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Eastfield Mall

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Coordinates: 42°08′30″N 72°29′12″W / 42.1416°N 72.4868°W / 42.1416; -72.4868
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Eastfield Mall
Map
LocationSpringfield, Massachusetts, United States
Coordinates42°08′30″N 72°29′12″W / 42.1416°N 72.4868°W / 42.1416; -72.4868
Opening dateApril 1, 1968
Closing dateJuly 15, 2023
DeveloperThe Rouse Company[1]
OwnerMountain Development Corp.
No. of stores and services70+
No. of anchor tenants3 (all vacant)
Total retail floor area825,000 square feet (76,645.0 m2)
No. of floors1 (2 in anchors)
Websiteeastfieldmall.com

The Eastfield Mall was a shopping mall in Springfield, Massachusetts, which was owned by Mountain Development Corporation, and was built in late 1967 by the Rouse Company. The three anchors, JCPenney, Macy's, and Sears closed in 2011, 2016, and 2018, respectively. The movie theater, Cinemark, closed in 2020. The mall was managed by Mountain Development.

History

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Eastfield Mall opened in 1968 with three anchors, two of which were local department stores: Forbes & Wallace and Steiger's.[2][3] The third anchor store, Sears, also opened with the mall. Forbes & Wallace closed in 1975 leaving the space vacant, it was eventually sold to JCPenney, which moved into the former space.[4] In 1994, Filene's, whose parent company May Department Stores had bought Steiger's moved into their old space.[2] This store became Macy's in 2006 after May was purchased by Federated Department Stores (Macy's parent company at the time). The 16 screen movie theater was added in August 1999 and was initially a Showcase Cinemas. The theater later became owned by Cinemark.[5]

The addition of a Steve & Barry's clothing store in 2006 put the mall at full occupancy for the first time since 1978. The store displaced nine smaller retail outlets, of which only two relocated within the mall.[6] This store closed in 2008 following the chain's bankruptcy proceedings.[7] In 2009, Hannoush Jewelers opened a showroom in the space vacated by Steve & Barry's.[8] In 2004, the mall implemented a teen escort policy, stating that any customer under the age of 15 must be with an escort after 5:00 PM.[9][10] The JCPenney store was later downgraded to an outlet store, and closed in 2011 when JCPenney eliminated its outlet store division.[11]

On January 6, 2016, Macy's announced that it would be closing the Eastfield Mall location as part of a plan to close 36 stores nationwide. The store closed in April 2016.[12]

On May 31, 2018, Sears announced that its store would also be closing on September 2, 2018 as part of a plan to close 78 stores nationwide which left the mall with no store anchors.[13]

In late June 2020, Cinemark closed permanently.[14]

On April 5, 2023, it was announced that the mall would shutter in the summer of 2023 after almost 56 years.[15] The mall closed for good on July 15, 2023.[16] It was demolished from August 2023 to February 2024. The former Sears, which is separately owned, will be the only structure retained from the old mall.[17][18]

Replacement

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The former Eastfield Mall location is now being redeveloped into the new Springfield Crossing which is expected to open in summer 2025.[19][20][21]

References

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  1. ^ "CG agrees to finance new Springfield mall". Hartford Courant. July 19, 1967. p. 6. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Steiger's may sell stores, reports say Scenario has May Co. buying seven Steiger's may sell stores, reports say". Hartford Courant. 6 January 1994. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
  3. ^ "Albert Steiger To Build Store At Eastfield Mall". Hartfourd Courant. 29 December 1965. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
  4. ^ Dimaio, Nicholas M. (2007-04-30). "The Caldor Rainbow: Eastfield Mall; Springfield, Massachusetts". The Caldor Rainbow. Retrieved 2018-08-23.
  5. ^ "Eastfield Mall reinvents itself in aftermath of pandemic". The Reminder. May 4, 2022. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  6. ^ Blomberg, Marcia (25 April 2006). "Steve & Barry's fills out mall". MassLive.com. Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
  7. ^ "Business in brief: 5 of 8 Steve & Barry's stores in Mass. to close". Boston Globe. 3 September 2008. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
  8. ^ Kinney, Jim (10 July 2009). "Hannoush Jewelers to move headquarters to Eastfield Mall in Springfield". Masslive.com. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
  9. ^ "Springfield mall implements its own teen escort policy". The Providence-Journal. 3 August 2005. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
  10. ^ Miller, Sara B. (11 August 2005). "At shopping malls, teens' hanging out is wearing thin". USA Today. Retrieved 31 December 2010. .
  11. ^ "J.C. Penney will close its Springfield Eastfield Mall location". 24 January 2011.
  12. ^ "Macy's to close 3 Western Mass. Department stores". 7 January 2016.
  13. ^ "Sears closing stores in Springfield, Peabody". 31 May 2018.
  14. ^ "Cinemark closes Eastfield Mall cinema in Springfield for good; trashes screens and speakers". 30 June 2020.
  15. ^ "Eastfield Mall expected to close this summer". WWLP. April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  16. ^ Maria Wilson (July 5, 2023). "Longtime customer speaks out following the closure of Eastfield Mall in July". Western Mass News. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  17. ^ Shook, Ashley; D'Amours, Kristina (September 1, 2023). "Demolition begins at Eastfield Mall in Springfield". WWLP. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  18. ^ Simmons, Nicole (February 15, 2024). "Eastfield Mall is officially gone — building stands no more". Mass Live. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  19. ^ Kinney, Jim (2024-06-06). "Eastfield Mall developer promises construction in coming months, Skechers, Hobby Lobby confirmed for new Springfield Crossing on Boston Road". masslive. Retrieved 2024-10-05.
  20. ^ Damas, Richard (2024-02-16). "'Springfield Crossing' development project underway at former Eastfield Mall". spectrumnews1.com. Retrieved 2024-10-05.
  21. ^ Smith, Taylor; Trowbridge, Ryan (2024-05-10). "New tenants revealed as work continues at Springfield Crossing site". westernmassnews.com. Retrieved 2024-10-05.
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