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38-545: The Exton Square Mall is shaped as a square with the southern half of the mall two floors and the northern half one floor. Macy's is located at the center of the mall while the other anchor stores and the food court are on corners of the mall. It is owned by PREIT . As of 2023, the facility has been cited among lists of " dead malls " in Pennsylvania, although the Exton Square Mall Carnival remains

76-478: A Kresge's , Woolworth's , and two liquor stores. The mall changed through the years; 1973 brought a detached nine-story office tower. 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 more change to the mall, with the mall being remodeled once more, featuring

114-516: A Sears shopping cart filled with fire extinguishers inside of the Community Room. The Exton Square Mall contains three anchor stores . The largest is Macy's , which is 181,200 square feet (16,834 m) in area and opened with the mall in 1973 as Strawbridge & Clothier (later Strawbridge's ) before becoming Macy's in 2006. The second largest is Boscov's , which is 178,000 square feet (16,537 m) in area and opened in 1999 as part of

152-504: A mall expansion. The third largest a vacant anchor spot last occupied by Sears , which is 144,301 square feet (13,406 m) in area and also opened in 1999 as part of the mall expansion. Sears closed in September 2019. There is also a 118,000-square-foot (10,963 m) anchor spot used by Round One Entertainment since 2016. It originally opened as JCPenney 2000 as part of the mall expansion, but closed in 2014. Round One only occupies

190-400: A nearby open-air shopping mall. Other tenants such as CharlotteRusse, Zumiez, H&M, and all but two food court tenants have departed from the mall. In 2019, the non-anchor occupancy rate at Exton Square Mall was 65.1%. Many of the stores in the mall are non-traditional tenants such as medical offices, a chess club, an art studio and gallery, and a chamber of commerce office. In Spring 2022, it

228-511: A new tenant mix similar to King of Prussia . The mall today consists of many upscale stores in a newly renovated interior and exterior. 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. In December 2022, the Cherry Hill Police Department banned shoppers under the age of eighteen from entering

266-408: A popular event. The mall is 62% occupied as of April 2024. It contains a handful of small stores and a food court, which only has two tenants remaining: Pennsylvania's first Chick-Fil-A and a local pizza parlor. PREIT is considering a sale of the dying shopping mall, and has ceased investing in the "non-core" property. Plans for redevelopment have surfaced in recent months. The Exton Square Mall

304-460: 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 1997, two distinct parts of the mall had formed: an upscale wing near Macy's featuring Banana Republic and Victoria's Secret , while the JCPenney wing featured General Nutrition Centers and several urban shops. In 2003,

342-558: Is an indoor shopping center located in Cherry Hill , New Jersey , within the unincorporated namesake neighborhood and census-designated place (CDP) of Cherry Hill Mall, New Jersey . The mall opened on October 11, 1961, as the Cherry Hill Shopping Center , designed by architect Victor Gruen and built and managed by The Rouse Company . It was the first indoor, climate-controlled shopping center east of

380-694: Is located in the unincorporated community of Exton in West Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania at the northeast corner of the intersection between east-west US 30 Bus. and north-south PA 100 . The intersection between US 30 Bus. and PA 100 is known as "the crossroads of Chester County". The mall is located near the US 30 bypass of Exton, the US 202 expressway, and the Pennsylvania Turnpike . Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) bus routes 135 and 204 stop at

418-549: Is located within the mall between Macy's and Boscov's . The design of the facility is similar to buildings where physician practices are grouped together. The opening of the Exton Square Mall coincided with rapid growth in West Whiteland Township, with the population increasing from 7,900 in 1973 to over 16,000 by 2000. Since the opening, many shopping centers and office parks have been built in

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456-494: Is part of the food court today. In developing the Exton Square Mall, The Rouse Company was responsible for restoring the Zook House , a historic 18th century farmhouse that existed at the site of the mall. By the 1990s, the mall, which had no major renovations, was starting to show its age, leading to plans for expansion. In 1992, the mall proposed adding two anchor stores. In 1995, plans were made by The Rouse Company to expand

494-473: The Macy's takeover, the store was razed and backfilled to make way for the new Grand Court featuring 140,000 square feet (13,000 m ) of new retail, along with a new 138,000 sq ft. Nordstrom anchor store which opened on March 27, 2009. Additionally, the mall added several exterior-facing restaurants in a new section known as Bistro Row. A large-scale entrance to an H&M store to the frontage of Route 38

532-555: The Mid-Atlantic states . The company was formerly known as Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust. The company was founded by Sylvan M. Cohen (1914-2001) in 1960. In 1997, the company acquired the Rubin Organization for $ 260 million. In 2003, the company acquired 6 shopping malls from The Rouse Company . The company also acquired Crown American . In 2012, Joseph Coradino was named chief executive officer of

570-669: The Mississippi River in the United States. Rouse sold its shopping center portfolio to PREIT in 2003. The mall has a gross leasable area of 1,248,347 square feet (115,975.2 m ), placing it in the top ten among the largest shopping malls in New Jersey . It is currently anchored by JCPenney , Macy's , and Nordstrom . The farm that was near the site of the Cherry Hill Mall is widely held to be

608-558: The Cherry Hill Estates housing development and the Cherry Hill Inn. The Cherry Hill Mall opened on October 11, 1961, on the former site of the 16-acre (6.5 ha) George Jaus farm. It was designed by Victor Gruen and built and managed by The Rouse Company at a cost of $ 30 million (equivalent to $ 306 million in 2023). Upon opening, it was the largest mall in the nation and is commonly referred to as

646-591: The Exton Square Mall into the first regional mall in Chester County. In 2003, The Rouse Company sold the Exton Square Mall along with the Cherry Hill Mall , Echelon Mall , Moorestown Mall , Plymouth Meeting Mall , and The Gallery at Market East to PREIT for $ 548 million. In 2005, Federated Department Stores purchased May Department Stores , the owners of Strawbridge's, and planned to convert several Strawbridge's locations to Macy's , including

684-488: The Exton Square Mall would be used in the filming of MallBrats , the sequel to his 1995 film Mallrats . MallBrats was originally intended to be filmed at the Granite Run Mall , but the plan fell through due to that mall's impending demolition. In February 2017, plans for filming MallBrats were cancelled. PREIT PREIT is a privately held company that owns and develops shopping centers , mostly in

722-399: The Exton Square Mall, in which the size of the mall would be doubled. The Rouse Company purchased 12 acres near the mall to be used for the expansion. Boscov's and JCPenney signed leases to open locations at the Exton Square Mall in 1996 with Sears following in 1997. In September 1997, West Whiteland Township supervisors approved the expansion of the Exton Square Mall. Groundbreaking for

760-533: The company. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on November 1, 2020, and exited bankruptcy protection on December 11, 2020. On December 10, 2023, PREIT once again filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company exited its bankruptcy proceedings in April 2024 under the ownership of its former lenders and appointed Jared Chupaila as CEO. Notable properties owned by PREIT are as follows: Cherry Hill Mall The Cherry Hill Mall

798-576: The expansion took place in December 1997. In 1998, the Zook House, which had served as the mall management office, was relocated to make way for the new Boscov's store. The expansion added three new anchor stores, a new food court, two parking garages , and a completed second level. The expanded mall was designed to reflect the agricultural heritage of Chester County. In addition to expanding the mall, The Rouse Company improved US 30 Bus. and PA 100 near

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836-483: The facility, and mold is to be seen on decaying ceiling panels and around air vents. Additionally, the building's central air conditioning system appears to have broken sometime in July 2024, as the temperature within the mall reflects the exterior climate. Plug-in industrial fans are seen circulating air throughout the complex, though particularly in the food court area. There do not appear to be any plans to repair or restart

874-473: The first enclosed and climate-controlled mall in the Eastern United States. The mall featured 90 stores, exotic birds, tropical plants, fountains and a movie theater. The mall layout was 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

912-402: The lower level and the upper level remains vacant. In addition to the anchor stores, the mall has dozens of smaller stores. The mall also contains a food court with 13 spaces. The mall is shaped as a square, with the first floor looping around the southern half of the mall and the second floor looping around the whole mall. Macy's is located in the center of the square, with the former Sears at

950-514: The mall at a cost of $ 3 million. Boscov's, Sears, and the new food court opened in 1999. Construction concluded in May 2000 with the opening of JCPenney and 48 new stores; a grand reopening was held to commemorate this. The expansion of the mall cost $ 125 million. The number of stores in the Exton Square Mall increased from 95 to 150 and retail space expanded from 435,000 square feet (40,413 m) to 980,000 square feet (91,045 m). The expansion turned

988-623: The mall at the Exton Transportation Center, providing access to West Chester , Coatesville , Eagleview , and Paoli . The mall is also near the Exton station that is served by the Paoli/Thorndale Line of SEPTA Regional Rail and Amtrak 's Keystone Service and Pennsylvanian . The Exton Square Mall has a market area that covers most of Chester County along with the western portion of Delaware County ,

1026-419: The mall was sold to PREIT . Under PREIT's ownership, Old Navy moved in early on, but the company had bigger plans for the mall. From the period of 2007 to 2009, the mall underwent a massive $ 220 million renovation that saw 228,000 square feet (21,200 m ) of new retail added. Jim Ryan and his team at JPRA Architects were brought in to create the mall’s new design. Following Strawbridge's closure after

1064-531: The mall's HVAC equipment. As of August 2024, additional stores have departed from the mall, many of which still contain trace amounts of inventory and other miscellaneous items. Multiple storefronts have lights on and signs up, but no merchandise within. Additionally, the first floor seating area and Community Room by the Boscov's are in disarray, with planters in random locations by the former service desk and random miscellaneous items such as Elevator Closed signs and

1102-672: The northwest corner, the food court at the northeast corner, Boscov's at the southwest corner, and Round One Entertainment at the southeast corner. The Exton Square Mall complex also contains several facilities including the Chester County Library at Exton, the Exton Transportation Center with connections to the King of Prussia mall, and medical facilities. The Main Line Health at Exton Square

1140-616: The redevelopment, PREIT would take over the Kmart outparcel in 2016. On July 29, 2015, PREIT announced that they would demolish the Kmart outparcel and replace it with Whole Foods Market . Whole Foods Market opened on January 18, 2018. In addition, Round One Entertainment opened a bowling and entertainment center in the first floor of the former JCPenney on December 9, 2016. In 2017, the Sears Auto Center closed. On July 14, 2019, it

1178-400: The source of the 1962 renaming of what had been called Delaware Township to its current name of Cherry Hill Township. The town was named Cherry Hill in a voter referendum due to the development of a new U.S. 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

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1216-476: The store at Exton Square Mall. Strawbridge's became Macy's in 2006. In January 2014, Main Line Health opened a 32,000-square-foot (2,973 m) healthcare facility on the first floor. On January 15, 2014, it was announced that the JCPenney store would be closing as part of a plan to close 33 locations nationwide. With the closure of JCPenney, PREIT announced plans to reposition the Exton Square Mall. As part of

1254-673: The township. Following the opening of the mall, the West Whiteland Township Police Department was created to patrol the township as the demand from the mall would be too much for the Pennsylvania State Police to handle. When the Exton Square Mall first opened, several stores in downtown West Chester closed. In 2011, the Exton Square Mall saw sales per square foot of $ 332. On September 10, 2015, director Kevin Smith announced that

1292-500: The western portion of Montgomery County near Pottstown , the extreme southern portion of Berks County , and the extreme eastern portion of Lancaster County . The Exton Square Mall was built by The Rouse Company and opened its doors in March 1973. The mall had one anchor store, Strawbridge & Clothier , surrounded by a ring of smaller stores. It was also home to Pennsylvania's first Chick-fil-A restaurant which opened in 1973 and

1330-465: Was also added, while the food court was also moved to the JCPenney wing, in a much smaller configuration than the mall's original food court but now features many eateries. The mall also added The Container Store and Crate & Barrel as outparcel retailers outside the mall's parking lot. Additionally, a three-story parking garage was constructed, while the whole mall was redesigned with a contemporary marble-and-wood color scheme. The new changes created

1368-447: Was an exit way that led back to a twin movie theatre and a children's amusement park with six rides and a mini roller coaster with 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 to the second floor into Strawbridge & Clothier . The northern wing featured the "Market Court", Food Fair , and Thrift Drug . There were also

1406-467: Was announced that a store-within-a-store style Toys R Us will open on the lower level of Macy's, but these plans never materialized. It was announced on March 15, 2022 that PREIT will sell the Exton Square Mall to raise money to pay down their debt. The sale to Brandywine Realty Trust subsequently fell through, for unknown reasons. The mall has multiple major roof leaks, particularly by the lower Macy's entrances. Buckets and cones can be found throughout

1444-611: Was announced that the Sears store would also be closing. The store closed in September 2019. On May 13, 2021, a COVID-19 vaccination clinic opened in the former Sears building. In recent years, the Exton Square Mall has seen an increase in the vacancy rate, due to declining mall traffic and ongoing competition from the larger King of Prussia mall located 14 miles (23 km) away. Some former stores and tenants such as LensCrafters, Banana Republic, and Saladworks moved to Main Street at Exton,

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