Oxford Valley Mall facts for kids
Second floor, looking from Macy's
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| Location | Middletown Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. |
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| Coordinates | 40°11′02″N 74°52′51″W / 40.1839°N 74.8807°W |
| Opening date | 1973 |
| Developer | The Kravco Co. |
| Management | Simon Property Group |
| Owner | Simon Property Group (85.5%) |
| No. of stores and services | 120 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 4 (2 open, 2 vacant) |
| Total retail floor area | 1,336,364 square feet (124,152.3 m2) |
| No. of floors | 2 |
| Parking | Parking lot |
| Public transit access |   SEPTA bus: 14, 127, 128, 129 |
The Oxford Valley Mall is a large, two-story shopping mall. It is managed and mostly owned by the Simon Property Group. You can find it in Middletown Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, right next to the fun amusement park, Sesame Place.
The mall has two main department stores: JCPenney and Macy's. On the second floor, there is a food court where you can grab a bite to eat. This area used to be the second floor of a Woolworth store. Next to the mall, there is also an office building called One Oxford Valley.
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History of Oxford Valley Mall
The Oxford Valley Mall first opened its doors in 1973. It was built by a company called The Kravco Company. Over the years, many changes have happened at the mall.
Early Store Changes
In 1986, a store called Gimbels became Stern's. This happened after another company bought several Gimbels stores. In the same year, Bamberger's changed its name to Macy's. Then, in 1989, Sears took over the Stern's store.
Mall Renovations and New Features
The mall got a big makeover in 1990. In 1992, a movie theater with 10 screens was built behind the Sears store. Four more screens were added to the theater in 2004.
In 1995, the mall opened its new food court on the second floor. This replaced the old second floor of the Woolworth store. During this time, the mall also made other improvements. They replaced a spiral ramp and a fountain with a glass elevator. The air conditioning system was updated, and the JCPenney and Sears stores were renovated. Most of the fountains inside the mall were removed, but one outdoor fountain remained.
More Store Changes Over Time
Also in 1995, the Wanamaker's store became Hecht's. Later, in 1997, Hecht's changed to Strawbridge's. This happened because its parent company bought the Strawbridge's chain.
In 2006, the Strawbridge's store closed. This was due to a large company buying many department stores. A new store called Boscov's then moved into that space. However, the Boscov's store closed in 2008 as part of their company changes.
Recent Store Closures
On October 15, 2018, Sears announced that its store would close. This was part of a plan to close many Sears stores across the country. The Sears store at Oxford Valley Mall closed on January 7, 2019. After this, Macy's and JCPenney became the only main department stores left at the mall.
Future Plans for the Mall
In August 2019, news reports shared exciting plans for the mall's future. The Simon Property Group and other companies want to redevelop the mall area. They plan to turn it into a mixed-use center. This means it would have different types of buildings and services.
One idea is to add a large apartment complex where the old Boscov's store used to be. These apartments would have many features like a fitness center, pools, and even dog walking services. There might also be new restaurants, more shops, and updated office spaces. Some of the parking lot area could be used for these new developments.
