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Oxford Valley Mall

The Oxford Valley Mall is a two-story shopping mall, managed and 85.5 percent-owned by the Simon Property Group, that is located next to the Sesame Place amusement park near Langhorne in Middletown Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.[3][4] Its department stores are JCPenney and Macy's.

Oxford Valley Mall
Entrance to Oxford Valley Mall
Map
LocationMiddletown Township, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Coordinates40°11′02″N 74°52′51″W / 40.1839°N 74.8807°W / 40.1839; -74.8807
Opening date1973[1]
DeveloperThe Kravco Co.[2]
ManagementSimon Property Group
OwnerSimon Property Group (85.5%)
No. of stores and services130[1]
No. of anchor tenants3 (2 open, 1 vacant)
•1 former (active 1973-2008, vacant 2008-2022, demolished 2022)
Total retail floor area1,336,364 square feet (124,152.3 m2)[1]
No. of floors2
ParkingParking lot
Public transit accessBus transport SEPTA bus: 14, 127, 128, 129
Websitesimon.com/mall/oxford-valley-mall

With 130 stores, Oxford Valley Mall is currently the tenth-largest shopping mall in Pennsylvania. There is a food court on the second floor, which was originally the second floor of a Woolworth. An office building called One Oxford Valley is located next to the mall.[1]

History

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20th century

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Oxford Valley Mall was developed by The Kravco Company and opened in 1973.[2]

In 1986, the Gimbels store was converted to Stern's after Allied Stores purchased seven Gimbels locations in the Philadelphia area.[5] That same year, Bamberger's became Macy's.[6]

In 1989, Sears replaced Stern's after the latter closed several stores in the Philadelphia area.[7] The mall underwent a renovation in 1990.[8]

In 1992, a separate, 10 screen movie theater was added behind Sears (4 new auditoriums were added in 2004). In 1995, the mall opened its food court on the second floor, replacing what had been the second floor of a Woolworth store.[9][10]

The mall replaced the spiral pedestrian ramp and fountain with a glass-enclosed elevator, upgraded the air conditioning system, and extensively renovated the JCPenney and Sears stores. All fountains were eventually removed with only the outdoor one remaining.[10] The same year, Wanamaker's was converted to Hecht's.[11]

In 1997, Hecht's became Strawbridge's after its parent company, May Department Stores, acquired the Strawbridge's chain.[12][13]

21st century

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Oxford Valley Mall's second floor seen from Macy's in 2008

In 2006, the Strawbridge's store closed as a result of Federated Department Stores acquiring May Department Stores, with Boscov's taking over the former store.[14]

The Boscov's store closed in 2008 as part of their restructuring.[15] On October 15, 2018, Sears announced that its store would be closing as part of a plan to close 142 stores nationwide as a result of the company filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The store closed on January 7, 2019 leaving Macy's and JCPenney as the only remaining anchor stores open for business.[16]

In August 2019, a local news agency reported that Simon Property Group and multiple other related entities have proposed a plan to redevelop the mall and the surrounding property into a mixed use center, including the addition of a 600 unit high-end apartment complex in place of the former Wanamaker's and Boscov's anchor that would include studio-2 bedroom units, a fitness center, indoor and outdoor common spaces, dog park, pools, full-time management, maintenance, and concierge services like dog walking on site. Other possible additions include new eateries, a lifestyle complex, new retailers, and refreshed office space. According to sources, an area of the parking lot will be used for the possible developments.[17]

In December 2022, the long-vacant Wanamaker's and Boscov's anchor building was demolished to make way for future redevelopment.[18]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Oxford Valley Mall Fact Sheet" (PDF). Simon Property Group. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  2. ^ a b Demick, Barbara (May 18, 1989). "Kravco And 6 Of Its Malls Sold To A Canadian Developer". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  3. ^ "Zoning Map". Middletown Township. Retrieved 2021-04-05.
  4. ^ "About". Oxford Valley Mall. Retrieved 2021-04-05. 2300 E Lincoln Hwy Langhorne, PA 19047 - Compare the address to the map. The site is not in the Langhorne borough limits.
  5. ^ Bivens, Terry (June 18, 1986). "Gimbels To Sell 7 Area Stores Deal Concluded With N.y. Firm". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  6. ^ "COMPANY NEWS; Bamberger's Shift". The New York Times. September 4, 1986. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  7. ^ Demick, Barbara (April 16, 1989). "Sears Plans Oxford Valley Store". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  8. ^ Row, Stephen (August 2, 1990). "Oxford Valley Mall Gets Touch-up". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  9. ^ Inez Ward, Jennifer (August 28, 1995). "Food Is In Store For Ready-to-drop Shoppers At Oxford Valley Mall The Mall's New, Second-floor Food Court Is Home To Pick-me-ups Ranging From Pizza To Pretzels". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  10. ^ a b Sabatini, Richard V. (February 23, 1995). "Oxford Valley Mall Is Girding To Meet Future Rivals". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  11. ^ Von Bergen, Jane M. (September 10, 1995). "He's Got Plans For Hecht's What Does Ceo Want? Production". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  12. ^ Von Bergen, Jane M. (April 7, 1996). "Phila. Hurdle Remains For May The Company Has The Market. It Must Win Over The People". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  13. ^ Dorazio, Jennifer (September 4, 1997). "At Malls, Shop Till You Drop At Shop After Shop After Shop". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  14. ^ Parmley, Suzette (February 7, 2006). "Boscov's to acquire 10 stores Five will be Strawbridge's, four in the area. The Reading retailer's is the first of the sales of 78 Federated properties". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  15. ^ "Boscov's closing sales start Saturday". The Philadelphia Inquirer. August 15, 2008. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  16. ^ Bomey, Nathan; Tyko, Kelly (October 15, 2018). "Sears store closing list: 142 more Sears, Kmart locations closing in Chapter 11 bankruptcy". USA Today. Gannett. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  17. ^ Sofield, Tom (August 12, 2019). "EXCLUSIVE: Redevelopment Planned For Oxford Valley Mall". Levittown Now. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
  18. ^ Sofield, Tom (December 2, 2022). "Demolition Of Closed Mall Department Store Moves Forward". Levittown Now. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
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