Cherry Hill Mall (shopping mall)
Encyclopedia
Cherry Hill Mall, owned by Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust
(PREIT), was originally known as Cherry Hill Shopping Center, the first indoor, climate-controlled shopping center east of the Mississippi River in the United States, and opened in October 1961.
Cherry Hill Mall is located at 2000 Route 38 in Cherry Hill, New Jersey
08002 and is bound by Route 38, Haddonfield Road, Church Road, and Cherry Hill Mall Drive.
The center was designed by architect Victor Gruen
and built and managed by The Rouse Company. Rouse sold its shopping center portfolio to Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust in 2003 as PREIT converted its holdings from residential to retail. The mall has a gross leasable area
of 1248347 square feet (115,975.2 m²) placing it in the top ten among the largest shopping malls in New Jersey. Cherry Hill Mall is widely held to be the source of the 1962 renaming of what had been called Delaware Township to its current name of Cherry Hill Township
, New Jersey
. In fact, the town was named Cherry Hill in a voter referendum due to the development of a new US Postal Service office for the region, and historical ties to Cherry Hill Farm, which once occupied land opposite the current mall site, and various locations named for the farm, including the Cherry Hill Estates housing development and the Cherry Hill Inn.
had ever seen, with tropical shrubbery, large fountains, parrots, aviaries, and spacious courts. The mall layout was very unique for the time. Unlike the dumbbell malls of the time, the mall started from the east anchor, Bamberger's
, with a large "Delaware Mall" concourse to the west of it. About halfway along this concourse was an exit way that led back to a twin movie theatre and a giant arcade. The center of the mall featured Cherry Court, a court with high ceilings, more tropical plants, fountains, parrots, plus a staircase leading directly into the second floor into Strawbridge's
. The northern wing featured the "Market Court", Food Fair, and Thrift Drug
. There was also a Kresge, Woolworth's
, and two liquor stores. The mall changed through the years. 1973 brought a detached nine-story office tower, and in 1977 a new, two-story wing was built in the north part of the mall, following the closure and demolition of Pantry Pride and the Market Court. This wing was anchored by JCPenney. The 1990s brought much change to the mall. The mall was remodeled, possibly for the third time, featuring a teal/gray color scheme and skylights. The Mall received different fountains and the ornate Strawbridge's
staircase was replaced with a simple escalator/stairs combination. By the time 1997 rolled around, two distinct parts of the mall had formed: an upscale wing near Macy's featuring Banana Republic, Victoria's Secret
, and Ann Taylor
, while the JCPenney wing featured McDonald's, General Nutrition Centers, Radio Shack, and several urban shops. In the early 2000s, the mall was sold to PREIT.
opened later, but PREIT had big plans for Cherry Hill. After Strawbridge's
went under after the Macy's
takeover, the store was razed and backfilled. The mall eventually went under a huge renovation, its biggest ever: it added several exterior-facing restaurants including, The Capital Grille
, Seasons 52
, California Pizza Kitchen
, and Maggiano's Little Italy
and a large-scale entrance to an H&M
store to the frontage of Route 38. The food court was moved to the JCPenney wing, which is much smaller than the mall's original food court but now features A&W, Subway, and many other eateries. The mall also added The Container Store
and Crate & Barrel as retailers outside the mall's parking lot. They also built a three-story parking garage, gutted the mall for a marble-and-wood color scheme, and created a new tenant mix to mirror King of Prussia Mall
. The mall today consist of many upscale stores in a newly renovated interior and exterior. The new Nordstrom
anchor store opened March 27, 2009. Cherry Hill Mall has completely changed its entire exterior and interior, bringing many high-end stores, new restaurants, and a revitalizing theme running throughout the center. The renovation and transformation of the Cherry Hill Mall cost $218 million.
, Garage, Gymboree, Backstage, Steve Madden
, Urban Outfitters
, BCBGMAXAZRIA, Brighton Collectibles
, Tilly's, and AX Armani Exchange.
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), was originally known as Cherry Hill Shopping Center, the first indoor, climate-controlled shopping center east of the Mississippi River in the United States, and opened in October 1961.
Cherry Hill Mall is located at 2000 Route 38 in Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Cherry Hill is a township in Camden County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township had a population of 71,045, representing an increase of 1,080 from the 69,965 residents enumerated during the 2000 Census...
08002 and is bound by Route 38, Haddonfield Road, Church Road, and Cherry Hill Mall Drive.
The center was designed by architect Victor Gruen
Victor Gruen
Victor David Gruen, born Viktor David Grünbaum , was an Austrian-born commercial architect best known as a pioneer in the design of shopping malls in the United States.- Biography :...
and built and managed by The Rouse Company. Rouse sold its shopping center portfolio to Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust in 2003 as PREIT converted its holdings from residential to retail. The mall has a gross leasable area
Gross leasable area
Gross leasable area in the retail development industry is a term applied to shopping malls, lifestyle centers, outlet malls and other retail centers to indicate the amount of floor space available to be rented...
of 1248347 square feet (115,975.2 m²) placing it in the top ten among the largest shopping malls in New Jersey. Cherry Hill Mall is widely held to be the source of the 1962 renaming of what had been called Delaware Township to its current name of Cherry Hill Township
Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Cherry Hill is a township in Camden County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township had a population of 71,045, representing an increase of 1,080 from the 69,965 residents enumerated during the 2000 Census...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. In fact, the town was named Cherry Hill in a voter referendum due to the development of a new US Postal Service office for the region, and historical ties to Cherry Hill Farm, which once occupied land opposite the current mall site, and various locations named for the farm, including the Cherry Hill Estates housing development and the Cherry Hill Inn.
History
Cherry Hill Mall opened on October 11, 1961. At the time, it was the largest mall in the nation and the first enclosed, climate-controlled mall in the Eastern United States. It was unlike anything in what was called Delaware TownshipDelaware Township
Delaware Township may refer to the following places in the United States:In Indiana:* Delaware Township, Delaware County, Indiana* Delaware Township, Hamilton County, Indiana* Delaware Township, Ripley County, IndianaIn Iowa:...
had ever seen, with tropical shrubbery, large fountains, parrots, aviaries, and spacious courts. The mall layout was very unique for the time. Unlike the dumbbell malls of the time, the mall started from the east anchor, Bamberger's
Bamberger's
Bamberger's was a department store chain with locations primarily in New Jersey, but also Delaware, Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania. The chain was headquartered in Newark, New Jersey.-History:Founded in 1893 by Louis Bamberger as L...
, with a large "Delaware Mall" concourse to the west of it. About halfway along this concourse was an exit way that led back to a twin movie theatre and a giant arcade. The center of the mall featured Cherry Court, a court with high ceilings, more tropical plants, fountains, parrots, plus a staircase leading directly into the second floor into 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...
. The northern wing featured the "Market Court", Food Fair, and Thrift Drug
Thrift Drug
Thrift Drug was a pharmacy chain based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that was founded in 1937 and purchased by J.C. Penney in 1968, and was expanded greatly thereafter. The chain served as the flagship chain of J.C. Penney's pharmacy group. The chain didn't hide its affiliation with J.C. Penney, as...
. There was also a Kresge, Woolworth's
F. W. Woolworth Company
The F. W. Woolworth Company was a retail company that was one of the original American five-and-dime stores. The first successful Woolworth store was opened on July 18, 1879 by Frank Winfield Woolworth in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as "Woolworth's Great Five Cent Store"...
, and two liquor stores. The mall changed through the years. 1973 brought a detached nine-story office tower, and in 1977 a new, two-story wing was built in the north part of the mall, following the closure and demolition of Pantry Pride and the Market Court. This wing was anchored by JCPenney. The 1990s brought much change to the mall. The mall was remodeled, possibly for the third time, featuring a teal/gray color scheme and skylights. The Mall received different fountains and the ornate 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...
staircase was replaced with a simple escalator/stairs combination. By the time 1997 rolled around, two distinct parts of the mall had formed: an upscale wing near Macy's featuring Banana Republic, 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 Ann Taylor
Ann Taylor (retail chain)
ANN INC. is an American group of specialty apparel retail chain stores for women, headquartered in New York City, . The stores offer classic styled suits, separates, dresses, shoes and accessories...
, while the JCPenney wing featured McDonald's, General Nutrition Centers, Radio Shack, and several urban shops. In the early 2000s, the mall was sold to PREIT.
Expansion (2007–2009)
Old NavyOld Navy
Old Navy is an American clothing brand as well as a chain of stores owned by Gap, Inc., with corporate operations in San Francisco and San Bruno, California. It is one of the first major corporations to house headquarters in the new Mission Bay district of San Francisco.Gap, Inc. was run by...
opened later, but PREIT had big plans for Cherry Hill. After 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...
went under after the 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...
takeover, the store was razed and backfilled. The mall eventually went under a huge renovation, its biggest ever: it added several exterior-facing restaurants including, The Capital Grille
The Capital Grille
The Capital Grille is a national chain of upscale steakhouses; it currently has locations in twenty states and the District of Columbia. It is owned by Darden Restaurants, based in Orlando, Florida, a multi-brand restaurant operator that owns other restaurant brands such as Olive Garden and Red...
, Seasons 52
Seasons 52
Seasons 52 is a restaurant chain owned by the Darden Restaurants, which also owns Olive Garden, Red Lobster, LongHorn Steakhouse, The Capital Grille, and Bahama Breeze. The restaurant has four menus that are used throughout the year, one for each of the four seasons. Their menu also varies...
, California Pizza Kitchen
California Pizza Kitchen
California Pizza Kitchen , known within the food industry as CPK, is a casual dining restaurant chain that specializes in California-style pizza...
, and Maggiano's Little Italy
Maggiano's Little Italy
Maggiano's Little Italy is an Italian-style chain of casual dining restaurants with locations throughout the United States, Mexico, Canada, and Northern Ireland founded in Chicago's River North neighborhood in 1991 by Richard Melman's Lettuce Entertain You and named for Melman's late partner,...
and a large-scale entrance to an 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....
store to the frontage of Route 38. The food court was moved to the JCPenney wing, which is much smaller than the mall's original food court but now features A&W, Subway, and many other eateries. The mall also added The Container Store
The Container Store
The Container Store is a specialty retail chain that sells storage solutions for home and office.On July 1, 1978, The Container Store opened its doors in a small, retail space in Dallas...
and Crate & Barrel as retailers outside the mall's parking lot. They also built a three-story parking garage, gutted the mall for a marble-and-wood color scheme, and created a new tenant mix to mirror 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 today consist of many upscale stores in a newly renovated interior and exterior. The new Nordstrom
Nordstrom
Nordstrom, Inc. is an upscale department store chain in the United States, founded by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin. Initially a shoe retailer, the company today also sells clothing, accessories, handbags, jewelry, cosmetics, fragrances, and in some locations, home furnishings...
anchor store opened March 27, 2009. Cherry Hill Mall has completely changed its entire exterior and interior, bringing many high-end stores, new restaurants, and a revitalizing theme running throughout the center. The renovation and transformation of the Cherry Hill Mall cost $218 million.
New stores
Since the 2009 expansion, many new stores have arrived, such as: Apple, J.CrewJ.Crew
J.Crew Group, Inc. is a multi-brand, multi-channel, specialty retailer. The company offers an assortment of women's, men's and children's apparel and accessories, including swimwear, outerwear, loungewear, wedding, bags, hair accessories, belts, jewelry, and shoes. As of January 30, 2010, it...
, Garage, Gymboree, Backstage, Steve Madden
Steve Madden
Steve Madden is the founder and former CEO of Steve Madden Ltd., a footwear company.Born in Far Rockaway, Queens, Madden grew up in adjoining Lawrence in Nassau County, New York....
, Urban Outfitters
Urban Outfitters
Urban Outfitters, Inc. is a publicly traded American company that owns and operates five retail brands: Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Free People, Terrain, and BHLDN....
, BCBGMAXAZRIA, Brighton Collectibles
Brighton Collectibles
Brighton Collectibles is an accessories manufacturer with over 100 retail stores in the United States. Brighton products can also be found in more than 6,000 boutiques nationwide....
, Tilly's, and AX Armani Exchange.
External links
- Cherry Hill Mall website
- Cherry Hill Mall, International Council of Shopping CentersInternational Council of Shopping CentersFounded in 1957, the International Council of Shopping Centers is the global trade association of the shopping center industry. Its 60,000 members in the U.S., Canada and more than 80 other countries include shopping center owners, developers, managers, marketing specialists, investors, lenders,...
- Vintage Cherry Hill Mall Postcards