Willow Grove Park Mall
Encyclopedia
Willow Grove Park Mall (generally referred to as just "Willow Grove Mall" by residents) is a three-story shopping mall
located in the unincorporated community of Willow Grove
in Abington Township
, Montgomery County
, Pennsylvania
at the intersection of Easton Road and Moreland Road (Pennsylvania Route 63
). The mall contains over 130 stores plus several restaurants including The Cheesecake Factory
. The Willow Grove Park Mall is anchored by Bloomingdale's
, Sears, and Macy's
, along with a vacant anchor spot that is to become jcpenney and Nordstrom Rack. It is owned by Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust
(PREIT). The Willow Grove Park Mall is the third most profitable mall in the Philadelphia area
.
The Willow Grove Park Mall opened in 1982 on the site of the former Willow Grove Park
. The mall, developed by Federated Department Stores
and The Rubin Organization, was originally anchored by Bloomingdale's, B. Altman and Company
, and Abraham & Straus
. B. Altman and Company became Sears in 1987 and Abraham & Straus became Strawbridge & Clothier in 1988. In 2000, PREIT and the Pennsylvania State Employees’ Retirement System
acquired the mall, with a renovation completed in 2001 that added Macy's as an anchor. PREIT became the sole owner of the mall in 2003. In 2006, Strawbridge's closed, with the third floor of the former store becoming home to The Cheesecake Factory and Bravo Cucina Italiana, with Nordstrom Rack and a relocated Forever 21
planned while the lower two floors are planned to become jcpenney.
in Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
, 15 miles (24.1 km) north of Center City Philadelphia in the northern suburbs of the city. The mall is bordered by Pennsylvania Route 63
(Moreland Road) to the northeast, Easton Road to the southeast, and Old Welsh Road to the southwest. The mall is located near Pennsylvania Route 611
and is a little more than a mile from the Willow Grove exit of the Pennsylvania Turnpike
. Four SEPTA bus routes stop at the mall, providing access to the mall from Warminster, Doylestown
, Gulph Mills
, Horsham
and the Olney Transportation Center
. The mall is also near the Willow Grove station
on the Warminster Line
of SEPTA Regional Rail
. The Willow Grove Park Mall is located near several wealthy suburbs in eastern Montgomery County including Rydal
, Jenkintown
, Elkins Park
, and Huntingdon Valley
and has a market area that covers eastern Montgomery County along with Northwest Philadelphia
, North Philadelphia, Northeast Philadelphia
, and portions of central Bucks County
.
The Willow Grove Park Mall currently contains three anchor store
s. The largest is Bloomingdale's
, which is 237537 square feet (22,067.9 m²) and opened in 1982. The Bloomingdale's store is one of two located in the Philadelphia area. The second largest is Macy's
, which is 225000 square feet (20,903.2 m²) and opened in 2001 as part of a mall expansion. The smallest of the three anchor stores is Sears
, which is 175584 square feet (16,312.3 m²) and opened in 1982 as B. Altman and Company
before becoming Sears in 1987. In addition, there is a vacant anchor spot at the mall. This space opened in 1982 as Abraham & Straus
before becoming Strawbridge & Clothier (later Strawbridge's
) in 1988. Strawbridge's closed in 2006, with a part of the former space on the third floor reopening as The Cheesecake Factory in 2007, which is 10310 square feet (957.8 m²) in area, and a 7500 square feet (696.8 m²) Bravo Cucina Italiana that opened in 2011. The remaining area of the former Strawbridge's on the third floor is planned to become a a 41000 square feet (3,809 m²) Nordstrom Rack and a relocated 17000 square feet (1,579.4 m²) Forever 21
. The lower two floors of the Strawbridge's space are planned to become a 114000 square feet (10,590.9 m²) jcpenney store.
In addition to the anchor stores, the Willow Grove Park Mall contains over 130 smaller stores, including Abercrombie & Fitch
, Coach, Guess, a two-story H&M
, J. Crew, Lucky Brand Jeans
, Sephora
, Victoria's Secret
, and Williams-Sonoma
. The mall also contains a food court
with eleven spaces as well as three sit-down restaurants: Bravo Cucina Italiana, The Cheesecake Factory
, and T.G.I. Friday's
. As of 2010, the Willow Grove Park Mall has a nonanchor occupancy rate of 92.7%.
The current site of the Willow Grove Park Mall was originally Willow Grove Park
, a popular amusement park
that existed from 1896 to 1975. In 1978, Federated Department Stores
and The Rubin Organization announced plans to build a $25 million mall on the site of the former amusement park. The plans for the mall were approved by Abington Township in 1979, which included a downsizing to three anchor stores from four anchor stores among concerns from residents about the size of the future mall. The Willow Grove Park Mall opened on August 11, 1982. The mall was designed with a Victorian
theme honoring the former amusement park. The developers of the Willow Grove Park Mall were Federated Department Stores and The Rubin Organization and the architect was RTKL
. When the mall opened, the original anchor stores were Bloomingdale's, Abraham & Straus, and B. Altman and Company. Bloomingdale's had relocated to the mall from a freestanding store in Jenkintown. When it opened, the Willow Grove Park Mall was intended to be an upscale mall. In 1984, Federated Department Stores sold its share of the mall to the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States for $43 million. In 1986, B. Altman and Company closed its store, which reopened as Sears in 1987. Sears relocated to the mall from a store in Abington. Around this time, the store selection at the mall broadened to also target the middle class. In 1988 Abraham & Straus closed and became Strawbridge & Clothier, which had relocated to the mall from a store in Jenkintown.
The mall was acquired by PREIT and the Pennsylvania State Employees’ Retirement System
in 2000 for $140 million from a group of pension fund clients managed by Lend Lease Real Estate Investments, Inc. In 2001, the mall underwent a major renovation which included the addition of Macy’s as an anchor, the construction of a 212000 square feet (19,695.4 m²) parking garage with 800 parking spaces adjacent to Sears and the food court, and the addition of a carousel
at the third floor entrance opposite the food court. The renovation of the mall cost $25 million. PREIT assumed full ownership of the Willow Grove Park Mall in 2003 by acquiring the Pennsylvania State Employees’ Retirement System's 70% share of ownership for $122.3 million. In 2005, a mosaic wall with images from the former Willow Grove Park was installed in the mall. The mosaics were created by the Abington Art Center
's Youth Empowderment Program and the Abington Township Balanced and Restorative Justice Program from designs made by Carol Strinton-Broad. In 2006, Strawbridge’s closed due to the acquisition of its parent company May Department Stores
by Federated Department Stores; a portion of the former store on the upper floor became home to The Cheesecake Factory in September 2007. The lower two floors were planned to open as Boscov's
; however, it never opened due to the chain filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2008. On July 28, 2011, it was announced that jcpenney would open a store on the lower two floors of the vacant Strawbridge's with a planned opening date of fall 2012. In addition, it was announced that Bravo Cucina Italiana and Nordstrom Rack would open stores on the third floor of the former Strawbridge's. Bravo Cucina Italiana opened in November 2011 while Nordstrom Rack is to open in spring 2012. Forever 21
is also planning on relocating to a larger store at the former Strawbridge's site.
On November 25, 2006, during one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year after Thanksgiving, a small fire broke out in the Forever 21 store that forced the evacuation of 6,000 shoppers; no injuries were reported. On the evening of June 15, 2011, a 16-year-old boy from Upper Moreland Township
who was smoking synthetic cannabis jumped from the third level of the parking garage, suffering injuries.
. In the Pennsylvania part of the Philadelphia area, the Willow Grove Park Mall is the second most profitable mall after the King of Prussia Mall
. The mall is regarded as one of three most successful locations for retailers entering the Philadelphia market due to its location and store selection. In 2010, the Willow Grove Park Mall saw sales of $384 per square foot. The mall employed 1,843 people in 2009, making it the third largest employer in Abington Township with 7.93% of the jobs in the township.
The opening of the Willow Grove Park Mall led to the decline of retail along Old York Road in Abington and Jenkintown, with department stores such as Bloomingdale's, Sears, and Strawbridge & Clothier relocating from this area to the mall during the 1980s.
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...
located in the unincorporated community of Willow Grove
Willow Grove, Pennsylvania
Willow Grove is a census-designated place in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. A community in Philadelphia's northern suburbs, the population was 15,726 at the 2010 census. It is located in Abington Township and Upper Moreland Township...
in Abington Township
Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Abington Township is a township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 55,310 in as of the 2010 census.Abington Township is one of Montgomery County's oldest communities dating back to before 1700 and being incorporated in 1704. It is home to some of the county's...
, Montgomery County
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010, the population was 799,874, making it the third most populous county in Pennsylvania . The county seat is Norristown.The county was created on September 10, 1784, out of land originally part...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
at the intersection of Easton Road and Moreland Road (Pennsylvania Route 63
Pennsylvania Route 63
Pennsylvania Route 63 is a long state highway located in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area. The western terminus of the route is at PA 29 in Green Lane, Montgomery County. The eastern terminus is at Interstate 95 in Bensalem Township, Bucks County...
). The mall contains over 130 stores plus several restaurants including The Cheesecake Factory
The Cheesecake Factory
The Cheesecake Factory, Inc. is a restaurant company in the United States. The company operates 165 upscale, casual, full-service dining restaurants: 151 under The Cheesecake Factory mark, 13 under the Grand Lux Cafe mark and one under the RockSugar Pan Asian Kitchen mark...
. The Willow Grove Park Mall is anchored by Bloomingdale's
Bloomingdale's
Bloomingdale's is an American department store owned by Macy's, Inc. .Bloomingdale's started in 1861 when brothers Joseph and Lyman G. Bloomingdale started selling hoop-skirts in their Ladies Notions' Shop on Manhattan's Lower East Side...
, Sears, and Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
, along with a vacant anchor spot that is to become jcpenney and Nordstrom Rack. It is owned by Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust
Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust
The Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust is one of the first publicly traded real estate investment trusts, established in 1960 by Sylvan M. Cohen .The PREIT corporate offices are located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
(PREIT). The Willow Grove Park Mall is the third most profitable mall in the Philadelphia area
Delaware Valley
The Delaware Valley is a term used to refer to the valley where the Delaware River flows, along with the surrounding communities. This includes the metropolitan area centered on the city of Philadelphia. Such educational institutions as Delaware Valley Regional High School in Alexandria Township...
.
The Willow Grove Park Mall opened in 1982 on the site of the former Willow Grove Park
Willow Grove Park
Willow Grove Park was an amusement park located in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania , United States, that operated for eighty years from 1896 until the 1975 season. The park operated under the name Six Gun Territory from 1972...
. The mall, developed by Federated Department Stores
Federated Department Stores
Macy's, Inc. is a department store holding company and owner of Macy's and Bloomingdale's department stores. Macy's Inc.'s stores specialize mostly in retail clothing, jewelery, watches, dinnerware, and furniture....
and The Rubin Organization, was originally anchored by Bloomingdale's, B. Altman and Company
B. Altman and Company
B. Altman and Company was a New York City-based department store and chain founded in 1865 by Benjamin Altman which had its flagship store at Fifth Avenue and 34th Street in Midtown Manhattan from 1906 until the company closed on December 31, 1989....
, and Abraham & Straus
Abraham & Straus
Abraham & Straus was a major New York City department store, based in Brooklyn. Founded in 1865, in 1929 it became part of Federated Department Stores, which eliminated the A&S brand shortly after its 1994 acquisition of R.H. Macy & Company...
. B. Altman and Company became Sears in 1987 and Abraham & Straus became Strawbridge & Clothier in 1988. In 2000, PREIT and the Pennsylvania State Employees’ Retirement System
Pennsylvania State Employees’ Retirement System
Pennsylvania State Employees’ Retirement System is an independent administrative board of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that manages the public pension system for state employees in Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1923....
acquired the mall, with a renovation completed in 2001 that added Macy's as an anchor. PREIT became the sole owner of the mall in 2003. In 2006, Strawbridge's closed, with the third floor of the former store becoming home to The Cheesecake Factory and Bravo Cucina Italiana, with Nordstrom Rack and a relocated Forever 21
Forever 21
Forever 21 is an American chain of clothing retailers with branches in major cities in The United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East that offers fashion and accessories for young women and men....
planned while the lower two floors are planned to become jcpenney.
Location
The Willow Grove Park Mall is located in the unincorporated community of Willow GroveWillow Grove, Pennsylvania
Willow Grove is a census-designated place in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. A community in Philadelphia's northern suburbs, the population was 15,726 at the 2010 census. It is located in Abington Township and Upper Moreland Township...
in Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Abington Township is a township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 55,310 in as of the 2010 census.Abington Township is one of Montgomery County's oldest communities dating back to before 1700 and being incorporated in 1704. It is home to some of the county's...
, 15 miles (24.1 km) north of Center City Philadelphia in the northern suburbs of the city. The mall is bordered by Pennsylvania Route 63
Pennsylvania Route 63
Pennsylvania Route 63 is a long state highway located in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area. The western terminus of the route is at PA 29 in Green Lane, Montgomery County. The eastern terminus is at Interstate 95 in Bensalem Township, Bucks County...
(Moreland Road) to the northeast, Easton Road to the southeast, and Old Welsh Road to the southwest. The mall is located near Pennsylvania Route 611
Pennsylvania Route 611
Pennsylvania Route 611 is a major state highway in Pennsylvania, United States, running from Interstate 95 south of downtown Philadelphia north to Interstate 380 in Coolbaugh Township, Pennsylvania in The Poconos....
and is a little more than a mile from the Willow Grove exit of the Pennsylvania Turnpike
Pennsylvania Turnpike
The Pennsylvania Turnpike is a toll highway system operated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. The three sections of the turnpike system total . The main section extends from Ohio to New Jersey and is long...
. Four SEPTA bus routes stop at the mall, providing access to the mall from Warminster, Doylestown
Doylestown, Pennsylvania
Doylestown is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, north of Philadelphia. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 8,380. The borough is the county seat of Bucks County.- History :...
, Gulph Mills
Gulph Mills, Pennsylvania
Gulph Mills is an unincorporated community in Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It is served by the Upper Merion Area School District....
, Horsham
Horsham, Pennsylvania
Horsham is a census-designated place in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 14,842 at the 2010 census. Horsham is located entirely within Horsham Township, and it is home to Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove.In 2007, Horsham was named the 15th best...
and the Olney Transportation Center
Olney Transportation Center
The Olney Transportation Center is a SEPTA bus terminal and the last Broad Street Line subway station before the Fern Rock Transportation Center terminus. Trains in the other direction go to South Philadelphia...
. The mall is also near the Willow Grove station
Willow Grove (SEPTA station)
Willow Grove is a station on the SEPTA Warminster Line, located in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. The station, located on York Road and Davisville Roads, features a 92-space parking lot. Willow Grove station was originally built in 1886 by the Reading Railroad, and replaced in 1965 by a stone...
on the Warminster Line
Warminster Line
The Warminster Line is a route of the SEPTA Regional Rail commuter rail. It serves stations between its namesake town, Warminster, and Center City, Philadelphia...
of SEPTA Regional Rail
SEPTA Regional Rail
The SEPTA Regional Rail system consists of commuter rail service on thirteen branches to over 150 active stations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States and its suburbs. Service on most lines runs from 5:30 AM to midnight...
. The Willow Grove Park Mall is located near several wealthy suburbs in eastern Montgomery County including Rydal
Rydal, Pennsylvania
Rydal, Pennsylvania is an unincorporated community in Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Rydal is mainly residential except for one large shopping area. The Abington campus of Pennsylvania State University is located in Rydal...
, Jenkintown
Jenkintown, Pennsylvania
Jenkintown is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, about 10 miles north of downtown Philadelphia. "Jenkintown" is also used to describe a number of neighborhoods surrounding the borough, which also are known by names such as Rydal, Jenkintown Manor and Noble...
, Elkins Park
Elkins Park, Pennsylvania
Elkins Park is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is split between Cheltenham and Abington Townships in the suburbs of Philadelphia, roughly from Center City, Philadelphia.-Points of interest:...
, and Huntingdon Valley
Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania
Huntingdon Valley is a village, as well as a suburban mailing address located in Lower Moreland Township, Upper Moreland and Abington Township all in Montgomery County, and in a small section of Upper Southampton Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania bordering the Fox Chase section of...
and has a market area that covers eastern Montgomery County along with Northwest Philadelphia
Northwest Philadelphia
Northwest Philadelphia is a section of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The official boundary is Stenton Avenue to the north, the Schuylkill river to the south, Spring Ln to the west, and Wister Street to the east. The area is divided by Wissahickon Creek into two subsections...
, North Philadelphia, Northeast Philadelphia
Northeast Philadelphia
Northeast Philadelphia, nicknamed Northeast Philly, the Northeast and the Great Northeast, is a section of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. According to the 2000 Census, the Northeast has a sizable percentage of the city's 1.547 million people — a population of between 300,000 and 450,000,...
, and portions of central Bucks County
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
- Industry and commerce :The boroughs of Bristol and Morrisville were prominent industrial centers along the Northeast Corridor during World War II. Suburban development accelerated in Lower Bucks in the 1950s with the opening of Levittown, Pennsylvania, the second such "Levittown" designed by...
.
Stores
Anchor store
In retail, an anchor store, draw tenant, anchor tenant, or key tenant is one of the larger stores in a shopping mall, usually a department store or a major retail chain....
s. The largest is Bloomingdale's
Bloomingdale's
Bloomingdale's is an American department store owned by Macy's, Inc. .Bloomingdale's started in 1861 when brothers Joseph and Lyman G. Bloomingdale started selling hoop-skirts in their Ladies Notions' Shop on Manhattan's Lower East Side...
, which is 237537 square feet (22,067.9 m²) and opened in 1982. The Bloomingdale's store is one of two located in the Philadelphia area. The second largest is Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
, which is 225000 square feet (20,903.2 m²) and opened in 2001 as part of a mall expansion. The smallest of the three anchor stores is Sears
Sears, Roebuck and Company
Sears, officially named Sears, Roebuck and Co., is an American chain of department stores which was founded by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck in the late 19th century...
, which is 175584 square feet (16,312.3 m²) and opened in 1982 as B. Altman and Company
B. Altman and Company
B. Altman and Company was a New York City-based department store and chain founded in 1865 by Benjamin Altman which had its flagship store at Fifth Avenue and 34th Street in Midtown Manhattan from 1906 until the company closed on December 31, 1989....
before becoming Sears in 1987. In addition, there is a vacant anchor spot at the mall. This space opened in 1982 as Abraham & Straus
Abraham & Straus
Abraham & Straus was a major New York City department store, based in Brooklyn. Founded in 1865, in 1929 it became part of Federated Department Stores, which eliminated the A&S brand shortly after its 1994 acquisition of R.H. Macy & Company...
before becoming Strawbridge & Clothier (later 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 1988. Strawbridge's closed in 2006, with a part of the former space on the third floor reopening as The Cheesecake Factory in 2007, which is 10310 square feet (957.8 m²) in area, and a 7500 square feet (696.8 m²) Bravo Cucina Italiana that opened in 2011. The remaining area of the former Strawbridge's on the third floor is planned to become a a 41000 square feet (3,809 m²) Nordstrom Rack and a relocated 17000 square feet (1,579.4 m²) Forever 21
Forever 21
Forever 21 is an American chain of clothing retailers with branches in major cities in The United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East that offers fashion and accessories for young women and men....
. The lower two floors of the Strawbridge's space are planned to become a 114000 square feet (10,590.9 m²) jcpenney store.
In addition to the anchor stores, the Willow Grove Park Mall contains over 130 smaller stores, including Abercrombie & Fitch
Abercrombie & Fitch
Abercrombie & Fitch is an American retailer that focuses on casual wear for consumers aged 18 to 22. It has over 300 locations in the United States, and is expanding internationally....
, Coach, Guess, a two-story H&M
H&M
H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB is a Swedish retail-clothing company, known for its fast-fashion clothing offerings for women, men, teenagers and children....
, J. Crew, Lucky Brand Jeans
Lucky Brand Jeans
Lucky Brand Jeans is a designer denim company founded in Vernon, California, United States in 1990 by Gene Montesano and Barry Perlman. Lucky Brand is a subsidiary of the Liz Claiborne fashion company. Lucky also produces sportswear, outerwear, T-shirts and active wear. Lucky Brand products are...
, Sephora
Sephora
Sephora is a chain of cosmetics stores founded in France in 1970 and acquired by Paris-based conglomerate LVMH in 1997. The Sephora chain includes more than 750 stores in 17 countries...
, 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...
, and Williams-Sonoma
Williams-Sonoma
Williams-Sonoma, Inc. is a high-end American consumer retail company that sells kitchenwares, furniture and linens, as well as other housewares and home furnishings, along with a variety of specialty foods, soaps and lotions...
. The mall also contains a 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...
with eleven spaces as well as three sit-down restaurants: Bravo Cucina Italiana, The Cheesecake Factory
The Cheesecake Factory
The Cheesecake Factory, Inc. is a restaurant company in the United States. The company operates 165 upscale, casual, full-service dining restaurants: 151 under The Cheesecake Factory mark, 13 under the Grand Lux Cafe mark and one under the RockSugar Pan Asian Kitchen mark...
, and T.G.I. Friday's
T.G.I. Friday's
T.G.I. Friday's is an American restaurant chain focusing on casual dining. The company is a unit of the Carlson Companies. Its name is taken from the expression TGIF...
. As of 2010, the Willow Grove Park Mall has a nonanchor occupancy rate of 92.7%.
History
Willow Grove Park
Willow Grove Park was an amusement park located in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania , United States, that operated for eighty years from 1896 until the 1975 season. The park operated under the name Six Gun Territory from 1972...
, a popular amusement park
Amusement park
thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...
that existed from 1896 to 1975. In 1978, Federated Department Stores
Federated Department Stores
Macy's, Inc. is a department store holding company and owner of Macy's and Bloomingdale's department stores. Macy's Inc.'s stores specialize mostly in retail clothing, jewelery, watches, dinnerware, and furniture....
and The Rubin Organization announced plans to build a $25 million mall on the site of the former amusement park. The plans for the mall were approved by Abington Township in 1979, which included a downsizing to three anchor stores from four anchor stores among concerns from residents about the size of the future mall. The Willow Grove Park Mall opened on August 11, 1982. The mall was designed with a Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
theme honoring the former amusement park. The developers of the Willow Grove Park Mall were Federated Department Stores and The Rubin Organization and the architect was RTKL
RTKL
RTKL is a global architecture, planning and design firm. The firm was founded in 1946 by Archibald Rogers and Francis Taliaferro in Rogers’ grandmother’s basement in Annapolis and is now one of the largest architectural firms in the world...
. When the mall opened, the original anchor stores were Bloomingdale's, Abraham & Straus, and B. Altman and Company. Bloomingdale's had relocated to the mall from a freestanding store in Jenkintown. When it opened, the Willow Grove Park Mall was intended to be an upscale mall. In 1984, Federated Department Stores sold its share of the mall to the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States for $43 million. In 1986, B. Altman and Company closed its store, which reopened as Sears in 1987. Sears relocated to the mall from a store in Abington. Around this time, the store selection at the mall broadened to also target the middle class. In 1988 Abraham & Straus closed and became Strawbridge & Clothier, which had relocated to the mall from a store in Jenkintown.
The mall was acquired by PREIT and the Pennsylvania State Employees’ Retirement System
Pennsylvania State Employees’ Retirement System
Pennsylvania State Employees’ Retirement System is an independent administrative board of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that manages the public pension system for state employees in Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1923....
in 2000 for $140 million from a group of pension fund clients managed by Lend Lease Real Estate Investments, Inc. In 2001, the mall underwent a major renovation which included the addition of Macy’s as an anchor, the construction of a 212000 square feet (19,695.4 m²) parking garage with 800 parking spaces adjacent to Sears and the food court, and the addition of a carousel
Carousel
A carousel , or merry-go-round, is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders...
at the third floor entrance opposite the food court. The renovation of the mall cost $25 million. PREIT assumed full ownership of the Willow Grove Park Mall in 2003 by acquiring the Pennsylvania State Employees’ Retirement System's 70% share of ownership for $122.3 million. In 2005, a mosaic wall with images from the former Willow Grove Park was installed in the mall. The mosaics were created by the Abington Art Center
Abington Art Center
Abington Art Center, located in the northern suburbs of Philadelphia, PA is a non-collecting contemporary art museum with exhibition galleries and a sculpture park. Abington Art Center’s mission is to cultivate the power of the arts – inspiring individuals and strengthening community...
's Youth Empowderment Program and the Abington Township Balanced and Restorative Justice Program from designs made by Carol Strinton-Broad. In 2006, Strawbridge’s closed due to the acquisition of its parent company May Department Stores
May Department Stores
The May Department Stores Company was a national department store chain in the United States, founded in 1877 by David May. The company ceased to exist in 2005 when it was merged with Federated Department Stores, Inc . Prior to the merger it was headquartered in Downtown St. Louis, Missouri...
by Federated Department Stores; a portion of the former store on the upper floor became home to The Cheesecake Factory in September 2007. The lower two floors were planned to open as Boscov's
Boscov's
Boscov's is an American department store founded by Solomon Boscov in 1911. The first store was in Reading, Pennsylvania, and today 40 stores are spread throughout the Mid-Atlantic states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, New York, and Delaware....
; however, it never opened due to the chain filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2008. On July 28, 2011, it was announced that jcpenney would open a store on the lower two floors of the vacant Strawbridge's with a planned opening date of fall 2012. In addition, it was announced that Bravo Cucina Italiana and Nordstrom Rack would open stores on the third floor of the former Strawbridge's. Bravo Cucina Italiana opened in November 2011 while Nordstrom Rack is to open in spring 2012. Forever 21
Forever 21
Forever 21 is an American chain of clothing retailers with branches in major cities in The United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East that offers fashion and accessories for young women and men....
is also planning on relocating to a larger store at the former Strawbridge's site.
On November 25, 2006, during one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year after Thanksgiving, a small fire broke out in the Forever 21 store that forced the evacuation of 6,000 shoppers; no injuries were reported. On the evening of June 15, 2011, a 16-year-old boy from Upper Moreland Township
Upper Moreland Township, Pennsylvania
Upper Moreland Township is a township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 24,015 at the 2010 census. Upper Moreland Township is primarily a residential community with distinctive neighborhoods that are complemented by several thriving business, industrial, and...
who was smoking synthetic cannabis jumped from the third level of the parking garage, suffering injuries.
Economic impact
The Willow Grove Park Mall serves as a major regional attraction for Abington Township and is the third most profitable mall in the Philadelphia areaDelaware Valley
The Delaware Valley is a term used to refer to the valley where the Delaware River flows, along with the surrounding communities. This includes the metropolitan area centered on the city of Philadelphia. Such educational institutions as Delaware Valley Regional High School in Alexandria Township...
. In the Pennsylvania part of the Philadelphia area, the Willow Grove Park Mall is the second most profitable mall after the King of Prussia Mall
King of Prussia Mall
The King of Prussia Mall is the largest shopping mall on the East Coast of the United States, and largest shopping mall in the United States of America in terms of leasable retail space....
. The mall is regarded as one of three most successful locations for retailers entering the Philadelphia market due to its location and store selection. In 2010, the Willow Grove Park Mall saw sales of $384 per square foot. The mall employed 1,843 people in 2009, making it the third largest employer in Abington Township with 7.93% of the jobs in the township.
The opening of the Willow Grove Park Mall led to the decline of retail along Old York Road in Abington and Jenkintown, with department stores such as Bloomingdale's, Sears, and Strawbridge & Clothier relocating from this area to the mall during the 1980s.