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39-458: Hess's South , an early satellite location of the Hess's downtown Allentown department store, opened at the site of the mall in 1971. Hess's built a modest enclosed mall on the north side of the department store in 1975, adding a Weis Markets location and several specialty shops. In 1979, Hess's , which developed and owned South Mall and operated its largest tenant, was bought by Crown American ,

78-474: A Johnstown -based commercial real estate company, and the transaction included South Mall. Crown American doubled the size of South Mall in a 1986-1987 expansion that added a new section of enclosed mall on the southern side of Hess's South. In November 1986, discount retailer Jamesway opened its 100th store at the South Mall to anchor the new expansion, and celebrated the milestone with skydivers landing in

117-429: A large flea market, tattoo parlors, or adult movie theaters. Allentown Mayor William L. Heydt began a campaign for the city to purchase the property and redevelop the building. In October 1998, the city purchased the store from Bon-Ton, Inc. for $ 1.8 million, amounting to {{~$ 3.14 million in 2023. In addition to the department store building, the adjacent H.L. Green property, which had operated for decades as part of

156-479: A local trucking business for many years with his brother, and offered to sell the store. Berman acquired Hess for $ 16 million. Several months later, Hess died at the age of 57. Under Berman, the store name was changed from Hess Brothers to Hess's . Berman also brought in Max Rosey, a New York City and Broadway press agent, to promote the store, and they invited celebrities and notable national politicians to visit

195-487: A new 68,000-square-foot location on the former Bon-Ton space. Major tenants Minor tenants Major tenants Minor tenants Hess%27s Hess's , originally known as Hess Brothers , was a department store chain based in Allentown, Pennsylvania . The company was founded a single store in 1897, and grew to nearly 80 stores by its commercial peak in the late 1980s. The chains stores were closed or sold off in

234-702: A new office building that opened in July 2003 at the former Hess's flagship store site. The building includes one floor of leased office space, and the plaza level of the building includes retail storefronts. James A. Michener mentions Hess's flagship store in Allentown his The Novel , published in 1991, in which Hess's serves as the location where a fictional author sells his novels' first printings. Strawbridge's added to division in 1996 Meier & Frank added to division in 2002 ; Zion's Cooperative Mercantile Institution (2001, to Meier & Frank) Craft beer Too Many Requests If you report this error to

273-453: A regionally famous Emmaus -headquartered hot dog and cheesesteak restaurant chain with four Lehigh Valley locations, opened a restaurant in South Mall. In January 2017, Black Rose Antiques relocated its South Mall location to Phillipsburg Mall in nearby Phillipsburg, New Jersey . In early 2017, the anchor space Black Rose Antiques previously occupied at South Mall was subdivided with Limerick Furniture occupying most of it. The remainder of

312-435: A series of deals in the early to mid-1990s. In the summer of 1896, Max Hess Sr., a German - Jewish immigrant from Perth Amboy, New Jersey , visited Allentown , and returned to Perth Amboy, advising his brother Charles that Allentown was a major business opportunity for the company. Hess Brothers was founded on February 19, 1897, by Charles and Max Hess. The brothers moved to Allentown that year, and leased space in what

351-605: A wholly owned subsidiary. Under Crown American's leadership, Hess's enjoyed the booming retail market of the 1980s. In 1982, Hess's purchased department store chains and converted them to the Hess's nameplate, including Penn Traffic , based in Johnstown, Pennsylvania . In 1985, it opened new Hess's stores in State College , Johnstown, and acquired Rices Nachmans in Virginia Beach . In 1987, Hess's acquired

390-514: The Allentown Band was playing in front of the new Hess Brothers store to entertain the shoppers. Hess bought a significant amount of advertising space in the local Allentown newspapers to market the store. Hess Brothers' dry goods business became increasingly popular and in 1901, and Hess expanded the store, taking over the entire Grand Central Hotel. On March 6, 1913, as Hess's continued to grow, neighboring properties were acquired so

429-553: The Knoxville, Tennessee -based Miller's Department Store chain from Allied Stores by hostile takeover. In September 1987, Hess's agreed to acquire Snyder's, Inc., a privately held Louisville, Kentucky -based department store, and five L. S. Ayres stores in Kentucky that Snyder's had agreed to buy L. S. Ayres acquired them from Stewart Dry Goods and Pogue's a few years earlier. This new division operated briefuly under

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468-488: The McCrory Stores five and ten store chain and had closed, was acquired by the city. With the purchase by the city, however, a survey of the property revealed that the 9th and Hamilton Street building was in relatively poor condition and considered unsuitable for any other use. The site was considered not worth preserving, and plans were made for its demolition. The seven-story parking deck at 814 Linden Street and

507-604: The Knoxville stores, which they sold to Dillard's , and 18 other stores that they sold to Proffitt's in two transactions in 1992 and 1993. In 1994, the company's remaining 30 stores were sold off, including the main Hamilton Street store in Allentown in 1994, ending the Hess's 97-year enterprise. May Department Stores purchased 10 locations, and The Bon-Ton purchased 20 others. In 1995, Crown American sold

546-584: The Snyder's name. In November 1987, Hess's announced that it would phase out the Millers and Snyder's names in favor of its own moniker in February 1988. By 1990, Hess's had expanded to 76 stores. A number of cost-cutting measures were made following the transfer of the chain to Crown American, including abandoning most of Hess's flower and fashion shows and celebrity appearances. The store's outside windows in

585-399: The South Mall parking lot. In 1991, the mall expanded yet again, adding discount drugstore Phar-Mor as its third major anchor in the newer portion of the mall. In 1991, the older portion of the mall on the north side of Hess's was deactivated following closure of Rea & Derick, a drugstore that was acquired by CVS Pharmacy . In late 1995, Jamesway closed its South Mall location when

624-528: The chain filed bankruptcy. A year later, Stein Mart leased a majority of the space previously occupied by Jamesway. Stein Mart's South Mall location represented its first store in Pennsylvania . The remainder of the former Jamesway was subdivided between Gold's Gym and Home & Gifts, before being replaced by Ross Stores in 2012. In 1996, five years after deactivating the north side of Hess's following

663-416: The chain's national acquisition by CVS. This was replaced by Steve & Barry's , a retail clothing chain. In 2003, Crown American was purchased by PREIT , a real estate investment trust , in a $ 1.2 billion acquisition. In 2008, Steve & Barry's , another South Mall tenant, declared bankruptcy and closed its South Mall and other locations. The anchor space Steve & Barry's occupied at South Mall

702-535: The closure of the store, Bon-Ton placed the property for sale, and received inquiries from Mark Mendleson, who had a poor reputation with property management in the city. He was involved in a series of disputes with the City of Allentown with regards to non-payment of taxes, and the properties he owned being permitted to deterioriate to states of disrepair. There also was fear by the city that the property would be left vacant until property values improved, or would be used for

741-454: The departure of Rea & Derick, the north side of the mall again opened, replaced by Staples Inc. and Petco . In 1999, Weis Markets closed its South Mall store amid poor sales. The space once occupied by Weis Markets has since been subdivided into space for three newer South Mall stores, Mattress Firm , Blick Art Materials , and a Pennsylvania wine and spirits store. In 2002, Phar-Mor closed its anchor store at South Mall as part of

780-417: The early 2020s, South Mall has sponsored and hosted community events, including periodic flea markets and weekly summer food truck events. Nontraditional tenants, such as Cave Brewing Co., a full-service craft beer bar with live entertainment, and South Mall Mercantile antiques dealer, have been brought in to fill the voids left by tenants that have departed. However, both of these have since closed. In 2020,

819-558: The employee parking deck at 826 Turner Street, built in 1970, were retained and transferred to the Allentown Parking Authority . A considerable remediation effort began to rid the old building of hazardous materials. In January 2000, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection authorized the Hess's building for demolition. The demolition was completed by October 2000 and the site

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858-549: The flagship 9th and Hamilton store in Center City Allentown to Bon-Ton Stores, Inc , a regional department company based in York, Pennsylvania . However, Allentown had been in economic decline since the 1970s, and the store's operations proved unprofitable. On November 9, 1995, Bon-Ton Stores announced that the 9th and Hamilton store would be closed, and, on January 15, 1996, the store was closed permanently. With

897-631: The inside was renovated to look as one large building. Displays such as large crystal chandeliers enabled the Hess brothers to succeed at making their store look like a "big city department store." In 1939, they began renovations of the outside of the store. In 1947, the store's façade was updated in Art Deco style, which was an emerging architectural style in the New York metropolitan area . The store eventually expanded to five floors and over 400,000 square feet (37,000 m ) of retail space. It

936-422: The last anchor of South Mall, Stein Mart announced it would be closing all of its store locations including its South Mall location. On February 10, 2021, Amazon Lockers and Salisbury Youth Association opened South Mall stores, replacing the former Foot Locker that had departed. In April 2021, the franchised T-Mobile store near the mall entrance closed permanently. The corporate-owned store across from it (which

975-469: The main Allentown store were covered up after their annual holiday window decoration displays were ended, along with the regular store window dressing displays of merchandise. In the early 1990s, Hess's suffered as retail competition increased and the Allentown region was impacted by a national recession. The company responded by selling or shuttering 43 of its stores, especially those in the South , including

1014-814: The nation's second master salesman. Celebrities were brought in on a regular basis to attract customers and enhance the image of the store. As people dined in the restaurants, models would walk the floor wearing the latest fashions. The restaurant lost close to $ 20,000 a year, but it was a success in achieving its primary purpose of retaining customers with the store. Hess also cultivated strong relations with store employees, inviting them to regular company barbecues at his country house on Bausch Road in Lowhill Township , outside Allentown, until World War II made travel too difficult for his workers. With offices in London, Paris, and Rome, Hess Brothers Department Store

1053-433: The space was revamped to accommodate Full Circle Training, a gymnasium that opened in early 2018. In 2018, The Bon-Ton , which had acquired Hess's in the 1990s and represented the oldest and largest South Mall anchor, closed all of its national store locations, including its South Mall location. In 2019, Limerick Furniture also closed, leaving South Mall with Stein Mart as its sole remaining major anchor tenant. Throughout

1092-522: The store and promote Hess's nationally.   In 1974, among Hess's retail firsts, the store held an over-the-counter sale of pure gold when bullion sale was legalized, and introduced the Rudi Gernreich topless bathing suit. Hess's was one of only a handful of stores in the entire country to carry the suits, but failed to sell even one. Biannual sales events at Hess's were sometimes semi-disastrous events as shoppers, who often waited outside for

1131-425: The store could be expanded again. A soda fountain and restaurant that seated 400 patrons was opened in the store. By 1915, the store had expanded to nearly a city block, maintaining a major Center City Allentown presence at the northeast corner of 9th and Hamilton streets. In 1922, Max Sr. died at the age of 58. For the next several years, the store was run by his brother Charles. In 1927, an eight-story annex

1170-541: The store to open in the morning, proceeded to trample each other and store employees to get to purchase discounted merchandise, leaving the shelves and racks completely stripped bare afterwards. Berman began expanding Hess's, opening new stores in suburban Pennsylvania shopping malls, including the new Whitehall Mall in Whitehall Township , an Allentown suburb, which included Sears and Zollinger and Harned department stores. Berman wanted Hess's to be part of

1209-555: The wave of mall construction during the 1970s, and to be anchor stores in them. Additional stores were established in Lancaster and Easton in 1971, in Bethlehem in 1973, two in suburban Allentown shopping centers in 1974, and others in eastern and central Pennsylvania by 1979. In October 1979, Crown American , a developer and owner of hotels and shopping malls, purchased the Hess's chain, which then included 17 large stores, as

South Mall - Misplaced Pages Continue

1248-574: Was a Sprint store until its merger with T-Mobile in 2020) and Metro by T-Mobile store, however, remain open. Another store, called Uniquely Lo. Co., has opened a South Mall store. In May 2021, Claire’s closed its South Mall location. On November 14, 2023, the Giant Company revealed that in 2025, the Bon-Ton store would be demolished and the Giant food store on W. Emaus Ave. would move into

1287-433: Was added to 9th and Hamilton store that included new departments and a new shipping and delivery area. In 1929, Charles Hess died, as Max Hess, Jr. was beginning studies at Muhlenberg College in Allentown. On his 21st birthday, Max left Muhlenberg to join the family business as part of the management team. Three years later, he was appointed president. While the exterior of the store still appeared as separate buildings,

1326-742: Was always at the forefront in selling the latest fashions. Giant toy soldiers were used as Christmas decorations, and "Pip the Mouse" appeared in a puppet show at the flagship store. The store hosted an annual flower show in May, which was aired regionally on Philadelphia television, and annual imported fashions and toy shows. Hess invited celebrities to visit the store. Johnny Carson , Rosalynn Carter , Zsa Zsa Gabor , Rock Hudson , Gina Lollobrigida , Barbara Walters , Burt Ward , and others made appearances at Hess's primary 9th and Hamilton store in Allentown. In 1968, Hess contacted Philip Berman , who operated

1365-459: Was built to resist wind pressure of forty pounds per square foot (200 kg/m ). The sign was three-sided to make it visible to both eastbound and westbound traffic. The 378 circuits were operated by a clock inside the sign that had eight light cycles timed to spell the name H E S S one letter at a time. The sign was turned on for the first time on December 23, 1947. In his 1953 book, America’s Twelve Master Salesmen , B. C. Forbes listed Hess as

1404-493: Was graded with gravel, and a fence erected. During this time, a series of redevelopment options, including the building of PPL Center , a 10,000 capacity indoor arena that hosts the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and various entertainment events and concerts, was reviewed by the city. The former Hess's property was sold to PPL Corporation , which expanded its office complex onto the site with the plaza at PPL Center,

1443-459: Was leased the following year, in 2009, to Black Rose Antiques and Collectibles, an antique mini-mall with over 100 individual dealers. In June 2014, PREIT sold South Mall for $ 23.6 million to Nicholas Park Mall LLC, a company formed by seven New York area investors led by former Macy's executive Richard Krantz, after South Mall was deemed two years earlier to be one of over a dozen underperforming PREIT-owned malls. In 2016, Yocco's Hot Dogs ,

1482-453: Was the first store in the world to have automatic talking elevators, notifying its passengers what items were available on each floor. One of the landmarks of Allentown was the large Hess Brothers sign on the store's corner at 9th and Hamilton Street . The 45-foot-tall (14 m) sign was the biggest of its type outside New York City , weighing eight tons. Its letters, made of porcelain enamel, were each seven feet (2.1 m) high. The sign

1521-632: Was then the Grand Central Hotel at 3rd and Hamilton streets. Hess's first store opened at 9th and Hamilton streets in Center City Allentown . In the store's French Room, Charles Hess filled the store with fashions primarily from France. Hess made frequent trips to Paris, and wrote in an Allentown newspaper about what fashionable women were wearing for social engagements or to the Paris Opera . On February 19, 1897,

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