Springfield Mall (Pennsylvania)

Springfield Mall is a 589,000-square-foot (54,700 m2) regional shopping mall located approximately 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Philadelphia in Springfield Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. It is located just off Interstate 476 (the "Blue Route") along Baltimore Pike, near its busy intersection with Pennsylvania Route 320. It is serviced by a number of SEPTA bus lines as well as the mass transit system's Route 101 trolley line at the Springfield Mall station, a rarity for suburban Philadelphia shopping malls, many of which are served solely by bus routes.

Springfield Mall
South entrance to Springfield Mall
LocationSpringfield Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
Coordinates39.915°N 75.352°W / 39.915; -75.352
Opening dateSeptember 19, 1974 (1974-09-19)
DeveloperSpringfield Associates
ManagementPennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust
OwnerSimon Property Group (50%)
Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (50%)
No. of stores and services70+
No. of anchor tenants2
Total retail floor area589,000 square feet (54,700 m2)[1]
No. of floors2 (3 in Macy's)
ParkingLighted Lot
Public transit access Springfield Mall:
  Route 101
SEPTA bus: 107, 109, 110
Websitehttp://www.shopspringfieldmall.com

Springfield Mall is owned jointly by the Simon Property Group and the Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (each with a 50 percent stake), and is managed by PREIT.

It is currently anchored by a 192,000 sq ft (17,800 m2) Macy's and Target, the latter replacing a 186,000 sq ft (17,300 m2) Strawbridge's anchor store.

Full service dining options include Carrabba's Italian Grill, and Friendly's. Fast food dining options include Sbarro, Auntie Anne's Pretzels, Asian Bistro and Tony Luke's.

History
Second floor of the Springfield Mall, looking from Target

Springfield Mall opened on September 19, 1974 under the development of Springfield Associates. The original two anchor stores were Bamberger's and John Wanamaker.[2] The Bamberger's was converted to a Macy's in 1986. John Wanamaker closed in 1995 and was reopened as Hecht's the same year. In 1997, the Hecht's was converted to Strawbridge's. In 2005, PREIT and Kravco Simon acquired the Springfield Mall from Springfield Associates LP for $103.5 million.[3] Strawbridge's closed in 2006 following the sale of its parent company to the same parent company as Macy's. The building was sold to Target in 2008 and demolished fall 2008, The new Target was constructed following the Strawbridge's demolition in December 2008 and though 2009 up to the completion in September 2009, The new Target store opened on October 11, 2009 on the same site, coexisting with the nearby Target store opened in 1997 in a former Strawbridge & Clothier, the area's first Target.

1985 shooting spree

On October 30, 1985, Sylvia Seegrist, a 25-year-old paranoid schizophrenic, went on a shooting spree in the mall, killing three and wounding seven others until she was disarmed by other shoppers.[4][5]

Current anchor stores

Former anchor stores
  • Bamberger's (1974-1986, now Macy's)
  • John Wanamaker (1974-1995, later Hecht's)
  • Hecht's (1995-1997, later Strawbridge's)
  • Strawbridge's (1997-2006, demolished in fall 2008/rebuilt as Target in December 2008 until September 2009)

References
  1. "Springfield Mall Fact Sheet" (PDF). PREIT. Retrieved 2010-10-14.
  2. "Springfield Mall officially opens next Thursday". Delaware County Daily Times. September 12, 1974. p. 7. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  3. "PREIT and Kravco Simon buy mall". Philadelphia Business Journal. September 19, 2005. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
  4. Sylvia Seegrist, guilty of mass murders but insane. - The Crime library
  5. Whatever Happened To: Sylvia Seegrist - Local News Story - WCAU | Philadelphia
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