NESHAMINY'S NATIVE CONNECTION - NESHAMINY MALL - BENSALEM PA

For 13 years, I lived within short walking distance of Neshaminy Mall. As such, I will always call it one of my "local" malls, even though now I live 20-30 minutes away, depending on traffic. As mentioned in a previous post, my new local mall, for going on a year now, is the beautiful Willow Grove Park.

Neshaminy Mall, located just off US-1 in Bensalem PA, opened in 1968. In 1966, plans were begun to construct the mall, with Sears and Strawbridge & Clothier signing on as original anchors. The mall, set to cost a handsome $24M at construction, was a collaboration between the Korman Company and Strouse Greenburg.

The mall was on the grow, as a few short years later, in 1975, it woud receive an expansion, that would add a Lit Brothers department store. An unfortunately short-lived location, this store would close in 1977, and a Pomeroy's store would take its place. A decade later, in 1987,  when Pomeroy's was sold off, the space would change hands to The Bon-Ton.

1989 would see Neshaminy add a much-needed food court. Mutual of New York would sell off the mall to Homart Development Company in 1990 for $50M. Bon-Ton would close its Neshaminy location in 1994. The space would not sit vacant for long.

Time for a renovation in 1995! This would see (my favorite) Boscov's department store fill the void left behind when The Bon-Ton vacated, in addition to enlarging the food court. It was also around this time that GGP (General Growth Properties) would come to own the mall as part of its acquisition of the Homart Co.

BOSCOV'S AT SUNSET

Any good mall needs a cinema, and in 1997, Neshaminy Mall got just that... via a brand new 24-screen AMC Theater. Having been initially opposed by Bensalem officials, the theater would ultimately be greenlighted, and in 1998 after a year of planning and construction, the AMC would be completed and opened, with a price tag of $11M.

2006 would bring sad news to the mall, as it's original anchor, Strawbridge & Clothier (often shortened to simply "Strawbridge's) would become Macy's as The May Co. had been acquired by Federated Department Stores at that time. Strawbridge's had played such an important role in Neshaminy's development, aesthetic, ethos, and *character* that its exit from the mall would be pretty tragic. Here's where I must give credit to Macy's for having preserved many of the elements that had been integral to the mall. Macy's has tried to remain true, in many cases, to the legacy of the previous classic department chains they would acquire.

I will devote some of this post to a brief history of the Strawbridge & Clothier Co. Based in Philadelphia PA, the chain was begun by Quaker dry goods sellers Justus Clayton Strawbridge & Isaac Hallowell Clothier in 1868. The chain would be responsible for the creation of Philadelphia radio station staple WFIL at its original outset in 1922, the "Famous 56" on your AM dial! They would merge, ultimately with Lit Brothers' radio station WLIT in 1933, keeping the callsign WFIL and now part of the NBC Blue network of affiliates.

A major part of Strawbridge's branding was the famous Seal of Confidence. The seal depicts William Penn, founder of the State of Pennsylvania, shaking hands with a Lenape tribesman. It was said that William Penn had a gentleman's agreement,"never written, never broken", with the native tribes that he would always deal with them fairly. The Strawbridge's Department Store used this powerful imagery as a metaphor for how they would likewise deal with their customers and clientele with fairness and honesty, up to and including a money-back guarantee on anything it sold. This seal would be on marble seals, embedded inside and outside their store locations. It would appear printed on boxes and shopping bags, even things like shoe horns and the like. It would appear on charge coins, used in lieu of credit cards for many years. It was literally everywhere. 

Sadly, when the May Co. acquired them, you would begin to see the Seal become less and less a part of their branding. To their credit, however, they left the seals on the interior entrances and on the exterior of the stores... even in the case of the massive single seal that appears outside the Macy's in Concord Mall in Wilmington DE. 

Another interesting symbol appearing in their flagship store in Philadelphia was the statue of a wild boar. A copy of "Il Porcellino" by Pietro Tacca, it was legend to rub the boar's nose for luck. The statue was rubbed to a shine with all those wanting a piece of that luck!

At the Neshaminy Mall location, two major installations by the Strawbridge Company would give the mall a unique character and history as well. These were the Freedom Wall & the Indian Statue & Fountain that appeared in the courts in front of the store. The "Indian Fountain" would replace the more generic fountain the mall was originally built with.

The "Freedom Wall" appeared to the left-hand side of the entrance to Strawbridge's. These were a wonderful and interactive tribute to the history of Pennsylvania, and its larger place in American History overall. These were intricate diorama's placed behind glass. Originally, they were animated and depicted some of the most pivotal events in the founding of the United States.

Alternatively known as the "Windows of History" they featured animatronics showing seven different scenes. The Signing of the Declaration of Independence, The Battle at Germantown, The Liberty Bell Taken to Allentown, Washington's Crossing of the Delaware, Washington at Valley Forge, Benjamin Franklin, and the self-referential William Penn shaking hands with the Neshaminy Indian. Eventually the animations stopped working and as they no longer were a draw to that spot in the mall, they have never been repaired. A petition from Bensalem resident Hal Aaron to restore the dioramas was begun years ago, and apparently went nowhere, as the they appear to be, sadly, permanently stilled. 

The second major feature that Strawbridge's placed, was the characteristic fountain. Neshaminy Mall takes its name from the Neshaminy Valley, where it sits, and its nearby Neshaminy Creek. 

The word "Neshaminy" in the Lenni-Lenape tongue means, "double drinking place" or "where we drink twice" depending on translation. The word is a reference to the Native Indians discovering the creek they would name Neshaminy, had an odd geographic feature. This feature of the creek known as the Neshaminy Palisades is where the course of the creek slows itself down, changes direction at a near-right angle, and almost forces the water back upon itself. Located within Dark Hollow Park, it lies between Warwick Township & Buckingham Township.

The famous statue-and-fountain depicts Lenni-Lenape tribal leader, Tawanka (itself meaning "willingness to achieve") taking a drink from the fountain, a reference to this "double drinking place" the mall, and the area itself, derives its name from. It is a wonderful feature, probably my favorite mall fountain, simply because of its deep symbolism and historical importance to the community it resides within. Every visit to the mall must include a stop at the fountain, to sit and listen to the water, and have a moment of reverence for this beautiful and significant piece, and the life of Tawanka, being representative of the greater Lenni-Lenape tribe.

It's touches like these, that even though Neshaminy has undergone some pretty drastic cosmetic and aesthetic changes over the years, that make Neshaminy Mall a constant favorite to go Boscoving (yes, that's a verb), do some mall walking, grab a bite at the food court, or drop some cash at the array of inlines. The Strawbridge's seals are still present on the exterior, the Freedom Wall still exists, non-working unfortunately, and that unique fountain... all paying tribute to the Strawbridge Co.'s role in the development of the mall, and its overall ethos and interest in preserving history, and their dealings with the public.

One feature that also once gave a nod to the the Native American culture was the placement of the famous totem pole. Constructed in 1973 by the Simpson Sign Co. out of nearby Croydon, PA, it once stood tall by the roadside of US Rt. 1, and could be seen for miles as one approached the mall. Sadly, a 1995 renovation for the signage, to keep up with the new theme of the mall's renovations, saw the removal of the totem pole. There has been speculation that some saw the structure as problematic, because of a potential negative racial connotation, but those rumors were more or less unfounded. The official reason given for its removal was that it looked "dated", and further, a friend and former coworker whose name I withhold for privacy purposes, who once worked security for the mall says they were told that the totem pole succumbed to dry rot by mall officials. Regardless, the once mighty totem pole that paid tribute to the area's heritage, and alerted passing motorists of the mall's presence, is now gone, preserved only in the few photographs that show it existed.

Macy's, in the former Stawbridge's space, would remain at the mall until 2017. It was announced shortly after the new year, on January 4, that the Neshaminy location of Macy's would be closing as of the month of April. This turn would signal a shift for the mall... as now, more vacancies were showing up, some drawing the conclusion that the exit of Macy's had something to do with it.

The mall was now down to two anchors, Sears and Boscov's. As a result of the continuing deterioration of the Sears company as a whole, it was sad, but not shocking news, that the Neshaminy location would announce their closing, as part of a 142-store list that wouldn't make the cut. It would close in late 2018, along with its nearby sibling, the Oxford Valley Mall Sears.

In the latter portion of 2019, Round 1 Entertainment, a facility offering bowling, arcade and other games, karaoke, and even dining, would announce their plans to replace the vacant Sears space within Neshaminy. An opening date sometime in July of 2021 is expected.

2020 would bring news for the years' vacant Macy's space as well. Collier's Retail, on behalf of owners Kin Properties, sold the building to SANT properties. Collier's will remain part of the project as leasing agents for the new development. This redevelopment aims to turn a 16-acre parcel of land, including the former Macy's building, into a mixed-use development. This will entail retail, restaurants, and other tenants, to eventually be announced. As of this writing, no leases have been signed onto for this new project, and developers are tight lipped about how much they bought the property for in the first place, only stating that marketing for the development was in progress.

In these posts, it is important to bring up the dreaded subject of COVID-19, and its impact on malls and the entirety of retail. I can only imagine with this unexpected crisis that many best-laid plans and ideas, including some of the tenative changes at Neshaminy for the Sears and Macy's spaces are put on hold for a while. Time will tell what is to come.

I will say, as a patron of the mall, its closure due to COVID-19 for the last few months has probably done the mall no favors. Even prior to 2020, for several years now, I have been observing multiple inline closures in addition to (and the result of?) the Macy's and Sears departures. Many tenants that do replace vacant inlines are of a sketchy, local, fly-by-night variety that I do not see as sustainable. Locals, and interested people from afar, have noted the decline of the mall over the last decade or so, and whereas, it saddens me, I am not at all surprised.

NESHAMINY MALL DURING COVID-19

Nearby Oxford Valley Mall, during the same time frame has been rapidly declining as well. The trend for malls in this area has not necessarily been a good one. I can't say what effect Willow Grove has on Neshaminy, if any, but most Southeastern PA malls' proximity to King of Prussia Mall, the behemoth "shopping destination" in neighboring Montgomery Co. has to at least have *some* effect on these smaller, local malls. 

It's also a reality that shoppers' habits are changing in favor of online shopping, but that is too quick and easy a scapegoat to lay the blame upon. Many factors, especially poor mall management and inactive recruitment of new tenants, plus a general disinterest, is often to blame. Add to that the plethora of stores going under in the "retailpocalypse" and the consolidation of others in attempts to reorganize their companies, and you have a perfect storm, leading to the whirlwind destruction of these smaller malls, and even their larger counterparts as well.

Neshaminy Mall holds a special and dear place in my heart. It was the first mall I ever set foot in a Boscov's (and anyone who knows me will tell you how important Boscov's is to me, in terms of loving to shop there, as well as my deep respect for their business model and overall ethos), the mall closest to home for my first 13 years residing in Pennsylvania, and the place I grew to love roaming the concourses, shopping the Barnes & Noble, FYE, Bath & Body Works, and both the Boscov's & Sears (before its heartbreaking closure). 

Taking the time to say hello to Tawanka at the Neshaminy Indian Fountain and enjoy its ambiance, breezing past the Freedom Wall when the notion strikes, or taking a wistful photo of the 1967 plate and Strawbridge Seal of Confidence at the entrance by the old place. Walking hand in hand with my husband around the mall as it's decked out for various holidays. The mall holds so many sweet and dear memories for me. Its rich history, noble beginnings, and unfortunate decline meet at a melancholic crossroads.

Neshaminy Mall may not be what it used to be. But for me, it will always be firmly fixed in my list of local malls that have been canonized as favorites, because they represent why I came to love malls to begin with. Sure, you can visit the biggest, most impressive malls in the country, but there will always be those local haunts you return to, again and again, for the stores you trust and love, the nostalgia, and the memories.

THANKS FOR TAKING A LOOK!

Our latest video from 2020:

NESHAMINY 2020

You can check out our Neshaminy Mall Christmas 2019 Video HERE:

 

CHRISTMAS 2019 AT NESHAMINY MALL

Please consider Subscribing to our YouTube Channel

Raw & Real Retail.