The Liberty Tree 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 ...

in Danvers, Massachusetts,

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, managed by the

Simon Property Group Simon Property Group, Inc. is an American real estate investment trust that invests in shopping malls, outlet centers, and community/lifestyle centers. It is the largest owner of shopping malls in the United States and is headquartered in India ...

. It is anchored by

Kohl's Kohl's (stylized in all caps) is an American department store retail chain, operated by Kohl's Corporation. it is the largest department store chain in the United States, with 1,165 locations, operating stores in every U.S. state except Haw ...

, Total Wine & More,

AMC Theatres AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (d/b/a AMC Theatres, originally an abbreviation for American Multi-Cinema; often referred to simply as AMC and known in some countries as AMC Cinemas or AMC Multi-Cinemas) is an American movie theater chain fou ...

Marshalls Marshalls is an American chain of off-price department stores owned by TJX Companies. Marshalls has over 1,000 American stores, including larger stores named Marshalls Mega Store, covering 42 states and Puerto Rico, and 61 stores in Canada. M ...

Old Navy Old Navy is an American clothing and accessories retailing company owned by multinational corporation Gap Inc. It has corporate operations in the Mission Bay neighborhood of San Francisco, California. The largest of the Old Navy stores are its ...

, and Best Buy, along with one vacant anchor left by A.C. Moore. Simon Property Group owns one third of the common area of the mall, between

and Best Buy; the right-hand area of the property from Best Buy to Staples is owned by Target; and the property from

to Dick's Sporting Goods is owned by New England Development, the mall's original developer.

History

Construction began in 1969, and the mall opened with a dedication ceremony on February 21, 1972. The mall was renovated and expanded first in 1980 and again in 1993. The mall is located less than a mile away from the

Northshore Mall The Northshore Mall is a shopping mall in Peabody, Massachusetts. As of 2022, the mall currently features Macy's in two locations, J. C. Penney, and Nordstrom. The mall is near the Route 128 and Route 114 junction, and less than a mile fro ...

in Peabody, although both malls are primarily owned and managed by

. Since the 1980s, the Liberty Tree Mall has focused more on the discount end, whereas the

has focused on the mainstream/upscale end, thus enabling them to coexist semi-peacefully.

Ann & Hope Ann & Hope was a Rhode Island–based retailer that pioneered practices now common in modern big box stores. The company was named after the ship ''Ann and Hope'' which was lost at sea off Block Island, Rhode Island in 1806. They operated from 19 ...

, one of the former anchor stores of the mall, opened in 1969 before the mall was completed.

Lechmere Lechmere ( "leech-meer") was a Massachusetts-based chain of retail stores that closed in 1997. At the time of its closing, it had 27 stores, including 20 in New England. The chain offered electronics, appliances, and various household goods. It a ...

was the mall's other anchor, which opened with the rest of the mall in 1972. The name Liberty Tree derives from the local version of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

's Liberty Tree, which originally stood in downtown Boston. During the early years of the mall, a large metal tree stood at the center court to commemorate the Liberty Tree. The sculpture was a featured exhibit in the New England Pavilion at the 1964–65 New York World's Fair and was designed by Albert Surman, who died in 2010. The sculpture was removed in 1992 to make room for renovations to the mall and was later scrapped in 1993. In 1980, a food court was added that included restaurants such as The Roast House and The Fairgrounds. A

was added during the 1980s, and has been in the mall since then. Marshalls is the only remaining original anchor store.

Filene's Basement Filene's Basement, also called The Basement, was a Massachusetts-based chain of department stores which was owned by Retail Ventures, Inc. until April 2009 when it was sold to Syms. The oldest off-price retailer in the United States, Filene's ...

, which subleased a portion of the Lechmere space in 1983, moved to the

in the 1990s.

Sports Authority Sports Authority, Inc. (formerly The Sports Authority) was an American sports retailer. At its peak, Sports Authority operated 463 stores in 45 States and Puerto Rico. The company's website was on the GSI Commerce platform and supported the ret ...

and

were added after the 1993 food court-hallway expansion.

closed in 2016, after the company filed for bankruptcy, and was replaced with SkyZone. Lechmere and Filene's Basement were anchor stores of the mall until 1997 when they were demolished and rebuilt into Target, Staples, Dollar Tree, and Best Buy in 1998–99. An f.y.e. replaced part of an area of smaller stores, converting them into a music store/video arcade (formerly Dream Machine), both of which have since closed. Another group of stores was converted to

Bed Bath & Beyond Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. is an American chain of domestic merchandise retail stores. The chain operates many stores in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. Bed Bath & Beyond was founded in 1971. It is counted among the Fortune 5 ...

. Ann & Hope closed their entire chain of stores in 2001, and this included the Liberty Tree Mall location. This location was later rebuilt into

Stop & Shop The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company, known as Stop & Shop, is a regional chain of supermarkets located in the northeastern United States. From its beginnings in 1892 as a small grocery store, it has grown to include 406 stores chain-wide. Sto ...

and

Pier 1 Imports Pier 1 Imports, Inc. is an online retailer and former Fort Worth, Texas-based retail chain specializing in imported home furnishings and decor, particularly furniture, table-top items, decorative accessories, and seasonal decor. It was publicl ...

were later built to the left of Kohl's. A

Loews Theatres Loews may refer to: * Loews Cineplex Entertainment, formerly Loews Incorporated, a defunct North American cinema chain which formerly owned Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer **'' United States v. Loew's Inc.'', a United States Supreme Court case involving Loews ...

20-screen multiplex was also added to the mall. In January 2008, Stop & Shop closed. The store was originally built in 2003. The former Stop & Shop space was converted for use by

Nordstrom Rack Nordstrom Rack is an American off-price department store chain founded in 1973. It is a sister brand to the luxury department store chain Nordstrom. As of 2021, Nordstrom Rack operates 352 stores in 41 U.S. states and three Canadian provinces ...

and Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse, which opened in November 2008. In 2009, the former f.y.e. was replaced by a Steve & Barry's, which stayed open until the company filed for bankruptcy. In early 2013, PPE Casino Resorts applied to the state gambling commission for a slots parlor in the rear area of the mall, where Marshalls and the food court are located now. The announcement led to some debate, with some concerned about the character of the mall and others optimistic about jobs and revenue a slots parlor could generate for the community. On November 25, 2019, it was announced that A.C. Moore would close all 145 locations, including the location at Liberty Tree Mall. In May 2020,

announced that it would be closing all locations and going out of business due to bankruptcy. On August 10, 2022, it was reported that the Liberty Tree Mall was up for sale, and had been listed since July of that year.

List of anchor stores

References

External links

* http://www.simon.com/mall/liberty-tree-mall {{Simon Property Group, northeast Shopping malls in Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Essex County, Massachusetts Tourist attractions in Essex County, Massachusetts Shopping malls established in 1972 Simon Property Group