Mashpee Commons is located in Mashpee,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

United States 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 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. It is an open-air shopping center that is built in the style of

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian province ...

town centers. It is world-renowned, winning many awards and recognitions over the years because of its style.

History

Early years

Mashpee Commons originally started out in the 1960s as any other shopping center would. Then, it was known as the New Seabury Shopping Center. There was originally of retail floor area and a large, asphalt parking lot in front of it. The food store evolved into a

Star Market Star Market is a New England chain of supermarkets based in Greater Boston. It was owned by the Mugar family and started in 1915. The company was sold to The Jewel Companies, Inc. in 1964 and later to Investcorp, which in turn sold the chain t ...

over time until it was eventually closed around 2006 and divided up into shops. The theater lived on into today's

Regal Cinemas Regal Cinemas (also Regal Entertainment Group) is an American movie theater chain headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee. A division of Cineworld, Regal operates the second-largest theater circuit in the United States, with over 7,200 screens ...

Transformation

In 1986, the shopping center was bought and redeveloped over the years into Mashpee Commons. The original building at the site took place in the

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 ...

section of the development, the east side of

Route 151 Route 151, or Highway 151, may refer to: Canada * Prince Edward Island Route 151 Costa Rica * National Route 151 India * National Highway 151 (India) Ireland * R151 road (Ireland) Japan * Japan National Route 151 Korea, South * Seocheon– ...

. Areas fronting 151 also were part of the original development. Over the years the old grounds for the traveling fairs were built up into shops and other places.

Future

There are many plans in place concerning the future of the shopping center. The developers plan to add more housing and businesses as well as giving it a village style green. This is important because before there was ever a commons, there was no center of town in Mashpee. This can be traced to it being a reservation to the

Wampanoag The Wampanoag , also rendered Wôpanâak, are an Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands based in southeastern Massachusetts and historically parts of eastern Rhode Island,Salwen, "Indians of Southern New England and Long Island," p. 1 ...

, who were very different from the white settlers.

Community events

The owners of Mashpee Commons are community oriented. During various stages of the year, they host concerts, fireworks, Oktoberfest, and many other events.

References

{{Shopping malls in Massachusetts, state=collapsed 1986 establishments in Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Barnstable County, Massachusetts Mashpee, Massachusetts New Classical architecture Shopping malls in Massachusetts Shopping malls established in 1986 Tourist attractions in Barnstable County, Massachusetts