Westfield Meriden

Westfield Meriden

Location	Meriden, Connecticut, U.S.
Opening date	1971
Owner	Westfield Group
No. of stores and services	142[1]
No. of anchor tenants	5
Total retail floor area	894,435 sq ft (83,095.7 m2)[1]
Parking	4,065[1]
No. of floors	Two
Website	Westfield Meriden

Westfield Meriden, originally, The Meriden Square Mall, and later Westfield Shoppingtown Meriden, is a shopping mall located in Meriden, Connecticut. At almost 900,000 square feet, Westfield Meriden is Connecticut's seventh biggest mall, boasting over 140 shops. The 5 anchors include Best Buy, Dick's Sporting Goods, JCPenney, Macy's, and Sears.^[1] The Westfield Group acquired the mall in 1997.^[2]

Overview

The facility opened in 1971, originally a two-level, dumbbell shaped shopping center with two anchor stores, G. Fox and JCPenney.

The mall was expanded in 1993 and added a two level wing ending at a new Sears Department Store and also included a new food court, creating a "T" shaped floor plan.

In 1993, the G. Fox chain was converted to the Filene's as a result of a merger, and in 2006 this store became a Macy's.

The mall was expanded again in an ambitious renovation announced in 1997. The renovation saw an extra floor area of 147,425 sq ft (13,696.2 m²) added to the centre, as well as an additional 30 stores, creating a "+" shaped floor plan.^[3] The new anchor, built opposite Sears, was Lord & Taylor, as the Westfield Group came through putting forth a $38 million dollar revitalization and expansion plan. In addition to its new anchor, a parking garage was also was built beside the Sears on the end of the mall facing Lewis Avenue. The renovation was completed and officially opened in 1999.^[4]

Since Westfield Meriden was built piecemeal in many different eras, it does not have much of a unified theme. The short cross-wing between JCPenney and Macy’s is the oldest section of the mall.

Lord & Taylor did not see a future at the mall. After only a few years, the store closed. Westfield quickly moved on with the vacancy by bringing two new “big box” anchors to the mall; Best Buy, which filled the former EbLens space, and Dick's Sporting Goods moved right into the Lord & Taylor empty space.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Westfield Group - Meriden
2. ^ Westfield America, Inc. Announces Third QuarterEarnings (September 1997)
3. ^ Westfield Group - Westfied America, Inc. announces Lord and Taylor to add stores to the shopping centres (19 December 1997)
4. ^ The Greater Meriden Chamber of Commerce - Meriden Square/Westfield Shoppingtown's new stores ... (August 1999)

See also

• Westfield Group

Coordinates: 41°33′03″N 72°48′13″W / 41.5508°N 72.8035°W / 41.5508; -72.8035