Connecticut Post Mall
A super-regional shopping center in Milford, Connecticut, and the largest mall in the state by leasable area.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Connecticut Post Mall is a super-regional shopping center on U.S. Route 1 in Milford, Connecticut. The property contains approximately 1.3 million square feet of leasable space and about 125 stores, making it the largest shopping mall in Connecticut according to the cited reference material. Its tenant mix has historically combined department stores, mass merchants, specialty retailers, dining, entertainment, fitness, and movie theaters. The mall originated as the Connecticut Post Shopping Center, a planned open-air retail project proposed in 1957 by developer Sol G. Atlas. The original plan called for approximately 918,000 square feet of retail space, 80 stores, and surface parking for roughly 5,600 vehicles on a 75.4-acre site formerly associated with the Woodruff Seed Company. Milford architect Jesse James Hamblin was selected to design the development. Construction began in the late 1950s, and the center opened on September 14, 1960. Its opening ceremony reportedly attracted approximately 65,000 people and included appearances by U.S. Senator Prescott Bush and U.S. Representative Robert Giaimo. During its early decades, the center expanded its role from an open-air shopping complex into a department-store-anchored regional destination. Alexander’s opened a three-level, 155,000-square-foot store in 1962. A General Cinema facility, initially known as Milford Cinema, opened in 1965 and was later expanded. After a major fire at the mall’s southern end in 1976, the damaged area was rebuilt as a two-level anchor store that became a Caldor location in 1977. Westfield acquired the property through a U.S. subsidiary in December 1979. The company enclosed the remaining open-air concourses, added glass atriums and central heating and air conditioning, and completed the work in 1981. The property was renamed Connecticut Post Mall. Further renovations between 1990 and 1994 introduced marble flooring, enclosed entrance vestibules, a food court, and additional retail space created from a former below-grade delivery tunnel. The property was briefly branded Westfield Shoppingtown Connecticut Post beginning in 1998. The mall underwent another major expansion between 2004 and 2006. The project added a Target store, a sporting-goods anchor, a multiplex cinema, a larger food court, parking garages, and additional space for the Filene’s anchor. Later tenant changes included the conversion of Filene’s to Macy’s, the rebranding of the cinema first as Rave Motion Pictures and later as Cinemark, and the arrival of LA Fitness and Dave & Buster’s. The mall also experienced anchor departures involving J.C. Penney and Sears, with Boscov’s subsequently occupying the former J.C. Penney space. In 2015, Westfield announced the sale of the property as part of a larger transaction involving several retail centers. Centennial Real Estate became the property manager, and the center reverted to the Connecticut Post Mall name. During the late 2010s and early 2020s, the property faced reduced visitation, tenant departures, competition from e-commerce, anchor-store bankruptcies, and the temporary closure of nonessential businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The owner and manager subsequently pursued several redevelopment concepts intended to diversify the site beyond conventional retail. A 2020 proposal for luxury housing was rejected by Milford’s Planning and Zoning Board. A broader mixed-use proposal submitted in 2021, involving housing, commercial space, public plazas, and alterations to the existing mall, was also rejected; Centennial then filed a lawsuit appealing the decision. In 2023, the city approved a zoning amendment allowing up to 750 housing units to be added in phases. Detailed design work remained in development as of March 2025 in the supplied reference material.
History
Connecticut Post Mall was conceived in the late 1950s as a large open-air shopping center for the expanding suburban market around Milford, Connecticut. Developer Sol G. Atlas unveiled plans in 1957 for a center with approximately 918,000 square feet of retail space, 80 stores, and surface parking for about 5,600 cars. The site covered roughly 75.4 acres and had previously been associated with the Woodruff Seed Company. Milford architect Jesse James Hamblin designed the project. Site development began in late 1957, structural construction followed in early 1958, and the center was completed in 1960. The property opened on September 14, 1960, as the Connecticut Post Shopping Center. The opening ceremony attracted approximately 65,000 attendees and featured Connecticut politicians including Senator Prescott Bush and Representative Robert Giaimo. At opening, the project was described as the largest shopping-center development in Connecticut and one of the largest retail developments between Boston and New York. Early tenants included a large Stop & Shop supermarket, a Kresge-operated Kmart, and a substantial Liggett-Rexall drugstore. These stores reflected the center’s original emphasis on everyday retail and regional destination shopping. The center added its first major department-store anchor when Alexander’s opened a three-level, 155,000-square-foot location in August 1962. A General Cinema single-screen theater opened in 1965 on the southwestern portion of the property and expanded to two screens in 1972. A major fire in May 1976 destroyed several stores at the southern end. The damaged section was rebuilt as an 86,000-square-foot, two-level anchor occupied by Caldor, which opened in April 1977. During the late 1970s, the central court gained an atrium while the northern and southern concourses remained open-air. Westfield acquired the property through its U.S. subsidiary in December 1979. A major renovation carried out from 1980 to 1981 enclosed the remaining open-air concourses with glass atriums and introduced centralized heating and air conditioning. After the project, the property was renamed Connecticut Post Mall. The 1980s also brought a B. Dalton bookstore, while Alexander’s departed in 1988. The cinema expanded to four screens in 1982. Between 1990 and 1994, Westfield carried out another extensive renovation. The work added marble floors, glass vestibules at concourse entrances, a third-floor food court called the Skyview Cafe, and new retail area on the lower level. The lower level had originally been divided by a roughly 1,300-foot underground delivery tunnel. Elevators, escalators, and stairs connected it with the upper-level concourses, creating the two-tier interior arrangement associated with the modern mall. The renovation program reportedly cost approximately $100 million. The property adopted the Westfield Shoppingtown Connecticut Post name in 1998. Anchor changes continued through the 1990s. J.C. Penney occupied the former Alexander’s space in 1991, while a newly constructed 150,000-square-foot G. Fox store opened the same year. G. Fox was replaced by Filene’s in 1993. Caldor and Stop & Shop left in 1999. The former supermarket site was demolished and replaced by a two-level Sears store of approximately 178,000 square feet, which opened in April 2000. Westfield proposed a major southern expansion in 2003, and Milford approved the plan in April of that year. A groundbreaking ceremony took place in October 2004, with site work beginning in December. The approximately $118 million project added a 125,000-square-foot Target, an 84,000-square-foot sporting-goods anchor, a 14-screen Cinema de Lux theater, a 12-stall food court, two parking garages, and a 75,000-square-foot addition to Filene’s. The former Milford Fourplex Cinemas closed and was demolished in January 2005 to enable the work. Filene’s became Macy’s in 2006. The cinema was later rebranded Rave Motion Pictures and then Cinemark. During the 2010s, the mall retained its major footprint but faced structural pressure from e-commerce and changing consumer behavior. Borders closed in 2011 during its corporate bankruptcy proceedings, LA Fitness arrived in 2012, and Cinemark replaced the Rave branding in 2013. Westfield announced the property’s sale in December 2015. Centennial Real Estate, Montgomery Street Partners, and USAA Real Estate were identified as participants in the buyer group, with Centennial retained as manager. The property once again used the Connecticut Post Mall name. J.C. Penney closed in 2017, and Dave & Buster’s opened a 35,000-square-foot venue in spring 2018. Boscov’s opened in October 2018 in the former J.C. Penney anchor. Sears closed in December 2018 after 18 years at the center. The mall also experienced two December 26 incidents, in 2018 and 2019, involving fights among groups of unattended minors. Management responded with early closures, increased police presence, and a new policy governing minors’ attendance. By 2020, Centennial reported that visitation had fallen by approximately 20 percent over the preceding five years and that 25 tenants had left between 2017 and 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic intensified the pressure when Connecticut required nonessential businesses, including malls, to close temporarily from March through May 2020. Centennial responded by pursuing redevelopment that would add non-retail uses. A 2020 residential proposal was rejected by Milford’s Planning and Zoning Board. A revised 2021 proposal included 300 housing units in a first phase and, in a second phase, additional housing, commercial space, public plazas, facade improvements, and reconstruction of part of the mall. That proposal was also rejected, after which Centennial sued the city in January 2022. In October 2023, the board unanimously approved a third zoning application allowing up to 750 housing units in three 250-unit phases over ten years. As of March 2025, formal design plans were still being developed.
- 2023
Zoning amendment for phased housing approved
[1]Milford’s Planning and Zoning Board approved an amendment allowing up to 750 housing units to be developed in phases.
- 2015
Westfield sells the mall
[1]The property was sold to a group including Centennial Real Estate, Montgomery Street Partners, and USAA Real Estate.
- 2006
Southern expansion opens
[1]A major expansion added Target, sporting goods, a multiplex, food-service space, parking garages, and additional department-store area.
- 1998
Westfield Shoppingtown branding introduced
[1]The property was renamed Westfield Shoppingtown Connecticut Post.
- 1994
Major interior modernization completed
[1]The lower level was converted into retail space and connected to the upper concourses, while new flooring, vestibules, and a food court were added.
- 1981
Enclosure renovation completed
[1]Westfield completed a major renovation that enclosed the remaining open-air concourses and renamed the center Connecticut Post Mall.
- 1979
Westfield acquires the property
[1]The center was sold to a U.S. subsidiary of Australia-based Westfield.
- 1976
Major fire damages the southern end
[1]A fire destroyed several stores; the affected section was rebuilt and later occupied by Caldor.
- 1962
Alexander’s becomes the first major department-store anchor
[1]A three-level, 155,000-square-foot Alexander’s store opened at the center.
- 1960
Center opens to the public
[1]The Connecticut Post Shopping Center opened on September 14 with a reported attendance of approximately 65,000 people.
Products and positioning
A large, destination-oriented regional shopping center serving Milford and the wider southwestern Connecticut market, with an increasingly mixed retail, dining, entertainment, and redevelopment-oriented role.
Shopping mall · 1960
Retail shopping center
The core offering is a large enclosed, super-regional shopping center with approximately 1.3 million square feet of leasable space and around 125 stores. It combines department stores, mass merchants, specialty retailers, dining, services, and entertainment in a destination-oriented format.
Department stores and mass merchants · 1962
Anchor retail spaces
The property has historically supported large anchor formats, including Alexander’s, Caldor, J.C. Penney, Filene’s, Macy’s, Sears, Target, Boscov’s, and sporting-goods retailers. Anchor occupancy has changed repeatedly as department-store operators expanded, restructured, or exited the market.
Entertainment · 1965
Entertainment and leisure venues
Entertainment uses have included General Cinema’s Milford Cinema, later multiplex operators, Cinemark, and Dave & Buster’s. These venues support the mall’s role as an experience-oriented destination rather than a purely transactional retail property.
Real-estate redevelopment · 2023
Mixed-use redevelopment program
The owner and manager have pursued plans to add housing, public plazas, office, medical, and laboratory uses to the mall site. A 2023 zoning approval allows up to 750 housing units in phased development, although detailed design and execution remained pending in the supplied material.
Brand decisions
2023
Secure approval for phased housing developmentStrategyBackground
The owner continued seeking a more diversified use of the mall property after earlier residential and mixed-use proposals were denied.
Action taken
Centennial submitted a third zoning application for as many as 750 housing units, to be delivered in three phases of 250 units over ten years.
Aftermath
Milford’s Planning and Zoning Board approved the zoning amendment unanimously. Detailed design plans were still being developed as of March 2025.
2021
Submit a broader mixed-use redevelopment planStrategyBackground
Following the first zoning rejection, Centennial revised the concept to include housing alongside office, medical, laboratory, public-space, and mall-reconstruction elements.
Action taken
The revised proposal included 300 housing units in the first phase and 200 additional units in a second phase, together with commercial and public-realm improvements.
Aftermath
The application was rejected 7–3 in October 2021, and Centennial appealed through litigation in January 2022.
2020
Propose residential redevelopmentStrategyBackground
The property faced declining visitation, tenant departures, e-commerce competition, and pandemic-related disruption.
Action taken
Centennial applied to change Milford zoning rules to permit luxury housing on vacant mall land.
Aftermath
The Planning and Zoning Board rejected the application by a 5–3 vote.
2003
Approve and execute a major southern expansionStrategyBackground
Westfield sought to enlarge the center and add larger-format retail, entertainment, food service, and parking capacity.
Action taken
The city approved the plan, and construction proceeded from 2004 to 2006 with new anchors, a multiplex cinema, food court, parking garages, and additional department-store space.
Aftermath
The mall expanded its retail and entertainment offer while retaining its regional shopping-center format.
Expansion cost. $118 million (2004-2006)
1990
Undertake a major interior modernizationGeneration changeBackground
The mall required updated finishes, improved entrances, and more efficient use of its lower level.
Action taken
Westfield added marble flooring, enclosed vestibules, a food court, and retail space converted from a former delivery level.
Aftermath
The renovation program continued through 1994 and established the mall’s two-tier interior layout.
Renovation cost. $100 million (1990-1994)
1980
Convert the open-air center into an enclosed mallGeneration changeBackground
The property’s original open-air configuration was increasingly unsuitable for year-round regional shopping and weather protection.
Action taken
Westfield enclosed the remaining concourses with glass atriums and installed centralized heating and air conditioning.
Aftermath
The renovation was completed in 1981, and the property adopted the Connecticut Post Mall name.
Recent events
News 12 Connecticut partners for school supply drive[2]
News 12 Connecticut partnered with the Boys and Girls Club of Milford and Connecticut Post Mall to collect school supplies for students in the area.
Sources2 sources
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