Connecticut Post Mall
 | A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. (July 2015) |
 | |
| Location | Milford, Connecticut, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Address | 1201 Boston Post Road, Milford, CT 06460 |
| Opening date | 1960 |
| Developer | Sol Atlas |
| Management | Centennial Real Estate |
| Owner |
|
| No. of stores and services | 215[2] |
| No. of anchor tenants | 5 (4 open, 1 vacant) |
| Total retail floor area | 1,334,000 square feet (116,332 m²)[3] |
| No. of floors | 3 |
| Website | shopconnecticutpostmall |
The Connecticut Post Mall (previously named the Connecticut Post Shopping Center and the Westfield Connecticut Post) is a three-story shopping mall, located on the Boston Post Road (Route 1) in Milford, Connecticut. It is currently the largest mall in the state of Connecticut[3] and is partially owned and operated by Centennial Properties. The mall currently houses over 215 retail stores. The anchor stores are Dick's Sporting Goods, Macy's, Sears, and Target. The mall also features a 14 screen cinamark (formerly rave cinema movie theater, including an IMAX theater.
History
The original, open-air mall was built by Sol Atlas[4] and opened in 1960,[5] anchored by a W. & J. Sloane furniture store and a Stop & Shop supermarket at opposite ends.[6] In 1962, the sixth branch of the Alexander's department store chain opened.[7] Following an early fire at the west end of the mall, a Caldor discount store was built as the new anchor.
In 1981, the mall was enclosed. The mall underwent a renovation in 1990 which added the Skyview Cafe food court, and lost anchor Alexander's.
The Mall strongly opposed the proposed rival New Haven Galleria mall at Long Wharf, filing over 15 lawsuits.[8][9]
A $118 million[10] 480,000-square-foot (45,000 m2)[11] expansion project took place in 2005–06, adding:
- an additional level of parking
- a 75,000-square-foot (7,000 m2)[11] third floor to Macy's
- a large extension to the building with a 55,000-square-foot (5,100 m2)[11] movie theater (Connecticut Post 14, replacing the Milford Fourplex, previously located in an adjacent building. Was Cinema De Lux, now a Rave Cinema owned by Cinemark), a new food court, and two more anchors, Dick's Sporting Goods and Target.
In December 2015, Westfield sold Connecticut Post in a $1.1 billon deal involving 5 malls.[12]
On March 17, 2017, it was announced that JCPenney would be closing their store as part of the company closing 138 stores nationwide. The store closed on July 31, 2017.
Current anchors
- Dick's Sporting Goods (part of former Caldor)
- Macy's (225,000 sq ft.) (originally G. Fox, later Filene's)
- Sears (194,000 sq ft.) (former Stop & Shop)
- Target (part of former Caldor)
Movie theatre
The Rave Cinemas theater is a 14 screen theatre, including a 30-foot by 60-foot curved screen IMAX auditorium, with enhanced audio and digital projection. In 2006, the theatre opened as a Cinema De Lux. By Late 2009/Early 2010, the theatre was sold to Rave Cinemas. In 2010, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 was the first movie shown after the conversion of one auditorium to IMAX was completed in November, 2010.[13] It is one of only five IMAX format screens in the state of Connecticut.[14] In 2013, the theatre was bought by Cinemark and the Rave brand was kept.
Former anchors
- Alexander's (155,000 sq ft.)
- Caldor
- Filene's (225,000 sq ft.)
- G. Fox (225,000 sq ft.)
- JCPenney (155,000 sq ft.)
- Stop & Shop (194,000 sq ft.)
References
- ^ Bill Cummings (December 21, 2015). "Connecticut Post mall has new owner". Connecticut Post. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
- ^ "Connecticut Post Mall - Milford, Connecticut". Connecticut Post Mall. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
- ^ a b "Largest Connecticut Shopping Malls".
- ^ "Shopping Center Set for Milford", New York Times, July 29, 1956
- ^ International Council of Shopping Centers – "Fresh Start", by Debra Hazel – accessed January 27, 2007
- ^ "MALL HALL OF FAME". Retrieved December 22, 2015.
- ^ "Alexander Chain Opens 6th Store", New York Times, August 21, 1962
- ^ Yale Herald Online – "New Haven sues Milford in latest Long Wharf mall battle", by Sangeetha Ramaswamy, 2000? – accessed January 27, 2007
- ^ New Haven Advocate – "Retail of Woe", by Carole Bass, 1998? – accessed January 27, 2007
- ^ Connecticut Post Archived May 28, 2005, at the Wayback Machine – link defunct
- ^ a b c New Haven Register – "Expansion of Milford mall off until spring" by Brian McCready, November 13, 2003 – accessed January 27, 2007
- ^ "Westfield sells Milford's Connecticut Post, 4 other malls for $1.1 billion". Retrieved August 15, 2016.
- ^ "IMAX comes to Milford, just in time for Harry Potter's newest adventure". The Connecticut Post. Accessed December 1, 2011.
- ^ "IMAX theatres". IMAX theatres within 100 miles of New Haven, Connecticut. Accessed December 1, 2011.
External links
- Connecticut Post Mall website
- Milford Mall Connecticut Post (Boston Post Road)