Opening date October 1980 No. of stores and services 72 Opened October 1980 Phone +1 610-921-9277 Number of anchor tenants 3 | Developer Interstate Properties No. of anchor tenants 3 Owner Hull Property Group Number of stores and services 72 | |
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Location Muhlenberg Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania Total retail floor area 725,000 square feet (67,400 m) Address 3050 N 5th Street Hwy #3, Reading, PA 19605, USA Hours Open today · 11AM–5PMSunday11AM–5PMMonday10AM–9PMTuesday10AM–9PMWednesday10AM–9PMThursday10AM–9PMFriday10AM–9PMSaturday10AM–9PM Similar Berkshire Mall, Coventry Mall, GoggleWorks, Granite Run Mall, Burlington Center Mall Profiles | ||
Dead mall series fairgrounds square mall
Fairgrounds Square Mall is an enclosed shopping mall located just north of Reading, Pennsylvania in Muhlenberg Township. It is anchored by Boscov's, Burlington Coat Factory, and Limerick Furniture. Smaller stores include Super Shoes, Planet Fitness, a movie theater, and Golden Eagle Comics. There are over 70 other stores in the mall, many of which are currently vacant. It is located on 5th Street Highway, U.S. 222 Business. Fairgrounds Square Mall is an official "dead mall"
Contents
The final days of fairgrounds square mall 12 24 16
History
The Fairgrounds Square Mall was developed by Interstate Properties, constructed by F&S Construction along with the Owner, Frank Saffiotti, and under the supervision of Gus, Job Site Superintendent and the Office Manager, Rebecca L. Simpson, CCA working with a labor union membership workforce representating various unions throughout the region the mall officially opened in October 1980, with Boscov's and JCPenney serving as anchors. The mall was constructed at the former location of the Reading Fairgrounds, with the Boscov's store existing on the site before the mall was built. A year later, it was purchased by First Union Real Estate Investments. A mall expansion in 1988 added several more stores as well as Phar-Mor. The mall was renovated in 1996, at which point a Montgomery Ward was built as a third anchor. The Montgomery Ward store closed in 1999. The same year, the mall was sold to Jager Management affiliate GP Properties Inc and JCPenney converted its store into an outlet format. In 2000, Jason's Furniture Outlet opened in the former Montgomery Ward anchor space. A National Wholesale Liquidators store opened in the location of Jason's Furniture Outlet in 2003, which had relocated to the former Phar-Mor.
In 2005, Burlington Coat Factory replaced National Wholesale Liquidators, and Jason's became Super Shoes and Planet Fitness. In 2011, it was announced that the JCPenney Outlet would be closing as part of JCPenney's plan to eliminate outlet stores. However, it was later announced that the JCPenney Outlet division was purchased by SB Capital Group, and rebranded as JC's 5 Star Outlet. Mall owner GP-Fairgrounds Square LP defaulted on its mortgage, which led to the mall being sold to BNY Mellon for $13.6 million in a U.S. Marshals auction on March 7, 2013. JC's Five Star Outlet closed November 30, 2013. In November 2014, Limerick Furniture opened in the former JC's Five Star Outlet space, moving from a former site in St. Lawrence. On April 13, 2016, Hull Property Group took over the Fairgrounds Square Mall, with plans to revitalize the mall.