Former Swansea Mall Looks Different But Still Mostly Empty

I must be getting old. I remember when the Harbour Mall went up in Fall River, the Swansea Mall opened in Swansea, and the Silver City Galleria Mall debuted in Taunton. All three are closed now; the Silver City Galleria was razed and is not even there anymore.

The Silver City Galleria property came close to being used as a FedEx distribution center, but the deal fell through. What remains is a large empty lot.

The former Harbour Mall gave way to the very successful SouthCoast Marketplace, and the one-time Swansea Mall is now Swansea Center with an uncertain future.

The Swansea Mall opened in 1975 at the intersection of U.S. Route 6 and Massachusetts Route 118 on Swansea Mall Drive. Sears and Edgar Department Stores were the mall's two anchor stores.

The mall expanded in 1980, and over time several new anchors, including Caldor, Jordan Marsh and Macy's were added, as were several out-parcel stores. Walmart replaced Caldor in 1999 and then moved to its own building in 2013.

Get our free mobile app

When Sears and Macy's closed their Swansea Mall locations, the Board of Selectmen discussed taking the mall by eminent domain for redevelopment. On March 31, 2019, the Swansea Mall closed.

Anagnost Companies purchased the mall at auction for $6.65 million in May 2019, planning to turn it into a "multifaceted facility," including retail, office and living space.

Walmart challenged the redevelopment plans but reached an agreement with Anagnost in the summer of 2022, allowing the development to proceed.

The property, now known as Swansea Center, is complete but has only seven tenants, including Prime Storage and Crunch Fitness.