Worcester Common Outlets
Encyclopedia
The Worcester Common Outlets, located off Interstate 290
in Downtown Worcester
, Massachusetts
, is a vacant two level shopping mall
which originally opened on July 29, 1971 as the Worcester Center Galleria. Before its closure, it contained 126 outlets
and currently sits as a dead mall
awaiting redevelopment.
in Milan, Italy. The design for the mall also included a 4,300-space parking garage, which, at the time, was the largest parking structure in the world. Two construction experts from New York and California had called the original mall "the finest shopping center they had ever seen in the United States." The original anchor store
s included Filene's
, Jordan Marsh
, and Kennedy's. By the late 1980s, two of the major anchors, Filene's and Jordan Marsh, had moved out, while other area malls such as the Auburn Mall
and Greendale Mall
began drawing away customers.
taking the role of spokesperson, appearing in a large publicity campaign for the mall. With the reopening, there were drastic changes to the stores housed in the mall and the look and layout of it. The original anchors were gone and replaced with Sports Authority
, Bed Bath and Beyond, Saks Off Fifth Avenue
Outlet, Media Play
, and Filene's Basement
(later VF Factory Outlet
). After the re-opening, the mall contained a total of 126 outlet store
s.
As time went on, this re-marketing of the mall did not help. In 1996 the name was changed another time to simply Worcester Common Outlets, and in 1997, a larger outlet mall, the Wrentham Village Premium Outlets, opened off nearby Interstate 495
in Wrentham
, Massachusetts
drawing from the Common Outlets' customer base.
, which called a section of the basement of the mall home, until it "suspended operations" on May 10, 2009 due to lack of funding.
The project is an example of transit oriented development because of its proximity to public transportation and major arterial roadways.
The $563 million project to construct CitySquare stalled for years as Berkeley Investments struggled to secure tenants. The first phase of the project received city approval in May 2008. In March 2009, it was announced that Unum Group, an insurance company, would lease more than 175000 square feet (16,258 m²) in the future CitySquare development. This allowed $25 million in state demolition funding to flow. On September 13, 2010, demolition of portions of the former mall started and on May 18, 2011, visible exterior demolition began.
As the Worcester Common Fashion Outlets
Interstate 290 (Massachusetts)
Interstate 290 runs for from Auburn, Massachusetts to Marlborough, Massachusetts. It is a continuation of I-395 north of I-90 and runs through downtown Worcester, Massachusetts, I-190 splits off, and I-290 runs across Lake Quinsigamond and east to I-495 in Marlborough...
in Downtown Worcester
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, is a vacant two level shopping mall
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...
which originally opened on July 29, 1971 as the Worcester Center Galleria. Before its closure, it contained 126 outlets
Outlet store
An outlet store or factory outlet is a brick and mortar or online retail store in which manufacturers sell their stock directly to the public. Traditionally, a factory outlet was a store attached to a factory or warehouse, sometimes allowing customers to watch the production process like in the...
and currently sits as a dead mall
Dead mall
A dead mall or greyfield is a shopping mall with a high vacancy rate or a low consumer traffic level, or that is dated or deteriorating in some manner. Many malls in the United States are considered "dead" when they have no surviving anchor store or successor that could serve as an entry into or...
awaiting redevelopment.
1971–1993: Beginnings
The Worcester Common Outlets opened on July 29, 1971 as the Worcester Center Galleria. To be built, a large swath of Worcester's downtown was demolished to make room for the 1000000 square feet (92,903 m²) mall and two connected skyscrapers. The Galleria had a large open area with an arched roof that was supposedly modeled after the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele IIGalleria Vittorio Emanuele II
The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is a double arcade in the center of Milan, Italy. The structure is formed by two glass-vaulted arcades intersecting in an octagon covering the street connecting Piazza del Duomo to Piazza della Scala....
in Milan, Italy. The design for the mall also included a 4,300-space parking garage, which, at the time, was the largest parking structure in the world. Two construction experts from New York and California had called the original mall "the finest shopping center they had ever seen in the United States." The original anchor store
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 included Filene's
Filene's
Filene's was a Boston-based department store owned by Federated Department Stores , and May Department Stores . It operated throughout New England and in New York.-Early years:...
, Jordan Marsh
Jordan Marsh
Jordan Marsh & Company was a department store in Boston, Massachusetts, which grew to be a major regional chain in the New England area of the United States. In 1996, the last of the Jordan Marsh stores were converted to Macy's. The store was formerly part of Allied Stores and then Federated...
, and Kennedy's. By the late 1980s, two of the major anchors, Filene's and Jordan Marsh, had moved out, while other area malls such as the Auburn Mall
Auburn Mall
The Auburn Mall is an enclosed shopping mall located on Route 12 in Auburn, Massachusetts, near the intersection of the Massachusetts Turnpike and I-290/I-395. The mall is currently owned and managed by Simon Property Group....
and Greendale Mall
Greendale Mall
The Greendale Mall is an enclosed shopping mall located near the intersection of Interstates 290 and 190 in Worcester, Massachusetts. The complex has traditionally had two anchor stores, located at the northern and southern entrances. An expansion in the late-1990s added a third anchor store,...
began drawing away customers.
1994–2003: Revitalization
In 1994, Worcester Center Associates sold the Galleria to New England Development which slowly shut down the remaining stores with plans to revitalize the mall. On October 29, 1994, the Galleria reopened as the Worcester Common Fashion Outlets, with Judith LightJudith Light
Judith Ellen Light is an American actress. Her television roles include Karen Wolek on the soap opera One Life to Live, Angela Bower on the sitcom Who's the Boss?, Claire Meade on ABC's TV series Ugly Betty and Judge Elizabeth "Liz" Donnelly on Law & Order Special Victims Unit.-Early life:Light...
taking the role of spokesperson, appearing in a large publicity campaign for the mall. With the reopening, there were drastic changes to the stores housed in the mall and the look and layout of it. The original anchors were gone and replaced with Sports Authority
Sports Authority
The Sports Authority, Inc. is one of the largest sporting goods retailers in the United States. It is headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, and operates more than 460 stores in 45 U.S...
, Bed Bath and Beyond, Saks Off Fifth Avenue
Saks Fifth Avenue
Saks Fifth Avenue is a luxury American specialty store owned and operated by Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises , a subsidiary of Saks Incorporated. It competes in the high-end specialty store market in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, i.e. 'the 3 B's' Bergdorf, Barneys, Bloomingdale's and Lord & Taylor...
Outlet, Media Play
Media Play
Media Play was a chain of retail stores founded in 1992 by Musicland that sold movies on video, DVDs, music, Electronics, video games, books, and games in the United States. Each store essentially contained a book store, a movie store, a music store, and a video game store under one roof. At...
, and Filene's Basement
Filene's Basement
Filene's Basement, also called The Basement, is a Massachusetts-based chain of department stores which was owned by Retail Ventures, Inc. until April 2009 when it was sold to Syms....
(later VF Factory Outlet
VF Corp.
VF Corporation is an American apparel corporation. VF corporation sells jeanswear, intimate apparel, daypacks, and workwear. The corporate headquarters are in Greensboro, North Carolina.-History:...
). After the re-opening, the mall contained a total of 126 outlet store
Outlet store
An outlet store or factory outlet is a brick and mortar or online retail store in which manufacturers sell their stock directly to the public. Traditionally, a factory outlet was a store attached to a factory or warehouse, sometimes allowing customers to watch the production process like in the...
s.
As time went on, this re-marketing of the mall did not help. In 1996 the name was changed another time to simply Worcester Common Outlets, and in 1997, a larger outlet mall, the Wrentham Village Premium Outlets, opened off nearby Interstate 495
Interstate 495 (Massachusetts)
Interstate 495 is the designation of an Interstate Highway half-beltway in Massachusetts. It was the longest auxiliary Interstate Highway of its kind—measuring 120.74 miles —until 1996, when the PA Route 9 section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike was redesignated as Interstate 476, making it about ...
in Wrentham
Wrentham, Massachusetts
Wrentham is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,955 at the 2010 census.- History :Wrentham was first settled by the English in 1660 and officially incorporated in 1673. It was burned down during King Philip's War 1675-1676. For a short time, it was the...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
drawing from the Common Outlets' customer base.
2004–present: Closure and redevelopment
Business at the mall slowly died down until June 22, 2004, when Berkeley Investments, along with its capital partner, Starwood Capital of Greenwich, Connecticut announced that they would buy the Worcester Common Outlets. After the announcement of the acquisition, leases in the mall were not renewed and it slowly emptied. The mall closed for good in April 2006. Berkeley will demolish a large portion of the mall and turn it into a mixed-use development named CitySquare where a combination of retail, housing and office space will replace the outlets. For the future CitySquare development, Berkeley investments plans on keeping the parking garages and Worcester Foothills TheatreWorcester Foothills Theatre
The Worcester Foothills Theatre was a professional theater company and venue in Worcester, Massachusetts that performed a variety of plays, Musicals, and Musical Reviews.-History:...
, which called a section of the basement of the mall home, until it "suspended operations" on May 10, 2009 due to lack of funding.
The project is an example of transit oriented development because of its proximity to public transportation and major arterial roadways.
The $563 million project to construct CitySquare stalled for years as Berkeley Investments struggled to secure tenants. The first phase of the project received city approval in May 2008. In March 2009, it was announced that Unum Group, an insurance company, would lease more than 175000 square feet (16,258 m²) in the future CitySquare development. This allowed $25 million in state demolition funding to flow. On September 13, 2010, demolition of portions of the former mall started and on May 18, 2011, visible exterior demolition began.
Anchor Stores
As the Worcester Center Galeria- Filene'sFilene'sFilene's was a Boston-based department store owned by Federated Department Stores , and May Department Stores . It operated throughout New England and in New York.-Early years:...
- Jordan MarshJordan MarshJordan Marsh & Company was a department store in Boston, Massachusetts, which grew to be a major regional chain in the New England area of the United States. In 1996, the last of the Jordan Marsh stores were converted to Macy's. The store was formerly part of Allied Stores and then Federated...
- Kennedy's
As the Worcester Common Fashion Outlets
- Sports AuthoritySports AuthorityThe Sports Authority, Inc. is one of the largest sporting goods retailers in the United States. It is headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, and operates more than 460 stores in 45 U.S...
- Bed Bath and Beyond
- Saks Off Fifth AvenueSaks Fifth AvenueSaks Fifth Avenue is a luxury American specialty store owned and operated by Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises , a subsidiary of Saks Incorporated. It competes in the high-end specialty store market in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, i.e. 'the 3 B's' Bergdorf, Barneys, Bloomingdale's and Lord & Taylor...
Outlet - Media PlayMedia PlayMedia Play was a chain of retail stores founded in 1992 by Musicland that sold movies on video, DVDs, music, Electronics, video games, books, and games in the United States. Each store essentially contained a book store, a movie store, a music store, and a video game store under one roof. At...
- Filene's BasementFilene's BasementFilene's Basement, also called The Basement, is a Massachusetts-based chain of department stores which was owned by Retail Ventures, Inc. until April 2009 when it was sold to Syms....
(later VF Factory OutletVF Corp.VF Corporation is an American apparel corporation. VF corporation sells jeanswear, intimate apparel, daypacks, and workwear. The corporate headquarters are in Greensboro, North Carolina.-History:...
)