Christiana Mall

Christiana Mall is an enclosed super-regional shopping center in northern New Castle County, Delaware, between Wilmington and Newark and near the unincorporated community of Christiana. It occupies a strategically important position at the intersection of Interstate 95 and Delaware Route 1/Route 7, placing it within convenient reach of Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and other population centers in the Northeast megalopolis. The mall is approximately 40 miles southwest of Center City Philadelphia and is one of Delaware’s most significant retail destinations. The center was developed in the late 1970s by The Rubin Organization and New Castle Associates as a larger competitor to nearby local shopping centers. Its site incorporated land from several family farms, including the Lynam, Morgan, Clayville, and Carroll farms. The first store, Strawbridge & Clothier, opened in September 1978, and the initial phase opened to the public on October 12 of that year. A second phase, including Bamberger’s and JCPenney, followed in 1979. The original complex included department stores, specialty retailers, a food court, cinemas, and entertainment facilities. Over time, Christiana Mall developed into Delaware’s largest shopping mall. It has approximately 1.27 million square feet of gross leasable area and has been described as containing roughly 179 to 182 stores, depending on the period and method of counting. Its principal interior anchors have included Macy’s, JCPenney, and Target, with Barnes & Noble serving as a large junior anchor. Exterior or outparcel uses have included Cabela’s and Cinemark Theatres. Specialty tenants have included Apple, lululemon, and White House Black Market, while dining options have included a 13-bay food court and full-service restaurants such as P.F. Chang’s and The Cheesecake Factory. The mall’s commercial appeal is strongly connected to Delaware’s absence of a general sales tax. That distinction draws shoppers from Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, and more distant parts of the Mid-Atlantic who combine tax-free retail shopping with the mall’s broad tenant mix. Christiana Mall has also benefited from its highway visibility and extensive regional transportation connections. DART First State routes serve the property from Wilmington, Newark, other parts of New Castle County, and, through inter-county or seasonal service, destinations farther south in Delaware. Christiana Mall has undergone several major redevelopment cycles. A 1991 expansion created new concourses and a skylit central court around the former Wanamaker’s addition. Department-store changes in the 1990s and 2000s transformed former Wanamaker’s, Strawbridge’s, and Lord & Taylor spaces. The Lord & Taylor building was eventually demolished for a one-level Target store, which opened in 2010. The former Strawbridge’s site was replaced by a new retail wing and a Nordstrom store that opened in 2011, adding higher-end retail capacity. Further exterior development brought a Cabela’s store in 2014 and a 12-screen Cinemark theater later that year, alongside road, parking, lighting, flooring, seating, entrance, and restaurant improvements. The mall is generally positioned as a high-volume, destination-oriented regional center rather than a neighborhood shopping facility. Its combination of department stores, specialty retail, restaurants, entertainment, highway access, and tax-free shopping gives it a broad trade area. It has been reported as attracting more than 20 million visitors annually and as ranking among the highest-producing malls in the United States, although current operating and valuation figures are not independently specified here. The property remains an active retail and entertainment destination, with its tenant roster and ownership structure subject to change.

Christiana Mall emerged from the late-1970s expansion of suburban retail around northern New Castle County. The Rubin Organization and New Castle Associates developed the property on land assembled from four family farms. The mall was conceived to compete with smaller nearby centers and to capture shoppers traveling along the developing Interstate 95 and Delaware Route 1 corridors. Strawbridge & Clothier was the first store to open, in September 1978. The first phase of the enclosed mall opened on October 12, 1978, with Strawbridge & Clothier, specialty shops, architectural fountains, and a clock tower. The second phase opened in 1979 and extended the center toward Bamberger’s and JCPenney. The early complex also included a food court, cinemas, and an arcade, establishing a format that combined department-store shopping with food and entertainment. The mall expanded substantially in 1991. The project added triangular concourses associated with the Wanamaker’s expansion and created a new central court with full-height skylights and a fountain. Wanamaker’s opened a two-level anchor that year. In 1995, May Department Stores acquired Wanamaker’s and converted its stores to Hecht’s. May acquired Strawbridge & Clothier the following year but retained the Strawbridge’s name at Christiana Mall. The former Wanamaker’s building was subsequently refitted for Lord & Taylor in 1997; it was the chain’s only Delaware location. A major ownership and portfolio event occurred in 2003, when The Rouse Company obtained a 50 percent interest in Christiana Mall from PREIT as part of a broader exchange involving malls, cash, stock, and mortgage obligations. The transaction reflected Rouse’s strategy of concentrating on stronger-performing regional properties. General Growth Properties later became associated with the mall’s ownership and management, and the property was subsequently connected to Brookfield’s real-estate platform. The mall underwent a further large-scale redevelopment between 2008 and 2011. Earlier plans for the vacant Lord & Taylor space, including an internet catalog showroom concept called The Epicenter Collection, were abandoned. Target acquired the site, the former building was demolished in 2010, and a new one-level Target opened on October 10 of that year. The former Strawbridge’s structure was demolished in 2008. It was replaced by a new retail wing and a Nordstrom store, which opened on April 8, 2011. The project added or renovated many stores and introduced outdoor avenue-style areas, updated entrances, new lighting and flooring, improved seating, and additional restaurants. A new food court opened in spring 2009 after the original food-court area was converted to retail use. Additional exterior development took place from 2013 through 2014. A 100,000-square-foot Cabela’s store and a 12-screen Cinemark theater were built as outparcels. The project also widened portions of the ring road, added parking, and improved highway access. Interstate 95 flyover ramps were completed in 2013, and Cabela’s and Cinemark opened in 2014. Interior stores were also added, remodeled, or relocated during the same period. The mall’s regional importance is supported by its location and Delaware’s lack of a general sales tax. It attracts shoppers from neighboring Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, and other Mid-Atlantic markets, as well as visitors traveling through the Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington metropolitan regions. DART First State provides local and inter-county bus service. The center has been described as Delaware’s largest mall and as a high-producing United States shopping property. In 2023, the mall was the site of a shooting near the food court that caused multiple gunshot and crowd-related injuries and led to a subsequent police investigation. Christiana Mall continues to operate as a major enclosed retail and entertainment complex. Its department-store composition, specialty tenants, restaurants, cinema, outparcels, and tax-free shopping proposition have changed over time, but the property’s core role as a regional destination has remained consistent.

• 2014

  Cabela’s and Cinemark open

  [1]Christiana Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Cabela’s opened in May and Cinemark’s 12-screen theater opened in November.

• 2013

  Outparcel development begins

  [1]Christiana Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Construction began for Cabela’s, Cinemark, expanded parking, and related roadway improvements.

• 2011

  Nordstrom redevelopment opens

  [1]Christiana Mallen.wikipedia.org

  A new Nordstrom store and associated retail wing opened on April 8 at the former Strawbridge’s site.

• 2010

  Target opens

  [1]Christiana Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Target opened on October 10 after the former Lord & Taylor building was demolished.

• 2009

  New food court opens

  [1]Christiana Mallen.wikipedia.org

  A replacement food court opened in space formerly occupied by a movie theater.

• 2003

  Rouse acquires a 50 percent interest

  [1]Christiana Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The Rouse Company acquired half of the mall from PREIT through a broader portfolio transaction.

• 1997

  Former Wanamaker’s becomes Lord & Taylor

  [1]Christiana Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The former Wanamaker’s building was refitted for Lord & Taylor.

• 1991

  Major expansion and Wanamaker’s opening

  [1]Christiana Mallen.wikipedia.org

  A new Wanamaker’s anchor and triangular concourses were added, with a skylit central court becoming the mall’s main event space.

• 1979

  Second development phase opens

  [1]Christiana Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The wing containing Bamberger’s and JCPenney opened, expanding the center’s department-store and specialty-retail offering.

• 1978

  First store and initial mall phase open

  [1]Christiana Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Strawbridge & Clothier opened in September, followed by the first public phase of Christiana Mall on October 12.

A high-volume, highway-accessible regional shopping and entertainment destination distinguished by its large tenant base, department-store anchors, broad Mid-Atlantic trade area, and Delaware’s tax-free retail environment.

• Anchor retail · 1978

  Department stores

  Christiana Mall’s principal anchor offer has included Macy’s, JCPenney, and Target. These stores provide broad assortments spanning apparel, home goods, beauty, electronics, furnishings, and general merchandise, giving the center a mass-market foundation alongside its specialty tenants.

• Shopping · 1978

  Specialty retail

  The enclosed mall contains a large collection of inline specialty stores across fashion, accessories, beauty, technology, books, sporting goods, and lifestyle categories. Tenants identified in reference material include Apple, lululemon, and White House Black Market.

• Books and media · 2009

  Barnes & Noble

  Barnes & Noble functions as a two-level junior anchor, adding books, media, gifts, stationery, and related lifestyle merchandise to the mall’s tenant mix.

• Outdoor retail · 2014

  Cabela’s

  The approximately 100,000-square-foot Cabela’s outparcel expanded Christiana Mall into outdoor recreation and sporting goods. Its format complements the enclosed mall with a large destination store serving regional shoppers.

• Entertainment · 2014

  Cinemark Theatres

  Cinemark operates a 12-screen cinema outparcel at the mall. The theater strengthens Christiana Mall’s role as an evening and leisure destination in addition to its retail function.

• Food and beverage · 1978

  Dining and food court

  The property offers a 13-bay food court and full-service restaurants including P.F. Chang’s and The Cheesecake Factory. Dining is an important component of the mall’s regional-destination positioning.

• 2023

  Christiana Mall shooting

  On April 8, 2023, a confrontation near the food court escalated into a shooting involving three alleged attackers. Three people were shot, including two critically injured victims, and five other people were injured amid the resulting panic. The suspects initially fled; one 17-year-old later surrendered to police.

  Source

Read more

• 2014

  Cabela’s and Cinemark outparcel programProduct launch

  Background

  The mall pursued additional destination uses outside the enclosed retail building.

  Action taken

  A Cabela’s store and a 12-screen Cinemark theater were constructed, accompanied by roadway, parking, and access improvements.

  Aftermath

  The two outparcels broadened the property’s outdoor recreation, entertainment, and dining-oriented regional appeal.

  Source

• 2011

  Nordstrom-led redevelopmentStrategy

  Background

  The former Strawbridge’s anchor was demolished during a broader effort to modernize and expand the mall’s high-end retail offer.

  Action taken

  A new Nordstrom store and retail wing were developed, together with avenue-style exterior areas, upgraded entrances, new finishes, seating, and restaurants.

  Aftermath

  The redevelopment opened on April 8, 2011 and substantially refreshed the center’s layout and tenant environment.

  Source

• 2010

  Replacement of Lord & Taylor with TargetGeneration change

  Background

  The former Lord & Taylor location had become vacant after department-store changes and was selected for a new retail use.

  Action taken

  The building was demolished and a one-level Target store was constructed on the site.

  Aftermath

  Target opened on October 10, 2010, adding a major mass-market anchor to the property.

  Source

• 2008

  Abandonment of the Epicenter Collection conceptStrategy

  Background

  General Growth Properties had considered converting the vacant Lord & Taylor space into an internet catalog showroom concept known as The Epicenter Collection.

  Action taken

  The concept was abandoned, and the site was instead sold for redevelopment by Target.

  Aftermath

  The former anchor was demolished and replaced by a new one-level Target store, which opened in 2010.

  Source

• 2014

  Cabela’s and Cinemark projects expand the center[1]Christiana Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch · Other

  The mall’s exterior development program added a Cabela’s store in May and a 12-screen Cinemark theater in November, together with additional parking and access improvements.

• 2011

  Nordstrom opens at Christiana Mall[1]Christiana Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  A new Nordstrom store opened on April 8, 2011, replacing the former Strawbridge’s site and adding a major higher-end retail wing.

• 2010

  Target opens in former Lord & Taylor location[1]Christiana Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  The former Lord & Taylor building was demolished and replaced with a one-level Target store, which opened on October 10, 2010.

• 1991

  Wanamaker’s anchor opens at Christiana Mall[1]Christiana Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  A two-level Wanamaker’s department store opened as part of a major mall expansion that added new concourses and a skylit central court.

1. 1Christiana Mallen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Christiana Mall official websitechristianamall.com