The Gallery at Market East
Encyclopedia
The Gallery at Market East, or "The Gallery" as it is known to locals, is an urban mall in downtown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, United States
with over 130 stores and a food court
. The mall's major anchor store
s are Kmart
and Burlington Coat Factory
.
(PREIT) acquired the Gallery I in April 2003 from The Rouse Company
. They acquired Gallery II in the third fiscal quarter of 2004 from the state
's Public School Employees' Retirement System. The total complex measures approximately 1100000 square feet (102,193.3 m²) of retail space, and at its peak, had about 130 stores.
All four levels of the mall run parallel to Market Street, with access from the basement level of the now-closed Strawbridge's
department store at 8th Street, the main entrance at 9th and Market Streets, to a concourse for SEPTA's Market East Station at 11th and 12th streets. The mall also accesses an underground concourse connecting the Market-Frankford Line
at its 8th and 11th street stations. At the west end, a short concourse with an elevator and escalators connects the mall with the Reading Terminal Market
, Hard Rock Cafe
restaurant, the head house for the old Reading Terminal
(now part of the Pennsylvania Convention Center
) and a Marriott
hotel, which are all on the periphery. The downtown Philadelphia Greyhound
bus terminal is immediately to the north, at 10th and Filbert Streets. The main entrance of the Convention Center is two blocks away on Arch Street, between 11th and 13th.
On the street level, The Gallery takes up the block between Market and Filbert Streets, between 9th and 11th streets. At 10th and Market Streets sits a two-floor Kmart
. At 11th Street, Burlington Coat Factory
holds a portion of the mall level, and some of the second and third floors; the space was originally built for a JCPenney
.
The Gallery is composed of Gallery I on its east side and Gallery II on the west, although any distinction between the two areas is no longer of any significance. Gallery I extends underground, and was formerly anchored by Strawbridge's
at 8th Street and Gimbel's
at 10th Street. The Strawbridge's site, which had 522000 sq ft (48,495.4 m²) of floor space, is now vacant after closing in 2006. Without a major department store, Modell's Sporting Goods is the major tenant of Gallery I. In 1984, the concourse was continued to the west and Gallery II section opened to the public. The Gallery II, with its first and second levels now the focal point of the entire mall, is anchored between Burlington Coat Factory
and Kmart
. It has about 50 other tenants, including major retailers Old Navy
and Pay Half. Overall the mall is largely made up of independent urban clothing and shoe stores, and is conspicuous for its lack of high-end retailers. About a quarter of the stores on the fourth level of the western end of the mall (Gallery II) are now vacant. The mall is notorious for being a destination for local teenagers, even during school hours, and it has largely garnered a poor reputation from Philadelphia residents..
In September 2008, the developers of Foxwoods Casino Philadelphia
changed their proposed casino
location to The Gallery at Market East, after enduring opposition from residents near the original proposed site in South Philadelphia
. The new proposal was endorsed by both Mayor Michael Nutter and Governor Ed Rendell
. The original proposal for the Foxwoods Casino at The Gallery at Market East was for a 3,000-slot-machine casino on two floors currently occupied by Burlington Coat Factory, forcing that store to relocate. However, on February 26, 2009, it was announced that the developers of the Foxwoods Casino were looking into locating their new casino on three floors of the former Strawbridge's store.
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with over 130 stores and a food court
Food court
A food court is generally an indoor plaza or common area within a facility that is contiguous with the counters of multiple food vendors and provides a common area for self-serve dining. Food courts may be found in shopping malls and airports, and in various regions may be a standalone development...
. The mall's major 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 are Kmart
Kmart
Kmart, sometimes styled as "K-Mart," is a chain of discount department stores. The chain acquired Sears in 2005, forming a new corporation under the name Sears Holdings Corporation. The company was founded in 1962 and is the third largest discount store chain in the world, behind Wal-Mart and...
and Burlington Coat Factory
Burlington Coat Factory
Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corporation is a national department store retailer focusing on clothing and shoes, with over 450 stores in 45 states and Puerto Rico.. In 2006, it was acquired by Bain Capital, LLC in a take-private transaction...
.
Layout and history
The mall was opened in 1977. It was later expanded as Gallery I and II in the early 1980s. The Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment TrustPennsylvania 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) acquired the Gallery I in April 2003 from The Rouse Company
The Rouse Company
The Rouse Company, founded by James W. Rouse in 1939, was a publicly held shopping mall and community developer from 1956 until 2004, when General Growth Properties Inc...
. They acquired Gallery II in the third fiscal quarter of 2004 from the state
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
's Public School Employees' Retirement System. The total complex measures approximately 1100000 square feet (102,193.3 m²) of retail space, and at its peak, had about 130 stores.
All four levels of the mall run parallel to Market Street, with access from the basement level of the now-closed 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...
department store at 8th Street, the main entrance at 9th and Market Streets, to a concourse for SEPTA's Market East Station at 11th and 12th streets. The mall also accesses an underground concourse connecting the Market-Frankford Line
Market-Frankford Line
The Market–Frankford Line is a rapid transit line in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority .-Route:The Market–Frankford Line begins at 69th Street Transportation Center, in Upper Darby...
at its 8th and 11th street stations. At the west end, a short concourse with an elevator and escalators connects the mall with the Reading Terminal Market
Reading Terminal Market
Reading Terminal Market is an enclosed public market found at 12th and Arch Streets in downtown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Over one hundred merchants offer fresh produce, meats, fish, groceries, ice cream, flowers, baked goods, crafts, books, clothing, and specialty and ethnic foods...
, Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Cafe is a chain of theme restaurants founded in 1971 by Americans Peter Morton & Isaac Tigrett. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll memorabilia, a tradition which expanded to others in the chain. In 2006, Hard Rock was sold to the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and...
restaurant, the head house for the old Reading Terminal
Reading Terminal
The Reading Terminal is a complex of buildings located in the Market East section of Center City in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States...
(now part of the Pennsylvania Convention Center
Pennsylvania Convention Center
The Pennsylvania Convention Center is a multi-use public facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania which is designed to accommodate conventions, exhibitions, conferences and other events.-History:...
) and a Marriott
Marriott International
Marriott International, Inc. is a worldwide operator and franchisor of a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Founded by J. Willard Marriott, the company is now led by son J.W. Marriott, Jr...
hotel, which are all on the periphery. The downtown Philadelphia Greyhound
Greyhound
The Greyhound is a breed of sighthound that has been primarily bred for coursing game and racing, and the breed has also recently seen a resurgence in its popularity as a pedigree show dog and family pet. It is a gentle and intelligent breed...
bus terminal is immediately to the north, at 10th and Filbert Streets. The main entrance of the Convention Center is two blocks away on Arch Street, between 11th and 13th.
On the street level, The Gallery takes up the block between Market and Filbert Streets, between 9th and 11th streets. At 10th and Market Streets sits a two-floor Kmart
Kmart
Kmart, sometimes styled as "K-Mart," is a chain of discount department stores. The chain acquired Sears in 2005, forming a new corporation under the name Sears Holdings Corporation. The company was founded in 1962 and is the third largest discount store chain in the world, behind Wal-Mart and...
. At 11th Street, Burlington Coat Factory
Burlington Coat Factory
Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corporation is a national department store retailer focusing on clothing and shoes, with over 450 stores in 45 states and Puerto Rico.. In 2006, it was acquired by Bain Capital, LLC in a take-private transaction...
holds a portion of the mall level, and some of the second and third floors; the space was originally built for a JCPenney
J. C. Penney
-External links:*...
.
The Gallery is composed of Gallery I on its east side and Gallery II on the west, although any distinction between the two areas is no longer of any significance. Gallery I extends underground, and was formerly anchored by 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...
at 8th Street and Gimbel's
Gimbel's
Gimbel Brothers was an American department store corporation from 1887 through the late 20th century. The store is known for creating the Gimbels Thanksgiving Day Parade, the oldest parade in the country. Gimbels was also once the largest department store chain in the country...
at 10th Street. The Strawbridge's site, which had 522000 sq ft (48,495.4 m²) of floor space, is now vacant after closing in 2006. Without a major department store, Modell's Sporting Goods is the major tenant of Gallery I. In 1984, the concourse was continued to the west and Gallery II section opened to the public. The Gallery II, with its first and second levels now the focal point of the entire mall, is anchored between Burlington Coat Factory
Burlington Coat Factory
Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corporation is a national department store retailer focusing on clothing and shoes, with over 450 stores in 45 states and Puerto Rico.. In 2006, it was acquired by Bain Capital, LLC in a take-private transaction...
and Kmart
Kmart
Kmart, sometimes styled as "K-Mart," is a chain of discount department stores. The chain acquired Sears in 2005, forming a new corporation under the name Sears Holdings Corporation. The company was founded in 1962 and is the third largest discount store chain in the world, behind Wal-Mart and...
. It has about 50 other tenants, including major retailers Old Navy
Old 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...
and Pay Half. Overall the mall is largely made up of independent urban clothing and shoe stores, and is conspicuous for its lack of high-end retailers. About a quarter of the stores on the fourth level of the western end of the mall (Gallery II) are now vacant. The mall is notorious for being a destination for local teenagers, even during school hours, and it has largely garnered a poor reputation from Philadelphia residents..
In September 2008, the developers of Foxwoods Casino Philadelphia
Foxwoods Casino Philadelphia
Foxwoods Casino Philadelphia was a proposed casino to be located first along the Delaware River, then under pressure from local residents attempted to move to the The Gallery at Market East in Center City in Philadelphia, PA...
changed their proposed casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
location to The Gallery at Market East, after enduring opposition from residents near the original proposed site in South Philadelphia
South Philadelphia
South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south, and the Schuylkill River to the west.-History:...
. The new proposal was endorsed by both Mayor Michael Nutter and Governor Ed Rendell
Ed Rendell
Edward Gene "Ed" Rendell is an American politician who served as the 45th Governor of Pennsylvania. Rendell, a member of the Democratic Party, was elected Governor of Pennsylvania in 2002, and his term of office began January 21, 2003...
. The original proposal for the Foxwoods Casino at The Gallery at Market East was for a 3,000-slot-machine casino on two floors currently occupied by Burlington Coat Factory, forcing that store to relocate. However, on February 26, 2009, it was announced that the developers of the Foxwoods Casino were looking into locating their new casino on three floors of the former Strawbridge's store.
Former anchors and majors
- Strawbridge & ClothierStrawbridge'sStrawbridge'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...
Flagship & Home office - Gimbel'sGimbel'sGimbel Brothers was an American department store corporation from 1887 through the late 20th century. The store is known for creating the Gimbels Thanksgiving Day Parade, the oldest parade in the country. Gimbels was also once the largest department store chain in the country...
A four-level store; replacing their regional flagship which occupied 3/4 of the block of 800 Market Street - JC Penney At 11th & Market, anchored the second phase, opened 1984
- Sterns Replaced Gimbels since 1990
- Clover Discount StoreClover Discount StoreClover was a discount chain of 26 stores operated by Strawbridge & Clothier in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. Clover stores averaged , but the first five stores it opened, ran about to .-History:The first Clover store opened in 1971...
Replaced Sterns since 1996
Transit connections
The following rail stations are connected to The Gallery:- 8th St Station8th Street (SEPTA station)8th Street is a subway station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the corner of 8th Street and Market Street. It is served by SEPTA's Market-Frankford Line and Broad–Ridge Spur, and the PATCO Speedline...
— SEPTASoutheastern Pennsylvania Transportation AuthorityThe Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority is a metropolitan transportation authority that operates various forms of public transit—bus, subway and elevated rail, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolley bus—that serve 3.9 million people in and around Philadelphia,...
Market-Frankford LineMarket-Frankford LineThe Market–Frankford Line is a rapid transit line in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority .-Route:The Market–Frankford Line begins at 69th Street Transportation Center, in Upper Darby...
, SEPTA Broad-Ridge Spur, PATCO SpeedlinePort Authority Transit CorporationThe PATCO Speedline, also known colloquially as the High Speed Line, is a rapid transit system operated by the Port Authority Transit Corporation, which runs between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Camden County, New Jersey... - 11th St Station11th Street (SEPTA station)11th Street is a subway station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the corner of 11th Street and Market Street in Center City. It is served by SEPTA's Market-Frankford Line and provides a connection to Market East Station....
— SEPTA Market-Frankford Line - Market East Station — SEPTA Regional RailSEPTA Regional RailThe SEPTA Regional Rail system consists of commuter rail service on thirteen branches to over 150 active stations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States and its suburbs. Service on most lines runs from 5:30 AM to midnight...
External links
- The Gallery at Market East — corporate website
- The Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment trust — corporate owners
- Philebrity