Westgate Mall is a

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 in

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Bethlehem is a city in Northampton and Lehigh Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, Bethlehem had a total population of 75,781. Of this, 55,639 were in Northampton County and 19, ...

. It is anchored by

Harbor Freight Tools Harbor Freight Tools, commonly referred to as Harbor Freight, is a privately held tool and equipment retailer, headquartered in Calabasas, California, United States. It operates a chain of retail stores, as well as an e-commerce business. The com ...

Lehigh Valley Health Network Lehigh Valley Health Network is a healthcare network based in the Allentown, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. The healthcare network serves eastern and northeastern Pennsylvania. Its flagship hospital is Lehigh Va ...

, Sky Zone Trampoline Park, and

Weis Markets Weis Markets, Inc. ( doing business as Weis and stylized as weis) is a Mid-Atlantic food retailer headquartered in Sunbury, Pennsylvania. It currently operates 199 stores with over 23,000 employees in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, New Jer ...

History

The first buildings on the mall property were constructed in 1964 by Harold Campbell. George's IGA Foodliner opened in 1967 and

Hess's Hess's was a department store chain based in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The company started in 1897 with one store, originally known as Hess Brothers, and grew to nearly 80 stores by its peak in the late 1980s. The chain's stores were closed or sol ...

was built on the site in 1971. Westgate Mall was built in 1973. On February 12, 1977 a three-alarm fire occurred at the Westgate Mall causing the loss of 18 stores and injuries to several firefighters. The fire only stopped due to a firewall and was ruled arson, but no suspect was ever found. Damage to the mall totaled $2,857,452. George's IGA was sold to King's IGA in 1992, with King's planning to make upgrades. Hess's interior was redesigned in 1993 and the store was purchased by

The Bon-Ton Bon-Ton Holdings Inc. is an American online retailer and former department store chain founded in 1898. After rapid expansion in the 1990s and early 2000s, the original company had financial troubles, ultimately filing for bankruptcy in 2018 ...

in 1994. From 1999-2005, a legal dispute over the land that housed The Bon-Ton occurred, and it was eventually sold to

PREIT 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 equi ...

for $500,000. Newberry's converted to a Dollar Zone before closing in April 2002. The family of Harold Campbell attempted to take control of Westgate Mall on June 4, 2002, which resulted in legal action by the mall's two managers, who had power of attorney over it since 1997. The issue was later settled in 2002 with the managers retaining control of the mall. Starting in November 2011, The Market at Westgate farmers market opened at the mall on Wednesdays. City View Capital LLC purchased most of the mall in June 2013 for $2.3 million. PREIT, who owned the land that housed The Bon-Ton, later sold it to an affiliate of the mall's owners in December 2014 for $3.85 million. The owners of Westgate announced in mid-2015 that the mall would receive $5 million in changes, including a new facade. Sky Zone Trampoline Park was announced as a future addition to the mall in August 2015. The Bon-Ton chain liquidated starting in April 2018, with Westgate's store closing during the summer. Jack Williams Tire subleased space from The Bon-Ton. Westgate Mall was sold to Onyx Equities LLC and PCCP LLC in October 2018 for $30 million.

moved from its existing space at Westgate into part of the former Bon-Ton in May 2021.

leased part of the former Bon-Ton for equipment storage in December 2021.

opened in the mall 2022, using part of the space formerly occupied by Weis Markets. Redevelopment plans for Westgate Mall were announced in March 2022. The plans call for over 50,000 square feet of interior space to be demolished and replaced by new buildings, along with facade changes. On November 18th, 2022, it was announced that an

Elevation Burger Elevation Burger is an American fast casual restaurant chain that specializes in organic hamburgers. The company originated in Falls Church, Virginia, within the Washington Metropolitan Area. They have over 40 locations operating in the United S ...

would be going in at the north end of the mall.Elevation Burger official website

Notes

References

External links

Onyx Equities Westgate Mall
{{authority control 1973 establishments in Pennsylvania
Buildings and structures in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania Shopping malls established in 1973 Shopping malls in Northampton County, Pennsylvania Tourist attractions in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania