Deadmalls.com exclusive photograph, ©2001 Brian Florence

Mike Morrison's Commentary:

The Worcester Outlet Mall, nee Worcester Common Fashion Outlets, was the latest incarnation of the Worcester Galleria, located in downtown Worcester, MA. The Galleria was built sometime in the mid 1970's (before I was born). I have vague childhood memories of shopping in the Galleria with my grandparentsbut nothing more than that. It fell into disuse in the 80's but was reborn as the Outlets circa 1993. The mall did well financially for a few years, but it too fell into disuse as the years wore on (helped in no small part by the crime reports that appeared regularly in the local paper). Parking was plentiful, thanks to the attached parking garage, but was expensive. It also find stiff competition from the nearby Greendale Mall (itself reported as either thriving or teetering on the edge) and from two malls in the surrounding suburbia, the Auburn Mall (Auburn, MA) and the Solomon Pond Mall (Marlborough, MA).

Last year, a developer bought the land and announced plans to raze the mall and to turn the area into mixed residential/commercial space. I personally feel that this change is a long time in coming; the mall cut off the downtown area from the booming east side/shrewsbury St. area and sopped up many city blocks. Before the wrecking ball hit its first target, I snapped some pics of the mall one lazy Saturday afternoon. Almost all of the mall's tenants have left by the time I took these pics (Feb/2005), which accounts for the sparseness of the mall. The big anchor stores were Media Play, The Sports Authority, and Saks Fifth Avenue. In Feb/2005, all of the anchor store have left (Media Play being the last to do so, leaving a little after Christmas '04). The food court was empty except for a couple chain stores. A local university, Quinsigamond Community College, still had a satellite campus in the mall as of Feb/2005, but they have since moved their offices elsewhere downtown. There are two office buildings attached to the mall, neither of which are scheduled for demolition.

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