Origins and Development

Copley Place, an enclosed shopping mall in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood, opened its doors in 1983 as part of a major urban redevelopment project. It was Boston’s largest mixed-use development at the time, strategically positioned above the Massachusetts Turnpike and the Huntington Avenue highway interchange. The development was built on the site of the former South End Armory, a historic building completed in 1890, which was demolished to make way for the Massachusetts Turnpike right-of-way in the 1960s.

The project was designed by Howard Elkus of the architectural firm The Architects’ Collaborative, marking his first major design project. Later, as a principal at Elkus Manfredi Architects, Elkus would lead several renovations and expansion plans for the mall. Copley Place was financed by the Pritzker family of Chicago and remains a major landmark in Boston’s commercial landscape.

A Hub of Luxury Retail

Copley Place was designed to be a luxury shopping destination from the very beginning, with high-end fashion stores and exclusive brands. Upon opening, the mall featured prominent names like Ralph Lauren, Tiffany & Co., and Louis Vuitton, establishing its reputation as one of Boston’s premier retail spaces. Over the years, the mall has attracted upscale brands like Gucci, Burberry, Christian Dior, and Saint Laurent, offering a diverse array of luxury clothing, accessories, and footwear.

A key feature of Copley Place is its bi-level layout, which is connected to four nearby office towers, hotels such as the Boston Marriott Copley Place and Sheraton Boston, and the Prudential Center through skybridges. The mall’s upscale environment is complemented by direct access to the Back Bay MBTA/Amtrak station via a pedestrian tunnel beneath Dartmouth Street. The connection to the Prudential Center, another major retail and office complex, further solidified Copley Place’s importance in the city’s commercial infrastructure.

Architectural Features and Changes

A striking feature at the center of Copley Place was its 60-foot sculptural fountain, created by artist Dimitri Hadzi. The fountain, made from granite and travertine marble, cascaded water into a shallow pool surrounded by marble benches. This artwork was initially one of the most distinctive elements of the mall. However, over time, it was removed during a renovation, which led to some public opposition due to the fountain’s cultural significance. By 2017, the sculpture and its components had been taken down. Whether or not they still exist is unknown.

Challenges and Expansions

In the early 2000s, Simon Property Group acquired Copley Place as part of its purchase of Urban Shopping Centers, Inc., and began managing the property. As retail trends shifted and the Boston shopping market evolved, Copley Place underwent several changes to maintain its status as a top destination.

One major expansion was proposed in 2011, which included an additional 60,000 square feet of retail space and a 54,000-square-foot expansion of the Neiman Marcus anchor store. However, due to rising costs and competition from other luxury developments in the area, plans for a major $500 million expansion, including a 52-story residential tower, were indefinitely postponed in 2016.

Changing Retail Landscape

Copley Place has witnessed several changes in its retail mix over the years. Notable stores like the Rizzoli Bookstore, which was once located in the center of the mall, closed by 2000. Similarly, Stoddard’s, a high-end cutlery store, and Williams Sonoma have both vacated the space. Over time, the mall has become even more focused on fashion and accessories, with nearly all of its stores now selling clothing, shoes, or jewelry.

The mall also housed one of the few major-chain movie theaters in Boston—the Loews Copley Place Cinemas—until its closure in 2005. This space was later replaced by a Barneys New York men’s clothing store, which closed in 2019 and was transformed into a Saks Fifth Avenue Men’s Store in 2020.

Copley Place Today

Today, Copley Place remains a prominent fixture in Boston’s retail scene. It is still home to a variety of luxury retailers, including Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, as well as brands like Jimmy Choo, Michael Kors, and Tory Burch. In 2019, MassLive ranked Copley Place the fourth-best mall in Massachusetts, behind only the Prudential Center and other large retail destinations in the state.

Managed by Simon Property Group, Copley Place continues to evolve with the changing retail landscape, balancing luxury with convenience and remaining a key part of Boston’s commercial district.

Visiting Copley Place is quite an experience: everything is high-end, from the $50 cost to park to the dazzling array of stores. The central atrium offers an amazing view up multiple levels, calling to mind the science-fiction aesthetic of a high-concept 1980s movie. Sadly, some of the retro charm of the mall itself has been lost in renovations, as historical photos showcase some beautiful floating staircases and escalators lined with planters that are now gone. Aside from the dizzying vista at the atrium, the main concourses of the mall are mostly rather plain, though the displays in the stores that line them are anything but. Shops like Ann Taylor, Talbot’s, and Burberry put forth their best efforts to lure in shoppers with extravagant holiday decor. Heading over the skywalk to the Prudential Center, a visitor could easily spend at least a day taking in all of the sights. Both malls were packed, and appear to be healthy with almost no vacancies – a great sign for their continued success in the future.