South Jersey Mall History: Echelon Mall
By: Peter Planamente
Tags: Malls, New Jersey, Voorhees Town Center, Echelon Mall, Voorhees Township

this story was last updated in August 2021

The original Echelon Mall sign (photo by Peter Planamente)

Fast Facts

Opened in 1970 | Renamed Voorhees Town Center in 2008

Located in Voorhees, New Jersey (Camden County)

Developer: The Rouse Company

Owner: Mason Asset Management, Namdar Realty Group

Number of Floors: 2

Website

Anchors

Lit Brothers

1970–1977

Strawbridge & Clothier

1970–2006

JCPenney

1976–2003, demolished 2007

Gimbel’s (former Lit Brothers)

1977–1986

Stern’s (former Gimbel’s)

1986–1992

Boscov’s (former Stern’s)

1992-present

Sears

1998–2001, demolished 2007

Macy’s (former Strawbridge & Clothier)

2006-2017, now vacant

Echelon Mall was one of the most popular malls in the Philadelphia area and was the second largest in South Jersey, behind Cherry Hill, with over one million square feet of leasable space. Things drastically took a turn for the worse as the new millennium approached.

Before the mall was built, the property was a large farmland in the 1930s and flying enthusiasts Rogers and Jeannette Smith bought the land in 1939 to turn into an airfield. It was named “Echelon Airfield” in 1944 and featured 20 planes, 3 grass runways, a gift shop, cafe and a hangar for 6 planes. The field was mainly used for recreational flying and lessons.

After Rogers died in a flying accident in 1950, Jeannette leased the airfield to a friend until she sold the property in the 1960s. The Rouse Company expressed interest in buying the airfield and turning it into a new mall.

The 1970s

Those plans went forward and The Rouse Company began construction for the new Echelon Mall in 1969. It took over a year to build and was opened to the public in late September of 1970. The mall featured two department stores, Lit Brothers and Strawbridge & Clothier, and two floors of retail stores.

A few years after the grand opening, in 1976, phase two began on the mall which added more retail space past the Strawbridge’s in center court. A third department store, JCPenney, anchored the end of the newly built wing.

In 1977, Lit Brothers department store went out of business. Soon after, Stern’s filled the space and remained in the mall for a few years before Gimbel’s took over. Boscov’s has occupied the space since the last 1980s. The department store has remained largely untouched with neon signs, a mirrored ceiling and a staircase in between the escalators.

The 1980s

Around 1985, a food court was added to the mall which featured over 10 eateries, large booths, trees and light bulb arches. Chick-fil-A, Bain’s Deli, McDonald’s, Arby’s, Dairy Queen and Popeyes were only a select few that occupied space throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

The 1990s

In the early 1990s, Exhilarama was added outside of the food court. It featured indoor amusements and entertainment, which was very popular among teens and families. A General Cinema also occupied a nearby space. The mall remained busy into the 1990s and was a hangout for families, teenagers and workers who had jobs at the office buildings surrounding the mall property.

Towards the end of the 1990s, the shopping experience began to change and the Echelon Mall began its long decline into the abyss. In 1996, the popular Exhilarama shut its doors after owner Edison Brothers Stores filed for bankruptcy in late 1995 and shut a majority of their stores. The General Cinema closed down not long after.

The Rouse Company began revitalizing their mall properties and decided to construct a new Sears, which opened in 1998 next door to JCPenney. The mall continued a slow decline into the new millennium as the internet began ramping up, teens found new places to hangout and shopping habits changed.

The 2000s

Three years after their opening, Sears closed and the newly constructed building sat empty. Just two years after Sears closed, JCPenney decided to close. This left the phase two portion of the mall with no department stores and the remaining retailers, such as Suncoast Motion Picture Company, Lenscrafters, The Shoe Department, The Disney Store, and popular superhero and WWE store “Hall of Heroes” to close or move into a different section of the mall.

Me, in the demolished portion of the Echelon Mall (January 2006)

By 2003, The Rouse Company sold the mall to PREIT and the new owners began brainstorming on redeveloping the mall. One idea was to build a new Walmart on the property and demolish part of the mall space. Township residents hated this idea and shot it down quickly. This left PREIT to come up with another idea while Echelon Mall was continuing to decline with a rising vacancy rate.

In 2006, a new plan was put in place to demolish half of the mall, from just past Strawbridge’s at center court to JCPenney, and build an outdoor boulevard with restaurants, shops and apartments. Redevelopment and demolition began in early 2007. The Exhilarama and General Cinema building was demolished for more parking, the new Sears building was demolished as well as JCPenney. The remaining portion of the mall would be remodeled with new floors and lighting. Boscov’s and Strawbridge’s remained as the two department stores, with Strawbridge’s converted to Macy’s during this time.

Construction was completed in late 2008 and Echelon Mall was renamed “Voorhees Town Center.” PREIT ran out of money and the remaining redevelopment plans did not go through. Medical offices and the Voorhees municipal offices moved to the upper level of the mall and a few restaurants occupied the outdoor boulevard. The remaining portion of the mall continued to decline with more stores and eateries closing.

The 2010s

Abandoned Macy’s / Former Strawbridge’s (photo by Peter Planamente)

In 2015, PREIT sold the mall to Namdar Realty Group for $13.4 million. Macy’s remained in the mall until 2017 when the company closed under performing stores. This left Boscov’s as the only department store in the mall. Even through the decline, Boscov’s continues to be a popular destination for residents in the area.

By 2018, news began circulating that Voorhees Township was deciding to condemn the mall and take ownership from Namdar for neglecting the property. The township made plans to redevelop the mall by razing part of it, turning the former Macy’s building into more apartments and town homes, turning the food court into a beer court and adding entertainment like laser tag, sports bars and outdoor movies. Brandywine Financial Corporation struck an agreement of sale with Namdar in a closed-door negotiation to redevelop.

The 2020s

In April of 2020, Brandywine Acquisition & Development has backed out of their plans for the mall, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The mall is largely considered dead. The three floor Macy’s building is dark and abandoned, the upper level of the mall is deserted with only township offices, a realtor and a foundation center remaining.

Brooklyn Pizza was the last remaining eatery inside of the food court until it closed in early August 2021. Over the previous years, Saladworks, Enerjuicer, Yanagi, Subway, and Chick-fil-A have closed or moved outside of the mall.

View of the food court from the second floor (photo by Peter Planamente)

LensCrafters, which has been operating at the mall since the 1980s, left the mall to open a new location at The Promenade at Sagemore in Marlton.

The glory days of Echelon will forever live in our memories. Voorhees residents hope that it will someday be back to its former self.

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