us. Its smaller neighbor, the one-story Natick Mall, was expanded and renovated in 1994–the same time that the original Shoppers World met its fate–to be the dominant mall for that area, and it’s about to be renovated again to include a whole new wing that will house Nordstrom’s, Neiman Marcus, two condominium towers and almost 100 new stores, making it New England’s largest enclosed mall.

There were also 3 other enclosed malls huddled around these two behemoths: the smaller Framingham Mall, which was demolished in 2000, was home to Filene’s Basement, Lechmere (a Labelscar favorite), and about 30 other stores. The Cloverleaf Mall is smaller, and we were less certain of its history before reading the article at that link, but today it hosts a Guitar Center and Burlington Coat Factory, and had a Service Merchandise until 2001. There’s a fifth mall near the corner of Route 30 and Caldor Road (tee-hee) that is really strange. So far as we can tell, it is referred to only by the unglamorous name “Route 30 Mall,” and none of the stores in the center even open into the mall corridor anymore, yet it remains open. It’s really just a glorified strip mall, anchored by Filene’s Basement, with a long hallway running behind the stores so visitors can walk to the back, home of “Lotus Flower,” an excellent local Chinese place.

Shoppers World Framingham Shoppers World Framingham Shoppers World Framingham

Billerica Mall; Billerica, Massachusetts

The long-ailing Billerica Mall in Billerica, Massachusetts seems destined to be facing the wrecking ball soon.

Billerica Mall Main Entrance

This classic dead mall has been in roughly the same condition since 1999, which is when we at Labelscar first visited it. Built sometime in the early 1970s as part of a quartet of malls constructed around the Boston area, it was–initially–nearly identical to the other three. Of those, only one–the appropriately-named Woburn Mall in Woburn, Massachusetts–is still operating, and it was renovated pretty extensively in 2004. Weymouth’s Harbourlight Mall was demolished in 2000 and Chelsea’s Mystic Mall was unexpectedly shuttered in 2002, and sits mostly unchanged today. None of these malls were terribly entertaining. Each was designed as a community-oriented center with about 250,000 square feet of selling space. In all cases, they had a Market Basket grocery store that had an exterior entrance only, and most (if not all) of the malls were originally built with Kmart as the opposing anchor. Billerica is the only one that’s hung on to Kmart, which is the chief reason anyone enters the mall itself anymore. Beyond a newsstand, a formalwear shop, a Papa Ginos restaurant, and a golf training school (which–OMG–so visibly occupies a former Deb Shops location), there’s nothing but shuttered storefronts. And boy, does the Billerica Mall ever have some great shuttered storefronts!–Just look at our pictures, which were all taken in April 2005. I particularly like the “gnashing teeth” facade on that one storefront. The entire parcel is shaped like an “L,” with the mall extending between Kmart and Burlington Coat Factory (which sealed its entrance in late 2005), and an outdoor plaza extending from Burlington Coat Factory to Market Basket.

Rumor has it that the enclosed portion of this long-dead mall will soon be demolished to make room for a Home Depot to sandwich itself between the two anchors. (You can see a site plan if you want, but I warn you that it’s a PDF!) While it’s always sad to see a mall go–especially a gem like this right in my own backyard–it’s hard to feel much sympathy for a property that’s been blighted for close to a decade, if not more. The Billerica Mall is located on route 3a, pretty far off of major highways, and is not located in a major retail area. It was clearly built just to serve residents of Billerica and nearby Burlington, Tewksbury, and Lowell. Labelscar would’ve loved to see it be successful as an enclosed mall again, but it would require some major cosmetic upgrades and repositioning as a leisurely convenience-oriented mall, with a lot of the kinds of stores that appeal to soccer moms (love ya, TJX!). That wide center court would’ve made a nice place for a Starbucks or a similar coffee shop, too, and it would’ve really made for a cool gathering place in this large and sprawling blue collar suburb. Unfortunately, the Billerica Mall seems destined to go the way that many other enclosed malls have gone in the past few years.

Wide Exterior Shot of Billerica Mall Entrance View of Billerica Mall from Kmart Kmart mall entrance at Billerica Mall

Gnashing Teeth at Billerica Mall in Billerica, Massachusetts Flea Market takes over Billerica Mall Funtime at Billerica Mall

Center Court at Billerica Mall Golf School at Billerica Mall Plaza Portion of Billerica Mall

Wide Shot of Billerica Mall Kmart at Billerica Mall