Shoppers World (Framingham)
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Shoppers' World is the name of a power center, located on Route 9, near the intersection of Route 30 and the Mass Pike (I-90) in Framingham, Massachusetts.
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[edit] History
Shopper's World opened on October 4, 1951, making it one of the earliest suburban shopping malls in the country. It was anchored by a huge domed Jordan Marsh store at one end, and a movie theatre on the other end, all surrounded by vast parking lots.
The Jordan Marsh dome was visible from the air and was used on aeronautical charts as a visual reporting point for aircraft approaching Boston. Shoppers World was a two level, open top shopping mall with walkways connecting stores. Roofs from the stores extended over the walkways. The center area contained a water fountain and a garden area with seasonal plantings of flowers. Shoppers World was the first shopping center to have a musical water fountain show. The "Dancing Waters" attraction was based on the fountains at the 1939 New York World's Fair and was programmed to music and colored lights.
Live reindeer were housed in the center "outdoors" area each Christmas season. To walk between levels, shoppers used large 20 foot wide paved ramps. In the 1960s and 1970s, shoppers could visit stores including Jordan Marsh, Herman's Sporting Goods, Kennedy's, Jordan Marsh Basement store, Friendly's Ice Cream, Fitts Photo Shop, Doktor Pet, Lerner Shops, and Radio Shack. In the 1950s several kiddie rides, including a small ferris wheel, were set up in the open area on the end of the mall. In the mid 1960s, Jordan Marsh Basement Store was built at this end. Jordan Marsh had a rare shopping feature in its parking lot. There was a remote entry point in the middle of a vast parking lot. Shoppers could enter a small enclosure and walk down two flights of stairs to arrive in the lower level of the Jordan Marsh store.
The original Shopper's World was torn down in 1994, to be rebuilt as a modern upscale strip mall. The new Shoppers' World, featuring 795,308 square feet (74,000 m²) of retail space, opened in 1996. Stores include Best Buy and Toys "R" Us.
[edit] Anchors
- A.C. Moore (24,650 sq ft (2,290 m²)) now located on Flutie Pass
- AMC Theatres (85,000 sq ft (7,900 m²))(formerly General Cinema)
- Babies "R" Us (36,108 sq ft (3,355 m²))
- Barnes & Noble (29,963 sq ft (2,784 m²))
- Best Buy (50,090 sq ft (4,654 m²))
- Bob's Stores (50,059 sq ft (4,651 m²))
- DSW Shoe Warehouse (27,089 sq ft (2,517 m²))
- Kohl's (102,555 sq ft (9,528 m²))
- Linens 'N Things (40,159 sq ft (3,731 m²))
- Macy's Furniture (40,000 sq ft (4,000 m²))
- Marshalls (50,081 sq ft (4,653 m²))(formerly located East bound route 9)
- Office Depot (18,300 sq ft (1,700 m²))
- Old Navy (18,007 sq ft (1,673 m²))
- PetSmart (30,100 sq ft (2,800 m²))
- Sports Authority (43,629 sq ft (4,053 m²))
- Toys "R" Us (45,000 sq ft (4,200 m²))
[edit] Former anchors (original mall)
- Jordan Marsh
- Kennedy's Clothing Store
- McCrory
- Sears
[edit] Former anchors (strip)
- Kids "R" Us (now Office Depot)
- Nobody Beats the Wiz (now Best Buy)
- OfficeMax (now PetSmart)
- Sears HomeLife
[edit] See also
- Southdale Center - the first enclosed shopping mall.
- Natick Collection - a large enclosed shopping mall adjacent to Shoppers World.
[edit] External links
- A History of Shoppers World
- Shoppers World management site
- Shoppers World in Pictures
- Shoppers World official site
- Framingham/Natick Retail
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