From Orchards to Moorestown Mall
In 1963, Moorestown Mall rose on former orchards, as the Roberts family's farmland of apple trees gave way to concrete pads, steel beams, and retail space.
A Federal-style 1820s farmhouse stood near Lenola Road, its brick walls facing the site where Macy's halls and new glass storefronts would rise.
On March 11, 1964, banners marked the mall's dedication as shoppers entered a lineup anchored by Gimbels, Wanamaker's, and Woolworth's, plus 42 more tenants.
The developer, Winston-Muss Corporation, put in broad walkways with terrazzo floors and parasol-shaped columns.
Woolworth's occupied 75,000 square feet. Gimbels and Wanamaker's carried full clothing and housewares departments.
ShopRite's arrival brought a working supermarket indoors, which helped build routine traffic.
On June 10, 1964, the Plaza Theatre opened with a first-run movie.
Families sometimes planned their evening around it, fitting in errands at Woolworth's or a grocery stop on the way out.
Bond Clothes, Thrift Drugs, and other small shops filled the remaining spaces. Their mix of services and retail gave the property steady use.
By the end of its first year, the mall was no longer just new construction - it had become a regular part of Moorestown's weekly patterns.
Sears Arrival and Mall Renovation, 1971–1986
Shoppers stepping into Moorestown Mall in 1971 found something new: a freshly opened Sears, its entrance set with bright signs pointing to tools, appliances, and racks of clothing.
The chain had left behind its long-time Camden store, trading an older building for a spot inside the growing suburban mall.
With Sears in place, the concourse now carried four department stores, giving the property a broad base of retail categories under one roof.
The decade settled into routine.
Families stopped at Woolworth's for school supplies or kitchenware, browsed Wanamaker's for dresses, and crossed into Gimbels for household goods.
The rhythm of enclosed shopping became a part of daily life in Moorestown, though pressure was building.
Just a few miles away, Cherry Hill Mall continued to draw attention with its own upgrades, reminding developers that Moorestown would need to adapt.
By 1986, the first wave of modernization began.
Flooring and lighting were replaced, and the entries were refreshed to match the era's design standards.
But change came with loss: Gimbels closed that year, ending its long run as an anchor.
Stern's stepped into the empty space, hoping to capture those customers with its mix of apparel and housewares.
The concourse stayed busy, though the cast of names had already begun to shift.
Fire, Renovation, and New Ownership, 1990–1999
The 1990s opened with another department store change.
Stern's shut down in 1990, and the space briefly carried the Ports of the World name before becoming Boscov's by the middle of the decade.
The transition was steady enough, yet it was interrupted by something far more disruptive.
On December 23, 1992, smoke rose inside Herman's World of Sporting Goods.
The fire spread quickly into nearby storefronts, leaving the northeast quarter of the mall damaged and the concourse closed for nearly three months.
Department stores stayed open, but the center of the property was quiet.
Crews rebuilt through 1993 and 1994, and when the doors reopened, shoppers found polished finishes and brighter interiors that gave the mall a different look.
Other anchors turned over in the same years.
Wanamaker's was replaced by Hecht's in 1995, switched again to Strawbridge's in 1996, and was demolished and rebuilt before reopening in 1999.
In December 1997, The Rouse Company purchased Moorestown Mall, tying it to a larger strategy shaped by its proximity to Cherry Hill.
The decade had brought fire, rebuilding, and anchor reshuffling, but the mall carried on as a place where thousands still shopped each week.
PREIT Acquisition and Dining Strategy, 2003–2015
In March 2003, Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust added Moorestown Mall to its portfolio through a property swap that also included Cherry Hill Mall, Plymouth Meeting Mall, and others.
For PREIT, Moorestown represented both a challenge and an opportunity.
Occupancy levels were pressured by competition nearby, but the location offered access to steady suburban traffic.
Change began with liquor. In 2011, township voters approved sales at the mall, breaking with local history.
The decision cleared a path for new restaurants.
Within a short span, Yard House opened as a polished sports bar, followed by Distrito, a Garces Group concept built with bold colors and an open kitchen.
Dining joined retail as a deliberate draw, a shift that carried through PREIT's strategy.
Entertainment followed the same pattern. On December 22, 2011, PREIT and Regal Entertainment announced plans for a 12-screen Regal RPX theater.
Construction absorbed the existing United Artists location and a closed skate park, doubling the cinema footprint.
When the doors opened, moviegoers found modern seating, kiosks for tickets, and advanced audio systems.
By 2013, all screens had recliners installed, making the experience stand out in the regional market.
In 2015, attention turned to the food court. The space was redeveloped, with new finishes and layouts designed to appeal to higher-income households.
PREIT's upgrades during these years made clear that Moorestown Mall was being pushed beyond traditional retail into a fuller mix of dining and entertainment.
Department Store Closures and New Tenants, 2017–2020
The shift in American retail caught up with Moorestown Mall by 2017. On January 4, Macy's announced it would close as part of a nationwide reduction.
The store shut its doors that March, leaving the large anchor space vacant. PREIT quickly moved to re-tenant the property.
By early 2018, plans were in place for a mix of smaller anchors.
HomeSense opened in September 2018, while Five Below and Sierra Trading Post launched in the following winter season.
Michaels joined in the late 2019, completing a cluster of junior anchors in the space once held by a single department store.
On August 28, 2019, Lord & Taylor announced its Moorestown location would close the following year.
In February 2020, Sears confirmed that its store at the mall would close on April 11, part of a round of thirty-one nationwide exits.
When the gates pulled down for the last time, Boscov's remained the only traditional department store anchor.
These departures left the concourse altered.
Where once department stores framed every end of the property, now a patchwork of junior anchors and entertainment spaces filled the role.
The mall carried on with a different balance, its retail mix visibly reshaped by the closures.
Healthcare Conversion and Mixed-Use Plans, 2022–2023
In 2022, PREIT won township approval to expand Moorestown Mall beyond retail.
The plan allowed up to 1,065 apartments on the property, with a 125-room hotel also permitted.
Early phases called for 375 units, known as The Pearl, to be developed by Bel Canto Asset Growth.
The project marked a shift, adding residential density to land once filled only with stores and parking.
Meanwhile, the former Lord & Taylor space was re-leased.
Turn 7 Liquidators opened there in 2021, offering discounted merchandise across large sales floors.
The store stayed open until 2024, bridging the gap before the property's next entertainment tenant.
The decision to fill empty anchor boxes with nontraditional uses became part of PREIT's larger strategy.
The most visible transformation came in November 2023. Cooper University Health Care opened its Moorestown Campus inside the former Sears.
At 166,000 square feet, it became the largest outpatient facility in Cooper's system.
Spread across three floors, it offered services in more than two dozen specialties, same-day surgery, advanced imaging, and a café open late.
Nearly 100 exam rooms filled the redeveloped anchor, showing how former retail footprints could be repurposed for medicine.
Apartments and Entertainment Build-Out, 2024–2025
Construction timelines began shifting in late 2024.
On December 26, PREIT confirmed that The Pearl's 375-unit apartment building would begin rising early in 2025, following completion of a parking deck and subsurface work.
Financing slowed progress in 2024, but by July 2025, they closed on a loan to move construction forward.
Work resumed immediately, putting the project back on track.
Entertainment also advanced. In June 2025, construction started on Parky's, a 200,000-square-foot complex inside the former Lord & Taylor.
Plans called for an indoor go-kart track, duckpin bowling, axe throwing, arcade games, mini-golf, and a speakeasy-style lounge.
Rooftop stages and bars were included, signaling a shift toward destination-style leisure within the mall footprint.
The facility is expected to open by late 2025.
Just wanted to make a correction to this article and an addition. The grocery store that was in the mall was Pathmark, not Shop Rite. I shopped there with my family when I was young. Also, how can you talk about the Moorestown Mall without mentioning the duck ponds that ran through the middle of the walking section on the main part between Gimbels and the other anchor store. It was great and attracted a lot of people to the Moorestown Mall. It was there for many years, but they eventually had to do away with it because as times changed, the youth got worse and were being cruel and breaking the backs of some of the ducks. In order to stop it from happening, they had to remove the ponds and the ducks.
Thank you for the addition. You're right about the store: ShopRite opened with the mall in 1963, switched to Pathmark in 1968, and stayed until 1980. After it closed, that space became the food court so many people remember from the 80s onward.