Whitehall Mall
![]() Exterior of Whitehall Mall, October 2019 | |
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Location | Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania, U.S.[1] |
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Coordinates | 40°38′00″N 75°29′10″W / 40.633264°N 75.486245°W |
Opening date | September 26, 1966[2] |
Developer | Donnelly and Seus Properties Inc.[3] |
Owner | Washington Prime Group[4] |
No. of anchor tenants | 2[4][5] |
Total retail floor area | 603,475 square feet (56,064.7 m2)[6][a] |
Parking | 2,558 spaces[7] |
Whitehall Mall is a shopping mall located in Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania.[1] It is anchored by Kohl's.[4][8] Whitehall Mall was one of the Lehigh Valley's first malls and is located across from the Lehigh Valley Mall.[2][5]
History
[edit]20th century
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/Whitehall_Mall_Whitehall%2C_PA_October_2019_-_49276438066.jpg/220px-Whitehall_Mall_Whitehall%2C_PA_October_2019_-_49276438066.jpg)
Land for the mall (19 acres (7.7 ha)) was purchased for $125,000 from a farmer and groundbreaking occurred in 1965.[2][9] Zollinger's opened before the mall on August 15, 1966, with the rest of the mall opening on September 26, 1966.[2] The mall had 52 stores including Sears, Weis Markets, Woolworth's, and Zollinger's.[2][10][11] Whitehall Mall expanded in 1973, and in 1978 Leh's opened, replacing the closed (bankrupt) Zollinger's.[2][12] Kravco become co-owner of the mall with PREIT in 1977 for 4.5 million.[3] Clover opened in March 1982.[13] Sears interior underwent a major overhaul in 1984.[14] The mall received a lowered tax assessment after settling with the county, township, and school district in 1985.[15][16]
In 1987, a suspicious fire started in the back of the mall that later caused a wall of the Leh's to be demolished.[17] Sears interior underwent another overhaul in 1994 that added 35,000 sq. ft. to the sales floor, and converted the former second floor offices to store space.[18] Several stores suffered damage due to a large roof leak in January 1990, with all stores reopening after a few days, and the roofs replacement planned for April.[19][20] Leh's closed in June 1996 due to bankruptcy, with Gallery Furniture taking over its former space in 1997.[21] Clover closed in 1996, with its replacement Kohl's opening in April 1997.[5][22]
Whitehall Mall received a $15 million renovation in 1998, where it was almost totally demalled, except for a portion near Kohl's.[5][23][24] Retaining the traditional mall look was determined to not be cost effective.[9] Sears was expanded during this time.[5] Three additional buildings were added to the mall's grounds during the renovation.[24] Weis Markets closed during renovations that almost doubled its space.[10] Plaza Theater closed in June 1999 due to having only two screens and being obsolete.[25] The theater was previously operated by Budco, and by AMC from 1987 to 1996.[26]
21st century
[edit]The opening of Gold's Gym in the mid-2000s was delayed due to design changes. Gold's Gym would use the former Leh's store and Plaza Theater.[25][27] Raymour & Flanigan relocated to the mall in 2012, occupying two vacant storefronts.[28][29] PREIT sold its 50% ownership of the Whitehall Mall in 2014 to Washington Prime Group, the mall's other owner.[4][30] Sears closed in February 2020.[31] PA Fitness (former Gold's Gym) closed in January 2022.[32]
Portions of the mall began to be redeveloped in 2023. Demolition of the former Sears began in June 2023 with Floor & Decor announced as its replacement.[33][34] Buy Buy Baby and Harmon Face Values would close in July 2023, with Bed Bath & Beyond closing in August 2023.[35][36][37] The former Old Country Buffet would be demolished in September 2023 and be replaced by parking.[37] Floor & Decor would open on December 21, 2023.[38]
Notes
[edit]- ^ Information varies, but all numbers are above 590,000 sq ft.
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Washington Prime Group Whitehall Mall". Washington Prime Group. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f Whelan, Frank (February 1, 1998). "Remembering When Whitehall Mall Was Cool". The Morning Call. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- ^ a b Shope, Dan (September 28, 1986). "FOR SHOPPERS, 'GOLDEN STRIP' GETS BETTER AS IT GETS OLDER". The Morning Call. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
- ^ a b c d Petty, Precious (December 29, 2014). "PREIT sells Whitehall Mall share to Washington Prime Group". LehighValleyLive. The Express-Times. Advance Local Media. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Todd, Susan (October 31, 1997). "Whitehall Mall To Be Given $10 Million Makeover In '98". The Morning Call. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- ^ Harris, Jon (October 12, 2018). "With Sears bankruptcy looming, Whitehall Mall gets ready for life without once-popular retailer". The Morning Call. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- ^ "Washington Prime Group Whitehall Mall 2014" (PDF). Washington Prime. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 19, 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- ^ Harris, Jon (November 7, 2019). "Sears plans to close Whitehall Mall store, the last one in the Lehigh Valley". The Morning Call. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
- ^ a b Todd, Susan (January 18, 1998). "'Power' Mall Is New Trend In Whitehall". The Morning Call. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- ^ a b Todd, Susan (October 13, 1998). "Weis Store In Whitehall Mall To Be Closed During Renovations". The Morning Call. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- ^ Fox, Martha Capwell (September 15, 2004). Whitehall and Coplay. Pennsylvania: Arcadia Pub. p. 121. ISBN 9780738536279. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- ^ Moylan, Tom (June 11, 1986). "Zollinger Bankruptcy Nears The End". The Morning Call. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- ^ Elwell, Gay (April 6, 1996). "DEAL A DEATH KNELL FOR CLOVER WHILE STRAWBRIDGE NAME WILL COME TO LEHIGH VALLEY UNDER NEW OWNER, DISCOUNT DIVISION WILL BE SPLIT OFF AND CLOSED". The Morning Call. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
- ^ "Whitehall Mall Sears Begins Remodeling Job". The Morning Call. April 26, 1984. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- ^ Duckett, Jodi (August 13, 1985). "WHITEHALL MALL GETS TAX BREAK IN SETTLEMENT TO GET $200,000 IN REFUNDS". The Morning Call. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- ^ Duckett, Jodi (August 30, 1985). "SCHOOL DISTRICT MUST REFUND TAX TO WHITEHALL MALL". The Morning Call. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- ^ "Suspicious' Fire Damages Areas Of Whitehall Mall Police". The Morning Call. April 17, 1987. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- ^ Wittman, Bob (August 7, 1994). "Young And The Restless Sears' Hoopla Unveils Whitehall Remodeling". The Morning Call. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- ^ Snyder, Susan (January 1, 1990). "Whitehall Mall Springs Roof Leak 6 Stores Shut". The Morning Call. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- ^ "Roof Fixed - Whitehall Mall Stores Reopen". The Morning Call. January 3, 1990. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- ^ Shope, Dan (January 28, 1997). "Gallery Furniture Leases Anchor Store In Whitehall Mall". The Morning Call. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- ^ Kupper, Thomas (October 12, 1996). "Kohl's Department Store Will Open In Whitehall Mall In April". The Morning Call. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- ^ Noah, Peter (January 13, 1998). "Commissioners Approve Redesign Of Whitehall Mall". The Morning Call. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- ^ a b Noah, Peter (April 16, 1998). "Phase I Of Renovations Of Whitehall Mall Begins At Its Southeast Entrance". The Morning Call. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- ^ a b Blumenau, Kurt; Jackson, Kirk (October 17, 2003). "Former Leh's store may be converted to Gold's Gym". The Morning Call. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- ^ Elwell, Gay (February 21, 1996). "Plaza 2 Theater In Whitehall Mall To Close, Amc Reveals". The Morning Call. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- ^ Beldon, Kirk (December 1, 2004). "Lehigh Valley's newest Gold's Gym now set for spring 2005". The Morning Call. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- ^ "Legend Properties, Inc. brokers 43,328 s/f deal". Mid Atlantic Real Estate Journal: 9B. November 25, 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- ^ Petty, Precious (January 5, 2012). "Raymour & Flanigan opening new store in Whitehall Township". LehighValleyLive. The Express-Times. Advance Local Media. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- ^ Glose, Jennifer (December 2, 2014). "PREIT sells interest in Whitehall Mall". Lehigh Valley Business. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- ^ Snyder, Irene (February 16, 2020). "Shoppers reflect on decades of deals as Sears closes last Lehigh Valley store". WFMZ. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
- ^ Kneller, Ryan (February 9, 2022). "Whitehall Mall gym permanently closes, adding to retail center's vacancies". The Morning Call. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
- ^ "Crews begin demolishing shuttered Sears at Whitehall Mall". WFMZ. 27 June 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
- ^ Kneller, Ryan; O'Reilly, Hanna (7 July 2023). "National retail chain to open 1st Lehigh Valley location at former Sears site in Whitehall". WFMZ. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
- ^ Kneller, Ryan (31 May 2023). "As 2 retailers near closing, rock-climbing gym and other big changes in store at Whitehall Mall". WFMZ. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
- ^ Sroka-Holzmann, Pamela (1 June 2023). "In Whitehall Mall redevelopment plan, here's what could become of Sears, Old County Buffet". Lehigh Valley Live. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
- ^ a b Sroka-Holzmann, Pamela (26 September 2023). "Old Country Buffet up next to get wrecking ball in Whitehall Mall redevelopment plan (Update)". Lehigh Valley Live. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
- ^ Sroka-Holzmann, Pamela (26 December 2023). "Flooring chain grand opens at former Sears site at Whitehall Mall". Lehigh Valley Live. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
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