# Blue Hen Mall

Dover, DE · mall · tier: curated · Retrofit Atlas record `m-48009f3db2` · release 2026-10-20

Canonical: https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/de/dover-blue-hen-mall/  
JSON: https://retrofitatlas.org/data/records/m-48009f3db2.json · Provenance: https://retrofitatlas.org/data/records/m-48009f3db2.provenance.json · API: https://retrofitatlas.org/api/v1/sites/m-48009f3db2

## Facts

| Field | Value | Provenance |
|---|---|---|
| Status | built | reported · derived from authors' map (retrofit year present) |
| Strategy | redevelop, reinhabit | reported · authors' map |
| New use | healthcare, office, civic | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| What is there now | • Reinhabitation: office • Partial redevelopment: residential | reported · authors' map |
| Opened | 1968 | reported · Wikidata |
| Retrofit year | 2018 | reported · authors' map |
| Stores at peak | 50 | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Original developer | Jardel Company | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |

## Quoted support

- **original_developer**: “The mall opened in August 1968, and was developed and owned by the Jardel Company.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Hen_Mall

## Anchors

Woolco, JCPenney, Woolworth, Dover Cinema

## Parties

- Jardel Company — owner (from text) (1968–)
- Blue Hen Properties — owner (from text) (–2006)
- Pettinaro Enterprises LLC — owner (from text) (2006–)

## Timeline

- 1966: Construction began
- 1968: Opened (Wikidata)
- 1968: Mall opened
- 1982: Dover Mall opened nearby
- 1983: Woolco store closed
- 1987: Renovation announced
- 1993: JCPenney relocated
- 1994: Roses closed
- 1995: Rebranded as corporate center
- 2006: Sold to Pettinaro Enterprises
- 2018: Retrofit: redevelop, reinhabit
- 2022: Bayhealth acquired anchor spaces

## Deals and debt

- 2006 sale: 17400000.0 Pettinaro Enterprises LLC ← Blue Hen Properties  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Hen_Mall

## Background (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened)

The Blue Hen Mall is a defunct shopping mall on Bay Road in Dover, Delaware. The mall opened in August 1968, and was developed and owned by the Jardel Company. It was named after Delaware’s official state bird, the blue hen chicken, and was the only enclosed mall serving the Dover area until the opening of the Dover Mall in 1982. After losing all of its anchor stores in the early 1990s, the mall was converted into a corporate center. The former mall now contains various medical facilities, along with a mix of state and federal offices. Major tenants include Bayhealth Medical Center, the State of Delaware, the U.S. Social Security Administration, and an outpatient clinic operated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The building was constructed with a gross leasable area of 479,533 square feet (44,550.1 m2) and 6,000 parking spaces.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Hen_Mall

## Sources

- Quoted support for original_developer — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Hen_Mall
- Retrofitting Suburbia Interactive Mall Map (ArcGIS web map ce33ab26…) — https://www.arcgis.com/apps/mapviewer/index.html?webmap=ce33ab2637374aab862b8a23847f620f (2021-01-20)

## Cite

Retrofit Atlas (2026). "Blue Hen Mall, Dover, DE." Record m-48009f3db2, release 2026-10-20, tier curated. https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/de/dover-blue-hen-mall/ (accessed 2026-10-20).

```bibtex
@misc{retrofitatlas_doverbluehenmall,
  title = {Blue Hen Mall, Dover, DE},
  author = {{Retrofit Atlas}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/de/dover-blue-hen-mall/}},
  year = {2026},
  note = {Record m-48009f3db2, release 2026-10-20, tier: curated. Built on the Retrofitting Suburbia map (Dunham-Jones and Williamson) and the sources listed on the record. Accessed 2026-10-20}
}
```

Licence: research use only; terms undecided with the authors (https://retrofitatlas.org/licence/). Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0. Tiers: curated = from the authors' public map, not reviewed by them; draft = imported or model-extracted, unreviewed.