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Copley Place

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Coordinates: 42°20′54.10″N 71°04′41.83″W / 42.3483611°N 71.0782861°W / 42.3483611; -71.0782861
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the shopping mall. For the nearby public park, see Copley Square. For the nearby hotel, see The Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel.
Copley Place
Copley Place logo
Interior view of Copley Place, which has since been renovated (2007)
Map
Coordinates42°20′54.10″N 71°04′41.83″W / 42.3483611°N 71.0782861°W / 42.3483611; -71.0782861
Address100 Huntington Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts
02116
Opening date1983
DeveloperKenneth Himmel[1]
OwnerSimon Property Group
ArchitectHoward Elkus, The Architects' Collaborative[2]
Major renovations by Elkus Manfredi Architects[3]
No. of stores and services80
No. of anchor tenants2
Total retail floor area1,255,797 sq ft (116,667.4 m2)
No. of floors3
Public transit accessBack Bay:
Websitewww.simon.com/mall/copley-place

Copley Place is an enclosed shopping mall in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is named after the nearby Copley Square, and is connected to the Prudential Center shopping mall via a skybridge over Huntington Avenue.

It features direct indoor connections to several nearby destinations including four office towers, and the Boston Marriott Copley Place and Sheraton Boston hotels.

The mall currently features Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. [4]

Window Display announcing the opening of the Saks Mens Store.

In November 2019, the online business news website MassLive rated Copley Place as fourth, and the immediately adjacent Prudential Center as fifth best among 40 malls and shopping centers in Massachusetts.[5]

Description

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The bi-level indoors mall is noted for its upscale fashion stores, including Ralph Lauren, Christian Dior, John Varvatos, Michael Kors, Tory Burch, Victorinox Swiss Army, Porsche Design, Tiffany & Co., Jimmy Choo, David Yurman, Louis Vuitton, Salvatore Ferragamo, Saint Laurent, Ermenegildo Zegna, Burberry, Furla, and Gucci.[6] Above, the third level provides access to a lobby, reception desk, and the bases of the four office towers.

The mall is connected directly to the Prudential Center shopping mall via a skybridge over Huntington Avenue. Another skybridge connects to the Westin at Copley Place hotel (and a few small shops), by crossing Huntington Avenue at a different location. A Marriott hotel anchors one end of Copley Place, and the Neiman Marcus department store anchors the other end. The mall is also connected to the Back Bay MBTA/Amtrak station via a pedestrian tunnel crossing beneath Dartmouth Street.

The property is managed by Simon Property Group,[6] which acquired it in the 2002 breakup of the then Dutch-owned Urban Shopping Centers, Inc.[7][failed verification]

History

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Centerpiece sculptural fountain (Dimitri Hadzi, 1984). The waterfall had been shut off (2012), and the artwork was demolished a few years later.

The structure was the first major project designed by Howard Elkus, then of The Architects' Collaborative.[2] At the time, it was Boston's largest urban mixed-use development project,[2] financed by the Pritzker family of Chicago.[8] It was built in 1983 directly above the Massachusetts Turnpike and Huntington Avenue highway interchange ramps, which had been constructed in 1964 on the site of the former South End Armory. The Armory building had been completed in 1890, and was razed to make room for the Mass Pike right-of-way.[9] Later, as a principal of Elkus Manfredi Architects, Elkus would lead several major renovations of the mall, and a proposed expansion.[3]

In 2011, plans for a 60,000 sq ft (5,600 m2) addition of retail space to the facility and a 54,000 sq ft (5,000 m2) expansion of its Neiman Marcus anchor were approved by the Boston Redevelopment Authority.[10] By February 2013, the project was awaiting final design plans.[11][12] In October 2016, Simon Properties announced indefinite postponement of its $500-million project to build a 52-story luxury residential tower, and drastic scaling back of plans to expand the Copley Place mall, citing concerns about rising costs and competition from other Boston luxury towers already under construction.[13]

Upon its opening, the indoor mall featured as its centerpiece a 60-foot (18 m) high sculptural fountain designed by Boston artist Dimitri Hadzi. The artwork was composed of multiple abstract granite and travertine marble shapes, with a waterfall cascading down it into a shallow pool at the bottom, surrounded by marble benches. A proposed renovation which would eliminate the water feature prompted commentary opposing its demolition in 2013.[8] As of 2017, the fountain had been completely removed, and the location and status of its sculptural components were unknown to the general public.

From its opening, the mall has been marketed as a high-end luxury retail location. Over time, the mix of stores changed in response to sweeping changes affecting the US retailing market. For example, a sizable Rizzoli Bookstore[14] was located opposite the elevators behind the central water feature, but it had closed by the year 2000. Other stores which have moved out include Stoddard's (fine cutlery and personal care tools)[15] and Williams Sonoma (kitchenware and food ingredients). As of 2020, almost all of the stores sell fashionable clothing, shoes, or accessories.[6]

The mall had also housed one of the few major-chain-owned movie theaters within Boston city limits, but the Loews Copley Place Cinemas was closed in January 2005. It was replaced by Barneys New York men's clothing, which closed in 2019. Barney's became a new Saks Fifth Avenue Men's Store, on August 14, 2020.[4]

Major tenants

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Anchors
Name Size Year
opened 		Year
closed 		Notes
Barneys New York 46,000 sq ft (4,300 m2) 2006 2020 Replaced Loews
Loews 1983 2005
Neiman Marcus 166,900 sq ft (15,510 m2) 1983 —
Saks Fifth Avenue Men's Store 46,000 sq ft (4,300 m2) 2020 — Replaced Barneys New York
Restaurants
Hotels
Offices (in Copley Place Towers)
[edit]
  • The four Copley Place office towers are the irregular shapes in the upper left of this aerial view
    The four Copley Place office towers are the irregular shapes in the upper left of this aerial view
  • In this view centered on Copley Square, the Westin Copley Place hotel is the tower in the right foreground
    In this view centered on Copley Square, the Westin Copley Place hotel is the tower in the right foreground
  • The Westin Copley Place hotel connects via skybridge to the mall at the far right
    The Westin Copley Place hotel connects via skybridge to the mall at the far right
  • Copley Place mall is located at the lower right of this view
    Copley Place mall is located at the lower right of this view
  • A Neiman Marcus store is the exterior visible anchor tenant at one end of the mall
    A Neiman Marcus store is the exterior visible anchor tenant at one end of the mall
  • The Boston Marriott Copley Place hotel anchors the other end of the enclosed mall
    The Boston Marriott Copley Place hotel anchors the other end of the enclosed mall
  • This skybridge connects Copley Place (at right) to the Prudential Center
    This skybridge connects Copley Place (at right) to the Prudential Center
  • This glassblock-lined underground corridor connects Copley Place to Back Bay station
    This glassblock-lined underground corridor connects Copley Place to Back Bay station

References

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  1. ^ "Boston's new Copley Place - urban renewal of the most elegant kind". Christian Science Monitor. 9 September 1983.
  2. ^ a b c "Howard Elkus: From little doodles to big dreams". Visual Merchandising and Store Design. October 1, 2004. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
  3. ^ a b Mishkin, Shaina (10 April 2017). "Copley Place architect Howard Elkus dies at 78". MassLive. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
  4. ^ a b Nanos, Janelle (August 14, 2020). "Saks Fifth Avenue opens a men's store in Back Bay: It will occupy the former Barneys space in the Copley Place mall". Boston Globe. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  5. ^ LaFratta, Kristin (23 November 2019). "40 Massachusetts malls and shopping centers ranked from the worst to the best". MassLive. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
  6. ^ a b c "Store Directory for Copley Place - A Shopping Center In Boston, MA - A Simon Property". www.simon.com. Simon Property Group, LP. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
  7. ^ https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/style/2017/08/10/what-new-copley-place/Wd1jMrJshDxJWyRyj6oGYP/story.html, opening
  8. ^ a b Weigel, Margaret (26 September 2013). "Fuse Commentary: To Stay or Not to Stay? Copley Place's fountain faces an uphill battle". The Arts Fuse. artsfuse.org. Retrieved 2017-07-20.
  9. ^ Tsipis, Yanni (2002). Building the Mass Pike. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. p. 98. ISBN 0738509728.
  10. ^ "Copley Place Retail Expansion & Residential Addition Project Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC)". Archived from the original on 2013-05-05. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
  11. ^ "Copley Place Retail Expansion and Residential Addition - Project Summary". Bostonplans. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
  12. ^ "Simon Property Group Management Discusses Q4 2012 Results - Earnings Call Transcript | Seeking Alpha". seekingalpha.com. Retrieved 2016-11-12.
  13. ^ Graham, Jordan (28 October 2016). "Simon Properties postpones luxury Copley Place tower". Boston Herald. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
  14. ^ McDowell, Edwin (22 August 1984). "Rizzoli Grows from 'Museums' to Book Chain". The New York Times. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
  15. ^ Kurland, Ann Trieger (September 14, 2011). "Regarding knives, he's sharp as can be". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
  16. ^ "The Boston Region." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2010-01-17.
  17. ^ "Canadian Consulate-General: Boston."
  18. ^ "German Consulate-General: Boston Archived 2011-09-28 at the Wayback Machine."
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