Liberty Tree Mall
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2011) |
 Original sign visible from Endicott Street and Route 128 | |
 | |
| Location | Danvers, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°33′09″N 70°56′23″W / 42.5524°N 70.9398°W |
| Opening date | 1972 |
| Owner | Simon Property Group and two corporate investors |
| No. of stores and services | 100 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 6 |
| Total retail floor area | 821,300 square feet (76,300 m2) |
| No. of floors | 1 |
| Website | http://www.simon.com/mall/liberty-tree-mall |
The Liberty Tree Mall is a shopping mall in Danvers, Massachusetts, USA that is one-third owned by the Simon Property Group. The Simon Property Group owns the common area of the mall between Kohl's and Best Buy. The right-hand area of the property from Best Buy to Staples is owned by Target, and the property from Kohl's to Dick's Sporting Goods is owned by New England Development.
History
The mall was built in 1972, and was renovated and expanded in 1993. The mall is less than a mile away from the Northshore Mall, in Peabody, although both malls are primarily owned and operated by Simon. Since the 1980s, this mall has focused more on the discount end, whereas the Northshore Mall has focused on the mainstream/upscale end, thus enabling them to coexist semi-peacefully.
Ann & Hope, one of the former anchor stores of the mall, was opened in 1969 before the mall was completed. The name Liberty Tree derives from the local version of Boston's Liberty Tree, which stood less than a half mile east of the current location of the mall. In the early years of the mall, a large metal tree stood at the center court to commemorate the Liberty Tree. The Liberty Tree sculpture was a featured exhibit in the New England Pavilion at the 1964-65 New York World's Fair and was designed by Albert Surman. Lechmere was the mall's other anchor.
In 1980, a food court was added that included restaurants such as The Roast House and The Fairgrounds, that served traditional carnival snacks. A Marshalls was added during the 1980s, and has been in the mall since then. Marshalls is the only remaining original anchor store. Filene's Basement, which subleased a portion of the Lechmere space in 1983,[1] moved to the Northshore Mall in the 1990s. Sports Authority and Old Navy were added after the 1993 food court-hallway expansion. Sports Authority closed in 2016, after the company filed for bankruptcy.
Lechmere and Filene's Basement were anchor stores of the mall until 1997 when they were demolished and rebuilt into Target, Staples, Dollar Tree and Best Buy in 1998/1999. An f.y.e. replaced part of an area of smaller stores, converting them into a music store/video arcade (formerly Dream Machine), both of which have since closed. Another group of stores was converted to Bed Bath & Beyond.
Ann & Hope closed its 211,300-square-foot (19,630 m2) Liberty Tree Mall store, as well as its entire chain, in 2001 due to poor sales. It was later rebuilt into Kohl's. Stop & Shop and Pier 1 Imports were later built to the left of Kohl's. A Loews Theatres 20-screen multiplex was also added to the mall.
In January 2008, Stop & Shop closed. The 91,000-square-foot (8,500 m2) store was originally built in 2003.[2] The former Stop & Shop space was converted for use by Nordstrom Rack and Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse, which opened in November 2008.[3] In 2009, the former f.y.e. was replaced by a Steve & Barry's, but only operated briefly until the company's bankruptcy. This location featured a more modern design compared to other locations.
In early 2013, PPE Casino Resorts applied to the state gambling commission for a slots parlor in the rear area of the mall, where Marshalls and the food court are located now. The announcement led to some debate, with some concerned about the character of the mall and others optimistic about jobs and revenue a slots parlor could generate for the community.[4]
Anchor Stores
- Kohl's (Opened in 2001)
- A.C. Moore
- AMC Theatres
- Marshalls (Original Anchor)
- Old Navy (Opened in 1993)
- Best Buy (Opened in 1997)
Former Anchors
- Ann & Hope (Opened 1969, closed 2001; now Kohl's)
- Bed, Bath & Beyond (Moved across street to former Linens 'n Things)
- Filene's Basement (Moved to Northshore Mall)
- Lechmere (Closed in 1997, now Best Buy)
- Stop & Shop (Opened in 2003, closed in 2008; now Nordstrom Rack)
- Sports Authority (Closed in 2016)
Outparcel stores
- Target (Opened in 1998)
- Staples (Opened in 1998)
- Dollar Tree (Opened in 1998)
- Dick's Sporting Goods (Former Galyan's)
- The Home Depot (Former Levitz Furniture Gallery)
- Nordstrom Rack (Opened in 2008)
- Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse (Opened in 2008)
- Pier 1 Imports (Opened in 2008)
Restaurants
- Buffalo Wild Wings
- Panera Bread
- 99 Restaurant & Bar (outparcel)
- Applebee's (outparcel)
- Kelly's Roast Beef (outparcel)
- Dunkin' Donuts (outparcel)
Food court
- Dunkin' Donuts
- Sea Lion Sushi
- Regina Pizzeria
- McDonald's
- China Max
- Subway
References
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=bukiAQAAMAAJ&q=%22liberty+tree+mall%22+%22lechmere%22&dq=%22liberty+tree+mall%22+%22lechmere%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=PTVPVJO7D4uiyQTC94BQ&ved=0CHcQ6AEwFA
- ^ Danvers Herald. "Stop & Shop to close at mall". December 6, 2007.
- ^ Salem Evening News. "Nordstrom Rack to dress up Liberty Tree Mall." March 6, 2008.
- ^ Rosenberg, Steven (22 January 2013). "Plan calls for slots parlor in Danvers". Boston Globe. Retrieved 7 February 2013.