Exploring the Legacy of Springfield Mall: Then and Now
The Springfield Mall opened with 70 stores in 1974. The main interior section of the mall was 350,000 square feet, and with Bamberger’s and John Wanamaker as anchors, the area more than doubled to 715,000. The interior featured “an imaginative stainless steel sculpture by Remo Saraceni and a pool, fountains and tropical garden which will have its own weather conditions to match outdoor conditions in the area” (source). It was the second mall in the county, and opening celebrations included performances by various bands ranging from the Mummers, chamber music, bagpipes, and a barbershop quartet. Shoppers could park in one of the 15,000 spaces outside or take buses or trolley lines directly to the mall.
In the years that followed, Springfield Mall was run with high standards for its staff and retailers. Stores had strict appearance codes, with the hope that the shopping center would provide a modern alternative to the shops in downtown Philadelphia. Community events were held at the mall, including fashion shows, visits from local celebrities, a firefighters’ competition, and photography contests in which the winners received gift certificates for stores at the shopping center.
One tragic event in the mall’s history is America’s first mass shooting where the perpetrator was a woman. 25-year-old Sylvia Seegrist wounded seven shoppers and killed three, including a two-year-old, in a 1985 rampage. Seegrist, who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, was found guilty but insane and is still incarcerated in the State Correctional Institute in Muncy, Pennsylvania.
Currently, the Springfield Mall still has over 70 stores and over 589,000 square feet of retail space, including anchors Macy’s and Target, the latter replacing Strawbridge’s in 2008-2009. It is jointly owned by Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT) and Simon Property Group. The mid-sized mall has relatively few vacancies – the most notable being the former K&B Brick Store, which appears to be online only presently – and the mall was full of shoppers the night I went there. The central atrium features large skylights and an elevator decked out with string lighting that sits atop a large decorative motif on the floor. Geometric patterns are cut out of the ceilings and inlaid on the floor, breaking up the boxiness that can pervade smaller indoor shopping malls. Though it’s smaller than some malls, it’s definitely worth a visit for indoor mall aficionados. The original décor has long since been updated, but it offers a pleasant mix of shops and a fun glimpse into a slice of retail history that is otherwise fading.
Matthew Christopher PA Springfield May 22, 2024 Architecture Malls Retro/Nostalgia
May 22, 2024
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