The character of downtown areas was evolving in the 1950s. Shopping plazas with multiple stores and services were developed on South Street and Lincoln Street. The subsequent development in the 1960s was the enclosed shopping mall, where shoppers would enjoy the indoor comforts of moving from shop to shop.
Holyoke's first indoor mall was developed after malls opened in neighboring cities, including Springfield and Chicopee.
The mall site was developed on a large parcel on the east side of Northampton Street, which was owned by William Whiting. Mr. Whiting sold the approximately 30-acre property to McDonald's Corp. on December 23, 1968. McDonald's Corp. sold 29 acres of this real estate to the mall developer on April 10, 1969.
The original plan was to leave the Whiting's brick home for office use. However, it was razed in developing the mall.
The developer was to have an anchor store at each end with 22-24 stores within the mall. The anchor stores were Mammoth Mart, a discount department store, and a First National (grocery) Store.
Mammoth Mart opened on August 5, 1970, and the Big Buy Food Center in February 1971. Six more stores were added in 1971, and several more in 1972. Plaza Cinemas opened its twin theaters in August 1973.
In January 1974, a Big Y Grocery Store replaced the Big Buy Food Center. At the end of 1976, the Big Y was replaced by a Bi-Lo Food Warehouse.
Struggling merchants began to leave the complex in 1972 when Boston Baby closed a little over one year after opening. Mammoth Mart had a liquidation sale and closed in September 1974.
There was a time when only the liquor store remained in the mall.
By 1977, the mall was sold at foreclosure, with fewer than a handful of stores remaining open for business. The new owners recognized the property would not be profitable for retail and sought and obtained a zone change to industrial.
In 1979, the mall property was again sold and renamed Holyoke Industrial Plaza, with 156,000 square feet of space for lease. Digital Equipment Corporation initially leased 23,000 square feet for warehousing and later another 105,000 square feet for light assembly.
In 1993, Eastern Container Corporation signed a five-year lease for the 156,000-square-foot property.
On March 4, 2005, Holyoke Community Charter School purchased approximately 2 acres and 70,000 square feet of space at the northern portion of the former mall from Holyoke Associates, Inc.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; publication dates are shown.
www.masslandrecords.com, Registry of Deeds, Hamden County, Springfield, Massachusetts
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