Roosevelt Mall
An outdoor community shopping mall in Northeast Philadelphia's Rhawnhurst neighborhood.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Roosevelt Mall is a medium-sized open-air shopping center in the Rhawnhurst section of Northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The property occupies a prominent position along Pennsylvania Route 73, also known as Cottman Avenue, between Bustleton Avenue and U.S. Route 1, or Roosevelt Boulevard. Its location places it within a dense residential area and gives it access to major east-west and north-south roads serving Northeast Philadelphia. The mall opened in 1964 and has historically operated as a community-oriented retail destination rather than as a highly specialized luxury or regional lifestyle center. Its tenant mix has included department stores, restaurants, personal services, and other everyday retail businesses. The property is anchored by a large, three-level Macy's department store at its eastern end. Across from the mall is Great Northeast Plaza, a separate shopping complex that has itself had major department-store anchors, including Sears and, earlier, Gimbels. Roosevelt Mall's anchor history reflects the consolidation and restructuring of the American department-store industry. Its original anchor was S. Klein, which closed in 1975 after financial difficulties affecting its parent, McCrory Stores. Wanamaker's took over the anchor role in 1976. Following May Department Stores' acquisition of the Wanamaker's chain, the store was converted to Hecht's in 1995 and then became a Strawbridge's location about a year later. Strawbridge's operated a prominent bargain basement in which furniture and other merchandise were sold at substantial markdowns. After Federated Department Stores acquired May Department Stores in 2005, the Strawbridge's store was converted to Macy's in 2006. The center has also included food and entertainment-oriented tenants. Jim's Steaks, a location of the Philadelphia cheesesteak chain, operated at the mall before closing in 2017 after health-code violations. Since 2015, Roosevelt Mall has hosted a seasonal flea market on Saturdays during the summer, adding a periodic community-market function to its conventional retail offering. Roosevelt Mall remains an active neighborhood shopping center, although detailed information about its current ownership, management, complete tenant roster, financial performance, and executive leadership is not established in the supplied sources. On January 31, 2025, a Learjet 55 crashed near the mall's perimeter shortly after departing Northeast Philadelphia Airport. The incident caused fatalities and injuries on the ground as well as aboard the aircraft, making the mall part of the surrounding location context for a major local aviation disaster rather than the subject of a business scandal or operational event.
History
Roosevelt Mall opened in 1964 in Northeast Philadelphia's Rhawnhurst neighborhood. It was developed as an open-air shopping center positioned along Cottman Avenue, a major local route connecting Bustleton Avenue with Roosevelt Boulevard. The mall's location across from Great Northeast Plaza created a concentrated retail district serving residents of Northeast Philadelphia. The center's retail identity was initially shaped by its department-store anchors. S. Klein was the original anchor, but the chain's store at Roosevelt Mall closed in 1975 amid financial problems involving its parent company, McCrory Stores. Wanamaker's replaced S. Klein in 1976, preserving the mall's department-store role. In 1995, after May Department Stores acquired the Wanamaker's chain, the Roosevelt Mall location was converted to Hecht's. Approximately a year later, the store changed again, becoming Strawbridge's. During the Strawbridge's period, the anchor included a bargain basement selling furniture and other merchandise at steep discounts. The store's next major transition followed Federated Department Stores' 2005 acquisition of May Department Stores. In 2006, the Strawbridge's location was rebranded as Macy's. Macy's subsequently became the mall's large eastern anchor and is described as a three-level department store. Roosevelt Mall's tenant history has included food-service businesses as well as conventional retail. A location of Jim's Steaks, a well-known Philadelphia cheesesteak chain, operated at the property before closing in 2017 following health violations. The closure was associated with that restaurant location and does not establish a broader mall-wide regulatory action. Since 2015, the mall has hosted a flea market on Saturdays during the summer. The seasonal event broadened the property's role beyond fixed-store retail by providing a recurring venue for temporary vendors and community shopping. Roosevelt Mall is also situated directly across from Great Northeast Plaza, whose department-store history included Gimbels and Sears, although that property is separate from Roosevelt Mall. On January 31, 2025, a Learjet 55 crashed on the mall's perimeter shortly after taking off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport. The crash killed six people aboard the aircraft and two people on the ground and injured others. The event is part of the mall's recent public location history, but the available material does not indicate that Roosevelt Mall ownership, management, or tenants caused or were formally implicated in the accident. The supplied sources do not identify the mall's founder, current owner, management company, financial results, or a complete current tenant list. The property profile supplied for reference is associated with Centro Properties Group, but that reference alone does not establish present ownership or management and therefore no such attribution is made here.
- 2025
Learjet crash occurs near mall perimeter
[1]A Learjet 55 crashes near the property after departing Northeast Philadelphia Airport, killing eight people in total and injuring others.
- 2017
Jim's Steaks location closes
[1]The mall location of Jim's Steaks closes following health violations.
- 2015
Seasonal flea market begins
[1]A Saturday flea market is introduced for the summer season.
- 2006
Strawbridge's anchor becomes Macy's
[1]The mall's department-store anchor is rebranded as Macy's and remains the principal anchor identified in the supplied material.
- 2005
Federated Department Stores acquires May Department Stores
[1]The corporate acquisition sets the stage for the subsequent conversion of the mall's Strawbridge's anchor to Macy's.
- 1996
Hecht's becomes Strawbridge's
[1]The department-store anchor undergoes another rebranding approximately one year after becoming Hecht's.
- 1995
Wanamaker's is converted to Hecht's
[1]The anchor changes branding after May Department Stores acquires the Wanamaker's chain.
- 1976
Wanamaker's becomes department-store anchor
[1]Wanamaker's replaces S. Klein at the mall.
- 1975
S. Klein anchor closes
[1]The original department-store anchor closes amid financial problems involving McCrory Stores.
- 1964
Roosevelt Mall opens
[1]The open-air shopping mall begins operations in Northeast Philadelphia's Rhawnhurst neighborhood.
Products and positioning
Community-oriented open-air shopping center serving Northeast Philadelphia with department-store retail, everyday services, food businesses, and periodic seasonal-market programming.
Department store anchor · 2006
Macy's
Roosevelt Mall's principal identified anchor is a large, three-level Macy's department store at the eastern end of the property. The store represents the latest stage in a sequence of department-store identities that included S. Klein, Wanamaker's, Hecht's, and Strawbridge's. Its merchandise role is described broadly as department-store retail rather than as a separately branded Roosevelt Mall product.
Seasonal market · 2015
Seasonal Saturday flea market
Since 2015, Roosevelt Mall has featured a flea market on Saturdays during the summer. The program adds temporary-vendor and bargain-shopping activity to the center's regular mix of permanent stores and services. The available material does not specify the vendor roster, operating dates for individual seasons, or the market's current status beyond its historical introduction.
Shopping-center tenant mix · 1964
Community retail and services
The mall has approximately 45 stores and services according to the supplied reference material. Its broad community-shopping offer includes department-store merchandise, food businesses, personal services, and other everyday retail uses. A complete current tenant directory is not established in the supplied sources.
Brand decisions
2006
Rebrand Strawbridge's as Macy'sGeneration changeBackground
Federated Department Stores acquired May Department Stores in 2005, bringing the Strawbridge's chain into the acquiring company's department-store portfolio.
Action taken
The Roosevelt Mall Strawbridge's anchor was rebranded as Macy's.
Aftermath
Macy's became the mall's large, three-level eastern anchor.
1995
Convert Wanamaker's to Hecht'sGeneration changeBackground
May Department Stores acquired the Wanamaker's chain.
Action taken
The Roosevelt Mall department-store anchor was converted from Wanamaker's to Hecht's.
Aftermath
The location changed again to Strawbridge's approximately one year later.
1976
Replace S. Klein with Wanamaker'sStrategyBackground
The original S. Klein department-store anchor closed in 1975 after financial problems involving its parent, McCrory Stores.
Action taken
Wanamaker's took over the anchor role at Roosevelt Mall.
Aftermath
The mall retained a major department-store anchor before later changes in the Wanamaker's, Hecht's, Strawbridge's, and Macy's banners.
Recent events
- 2025
Learjet crashes near Roosevelt Mall after departing Northeast Philadelphia Airport[1]
Other
A Learjet 55 crashed near the perimeter of Roosevelt Mall shortly after takeoff from Northeast Philadelphia Airport on January 31, 2025. Six people aboard the aircraft and two people on the ground were reported killed, with additional injuries. The mall was referenced as a nearby location in coverage of the accident; the event was not attributed to mall operations.
- 2017
Jim's Steaks location at Roosevelt Mall closes after health violations[1]
Regulation
The Roosevelt Mall location of Philadelphia cheesesteak restaurant chain Jim's Steaks closed after health violations. The closure concerned the restaurant tenant rather than the shopping center as a whole.
Sources2 sources
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