Berkshire Mall (Pennsylvania)
Encyclopedia
The Berkshire Mall is an enclosed shopping mall
in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania
, a suburb to the west of Reading
in Berks County
. The Berkshire Mall is accessible from US 222/US 422
at the Paper Mill Road interchange or the State Hill Road interchange. The main entrances to the mall are located along Woodland Road or State Hill Road. The mall first opened in February 1970.
location which had opened in 1956. Construction got underway in 1968, with an "official" kickoff in November of that year. The mall opened in February 1970, and was the first enclosed shopping mall to open in eastern Pennsylvania outside of the Philadelphia area.
The mall is named after the English town Reading, Berkshire
. The old fountain in the center of the mall had been choreographed by local Reading company "Symphonic Fountains". The second level food court was formerly a section called "Lamp Post Lane". The food court
was created in 1989.
The original owner and developer of the mall was the Goodman Company, which sold the property to Equitable Real Estate Management in 1985. In July 2002, the mall was acquired by Allied Properties.
On the night of November 2, 2009, a fire broke out in a display window of the Victoria's Secret
store. Before firefighters could arrive, the sprinkler system activated in the store and the adjacent hallway. The store suffered smoke and water damage; everyone was evacuated safely without any reported injuries. On April 14, 2010, there was a fire inside of Boscov's. A worker was flown to Lehigh Valley Hospital for severe burns to the face. Firefighters had controlled the fire in 30 minutes.
with titles such as "Girl Falls In Mall Fountain While Texting" went viral
and received international news coverage. The lady was later determined to be Cathy Cruz Marrero, who is reportedly evaluating legal action against the mall because no one came to her aid after falling. Marrero was featured on Good Morning America
on January 20, 2011, and was then due in court to face legal action against her for theft. As a result of this incident, the security guard who posted the video was fired.
from August 1970 (a few months after the mall opened) until the May Company acquired John Wanamaker and converted all John Wanamaker stores to Hecht's
in 1995. In 1996 the May Company acquired another major Philadelphia department store chain, Strawbridge & Clothier. After that acquisition, the May Company converted all the Hecht's that had been John Wanamaker stores in southeast Pennsylvania, including at the Berkshire Mall, to Strawbridge's
. In 2002 Strawbridge's decided to close their Berkshire Mall location and Boscov's took over. The Bon-Ton was Lit Brothers
from 1970 to 1975, and then Pomeroy's from 1975 until the late 1980s.
, the only Premium PA Wine & Spirits Shoppe in Berks County, One Stop Beverage, TJ Maxx, Outback Steakhouse
, Bank of America
, Berkshire Bank, and Old Country Buffet. There was a Circuit City until 2009, which closed after the chain folded. The former Circuit City store served as a Halloween Adventure for the 2009 season. The former Circuit City has reopened as hhgregg
in 2010. Hhgregg is an Indianapolis-based retalier of consumer electronics and home appliances.
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania
Wyomissing, Pennsylvania
Wyomissing is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States, established on July 2, 1906. The population was 8,587 at the 2000 census, but after the January, 2002 merger with neighboring Wyomissing Hills, the combined 2000 Census estimate was 11,155 making it the most populous borough in...
, a suburb to the west of Reading
Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...
in Berks County
Berks County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 373,638 people, 141,570 households, and 98,532 families residing in the county. The population density was 435 people per square mile . There were 150,222 housing units at an average density of 175 per square mile...
. The Berkshire Mall is accessible from US 222/US 422
U.S. Route 422
U.S. Route 422 is a long spur route of US 22 split into two segments in the U.S. states of Ohio and Pennsylvania. The western spur begins in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, and ends at Ebensburg, Pennsylvania...
at the Paper Mill Road interchange or the State Hill Road interchange. The main entrances to the mall are located along Woodland Road or State Hill Road. The mall first opened in February 1970.
History
Planning for the mall began in the late 1960s. Sears was announced to be the first major planned tenant in November 1967, to replace its nearby ShillingtonShillington, Pennsylvania
Shillington is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States with a population of 5,059 at the 2000 census nestled amongst other suburbs outside of Reading...
location which had opened in 1956. Construction got underway in 1968, with an "official" kickoff in November of that year. The mall opened in February 1970, and was the first enclosed shopping mall to open in eastern Pennsylvania outside of the Philadelphia area.
The mall is named after the English town Reading, Berkshire
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
. The old fountain in the center of the mall had been choreographed by local Reading company "Symphonic Fountains". The second level food court was formerly a section called "Lamp Post Lane". The food court
Food court
A food court is generally an indoor plaza or common area within a facility that is contiguous with the counters of multiple food vendors and provides a common area for self-serve dining. Food courts may be found in shopping malls and airports, and in various regions may be a standalone development...
was created in 1989.
The original owner and developer of the mall was the Goodman Company, which sold the property to Equitable Real Estate Management in 1985. In July 2002, the mall was acquired by Allied Properties.
On the night of November 2, 2009, a fire broke out in a display window of the Victoria's Secret
Victoria's Secret
Victoria's Secret is an American retailer of women's wear, lingerie and beauty products. It is the largest segment of publicly-traded Limited Brands with sales of over US$5 billion and an operating income of $1 billion in 2006...
store. Before firefighters could arrive, the sprinkler system activated in the store and the adjacent hallway. The store suffered smoke and water damage; everyone was evacuated safely without any reported injuries. On April 14, 2010, there was a fire inside of Boscov's. A worker was flown to Lehigh Valley Hospital for severe burns to the face. Firefighters had controlled the fire in 30 minutes.
Fountain texting mishap
In January 2011, a leaked security camera video of a mall patron falling into a fountain near the entrance to Boscov's while texting, uploaded to YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
with titles such as "Girl Falls In Mall Fountain While Texting" went viral
Viral video
A viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email...
and received international news coverage. The lady was later determined to be Cathy Cruz Marrero, who is reportedly evaluating legal action against the mall because no one came to her aid after falling. Marrero was featured on Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
on January 20, 2011, and was then due in court to face legal action against her for theft. As a result of this incident, the security guard who posted the video was fired.
Former anchors
The current Boscov's was originally John WanamakerWanamaker's
Wanamaker's department store was the first department store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the first department stores in the United States. At its zenith in the early 20th century, there were two major Wanamaker department stores, one in Philadelphia and one in New York City at Broadway...
from August 1970 (a few months after the mall opened) until the May Company acquired John Wanamaker and converted all John Wanamaker stores to Hecht's
Hecht's
Hecht's, also known as Hecht Brothers, Hecht Bros. and the Hecht Company, was a large chain of department stores located mainly in the mid-Atlantic and southern region of the United States....
in 1995. In 1996 the May Company acquired another major Philadelphia department store chain, Strawbridge & Clothier. After that acquisition, the May Company converted all the Hecht's that had been John Wanamaker stores in southeast Pennsylvania, including at the Berkshire Mall, to Strawbridge's
Strawbridge's
Strawbridge's was a department store in the northeastern United States with stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. In its day a gracious urban emporium, the downtown Philadelphia flagship store added branch stores starting in the 1930s and together they enjoyed annual sales of over a...
. In 2002 Strawbridge's decided to close their Berkshire Mall location and Boscov's took over. The Bon-Ton was Lit Brothers
Lit Brothers
Lit Brothers was a moderate priced department store based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Samuel and Jacob Lit opened the first store at Eight and Market Streets in 1893....
from 1970 to 1975, and then Pomeroy's from 1975 until the late 1980s.
Berkshire Mall West
The Berkshire Mall West is a strip plaza across Woodland Road from the Berkshire Mall. The "mall west" contains AC MooreAC Moore
A.C. Moore is an arts and crafts retail chain with 132 locations in the eastern United States, with its corporate headquarters in located in Berlin, New Jersey. AC Moore sells a variety of arts and crafts products, including scrapbooking, beading, knitting, rubber stamping, home decor items,...
, the only Premium PA Wine & Spirits Shoppe in Berks County, One Stop Beverage, TJ Maxx, Outback Steakhouse
Outback Steakhouse
Outback Steakhouse is an American casual dining restaurant chain based in Tampa, Florida with over 1200 locations in 22 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. It was founded in February 1988 in Tampa by Bob Basham, Chris T...
, Bank of America
Bank of America
Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...
, Berkshire Bank, and Old Country Buffet. There was a Circuit City until 2009, which closed after the chain folded. The former Circuit City store served as a Halloween Adventure for the 2009 season. The former Circuit City has reopened as hhgregg
Hhgregg
hhgregg Inc. or Gregg Appliances Inc. is a publicly owned and operated appliance and electronics retailer in the Midwest, Northeast, and Southeast United States with over 3,100 employees operating stores in 16 states including Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky,...
in 2010. Hhgregg is an Indianapolis-based retalier of consumer electronics and home appliances.