Sears, Roebuck and Company Retail Department Store-Camden

Last updated
Sears, Roebuck and Company Retail Department Store-Camden
Sears Retail Camden NJ.JPG
Location map of Camden County, New Jersey.svg
Red pog.svg
USA New Jersey location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location1300 Admiral Wilson Boulevard, Camden, New Jersey
Coordinates 39°56′37″N75°6′37″W / 39.94361°N 75.11028°W / 39.94361; -75.11028
Area3.5 acres (1.4 ha)
Built1927
ArchitectCarr, George Wallace; Nimmons, George C.
Architectural styleClassical Revival
DemolishedJune 5, 2013 August 23, 2013
NRHP reference No. 00000795 [1]
NJRHP No.8 [2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJuly 27, 2000
Designated NJRHPMay 22, 2000

The Sears, Roebuck and Company Retail Department Store Building in Camden, Camden County, New Jersey, United States, was built in 1927 and housed a Sears department store until 1971, when the store relocated to Moorestown Mall. It was South Jersey's first free-standing department store. [3] It was also among the first department stores to be built with its own parking lot, a precursor to the modern shopping mall. [4] It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 27, 2000.

After Sears relocated, the building was home at different times to a nightclub, a car dealership, a day care center, and a housing authority office, before becoming vacant for several years. In 2007, it was purchased by Ilan Zaken, owner of the hip-hop clothing company Miskeen Originals, for $2.7 million (~$3.82 million in 2023). Zaken spent more than $1 million on a plan to transform it into his company's headquarters as well as a culinary school and restaurant supply mall, but the project was not completed. [4]

In February 2011, a New Jersey Superior Court judge ruled that the city could acquire the building through eminent domain. [5]

On June 11, 2012, Campbell Soup Company, whose corporate headquarters is nearby, purchased the building for about $3.5 million, with plans to demolish it. Campbell contended that uncertainty surrounding the building impeded its development of an adjacent office park. The purchase effectively ended the ongoing legal battle to preserve the building. [4]

Demolition of the building began on June 5, 2013. [3] [6] It was completed on August 23, 2013. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camden, New Jersey</span> City in Camden County, New Jersey, US

Camden is a city in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Camden is part of the Delaware Valley. The city was incorporated on February 13, 1828. Camden has been the county seat of Camden County since the county was formed on March 13, 1844. The city derives its name from Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden. Camden is made up of over 20 neighborhoods. The city is part of the South Jersey region of the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sears</span> Department store chain in the United States

Sears, Roebuck and Co., commonly known as Sears, is an American chain of department stores founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosenwald, with what began as a mail ordering catalog company migrating to opening retail locations in 1925, the first in Chicago. In 2005, the company was bought by the management of the American big box discount chain Kmart, which upon completion of the merger, formed Sears Holdings. Through the 1980s, Sears was the largest retailer in the United States. In 2018, it was the 31st-largest. After several years of declining sales, Sears's parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on October 15, 2018. It announced on January 16, 2019, that it had won its bankruptcy auction, and that a reduced number of 425 stores would remain open, including 223 Sears stores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Summit Place Mall</span> Shopping mall in Michigan, United States

Summit Place Mall, originally Pontiac Mall, was a shopping mall in Waterford Township, Michigan, United States. Opened in 1962 as the first enclosed mall in Michigan, it was built on a 74-acre (30 ha) site. After expansions in 1987 and 1993, it comprised more than 1,400,000 square feet (130,000 m2) of retail space. At its peak, it had approximately 200 inline tenants and six anchor stores: Hudson's, Sears, J. C. Penney, Montgomery Ward, Service Merchandise, and Kohl's.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Voorhees Town Center</span> Shopping mall in New Jersey, U.S.

Voorhees Town Center is a regional shopping mall and a residential area located in Voorhees Township, New Jersey. It was built in 1970 and named after Echelon Airfield which was located where the mall stands today. The Echelon Mall was renamed Voorhees Town Center in 2007. Boscov's and Modax Furniture Outlet serve as the anchors of the mall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Citadel Mall</span> Shopping mall in South Carolina, United States

Citadel Mall is a regional 1,138,527 square feet (105,773 m2) shopping mall located in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. It opened on July 29, 1981 and is located at the intersection of Sam Rittenberg Boulevard and I-526. The mall features more than 100 stores. On September 1, 2013 the mall went into foreclosure after then owner CBL & Associates Properties defaulted on mortgage payments, and it was purchased at auction by the lender in January 2014. After the auction, the mall was placed under the ownership of a holding company formed by the lender, 2070 Sam Rittenberg Boulevard Holdings LLC and as of January 2017 was under contract to be sold to an undisclosed buyer. The anchor stores are Target, Belk, Dillard's, Mixed Bag Productions, and Medical University of South Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolling Acres Mall</span> Demolished mall in Akron, Ohio, United States

Rolling Acres Mall was a shopping mall located in the Rolling Acres area of Akron, Ohio, United States. Built in 1975, it originally included approximately 21 stores, with Sears as the main anchor store. Later expansions added several more stores including anchor stores JCPenney, Montgomery Ward, and O'Neil's, along with a movie theater and food court. Montgomery Ward was converted to Higbee's in 1986, and then to Dillard's in 1992, while O'Neil's became May Company Ohio, Kaufmann's, and then finally Macy's. The fifth anchor store was Target, added in 1995. At its peak, the mall had over 150 stores. It underwent a sharp decline in tenancy throughout the 1990s and into the first decade of the 21st century, resulting in the relocation of Target and closure of Dillard's. Macy's and the mall itself both shuttered in 2008, although Sears remained operational until 2011, and JCPenney as an outlet store until 2013. Rolling Acres Mall was publicized after its closure as an example of a dead mall, and non-retail ventures operated out of the former locations of Target, Sears, and Dillard's. The mall was finally demolished in stages between 2017 and 2019, with Amazon building a distribution facility on the former site soon after.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valley View Center</span> Shopping mall in Dallas, Texas, U.S.

Valley View Center is a former mall located at Interstate 635 and Preston Road in north Dallas, Texas, U.S. It is owned and managed by Dallas-based Beck Ventures. The mall was formerly home to anchor stores that were once JCPenney, Macy's, Sears, and Dillard's. The demolition of the mall was completed in May 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burlington Center Mall</span> Shopping mall in Burlington Township, New Jersey

Burlington Center was a shopping mall located in Burlington Township, New Jersey. It was built by The Rouse Company of Columbia, Maryland. Its anchors were Macy's, JCPenney, and Sears.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">College Mall</span> Shopping mall in Indiana, United States

College Mall is a regional shopping mall located in Bloomington, Indiana. This is home to Indiana University's flagship campus. The mall's anchor stores are Dick's Sporting Goods and Target. The mall also features a Fresh Thyme Farmers Market and an Ulta Beauty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol Mall</span> Shopping mall in Virginia, U.S.

Bristol Mall was the only regional shopping mall serving Bristol, Virginia. It opened in 1975. Former anchors included Sears, Belk, JCPenney, and a movie theater. With Bristol being the home of country music, long before Knoxville or Nashville, for many years there had been a museum at the mall, showcasing the legacy this left to the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harbor Square</span> Shopping mall in New Jersey, United States

Harbor Square, formerly Shore Mall, is a shopping plaza in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey in the United States on U.S. Route 40/U.S. Route 322 originally known as "Searstown". The plaza is accessible from Exit 36 off the Garden State Parkway. The plaza is owned by Aetna Realty. The plaza has a gross leasable area of 337,423 ft², formerly 620,000 ft² when it was a mall, located on 73 acres (300,000 m2) of land. The plaza's anchor stores include Boscov's, Restaurant Depot and Proshot Pickleball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westminster Mall (Colorado)</span> Shopping mall in Colorado, United States

Westminster Mall was an enclosed shopping mall in Westminster, Colorado, a suburb of Denver, Colorado, United States. Opened in 1977, the mall featured one anchor store (Joslins). Former anchors were Dillard's, Montgomery Ward, Mervyn's, Sears, and Macy's. The mall also included a food court and formerly included a movie theater. It was also a dead mall, having closed in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campbell's Field</span> Baseball park in Camden, New Jersey, US

Campbell's Field was a 6,425-seat baseball park in Camden, New Jersey, United States that hosted its first regular season baseball game on May 11, 2001. The ballpark was home to the Rutgers–Camden college baseball team, and until 2015 was home to the Camden Riversharks of the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. The naming rights were owned by the Camden-based Campbell Soup Company, which paid $3 million over ten years. Stadium demolition started in mid-December 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campbell Soup Company</span> American food manufacturer

The Campbell Soup Company, doing business as Campbell's, is an American company, most closely associated with its flagship canned soup products; however through mergers and acquisitions, it has grown to become one of the largest processed food companies in the United States with a wide variety of products under its flagship Campbell's brand as well as other brands including Pepperidge Farm, Snyder's of Hanover, V8, and Swanson. With its namesake brand Campbell's produces soups and other canned foods, baked goods, beverages, and snacks. It is headquartered in Camden, New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nipper Building</span> United States historic place

The Nipper Building is a colloquial name for The Victor condominiums, and formerly, Building 17, RCA Victor Company, Camden Plant. The structure is a historical building located in Cooper Grant neighborhood of Camden, Camden County, New Jersey, United States. Since 1901, Camden was the headquarters of the Victor Talking Machine Company, later RCA Victor. Originally a Victrola cabinet factory, the building was converted into luxury apartments and retail space in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamestown Mall</span> Demolished shopping mall in Missouri, U.S.

Jamestown Mall was an enclosed shopping mall in Florissant, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Opened in 1973, the mall formerly included Dillard's, JCPenney, Macy's, and Sears as its anchor stores. The mall had become increasingly vacant since the beginning of the 2000s. It closed in July 2014 and has been slated for redevelopment as an open-air center.

Tippecanoe Mall is an enclosed shopping mall in Lafayette, Indiana. Opened in 1973, it is anchored by JCPenney, Macy's, Kohl's, and Dick's Sporting Goods. It is owned by Simon Property Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wausau Center</span> Shopping mall in Wausau, Wisconsin

Wausau Center was an enclosed shopping mall which opened in 1983 in downtown Wausau, Wisconsin. The last remaining anchor store was HOM Furniture, which still stands in a space that had previously been a Younkers. There were two vacant anchor stores that were once JCPenney and Sears. It was managed by Mid-America Real Estate Group.

SouthBay Pavilion, formerly Carson Mall, is a partially enclosed shopping mall in Carson, California. Opened in 1973, it features as its anchor retailers Burlington, IKEA, JCPenney, Ross Dress For Less, and Target. SouthBay Pavilion has been recognized by and award from the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) for its innovative marketing and event programs focused on community service and social responsibility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memorial Mall</span> Shopping mall in Wisconsin, United States

Memorial Mall is a former indoor shopping mall located in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, since redeveloped and anchored by a new Meijer hypermarket. Opened in 1969, it currently features Kohl's and four other smaller stores in the former south mall wing, with three additional stores within the Meijer space.

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Camden County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. April 1, 2010. p. 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 4, 2011. Retrieved September 13, 2010.
  3. 1 2 "Razing of Sears Building to start; Redevelopment planned at site of city landmark", Courier-Post , June 5, 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 "Campbell Soup buys 85-year-old Camden building for $3.5M, ending legal battle", Courier-Post , June 11, 2012. Accessed May 27, 2013.
  5. "Judge Says Former Sears Bldg. in Camden Can Be Razed", David Madden, KYW Newsradio 1060, February 8, 2011. Accessed May 28, 2013.
  6. Boyer, Barbara (June 6, 2013). "Demolition begins at Camden's Sears building". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  7. "Sears building demolition completed", Courier-Post , August 24, 2013.