Neshaminy Mall
Food court entrance at Neshaminy Mall
Map
LocationBensalem, Pennsylvania
Coordinates40°08′21″N 74°57′15″W / 40.1391°N 74.9543°W / 40.1391; -74.9543
Opening date1968
DeveloperThe Korman Company and Strouse Greenberg
OwnerParamount Realty Group and Edgewater Properties
No. of stores and services40[1]
No. of anchor tenants4 (2 open, 2 vacant)
Total retail floor area1,025,297 sq ft (95,253 m2)[1][2]
No. of floors1 (2 in Boscov's and future Medical offices/former Sears, 3 in former Macy's)
ParkingParking lot with 7,000 spaces[2]
Public transit accessBus transport SEPTA bus: 14, 58, 128, 130, Boulevard Direct
Websiteneshaminymall.com
Boscov's wing of the Neshaminy Mall

Neshaminy Mall is a 1,025,297-square-foot (95,253 m2) shopping mall located at U.S. Route 1 and Bristol Road in Bensalem Township, Pennsylvania.[3] The mall was opened in 1968 and was the sixth interior mall constructed in Greater Philadelphia. The Neshaminy Mall is anchored by Boscov's and AMC Theatres and has 24 shops and eateries including a food court that was opened in 1989 and retailers including Barnes & Noble.[2]

The Neshaminy Mall is directly across Bristol Road from Belmont, a historic home. The mall was named after the nearby Neshaminy Creek and features a unique fountain, which features a waterfall, trees, plants and a statue of Tawanka who was a leader of the Lenni Lenape Native American tribe. The world "Neshaminy" comes from the Lenni Lenape tribe's language.[4] In the 2010s, the mall saw an increased vacancy rate. It is considered a dead mall by locals.

Location

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The Neshaminy Mall is located in Bensalem Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The mall is located off of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and U.S. Route 1. The Neshaminy Mall is accessible through SEPTA's routes 14, 58, 128, 130 and Boulevard Direct bus routes.

Routes 14, 58, 128, 130 and Boulevard Direct are scheduled for discontinuation in August 2025 as part of SEPTA’s service cuts.[5]

Across the street from the Neshaminy Mall is the Market Place at Neshaminy, which is a 350,000-square-foot (33,000-square-meter) outdoor shopping center that has stores and restaurants including The Home Depot, Target, Aldi, Crumbl, Fine Wine and Good Spirits, and LongHorn Steakhouse.[6] Other nearby retailers and eateries include Walmart, Lowe's, Panda Express, On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina, Uno's Pizzeria & Grill, Chick-fil-A, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Raising Cane's, and Starbucks.[7]

History

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Plans to build the Neshaminy Mall were made in 1966, with Sears and Strawbridge & Clothier to be anchors. The mall was projected to cost $24 million.[8] The Neshaminy Mall opened in 1968, developed by The Korman Company and Strouse Greenberg. The mall underwent an expansion in 1975 that added a Lit Brothers, along with a new wing of stores.[9] In 1977, the Lit Brothers store at the Neshaminy Mall closed as part of the chain closing all its stores in the Philadelphia area and was replaced by Pomeroy's.[10] The Pomeroy's store became The Bon-Ton in 1987 after the chain was sold.[11] A food court was added to the mall in 1989. In 1990, the Neshaminy Mall was purchased by Homart Development Company from Mutual of New York for over $50 million.[9] The Bon-Ton closed in 1994. In 1995, the mall underwent a renovation that expanded the food court. In addition, Boscov's replaced the former Bon-Ton.[12] The same year, General Growth Properties took over ownership of the mall after it acquired Homart Development Company.[13] A 24-screen movie theater to be built at the mall was approved by Bensalem Township in 1997 after they had initially opposed the project.[14] In 1998, the 24-screen AMC Theatres opened in the mall at a cost of $11 million.[15] The Strawbridge's became Macy's in 2006 after Federated Department Stores acquired May Department Stores in 2005.[16] A former pet store in the Sears court was demolished and replaced with a Barnes & Noble In 2009. In 2015, the mall began a small renovation starting with signage at mall entrances, the main sign and an expansion of the Boscov's.

On January 4, 2017, Macy's announced that its store would be closing in spring 2017 as part of a plan to close 68 stores nationwide.[17] Since the announcement was made, the Macy's closed in early April. As of late 2017, the Neshaminy Mall has seen a slow, but noticeable increase in the vacancy rate, likely to increase more due to the departure of the Macy's. Brookfield Properties bought General Growth Properties in 2018, therefore giving Brookfield ownership of Neshaminy Mall. On October 15, 2018, it was announced the Sears 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 in January 2019, leaving Boscov's as the only traditional department store at the mall.[18] Plans were made to redevelop the former Sears anchor into a Round One Entertainment space, however, these plans were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[19]

In July 2020, it was announced that medical offices would take over the former Sears building.[20][21] In March 2020, the former Macy's store was sold to SANT properties, who plans to convert the space into mixed use.[22] Also, at the corner of the Macy's parking lot, a Wawa is in the planning stages to be constructed.[23] There were plans to convert the former Macy's space into a Fusion Gyms fitness center.[24] The plans, however, fell through as of April 2025. [25]

In the years soon following the COVID-19 pandemic, the Neshaminy Mall has seen an increased vacancy rate and a decrease in foot traffic. Stores such as Foot Locker and Modell's Sporting Goods have closed, as well as dining options including Chick-fil-A and Charleys Philly Steaks. However, the Neshaminy Carnival remains a popular event until it was announced that it will not return for 2024.[26]

By 2024, more than half the stores in the Neshaminy Mall were vacant, with over 40 stores remaining. In February 2024, the Neshaminy Mall was put up for sale.[24] In June 2024, it was announced that Paramount Realty Group will purchase the Neshaminy Mall.[27] On July 15, 2024, Paramount Realty Group and Edgewater Properties closed on the purchase of the mall for $27.5 million.

As of May 2025, redevelopment is actively underway, with demolition of about half the mall in progress to make way for a mixed-use development including housing, retail, and medical facilities. Key tenants like Boscov’s, AMC Theaters, Barnes & Noble, and select restaurants are expected to remain open during this transition. Plans to convert the former Macy’s space into a Fusion Gyms fitness center were canceled as of April 2025.[28]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Neshaminy Mall". www.brookfieldproperties.com. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "Neshaminy Mall". Brookfield Properties.
  3. ^ Official website
  4. ^ "Neshaminy Mall: Bensalem Township, Pennsylvania". December 2, 2017. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  5. ^ "Funding Crisis – Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority". wwww.septa.org. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
  6. ^ Paramount. "Marketplace at Neshaminy". www.paramountrealty.com. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
  7. ^ "MARKETPLACE at NESHAMINY". Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  8. ^ "Bucks County Site To Get New Mall". The New York Times. May 30, 1966. p. 38.
  9. ^ a b Warner, Susan (December 28, 1990). "Sears Unit Buys Neshaminy Mall". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
  10. ^ "Seek To Stop Store Closing". Gettysburg Times. April 28, 1977. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
  11. ^ Demick, Barbara (June 19, 1987). "Allied To Sell Pomeroy's To Grumbacher & Sons". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on September 12, 2015. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
  12. ^ Sabatini, Richard V. and Ty Tagami (May 1, 1995). "Neshaminy Mall Under Renovation". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
  13. ^ "Sears Completes Sale of Its Homart Unit". The New York Times. Reuters. December 27, 1995. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
  14. ^ Ritea, Steve (March 11, 1997). "Mega-theater Is Approved By Bensalem Construction On The 24-screen Complex At Neshaminy Mall Will Begin This Spring. Neighbors Who Had Opposed The Project Were Disappointed By The Vote". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on January 2, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
  15. ^ Shafer, Lisa (February 28, 1998). "A Mega Megaplex, A Giant In The Region, Is Coming To Bucks The 24-screen Theater Complex Should Open In Six Months In Bensalem Next To The Neshaminy Mall". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on September 20, 2015. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
  16. ^ Tanaka, Wendy (July 29, 2005). "Strawbridge's stores to be sold, converted New owner will change 10 to Macy's. Boscov's wants to buy others. New owners plan to sell, convert Strawbridge's". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on February 19, 2014. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
  17. ^ Parmley, Suzette (January 4, 2017). "Four Philly-area Macy's will close this spring". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
  18. ^ 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.
  19. ^ Urie, Daniel (July 2, 2020). "When will the entertainment venue Round1 open in central Pa.?". pennlive. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  20. ^ Urbanski, Al (July 7, 2020). "Neshaminy Mall's Sears will become a healthcare facility". Chainestoreage. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  21. ^ Quann, Peg (July 28, 2020). "Neshaminy Mall anchor stores being marketed for health care, eateries and other services". The Intelligencer. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  22. ^ Gross, Doug (March 9, 2020). "Macy's At Neshaminy Mall Sold, Mixed-Use Project Planned". Patch.com. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  23. ^ Gross, Doug (January 8, 2019). "New Wawa Proposed At Neshaminy Mall". Patch.com. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  24. ^ a b Bunch, Jesse (February 2, 2024). "Struggling Neshaminy Mall is put up for sale". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  25. ^ "Fusion Gym Project at Former Macy's in Neshaminy Mall Canceled".
  26. ^ "Neshaminy Mall Carnival canceled for 2024". May 20, 2024.
  27. ^ Mullane, JD (June 18, 2024). "Neshaminy Mall finds a new owner. What now for Bensalem property?". Bucks County Courier Times. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  28. ^ Bjorkgren, David (May 2, 2025). "Bensalem Mayor Advocates Housing Inclusion in Neshaminy Mall Redevelopment". DELCO.Today. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
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