Going to the (Half-Dead) Mall

From Mick Melvin:

I often travel to Bensalem, Pennsylvania, to visit my father. He has lived there for about 25 years. When visiting, I always pass the local mall when driving to his house. I have been to the Neshaminy Mall many times. So on my latest visit, I decided to go see how the once-bustling shopping destination was holding up. Also, I traveled with only sandals on my feet and thought I could find a cheap pair of shoes/sneakers since the fall weather was moving in. That did not happen, but I did feel like I went back in time for a moment.

If you know anything about malls in southeastern PA, they were the place to be in the 70’s, 80’s and even 90’s before the internet took over retail. I spent many teenage years roaming the corridors of the Exton Square Mall near my adopted hometown, Downingtown, PA. It was more than a shopping place, it was a place to be social.

I have also shopped at many other malls in the area including the Concord Mall, Franklin Mills Mall, King of Prussia Mall, Plymouth Meeting Mall, Springfield Mall, Granite Run Mall, Valley Forge Mall, Coventry Mall and lastly, The Gallery at Market East in Center City Philadelphia. These were the places most families did their holiday shopping and a lot of children got to hang out with their friends. Sadly, most of those malls, including the Neshaminy Mall, are not bustling anymore.

The anchor store at Neshaminy used to be Strawbridge & Clothier Department store, but the store closed in 2006 when it was bought out by Macy’s.

The mall has steadily declined since its closure. Strawbridge & Clothier department stores started in Philadelphia in 1868. The anchor store was located at 8th and Market Street, which was to be the Champs-Élysées of Philadelphia, but it never really materialized. However, Strawbridge's opened many branch stores throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. All of the malls mentioned above were offsprings of the Strawbridges and Clothier in Philly. The first mall being the Suburban Square Mall in Ardmore, PA, in 1930.

The Neshaminy Mall opened in 1968. Among the main stores at the location besides S&C were the Sears Department Store, Sears Auto Center and Modell’s Sporting Goods, which are now closed.

The main stores still keeping the location alive are the AMC movie theater, Boscov’s department store, Verizon Wireless, and Barnes & Noble bookstore. There are a scarce amount of smaller stores but it doesn’t look like the place will be able to sustain itself with the lack of traffic to this once-booming location.

Now, the parking lots are pretty empty, the food court has only a few eateries, the foot traffic is very light and the mall now looks like a ghost town.

I was there on a Sunday afternoon and I saw maybe 50 people. Presently, there are only 24 stores posted on the website for the Neshaminy Mall. Down from 47 open stores in 2023. When I was a teenager, most of these malls had over 100 stores at most locations. King of Prussia Mall being the largest with over 400 stores. I remember getting my new sneakers at Foot Locker, getting an Orange Julius smoothie and a Chick-Fil-A sandwich before roaming around the mall laughing with my family and friends. Sadly, from the way things are looking, it won’t be long before the malls and a cherished time period will be a thing of the past.

Here's a list of 121 stores at the Neshaminy Mall dating back between 2011-2023.

Here's a list of the 24 stores open as of this fall at the mall:

• AMC Theatres
• Barnes & Noble
• Boscov's
• Shoe Carnival
• Torrid
• Norman's Hallmark
• Bath & Body Works
• Aeropostale
• Hot Topic
• Jackson Hewitt Tax Services
• Night Owl Graphics
• Philly Pop Up Weddings
• T-Mobile
• Master Brows
• Jean Madeline Aveda Institute
• On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina
• UNO Pizzeria & Grill
• Stir Fry 88
• Bavarian Pretzel Kiosk
• Shreeji Ice Cream
• Perfume Place
• Massage Mob
• Safe Repair
• Polar X Ornaments

In September, the new owners of the mall, Paramount Realty, met with representatives of the Bensalem Economic Development Corp., and said they are dedicated to redeveloping the site as a mixed-use property.

IC An Old Museum in Boston

From Dave Brigham:

What to do with a long-abandoned, modernist box of a building in the middle of a very popular Boston park that was once home to a horse-racing track and that for decades has been the finish line for the world's largest regatta? I'm glad I don't need to come up with an answer to that run-on question. After reviewing some photos and history, we will learn about possible plans for this place.

Nestled in a stand of trees just steps from an amphitheater in Allston's Christian Herter Park, this rectangular curiosity was completed in 1960. Designed by architect Nathaniel Saltonstall, the building became home to the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) for the next two years. Saltonstall was a co-founder of the ICA.

The building and the amphitheater were collectively known as the Metropolitan Boston Art Center in the 1950s, and were sited on a moat-surrounded island a short distance from the Charles River. The project, while presenting a bold vision, was "at odds with the original concept of the Charles River Reservation as an open-space amenity," according to this State of Massachusetts document about Herter Park.

"The Herter Center (as the building is now known), built as a museum, for a time fulfilled that intent as the original home of the ICA, but poor location and low attendance finally closed it," the state document continues. Sometime in the 1980s the New England Sports Museum moved into the building, where it remained until the mid-'90s, I believe. The organization continued using the building for storage for many years.

I remember when this building housed the sports museum, although I never visited. Now known as The Sports Museum, the organization operates on levels 5 and 6 of the TD Garden, home to the Celtics and Bruins.

Since the sports museum moved out, this building, out of place amid the walking paths, canoe-rental shacks, playgrounds, pop-up brewery spaces and collegiate boathouses, has sat empty, gathering moss and graffiti.

At 45 acres, Herter Park is the largest park in the Charles River Basin. From the late 19th century into the first half of the 20th, Herter Park was where the Charles River Speedway was located. The what now?

Backside readers with strong memories will recall the post in which I found out about the Charles River Speedway (see September 6, 2010, "UPDATE: Horsing Around at the Old Barracks"). From the Brighton Allston Historical Society: "The Charles River Speedway was built in 1899 along the shores of the Charles River from Market/Arsenal St to Harvard Stadium and existed into the 1960's. The complex included a mile long race course used mainly for sulky racing and a 1.75 mile driveway, the original Soldier's Field Road, which paralleled the race course and extended up through Cambridge St. It was designed by the Olmsted Landscaping firm and included a bicycle racing course.

"The Superintendent's Building was located at the intersection of Western Ave and Soldier's Field Rd and is the only portion of the complex that still remains." Today, that building houses a fantastic space for eating, drinking, shopping and seeing live entertainment, known as The Speedway (I have an update post on that complex coming soon).

To return to my question: what to do with the former ICA/Sports Museum building, which is located on the grounds where a horse-racing track once stood? And yes, the park where each year, thousands of spectators, competitors and supporters gather for the Head of the Charles, and where during any given year lots of folks arrive for fundraising walks, family outings and theater performances.

Even in decay, the Herter Center shows its potential, with its large windows, well-shaded location and fascinating history.

In 2016, The Friends of Herter Park, which hosts events at the amphitheater, applied for funding from the Boston Redevelopment Authority (now known as the Boston Planning & Development Agency) in order to clean up the outdoor performance space. In that application, the group referenced the decay happening in and around the Herter Center, and laid out its vision for the building, tying its new uses to the stage productions.

The Friends at that time envisioned "gallery space for local artists, support facilities such as restrooms for event patrons, prep areas for caterers, staging rooms for event staff, costume changing rooms, green rooms for actors not on stage, or administrative support space to programs that utilize the amphitheater."

In the aforementioned State of Massachusetts document about Herter Park, there is a call for the Center's possible use as a home for environmental education programs or a ranger station; a space for public functions; or a cafe, or perhaps a combiination of those.

I understand the need for the amphitheater events to use the space, but I think it's important to make as much of this place available for public use as possible. Therefore, I love the ideas for gallery space, a ranger station/visitor center, a cafe, public event/programming space and restrooms.

I don't get the impression anything will happen here soon, but stay tuned.