The Shops at Chestnut Hill

The Shops at Chestnut Hill is a two-level enclosed shopping center on Boylston Street, also known as Massachusetts Route 9, in the Chestnut Hill section of Newton, Massachusetts. Although commonly associated with Boston because of its location within the wider Boston metropolitan area, the property is situated in Newton and serves an affluent suburban market west of the city. The center is built into a hillside, allowing both of its retail levels to have ground-level access. This unusual configuration is one of its defining architectural characteristics. The complex opened in 1974 after a Bloomingdale's Home Furnishings store began operating on the site in 1973. The original mall contained approximately 180,000 square feet of retail space and was anchored by a 123,000-square-foot Filene's department store. Bloomingdale's also operated a large home-furnishings location, while a separate Bloomingdale's women's store opened nearby in 1978. The mall's department-store configuration developed further in 1980, when the Filene's building expanded with a third floor and the Bloomingdale's home store was similarly reconfigured and expanded to include men's merchandise. The property experienced several changes in leasehold interests and management. In 1998, locally based S.R. Weiner & Associates assumed a long-term lease from developer C&R Realty. In December 2001, S.R. Weiner assigned management and transferred part of its leasehold interest to Rodamco North America. Following the breakup of Rodamco, Simon Property Group acquired management responsibilities and an interest in the leasehold. Simon later became the dominant owner, with a reported 94.4% ownership stake. A major repositioning took place after Federated Department Stores acquired May Department Stores, the parent of Filene's, in 2005. Filene's closed in March 2006, and its former space was renovated during the year. In November 2006, Bloomingdale's moved its women's store from the adjacent Chestnut Hill Shopping Center into the former Filene's premises. This created a two-Bloomingdale's arrangement within the mall, with the women's store at the west end and the men's, home, and furnishings store at the east end. The two locations are described as the only Bloomingdale's stores in Massachusetts. The 2006 renovation also added seating areas and a large accessible elevator near the central atrium and the main Route 9 entrance. Subsequent tenant and format changes helped maintain the center's role as a premium shopping destination. The Apple store relocated to a substantially larger space and reopened on March 26, 2016, using Apple's newer store design approach. Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana opened its first Massachusetts location at the center in December 2015, and a Simon-operated Starbucks opened near the main entrance in summer 2016. As described in reference material from 2022, the tenant mix included two Bloomingdale's stores along with Apple, Uniqlo, Crate & Barrel, Tiffany & Co., and Brooks Brothers. The Shops at Chestnut Hill therefore combines department stores, fashion, technology, home furnishings, jewelry, and food-and-beverage operators. Its positioning is upscale and convenience-oriented, with the enclosed format, accessible hillside entrances, prominent national brands, and proximity to established residential communities supporting its identity as a high-end suburban retail center. The property has also had a connection to popular culture: scenes for the 1979 film Starting Over were shot inside its Bloomingdale's location.

The property that became The Shops at Chestnut Hill developed as part of the retail concentration around Chestnut Hill, a commercially prominent area on the Newton side of the Boston metropolitan region. A Bloomingdale's Home Furnishings store opened at the site in 1973. The enclosed shopping mall followed in 1974, constructed into the side of a hill so that both of its levels could be entered from ground level. The original two-level structure contained approximately 180,000 square feet and included a 123,000-square-foot Filene's department store. The arrangement gave the center a strong department-store foundation from its opening. Filene's had moved into the new complex from a neighboring 1950s-era shopping center location. The former neighboring site later became associated with General Cinema and subsequently housed other commercial uses, including The Container Store and an AMC Theatre before the theater's closure in 2012. At the new mall, Filene's expanded in 1980 by adding a third floor, bringing its reported size to approximately 186,000 square feet. Bloomingdale's also expanded and reconfigured its home store, adding a men's department to complement a women's store that had opened across the street in 1978. The shopping center has also had a limited entertainment and cultural association. Scenes for the 1979 film Starting Over were filmed inside the mall's Bloomingdale's store, providing a period snapshot of the property and its department-store environment. Ownership and management arrangements changed near the end of the twentieth century and at the beginning of the twenty-first. In 1998, S.R. Weiner & Associates assumed a long-term lease on the mall from developer C&R Realty. In December 2001, S.R. Weiner assigned management responsibilities and sold part of its leasehold interest to Rodamco North America. After Rodamco was broken up, Simon Property Group acquired management of the property and an interest in its leasehold. Simon subsequently became the principal owner, with reference material identifying a 94.4% ownership stake. The most consequential physical and tenant change occurred after the 2005 acquisition of May Department Stores by Federated Department Stores. Because Federated already owned Bloomingdale's, the transaction affected the center's department-store lineup. Filene's closed in March 2006, and its space underwent an extensive renovation. In November 2006, Bloomingdale's women's operation moved from the adjacent Chestnut Hill Shopping Center into the former Filene's premises. The change created two Bloomingdale's stores within The Shops at Chestnut Hill: a women's store at the west end and a men's, home, and furnishings store at the east end. These are identified as the only Bloomingdale's locations in Massachusetts. The mall itself was renovated in fall 2006 to coincide with the expanded Bloomingdale's opening. Improvements included additional seating and a large accessible elevator near the central atrium and the main Route 9 entrance. These changes improved circulation and accessibility while reinforcing the center's upscale, department-store-led identity. Later leasing and format decisions continued to update the property. Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana opened its first Massachusetts location on the second level near the main entrance in December 2015. The Apple store moved from its original location to a much larger space and reopened on March 26, 2016, using Apple's contemporary retail design. A Simon-operated Starbucks opened near the same entrance in summer 2016. By 2022, the reported tenant mix included two Bloomingdale's stores, Apple, Uniqlo, Crate & Barrel, Tiffany & Co., and Brooks Brothers. The center remains an active upscale enclosed mall whose appeal rests on premium national tenants, home and fashion merchandise, dining, and convenient access from Route 9.

• 2016

  Apple relocates and Starbucks opens

  [1]The Shops at Chestnut Hillen.wikipedia.org

  Apple reopens in a larger-format store in March, and a Simon-operated Starbucks opens near the main entrance during summer.

• 2015

  Frank Pepe opens first Massachusetts location

  [1]The Shops at Chestnut Hillen.wikipedia.org

  Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana opens at the center in December.

• 2006

  Filene's space becomes Bloomingdale's women's store

  [1]The Shops at Chestnut Hillen.wikipedia.org

  Filene's closes, its premises are renovated, and Bloomingdale's relocates its women's operation into the former department-store space.

• 2002

  Simon Property Group takes over management

  [1]The Shops at Chestnut Hillen.wikipedia.org

  Following Rodamco North America's breakup, Simon Property Group acquires management and an interest in the mall's leasehold.

• 2001

  Rodamco receives management and leasehold interest

  [1]The Shops at Chestnut Hillen.wikipedia.org

  S.R. Weiner assigns management and transfers part of its leasehold interest to Rodamco North America.

• 1998

  S.R. Weiner assumes long-term lease

  [1]The Shops at Chestnut Hillen.wikipedia.org

  S.R. Weiner & Associates assumes a long-term lease on the mall from C&R Realty.

• 1980

  Department-store expansions

  [1]The Shops at Chestnut Hillen.wikipedia.org

  Filene's adds a third floor, while Bloomingdale's expands and reconfigures its home store to include men's merchandise.

• 1978

  Bloomingdale's women's store opens nearby

  [1]The Shops at Chestnut Hillen.wikipedia.org

  Bloomingdale's opens a women's store across the street at the Chestnut Hill Shopping Center.

• 1974

  Shopping mall opens

  [1]The Shops at Chestnut Hillen.wikipedia.org

  The two-level enclosed shopping mall opens with Bloomingdale's and Filene's as major department-store components.

• 1973

  Bloomingdale's Home Furnishings opens

  [1]The Shops at Chestnut Hillen.wikipedia.org

  A 70,000-square-foot Bloomingdale's Home Furnishings store opens at the future mall site.

An upscale enclosed suburban shopping center serving Chestnut Hill, Newton, and the broader Boston metropolitan area through premium department stores, fashion brands, home retailers, technology, jewelry, and dining.

• Department store · 2006

  Bloomingdale's women's store

  The women's Bloomingdale's location occupies the west end of the center in space formerly used by Filene's. It anchors the mall with apparel, accessories, beauty, and related department-store merchandise.

• Department store · 1973

  Bloomingdale's Men's, Home & Furnishings

  The east-end Bloomingdale's operation combines men's merchandise with home and furnishing categories. It descends from the site's earlier Bloomingdale's Home Furnishings store and complements the women's location.

• Consumer technology retail · 2016

  Apple Store

  The Apple store sells Apple's consumer electronics, computers, mobile devices, accessories, and related services. It moved into a substantially larger space and reopened in March 2016 with Apple's newer retail design.

• Apparel retail

  Uniqlo

  Uniqlo represents the center's accessible-premium apparel offer, with everyday clothing and basics for men, women, and children within the mall's broader fashion mix.

• Home furnishings

  Crate & Barrel

  Crate & Barrel contributes furniture, kitchenware, tabletop products, home accessories, and interior-lifestyle merchandise to the center's home-focused retail offering.

• Luxury jewelry

  Tiffany & Co.

  Tiffany & Co. provides the mall with a luxury jewelry and accessories presence, reinforcing its positioning toward affluent shoppers and premium national brands.

• Apparel retail

  Brooks Brothers

  Brooks Brothers adds traditional American menswear and related apparel categories to the center's department-store and specialty-fashion lineup.

• Food and beverage · 2015

  Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana

  Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana opened the first Massachusetts location of its restaurant concept at the mall in December 2015, adding a destination dining operator near the main entrance.

• 2016

  Move Apple into a larger-format storeStrategy

  Background

  The existing Apple store required a larger and more contemporary retail environment.

  Action taken

  Apple relocated within the center and reopened on March 26, 2016, using the company's newer store design language.

  Aftermath

  The expanded store strengthened the mall's technology and experiential-retail offer.

  Source

• 2006

  Replace Filene's with a second Bloomingdale'sStrategy

  Background

  Federated Department Stores acquired May Department Stores, bringing Filene's and Bloomingdale's under related ownership and creating an opportunity to reorganize the center's department-store anchors.

  Action taken

  Filene's closed in March 2006. The space was renovated and reopened in November as Bloomingdale's women's store after the women's operation moved from the adjacent shopping center.

  Aftermath

  The center gained two Bloomingdale's stores, with women's merchandise at the west end and men's, home, and furnishings at the east end.

  Source

• 2006

  Renovate the mall's common areasStrategy

  Background

  The common areas required updating alongside the expansion and relocation of the Bloomingdale's women's store.

  Action taken

  The mall was renovated in fall 2006, adding seating areas and a large accessible elevator near the central atrium and Route 9 entrance.

  Aftermath

  The improvements modernized customer circulation and accessibility while supporting the center's repositioned department-store configuration.

  Source

• 2016

  Apple store relocates and reopens in expanded format[1]The Shops at Chestnut Hillen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  The Apple store moved from its original premises to a considerably larger space and reopened on March 26, 2016, with Apple's then-current store design language.

• 2016

  Simon-operated Starbucks opens near the main entrance[1]The Shops at Chestnut Hillen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  A Starbucks location operated by Simon opened near the main Route 9 entrance during summer 2016, adding a food-and-beverage amenity close to the central access point.

• 2015

  Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana opens first Massachusetts location[1]The Shops at Chestnut Hillen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana opened its first Massachusetts restaurant at the shopping center in December 2015.

• 2006

  Filene's closes and former store space is redeveloped for Bloomingdale's[1]The Shops at Chestnut Hillen.wikipedia.org

  Product generation

  After Federated Department Stores acquired May Department Stores, Filene's closed at the center in March 2006. The space was renovated and reopened in November 2006 as Bloomingdale's women's store, consolidating two Bloomingdale's operations within the mall.

1. 1The Shops at Chestnut Hillen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Official websitemallatchestnuthill.com