Springfield Mall is a regional

shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...

located approximately southwest of Philadelphia in

Springfield Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania Springfield Township, or simply Springfield, is a township in Delaware County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The population was 24,211 at the 2010 census. Springfield is a suburb of Philadelphia, located about west of the city. Geography Sp ...

. It is located just off

Interstate 476 Interstate 476 (I-476) is a auxiliary Interstate Highway of I-76 in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The highway runs from I-95 near Chester north to I-81 near Scranton, serving as the primary north–south Interstate corridor throu ...

(the "Blue Route") along

Baltimore Pike The Baltimore Pike was an auto trail connecting Baltimore, Maryland, with Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Today, parts of the road are signed as U.S. Route 1 (US 1), US 13, and a small portion of Pennsylvania Route 41 (PA 41). A section of the road ...

, near its busy intersection with

Pennsylvania Route 320 Pennsylvania Route 320 (PA 320) is a north–south state highway in southeastern Pennsylvania. The southern terminus of the long route is at U.S. Route 13 (US 13)/ PA 291 in Chester. The northern terminus is at PA 23 in Swedeland. The route ...

. It is serviced by a number of

SEPTA The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly 4 million people in five coun ...

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 is owned jointly by the

Simon Property Group Simon Property Group, Inc. is an American real estate investment trust that invests in shopping malls, outlet centers, and community/lifestyle centers. It is the largest owner of shopping malls in the United States and is headquartered in Indian ...

and the

Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust is a publicly traded real estate investment trust that invests in shopping centers mostly in the Mid-Atlantic states. History The company was founded by Sylvan M. Cohen in 1960 as one of the first equit ...

(each with a 50 percent stake), and is managed by PREIT. It is currently anchored by a

Macy's Macy's (originally R. H. Macy & Co.) is an American chain of high-end department stores founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. It became a division of the Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores in 1994, through which it is affiliated wi ...

and

Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...

, the latter replacing a

Strawbridge's Strawbridge's, formerly Strawbridge & Clothier, was a department store in the northeastern United States, with stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. The Center City Philadelphia flagship store was, in its day, a gracious urban emporiu ...

anchor store. Full service dining options include

Carrabba's Italian Grill Carrabba's Italian Grill (or simply Carrabba's) is an American restaurant chain featuring Italian-American cuisine. It is owned and operated by Bloomin' Brands, and headquartered in Tampa, Florida. History The chain was founded on December 26, ...

. Fast food dining options include

Sbarro Sbarro, LLC is an American pizzeria chain that specializes in New York-style pizza sold by the slice and other Italian-American cuisine. In 2011, the company was ranked 15th in foreign sales among U.S.-based quick-serve and fast-casual compan ...

Auntie Anne's Auntie Anne's is an American franchised chain of pretzel shops founded by Anne F. Beiler and her husband, Jonas, in 1988. Auntie Anne's serves products such as pretzels, dips, and beverages. They also offer Pretzels & More Homemade Baking Mix f ...

Pretzels, Asian Bistro and

Tony Luke's Tony Luke's is an American-based cheesesteak restaurant that was founded in 1992 by Tony Lucidonio, Sr. and his sons, Tony Luke Jr. and Nicky Lucidonio at its original location at 39 East Oregon Avenue in South Philadelphia. The franchise has sin ...

History

Springfield Mall PA 2nd floor from Target

Springfield Mall opened on September 19, 1974, under the development of Springfield Associates. The original two

anchor store In retail, an "anchor tenant", sometimes called an "anchor store", "draw tenant", or "key tenant", is a considerably larger tenant in a shopping mall, often a department store or retail chain. They are typically located at the ends of malls. Wit ...

s were

Bamberger's Bamberger's was a department store chain with branches primarily in New Jersey and other locations in Delaware, Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania. The chain was headquartered in Newark, New Jersey. History 1892–1912 Newark was known for ma ...

and

John Wanamaker John Wanamaker (July 11, 1838December 12, 1922) was an American merchant and religious, civic and political figure, considered by some to be a proponent of advertising and a "pioneer in marketing". He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a ...

. The Bamberger's was converted to a Macy's in 1986. John Wanamaker closed in 1995 and was reopened as

Hecht's Hecht's, also known as Hecht Brothers, Hecht Bros. and the Hecht Company, was a large chain of department stores that operated mainly in the mid-Atlantic and southern region of the United States. The firm originated in Baltimore, Maryland. By 20 ...

the same year. In 1997, the Hecht's was converted to

. In 2005, PREIT and Kravco Simon acquired the Springfield Mall from Springfield Associates LP for $103.5 million. 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 Sylvia Wynanda Seegrist (born July 31, 1960) is an American mass murderer who on October 30, 1985, opened fire at the Springfield Mall, a shopping mall in Springfield, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. Seegrist killed t ...

, 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.Whatever Happened To: Sylvia Seegrist – Local News Story – WCAU , Philadelphia
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Current anchor stores

Former anchor stores

(1974-1986, now Macy's) *

(1974-1995, later Hecht's) *

(1995-1997, later Strawbridge's) *

(1997-2006, demolished in fall 2008/rebuilt as Target in December 2008 until September 2009)

References

External links

Official site
{{Philadelphia Malls Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust Simon Property Group Shopping malls in Pennsylvania Shopping malls established in 1974 Springfield Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania