Rhode Island Mall
Encyclopedia
Rhode Island Mall is a two-story, enclosed shopping mall
located in the city of Warwick, Rhode Island
, USA. It opened in October 1967 as the Midland Mall, as the first two-level mall in New England
. In 1972, Warwick Mall
was opened approximately a mile North of the Midland Mall. Although the two malls co-existed for several years, Rhode Island Mall began to lose stores once G. Fox, one of its anchor store
s, closed in 1994.
(the mall building subsidiary of Sears) purchased it in 1963. To accommodate the mall, a hill was leveled and the course of the Pawtuxet River
was altered.
The Rhode Island Mall opened in October 1967 as the Midland Mall. With 60 shops, it was the first two-level fully enclosed mall in New England. Homart sold the mall to MetLife in 1981 for $20 million.
It was officially renamed the "Rhode Island Mall" in March 1985.
In 1988, May Department Stores acquired Boston-based department store chain Filene's. May merged its previously owned G. Fox division into Filene's in 1993, and converted all of its stores, including the Rhode Island Mall location, to the Filene's name. Filene's closed their Rhode Island Mall location four years later, in favor of the existing store at Warwick Mall. After the closure of Filene's, nearly one-third of the mall (including both the former Filene's and the food court) was demolished for a two-level anchor, featuring Kohl's on one level and Wal-Mart on the other. When it became clear that neither store would open into the mall concourse, most of the remaining shops vacated, turning Rhode Island Mall into a dead mall
.
Many of the mall's vacant spaces have been leased by Royal Ahold, owners of the Stop & Shop
supermarket franchise; this lease has led to local speculation that Royal Ahold is attempting to keep the Wal-Mart from being converted to a Supercenter store with a full grocery section.
, and has been listed on Deadmalls.com
. Its anchors include Kohl's
, Wal-Mart
, and Sears
. (Sears was the final anchor store that actually opened into the mall, but began leaving their gates down permanently in 2011, finally closing access off via a partition wall in March, 2011.)
Rhode Island Mall also has five detached buildings in the parking lot occupied by Toys "R" Us, Wendy's
, Chuck E Cheese's, On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina
and Sears, which operates an automotive tire sales and service center in the fifth building.
The interior of The Rhode Island Mall still appears to be viable. Despite the lack of storefronts in the mall, the fountain in the center of the mall, as well as the elevator and escalators, continue to operate on a daily basis. The mall also continues to staff a maintenance and custodian
crew as well as a 24-hour security detail provided by IPC International
Security.
As of April 30, 2011, Management had closed access to the 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...
located in the city of Warwick, Rhode Island
Warwick, Rhode Island
Warwick is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. It is the second largest city in the state, with a population of 82,672 at the 2010 census. Its mayor has been Scott Avedisian since 2000...
, USA. It opened in October 1967 as the Midland Mall, as the first two-level mall in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
. In 1972, Warwick Mall
Warwick Mall
Warwick Mall is an enclosed shopping mall in Warwick, Rhode Island, on the north side of Interstate 295 near the junction with Interstate 95. Composed of more than of retail space, it features more than 80 stores and a food court...
was opened approximately a mile North of the Midland Mall. Although the two malls co-existed for several years, Rhode Island Mall began to lose stores once G. Fox, one of its 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, closed in 1994.
History
The land on which the mall sites was pasture land when Homart Development CompanyHomart Development Company
Homart Development Company, a subsidiary of Sears, was one of the largest builders of shopping centers and malls in the United States from 1959 to 1995.-Company history:...
(the mall building subsidiary of Sears) purchased it in 1963. To accommodate the mall, a hill was leveled and the course of the Pawtuxet River
Pawtuxet River
The Pawtuxet River is a river in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows and drains a watershed of . There are four dams along the river's length.-Course:...
was altered.
The Rhode Island Mall opened in October 1967 as the Midland Mall. With 60 shops, it was the first two-level fully enclosed mall in New England. Homart sold the mall to MetLife in 1981 for $20 million.
It was officially renamed the "Rhode Island Mall" in March 1985.
In 1988, May Department Stores acquired Boston-based department store chain Filene's. May merged its previously owned G. Fox division into Filene's in 1993, and converted all of its stores, including the Rhode Island Mall location, to the Filene's name. Filene's closed their Rhode Island Mall location four years later, in favor of the existing store at Warwick Mall. After the closure of Filene's, nearly one-third of the mall (including both the former Filene's and the food court) was demolished for a two-level anchor, featuring Kohl's on one level and Wal-Mart on the other. When it became clear that neither store would open into the mall concourse, most of the remaining shops vacated, turning Rhode Island Mall into 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...
.
Many of the mall's vacant spaces have been leased by Royal Ahold, owners of the Stop & Shop
Stop & Shop
The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company is a chain of supermarkets located mostly in the northeastern United States. Its main rivals are Shaw's Star Market and Hannaford in New England, while ShopRite and the A&P family of supermarkets are its main competition in New York and New Jersey.- History :Stop...
supermarket franchise; this lease has led to local speculation that Royal Ahold is attempting to keep the Wal-Mart from being converted to a Supercenter store with a full grocery section.
Present day
Rhode Island Mall is a dead mallDead 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...
, and has been listed on Deadmalls.com
Deadmalls.com
Deadmalls.com is an independent not-for-profit website best known for featuring shopping malls that have failed or are in the process of failing. The site features nearly 300 listings of dead or dying shopping malls, many with pictures and historical narratives...
. Its anchors include Kohl's
Kohl's
Kohl's Corporation is an American department store chain headquartered in the Milwaukee suburb of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, operating , 1,089 stores in 49 states. In 1998, it entered the S&P 500 list, and is also listed in the Fortune 500...
, Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
, and 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...
. (Sears was the final anchor store that actually opened into the mall, but began leaving their gates down permanently in 2011, finally closing access off via a partition wall in March, 2011.)
Rhode Island Mall also has five detached buildings in the parking lot occupied by Toys "R" Us, Wendy's
Wendy's
Wendy's is an international fast food chain restaurant founded by Dave Thomas on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio, United States. The company decided to move its headquarters to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. It has been owned by Triarc since 2008...
, Chuck E Cheese's, On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina
On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina
On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina is a chain of Texmex food casual dining restaurants located in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, and recently opened in Egypt, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, and South Korea...
and Sears, which operates an automotive tire sales and service center in the fifth building.
The interior of The Rhode Island Mall still appears to be viable. Despite the lack of storefronts in the mall, the fountain in the center of the mall, as well as the elevator and escalators, continue to operate on a daily basis. The mall also continues to staff a maintenance and custodian
Custodian
The term Custodian may refer to:* Janitor, a person who cleans, maintains, provides security and initiates repairs or makes minor repairs to buildings.* Custodian bank, an organization responsible for safeguarding a firm's or individual's financial assets...
crew as well as a 24-hour security detail provided by IPC International
IPC International
IPC International Corporation provides security services to shopping malls, lifestyle center properties, and various other retail venues...
Security.
As of April 30, 2011, Management had closed access to the mall
Final Indoor Tennants
The following stores were the final tenants in the mall when it closed on April 30, 2011.- First Place Sports
- GNCGNCGNC can refer to several things:*General Nutrition Centers*Gibraltar Nynex Communications, a former telecommunications operator in Gibraltar*Guagua National Colleges a private school in Guagua Pampanga.*Guidance, Navigation and Control...
- H&R BlockH&R BlockH&R Block is a tax preparation company in the United States, claiming more than 22 million customers worldwide, with offices in Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. The Kansas City-based company also offers banking, personal finance and business consulting services.Founded in 1955 by brothers...
- Lens Crafters