Silver City Galleria

The Silver City Galleria was an enclosed, two-level, super-regional mall located off Route 24 and Route 140 in Taunton, Massachusetts. It covered a leasable area of over 1 million square feet, and served multiple cities and towns in the region including: Taunton, Brockton, New Bedford, Fall River, Somerset, Raynham, Assonet, Bridgewater, Lakeville, Acushnet, Middleborough, Freetown, and Stoughton.

Silver City Galleria
Entrance to the food court and restaurant wing, January 2020
LocationTaunton, Massachusetts, United States
Coordinates41.864°N 71.052°W / 41.864; -71.052
Address2 Galleria Mall Drive
Opening dateMarch 1, 1992
Closing dateFebruary 29, 2020
DeveloperThe Pyramid Companies
ManagementJones Lang LaSalle
OwnerThibeault Developments
ArchitectADD, Inc.
No. of stores and services90
No. of anchor tenants7 (1 open, 6 vacant)
Total retail floor area1,030,000 square feet (96,000 m2)[1]
No. of floors2
Parking4,900 parking spaces
Websitenone

The mall's facilities included 90 retail store spaces, a 10-screen cinema, a food court, a center court, and a children's play area. Security was managed by IPC International, and facilities services were managed by UGL Limited's Unicco.

History

Silver City Galleria opened on March 1, 1992.[2] It was designed by ADD, Inc.[3] and planned and developed by The Pyramid Companies, around the same time that several other malls in the region - Independence Mall (Now Kingston Collection) and Berkshire Mall - were being built. When it first opened, Silver City was seemingly situated in the middle of nowhere; the surrounding area was a forest, with little to no other developments.[4] However, its strategic location at the intersection of two major freeways allowed it to draw traffic from cities in all directions. The modern mall quickly became a popular shopping destination in the southeastern Massachusetts area, bringing fatal competition to many smaller local malls such as the now-defunct Mill River Place.[5]

In 2002, Silver City Galleria was purchased in a joint venture between General Growth Properties and the Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois, in a $634 million deal that involved 3 other malls.[6][7]

2016 attack
Silver City Galleria attack
LocationTaunton, Massachusetts, U.S.
DateMay 10, 2016
c. 7:00 p.m. (EDT)
Attack type
Mass stabbing
WeaponsKitchen knife
Deaths3 (including the perpetrator)
Injured5
PerpetratorArthur DaRosa

On May 10, 2016, two people were stabbed at the mall and another two were stabbed at a nearby residence beforehand. Two of the victims died along with the attacker, who was shot by police. The attacker had crashed a Honda Accord into the now closed Macy's store at the mall. The incident occurred at about 7:00 p.m. EDT.[8][9]

The attacker was identified as 28-year-old Arthur DaRosa.[10] According to DaRosa's sister, he checked himself into a local hospital on the night before the attack and was released the following morning.[9] He was also reportedly mentally ill and had been struggling with depression for years.[11]

The attack started when DaRosa crashed his car on Myricks Street, located near the mall. He then started running around erratically and attempted to break into a number of homes, eventually breaking into one house and stabbing Patricia Slavin, 80, and her daughter Kathleen, 48, with a kitchen knife. Patricia died in the hospital, while Kathleen was being treated for life-threatening injuries. DaRosa stole the Honda from the house, crashed it into the Macy's, stabbed two more people at a Bertucci's restaurant, and assaulted three other people before being shot by an off-duty police officer. One of the stabbing victims, 56-year-old George Heath, was killed while trying to rescue the other stabbing victim, a pregnant 26-year-old waitress named Sheenah Savoy, who survived.[9][10][11]

Recession

Since the crash of the Stock market due to the Great Recession in September 2008, Silver City Galleria has seen a sharp decline in both its traffic and finances. Many retailers have closed their stores without replacements; in March 2010, it reached an estimated 75 percent occupancy rate - very low by industry standards.[12] Some of the more notable national brands that have left include: Old Navy, Max Rave and Pacsun.[13]

The exodus of tenants only amplified the financing troubles plaguing the mall. The mortgage on the mall, serviced by Midland Loan Services, went into default in November 2009. In September 2011 negotiations to sell the mall fell through.[14]

In mid-November 2011, the Galleria was bought out by Midland Loan Services, ending the ownership by General Growth Properties. In early December 2011, Silver City Galleria's Management was taken over by Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Real Estate Management.

In July 2013, the mall was bought out by the MGHerring group and Tricom real estate group. In April 2014, it was announced that the mall was to undergo several renovations, thus managing to get out of the likehood of foreclosure. On January 8, 2015, it was announced the JCPenney store would be closing as part of a plan to close 39 underperforming stores nationwide. The store closed in April 2015.[15] In May 2015, it was announced that a new tenant named Round 1 would be placed in the spot formerly occupied by Steve and Barry's and Lechmere. Also, it was said that the Regal Cinemas would be upgraded with a Restaurant and bar as well with recliner chairs and a new entrance. Both Round 1 and Regal Cinemas were completed by December 2015.[16] Macy's announced on January 4, 2017 that they would also be closing this location a part of the plan to close 68 stores. The store closed in April 2017.[17] On, September 15, 2017, it was announced that Best Buy would be closing as well in October 2017 as part of a plan to close 15 stores nationwide which left and Sears and Dicks sporting goods as the only anchors.[18] On August 22, 2018, Sears announced that they would closing this location in November 2018 as part of a plan to close 46 stores nationwide, leaving Dick's Sporting Goods as the only anchor.[19]

In May 2019, the mall was foreclosed on by Branch Banking and Trust Company due to an unpaid mortgage loan. On May 17, 2019, the Silver city galleria was sold for $7.5 Million at an auction.[20] On Wednesday, June 19, 2019, Thibeault Developments, the new owners, said that JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle), the malls former owners and management would continue to manage the mall while Thibeault Developments would own it. They also said the mall would stay open and operate as usual but would announce redevelopment plans in the near future. On October 17th, 2019 It was announced that Bristol Community College would be leaving silver city galleria in 2020.[21]

On February 4, 2020, 6 interior tenants were abruptly given notices of termination, with the only tenants to remain being those with dedicated entrances on the mall's west side or rear. The mall's main entrance was also closed at this time, with signs directing shoppers to the entrance near Regal Cinemas.[22][23] [24] The mall closed for good on February 29, 2020. [25]

References
  1. "Silver City Galleria". General Growth Properties. Retrieved March 16, 2011.
  2. "Opening March 1st! | History". Silver City Galleria. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  3. "ADD is commissioned to design Taunton mall | History". Silver City Galleria. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  4. Witt, Louise (October 7, 1991). "Mall builder drops anchor in Taunton". Boston Business Journal. Archived from the original on |archive-url= requires |archive-date= (help).
  5. "Silver City Galleria; Taunton, Massachusetts". Labelscar. August 19, 2006. Missing or empty |url= (help)
  6. "GGP, teachers' pension fund buy centers" (PDF). Shopping Centers Today: SCT Xtra. International Council of Shopping Centers. 7 (33). September 2, 2002.
  7. "General Growth Announces Acquisitions and $634 Million Joint Venture" (PDF) (Press release). General Growth Properties. August 26, 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on |archive-url= requires |archive-date= (help).
  8. "Suspect, 2 Victims Dead After Stabbings In Taunton". CBS Local. May 10, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
  9. Katersky, Aaron; McPhee, Michele; Keneally, Meghan (May 11, 2016). "Dining Off-Duty Cop Stops Fatal Stabbing Rampage in Massachusetts Mall". ABC News. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  10. Yablonski, Steven (May 11, 2016). "Mother, daughter, pregnant woman among Taunton stabbing victims; Suspect and 2 victims killed". WCVB. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  11. "3 hailed as heroes in Mass. stabbing rampage". CBS News. Associated Press. May 11, 2016. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  12. Craig M. Douglas (June 18, 2010). "All is not golden at Silver City Mall". Boston Business Journal.
  13. Charles Winokoor (January 20, 2011). "Old Navy pulls out of Taunton". OJournal. Gatehouse Media.
  14. Silver City Galleria mall sale hits rocks, foreclosure expected Craig M. Douglas, Boston Business Journal, September 27, 2011
  15. Winokoor, Charles. "J.C. Penney at Silver City Galleria in Taunton on list of store closures in 2015". The Taunton Daily Gazette, Taunton, MA.
  16. Strauss, Gary (January 8, 2015). "J.C. Penney, Macy's to shut stores, lay off scores". USA Today. Gannett. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  17. Hyman, Rebecca. "Taunton Macy's to begin going-out-of-business sale shortly, closing in 8-12 weeks". The Taunton Daily Gazette, Taunton, MA.
  18. Winokoor, Charles. "Best Buy closing Taunton store in October". The Taunton Daily Gazette, Taunton, MA.
  19. Reports, WCVB. "Sears at Silver City Galleria will close". The Taunton Daily Gazette, Taunton, MA.
  20. "Taunton's Silver City Galleria mall sold at foreclosure auction for $7.5 million". Providence Journal. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  21. Reporter, Staff. "Silver City Galleria in Taunton is in foreclosure". southcoasttoday.com.
  22. Winokoor, Charles (February 4, 2020). "Taunton Galleria tenants evicted, mall's main entrance locked". The Enterprise. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  23. "Last of Taunton's Silver City Galleria interior tenants to move out by Saturday".
  24. "Bounce Indoor Inflatable Park note on the closure of Silver City Galleria".
  25. "Last of Taunton's Silver City Galleria interior tenants to move out by Saturday".
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