Enfield Square
Enfield Square, formerly Westfield Shoppingtown Enfield Square, is an enclosed shopping mall in Enfield, Connecticut. The mall is owned by Woodsonia Acquisitions.[1] At 788,000 square feet (73,200 m2), Enfield Square is the 10th largest mall in the state of Connecticut, containing 54 shops, all on one level. As of 2018, there was only a single anchor store: Target.
| Location | 90 Elm Street Enfield, Connecticut, 06082, US |
|---|---|
| Opening date | November 4, 1971 |
| Developer | May Centers |
| Owner | Woodsonia Acquisitions |
| No. of stores and services | 54 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 4 (1 open, 3 vacant) |
| Total retail floor area | 788,000 sq ft (73,200 m2) |
| No. of floors | 1 (2 in both former Macy's locations) |
| Website | www |
History edit
May Centers, the mall development branch of May Department Stores, built the Enfield Square, which opened in 1971, with three anchor stores: G. Fox, JCPenney and Steiger's.[2] In 1993, G. Fox was converted to a Filene's store as a result of a merger. Steiger's ceased operations at the east side of the mall in 1994 when the chain went out of business. In 1996, the owner of the mall, CenterMark Properties, was acquired by the Westfield Group.
On April 26, 1997, Sears opened in the space formerly occupied by Steiger's.[3]
In 1998, the property, valued at $50 million, was transferred to Enfield Square LLC and was rebranded as Westfield Shoppingtown Enfield Square.
In August 2000, JCPenney closed as a result of a nationwide closing of unprofitable stores.[4] The space remained vacant until Filene's expanded operations by moving its men's and home departments there in February 2001.[5] Target built a new anchor on the north side of the mall in October 2001.[6] In 2006, both of the Filene's stores were rebranded as Macy's after yet another merger. Additionally, the Westfield Group sold the property to Australia-based Centro Properties Group for $80 million, which its joint venture subsidiary Centro Watt (now Brixmor Property Group) managed the property.[7] In 2012, Brixmor Property Group hired Madison Marquette to manage the Enfield Square.
In January 2016, Macy's announced they were closing both of the locations at the mall as a result of a nationwide closing of unprofitable stores.[8]
In February 2016, J.P. Morgan Chase foreclosed on the mall after Brixmor Property Group (Centro Enfield LLC), defaulted on a $240 million loan taken out in 2006 for renovation purposes.[9]
On August 7, 2016, the Ruby Tuesday location at the mall closed.[10]
On December 28, 2016, Sears announced that it would close its Enfield Square location in April 2017 as part of a plan to close 150 stores nationwide which left Target as the only remaining anchor store.[11] Party City moved their Enfield location into the mall in 2017.
On April 25, 2017, Express announced that its Enfield Square location would be closed on May 6, 2017.[12]
In June 2018, KeyPoint Partners was chosen to manage the mall.[13]
The property was sold by J.P. Morgan Chase through online auction company Ten-X.com on December 12, 2018, for $10.85 million, however, the buyer was not identified.[14] On January 15, 2019, it was announced that the property was purchased by a group consisting of New York-based Namdar Realty Group, Mason Asset Management and Hakimi Global, Inc.[15] Macy's retained ownership of the portion of the mall that the Macy's store formerly occupied on the west end of the mall.
On January 25, 2020, the Enfield Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously voted to approve Namdar Realty Group's proposal to resubdivide the property from 8 parcels into 13 as part of a redevelopment plan.[16]
On April 2, 2020, Macy's sold its portion of the mall to Enfield Square Realty, LLC, which is controlled by Mason Asset Management.
On March 12, 2021, Namdar Realty Group sold the portion of the mall that Target occupies to 90 Enfield Square Holdings, LLC.[17]
During the summer of 2022, the roof covering the old Macy's store collapsed. The Town of Enfield has stepped in to remediate this dangerous situation after numerous requests to the landlord have gone unanswered. A lien of $44,000 has been placed on the property to cover the cost of the work performed.[18]
In May of 2023, public safety personnel were conducting a training exercise inside the mall when a large breach in the roof was noted and reported to the Fire Marshall and the Chief Building Inspector. On July 14, The Town of Enfield, after more than two months of discussions with Namdar, warned tenants that if Namdar refuses to repair the breach in the roof, the entire mall, including the Target and the Cinemark theater, will be forced to shutter permanently, as it impairs the ability of the structure's fire suppression system to operate properly, posing a dangerous hazard towards the mall and therefore, making the mall unsafe to occupy.
On November 13, 2023, Cinemark announced it would be closing the Enfield Square location on December 6, 2023.[19]
In January 2024, Bath & Body Works relocated out of the mall to the nearby Enfield Commons.[20]
In May 2024, Namdar Realty Group sold the mall to Woodsonia Acquisitions. The company will spend around $250 million to demolish the mall and transform it into a mixed-use area, which will include retail, dining, housing, two hotels, and recreation space, dubbed as the Enfield Marketplace. The Town of Enfield will seek around $20 million to cover some of the costs for the redevelopment site. It is currently unknown when the mall will close or when it will be demolished for the new project.[1]
References edit
- ^ a b "Buyer found for Enfield Square; mall to be converted into retail, housing, hotels with $250M project". Connecticut Post. May 13, 2024. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
- ^ "Enfield Square mall celebrates 40 years". 31 October 2011.
- ^ http://articles.courant.com/1997-03-17/news/9703170286_1_sears-mall-tenants-department-store [bare URL]
- ^ "Target, Kohl's Stores Ready To Feud". Retrieved 2016-08-08.
- ^ "Filene's expanding Enfield store". Retrieved 2016-08-08.
- ^ "Bucking Trend, Business Is Booming In Enfield". Retrieved 2016-08-08.
- ^ "Centro Watt Enters Mall Business; US Platform Well-Positioned to Continue Growth". www.businesswire.com. 2006-05-11. Retrieved 2019-02-07.
- ^ "Macy's Will Close Stores at Enfield Square Mall, Others Across the Country".
- ^ "Enfield Square Mall Trying to Stay Afloat".
- ^ "Ruby Tuesday at Enfield Square Mall Closes Its Doors".
- ^ "Sears in Enfield Square to close next year". Retrieved 2016-12-28.
- ^ "Some Life Slowly Comes Back to Dead Enfield Square But Is It Too Late?". 2017-10-03.
- ^ "KeyPoint Partners to Manage and Lease Enfield Square". 2018-06-08.
- ^ "Enfield Square Sells At Auction For $10.85 Million". 14 December 2018. Retrieved 2018-12-14.
- ^ "Namdar Realty Group of Long Island buys Enfield Square mall; has history of turning around properties". 15 January 2019. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
- ^ Lerner, Jessica. "PZC approves resubdivision of Enfield mall property". Journal Inquirer. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
- ^ Pilon, Matt. "Enfield Square mall anchor property sold for $8.9M". Hartford Business Journal. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
- ^ "Remediation Work On Former Macy's In Enfield Square Nears Completion". Patch. 4 August 2022. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
- ^ Kinney, Jim (2023-11-13). "Cinemark closing theater in Enfield Square mall". masslive. Retrieved 2023-11-13.
- ^ SandalsResort (2024-01-09). "Bath and Body Works finally closes at Enfield Square Mall". r/Connecticut. Retrieved 2024-05-14.
External links edit
- Official website