Opening of original mall
The original Natick Mall was developed by businessmen William Lane, Stephen Mugar, and John Brennan. Construction began in 1965, connecting two stand-alone locations of Sears and Filene's (which had opened in March and August 1965, respectively), with a 600000 sqft, single-level shopping venue with 30 in-line stores. The project was one of the first enclosed malls in Greater Boston, and among the first built east of the Mississippi River. It was dedicated on April 27, 1966, with two smaller anchors on the north end of the mall, Woolworth's, Pray's Furniture, and a large fountain/entertainment area in front of Sears. Other charter tenants included Thom McAn, Baker Shoes, Ann Taylor, Parklane Hosiery, and a Hot Shoppes Cafeteria (later a York Steak House). There were many other notable tenants such as CVS Pharmacy, Fanny Farmer's Candies, Brigham's, Tie Rack and many more.[5]
Pray's Furniture was eventually replaced with a Boston Baby store in 1971, and later became a Playmart in 1975, but after the closure of Playmart in 1979, the vacant space was renovated into an additional retail wing and a four-bay food court in September 1980. This was the mall's first ever renovation. The mall opened many new tenants such as; Orange Julius, Papa Gino's in the food court, The Gap, The Limited, Chess King, and a bunch more of new tenants.[6]
By 1985, the mall had been acquired from the original owners by S.R. Weiner & Associates and William Finard, and, aside from the conversion of the former Boston Baby wing, the overall facility and retail mix had been virtually unchanged since opening in 1966. Weiner and Finard proposed an expansion of the mall, which would include the addition of a Lord & Taylor anchor as well as a second level of retail. However, not enough capital could be raised, and, coupled with lawsuits with Shopper's World owner Melvin Simon (who had made a controversial redevelopment proposal of that mall), the project was suspended indefinitely. Filene's proceeded with a renovation of its store in 1990 as part of the former expansion plans. This part was completed in 1991.
1992–1994 construction of replacement
By the early 1990s, the outdated mall had caused many shoppers to go to other larger, more modern area malls. In 1992, the Homart Development Company purchased the Natick Mall and the adjacent Shopper's World in Framingham for redevelopment. Initial plans called for the Natick Mall to become a power center and Shopper's World an enclosed shopping mall; however, Filene's was unwilling to spend more capital on a new building at Shopper's World after remodeling their store in the mall, thus the plans were switched onto the opposite properties.
The original mall, except Filene's, was demolished in June 1993; its two-floor replacement, originally slated to open in August 1994, opened on October 12, 1994. The Filene's portion of the mall would be the only vestige of the original mall. When the mall opened it included previous anchor stores Filene's, Jordan Marsh, and a rebuilt Sears in addition to new anchor store Lord & Taylor.[7] Jordan Marsh was purchased by Federated Department Stores in 1994, and the nameplate was replaced by Macy's chain-wide in 1996.[8]
2006–2009 renovation and expansion
In late 2006, the mall began a renovation and expansion project. Its image was re-branded, first by attempting to change its name to simply Natick.[10] After resistance from the town, the mall was instead renamed the Natick Collection.[3] The first phase saw the renovation of the existing facility and the addition of a new wing on the property's north-east end, on the site of the former Wonder Bread/Hostess factory. The expansion added two new anchors, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus, and nearly 100 new stores to the mall. This phase was opened to the public on September 7, 2007, though some stores planned to open through the winter and following spring. Construction of a Crate & Barrel, a relocated California Pizza Kitchen, and an American Girl Boutique and Bistro began in April 2008, with an original completion time frame of early spring 2009.[11]
2010s
In July 2011, the Natick Collection reverted to its original name, the Natick Mall, citing local tradition.[14]
In 2015, It was announced Wegmans would be replacing JCPenney.[17][18] This was discussed by analysts as following suit with the "emerging trend" of nontraditional anchors in order to "emphasize experiences and fun over shopping".[19] Construction began in 2016 and the store was opened on April 29, 2018.[20] It is the first Wegmans to have multiple levels, entrances within a shopping center, and a full-service restaurant.[20]
2020s
The 2020s saw several traditional department store retailers update their brick-and-mortar retail divisions after being disrupted by digital retailers.
On August 27, 2020, Lord & Taylor announced they would be retiring their traditional brick-and-mortar division after modernizing into a single digital collective outpost. This structure is set to be completely rebuilt, creating a vibrant "city within a city" like atmosphere.[22][23] On September 20, 2020, Neiman Marcus announced plans to shutter their location in Natick Mall. Closure was expected to take place in September 2022.
In 2021, it was announced that Shopper's Find will replace Lord & Taylor;[24] Shopper's Find closed two years later in November 2022.[25] The same year, Level99, an entertainment complex, taproom, and beer hall opened inside a portion of the former Sears anchor space.[26]
