Cherry Hill, New Jersey - circa 1960's
On The Mall at Cherry Hill! Here's a very groovy sixties interior postcard view of the water fountain in the Cherry Court garden, at the Cherry Hill Shopping Center--dig that crazy floor! This from Wikipedia:
Cherry Hill Mall, owned by Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust, is the first large indoor shopping center on the East Coast of the United States and attracted busloads of visitors soon after its opening in October 1961. (The Southdale Shopping Center in Edina, Minnesota, was the very first enclosed mall, beating Cherry Hill to the honor by five years.) The anchors of the mall are JC Penney, Macy's, and Nordstrom (opening 2009). The mall has a gross leasable area of 1,283,000 sq. ft.Mall history: 1961 - present
The Mall is widely held to be the source of the 1961 renaming of what had been called Delaware Township to its current name of Cherry Hill Township, New Jersey. In fact, the town was named Cherry Hill because the town wanted its own ZIP Code, and the United States Postal Service suggested this name because of its historical ties. Also, a local developer, Eugene Mori, had a vested interest in the name identifying with his properties, which had taken the name Cherry Hill to identify that they were built on or near the old Cherry Hill farm, on a hill at the intersection of what is now Route 38 and Haddonfield Road.
Architect: Victor Gruen
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Info from Wikipedia
Previous entries: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Wow! A shot of Cherry Hill I've been hoping for! This photo sure captures the feel of my own childhood mall here in KY, with all that fantastic jungle-ness and the cool fountain. Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteVery cool, J. So glad you dug it! Now I'm glad I posted it. :)
ReplyDeleteLove the circles on the floor! This mall reminds me of Southland in Hayward, CA. Similar layouts. Well, minus the second floor towards Penney's.
ReplyDeleteScott
I remember that fountain well...any shots of the old fountain next to Macys?
ReplyDeleteI grew up in Cherry Hill and that photo brings back memories. I can remember before they built the addition, with the food court. In 2007, they will be reovating the mall again, moving the food court... so if there any remnants of the original style of the mall, I am sure they will be gone.
ReplyDeleteDoes any one remember the "diner" counter in the middle of the mall right near Woolworth's? (The floor where they cooked and served the food was lower than the floor where the patrons would be walking.)
The diner counter is still there. It's a restaurant. Me and my friends used to call it the place where the midgets worked, or something to that effect.
ReplyDeleteI saw somewhere in this blog where someone mentioned Dunderbachs. I have been trying to remember what that store was called for years and now I know, so thanks to whomever that was! I believe it was the first place I ever applied for a job. I even got a little interview after filling out the application. Didn't get the job, though. The honor of being the first place to hire me went to NASA's diner.
Ah, memories of the old mall.
I used to love watching those different fountains. So much that I jumped in when I was 2 or 3. Mom wasn't too impressed...
ReplyDeleteA real blast from the past. I used to love watching the fountains when I was a little kid. The low ceiling area has been raised up to be even with the higher ceiling in the background. The latest redo has brought the mall's appearance into the 21st century. It's very bright and airy. It's good to see where the mall's been to appreciate where it's going.
ReplyDeleteI miss the OLD mall from when I was a kid in the 80s....Things in life had much more imagination back then as did the mall rather then being so corporate, numb, and unimaginative.....
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone remember the amusement park at one end of the mall? My mom use to take my sister and I there. I remember they had a small roller coaster, merry go-round and many other rides I believe there also use to be an ice skating rink there. I can't find any photos oh the amusement park or skating rink.
ReplyDeleteYes there was an ice skating rink there. I used to take lessons there as a small child������
DeleteI remember the ice rink. I lived in area early 70’s. I’m driving through area and at mall right now. I too was looking for info on ice rink. I thought maybe at the other malls. But you answered that question for me.
DeleteYes. I remember the amusement park. It was at the very back corner of what was then the end of the mall. Then it moved to an area in the middle of the mall....and I took ice skating lessons. It was behind Woolworth's.
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ReplyDeleteIt was called Kiddieland. It was located down near Food Fair. It's best remembered by it's neon light sticks protruding from the Amusement rides as the went round and round. The Cherry Hill Grill was the Woolworth's Restaurant in the middle of the Mall. It's service floor where the Waitresses stood was a foot lower than the Concourse floor. It's now a Pizza bar.
ReplyDeleteIt was called Kiddieland. It was located down near Food Fair. It's best remembered by it's neon light sticks protruding from the Amusement rides as the went round and round. The Cherry Hill Grill was the Woolworth's Restaurant in the middle of the Mall. It's service floor where the Waitresses stood was a foot lower than the Concourse floor. It's now a Pizza bar.
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