# Fairgrounds Square Mall

Muhlenberg, PA · mall · tier: draft · Retrofit Atlas record `m-5b117db75b` · release 2026-10-20

Canonical: https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/pa/muhlenberg-fairgrounds-square-mall/  
JSON: https://retrofitatlas.org/data/records/m-5b117db75b.json · Provenance: https://retrofitatlas.org/data/records/m-5b117db75b.provenance.json · API: https://retrofitatlas.org/api/v1/sites/m-5b117db75b

## Facts

| Field | Value | Provenance |
|---|---|---|
| Status | closed | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Strategy | redevelop | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| New use | housing, hotel, retail, park | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| What is there now | Boscov's, Burlington Coat Factory, AMC Classic, Super Shoes, Planet Fitness, Baja Beach Tanning Club, and Quest Diagnostics remained open after the mall closed. | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Opened | 1980 | reported · Wikipedia |
| Closed | 2018 | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Stores at peak | 75 | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Original developer | Interstate Properties | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Redeveloper | Hull Property Group | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Public subsidy | tax incentive from Muhlenberg Township | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Planning notes | Other developments planned included townhomes, a hotel, and a restaurant. | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |

## Quoted support

- **year_closed**: “On April 30, 2018, Hull Property Group closed the interior of the mall.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairgrounds_Square_Mall
- **original_developer**: “The Fairgrounds Square Mall was developed by Interstate Properties” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairgrounds_Square_Mall
- **after_notes**: “Boscov's, Burlington Coat Factory, AMC Classic, Super Shoes, Planet Fitness, Baja Beach Tanning Club, and Quest Diagnostics remained open after the mall closed.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairgrounds_Square_Mall
- **status**: “On April 30, 2018, Hull Property Group closed the interior of the mall.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairgrounds_Square_Mall
- **strategy**: “Hull Property Group had plans to redevelop the Fairgrounds Square Mall site. The redevelopment plan would demolish 68.1 percent of the mall, leaving Boscov's, Burlington Coat Factory, AMC Classic, Super Shoes, and Planet Fitness.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairgrounds_Square_Mall
- **public_subsidy**: “Plans for the redevelopment had been put on hold by a tax incentive from Muhlenberg Township that makes it impossible to redevelop the site and attract new tenants without demolishing the existing mall first.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairgrounds_Square_Mall

## Anchors

Burlington Coat Factory, Boscov's, Limerick Furniture

## Parties

- Hull Storey Gibson — owner (Wikidata, undated)
- Hull Property Group — original_developer (2016–)
- Hull Property Group — owner (2016–)
- Hull Property Group — owner (from text) (2016–)
- GP Properties Inc — owner (1999–2013)
- GP Properties Inc — owner (from text) (1999–2013)
- BNY Mellon — owner (2013–2016)
- BNY Mellon — owner (from text) (2013–2016)
- Interstate Properties — original_developer (1980–)

## Timeline

- 1965: Boscov's opened as freestanding store adjacent to speedway
- 1980: Opened (Wikidata)
- 1980: Mall officially opened with Boscov's and JCPenney as anchors
- 1988: Mall expansion added several stores and Phar-Mor
- 1996: Mall renovated, Montgomery Ward built as third anchor
- 1999: Montgomery Ward closed; mall sold to Jager Management affiliate GP Properties Inc
- 2005: Burlington Coat Factory replaced National Wholesale Liquidators; Jason's became Super Shoes and Planet Fitness
- 2013: Mall sold to BNY Mellon for $13.6 million in US Marshals auction
- 2016: Hull Property Group took over mall with plans to revitalize
- 2018: Interior of mall closed; 12 tenants remaining
- 2020: Demolition of mall began

## Deals and debt

- 2013 sale: 13600000.0 BNY Mellon ← GP-Fairgrounds Square LP  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairgrounds_Square_Mall

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

Fairgrounds Square Mall was an enclosed shopping mall located just north of Reading, Pennsylvania in Muhlenberg Township. It was anchored by Boscov's, Burlington Coat Factory, and Limerick Furniture. Smaller stores included Super Shoes, Planet Fitness, an AMC Classic movie theater, and Golden Eagle Comics. The mall, which once had 75 stores, had 14 stores and many vacant storefronts before it closed in 2018. It was located on 5th Street Highway

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

## Sources

- Quoted support for year_closed — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairgrounds_Square_Mall
- found by hermes-web (staffboxfree) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hull_Property_Group

## Cite

Retrofit Atlas (2026). "Fairgrounds Square Mall, Muhlenberg, PA." Record m-5b117db75b, release 2026-10-20, tier draft. https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/pa/muhlenberg-fairgrounds-square-mall/ (accessed 2026-10-20).

```bibtex
@misc{retrofitatlas_muhlenbergfairgroundssquaremall,
  title = {Fairgrounds Square Mall, Muhlenberg, PA},
  author = {{Retrofit Atlas}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/pa/muhlenberg-fairgrounds-square-mall/}},
  year = {2026},
  note = {Record m-5b117db75b, release 2026-10-20, tier: draft. 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.