Lycoming Mall facts for kids
| Location | Pennsdale, Pennsylvania, United States |
|---|---|
| Address | 300 Lycoming Mall Circle |
| Opening date | 1978 |
| Developer | Crown American |
| Owner | Lycoming Mall Realty Holding (Kohan Retail Investment Group) |
| No. of stores and services | 59 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 5 |
| Total retail floor area | 834,600 sq ft (77,540 m2) |
| Parking | 4,654 spaces |
| Public transit access |  RVT bus: 90, 102, 316, 318 BeST Transit bus: Lycoming/Arnot (Tioga), Lycoming Mall (Bradford County) |
The Lycoming Mall is a large shopping center located near Williamsport, Pennsylvania. It's a place where people can go to shop for clothes, books, sporting goods, and many other items. The mall first opened its doors in 1978. Today, one of its main stores is Burlington Coat Factory. Other popular stores include Books-A-Million, Dick's Sporting Goods, and Old Navy.
Contents
History of Lycoming Mall
How the Mall Started: 1978–2015
Plans for the Lycoming Mall were first announced in 1975. The mall was designed to have large department stores, often called "anchor stores." These big stores help attract many shoppers.
The first stores, like Hess's, opened in March 1978. The rest of the mall opened in July of that year, with Sears opening soon after. In 1985, the mall got bigger, adding more space and a Bon-Ton store. Later, in the late 1980s, J. C. Penney moved its store from downtown Williamsport to the mall.
Over the years, some stores changed. For example, Value City closed in 2008, and Burlington Coat Factory took its place. In 2011, Books-A-Million opened, replacing a closed Borders bookstore. By 2015, stores like Gap and RadioShack closed their doors at the mall.
Changes and Challenges: 2016–Present
In March 2016, the Lycoming Mall was sold to a new owner, Kohan Retail Investment Group. This group now owns the mall under the name Lycoming Mall Realty Holding.
After the sale, more big changes happened. Macy's closed its store in March 2017. J. C. Penney also closed in July 2017, and Sears closed in January 2018. The former Macy's building was later sold and is being turned into a storage facility. Bon-Ton also closed because its company went out of business.
In August 2018, the mall briefly lost power because the owner had not paid the electric bill. It reopened the next day. The mall has faced some financial challenges, but it continues to operate.
The Hadany Arch Sculpture
The Lycoming Mall is known for a very special piece of art. It has a huge steel sculpture called the Hadany Arch. This arch is 90 feet high and 55 feet wide, and it weighs 140 tons!
The sculpture was designed by an artist named Israel Hadany in 1977. It was bought by people involved with Hess's and Crown American, who helped build the mall. The Hadany Arch was officially dedicated in November 1978, becoming a unique landmark at the mall.
