The Lycoming Mall

The Lycoming Mall
Plans for it in 2023, and a look at some of its history.

Here's what we know about the Plans For The Mall in 2023:

• Purchased by Famvest I LLC based in State College. 
• The Same company also purchased Bush House Estate, which will continue to function as a wedding venue through the fall of 2023, but after which, it's future use is unknown.
• The inside of the mall will be closed by March 1 2023
• Burlington and Books A Million have outside entrances, and can remain, for now.
• Approximately 300,000 square feet of the mall building is slated to be demolished. Following the demolition, the main mall building will be approximately 550,000 square feet.
• The redevelopment plan calls for that portion of the building to be transformed into a “mixed-use work/live/play site.”
• Plans a new space include "a mix of commercial businesses, residential properties, office space"
• “A portion of this redevelopment in a future phase is contemplated to also include senior care and medical facilities sorely needed in the area,” the developers stated in their plan. 
•  Lycoming County has pledged a loan of $5 million (State representatives Joseph Hamm and Gene Yaw advocated for funding for the mall and helped secure $5,000,000 through the Redevelopment Assessment Capital Program.), and the developers will invest an additional $5 million, for the project which is estimated to cost $15.5 million dollars.

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 History 

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Although many of the photos from the opening of the mall are in black and white, the mall is really not that old.  It opened on July 18 1978.

From the back of the postcard:

LYCOMING VALLEY MALL, Halls Station, Pa. is a 668,000 sq. ft. ultra-modern shopping complex containing nearly 100 stores and shops serving Central and Northwest Pa. The colorful, 1/4 mi. long indoor concourse (shown here) is attractively accented with live floral displays, fountains, and rest areas. Photo by Ralph E. Menne 

"And a bountiful scene it is as we peer into the Lycoming Valley Mall upon its 1978 opening, filled with tonally fruitful muscats and cantaloupe-colored, angular rooflines. The melange of muted, playful seating, overlooking a mildly sunken seating area not alien to malls of this vintage. A especially designed, signature Crown American mall of this time.

 

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Construction of the mall began  January 17th  1977.  At the time, the project was expected to cost 13 million and to generate 280 jobs during the construction period.

Cathy Love, of Muncy, was one of Hess's first shoppers.

Hess Department store, the malls first anchor store, opened on March 1st 1978. It was considered a soft opening for the mall, which would not open until July.

The Grand Opening Ceremonies included an outdoor concert by the Muncy band.  

Store manager John Belleti said it was impossible to estimate the volume of shoppers.

Busses, running every 30 minutes from Williamsport and Montoursville, "were just packed".

The buses were expected to operate throughout the end of the week.

Gee Bees, Lycoming Mall

I remember they used to have live birds for sale in the store here.  It reminded me a bit of an old Newberry's store, with a bit of everything.  I bought bowling shoes there once.

The Daily item reported, on Tuesday July 18th 1978,  that "more than 10,000 persons are expected to walk through the new Gee Bee discount department store in the Lycoming Mall on it's opening day."

36 other businesses opened in the mall on the same day at Gee Bees.  They included:

Baker shoes, brooks fashions, chess king, command performance, cookie factory, Deb shop, dipper Dan, Endicott Johnson, ethel's not house, family vision center, feel fine shop, fox more casuals, fun crafts, gemstone jewelry, general nutrition center, Hanover shoes, Hickory Farms,  holiday hair fashions, House of Cards, Jack and Jill shoes, jeans W, jewel box, KB toy and hobby, Kay Jewelers, Kenny shoes, learner shop, northern central bank, Ormond, pants and stuff, RadioShack, Ray and Derrick, rings and things, so-fro fabrics, Spencer gifts, Tiffany bakeries, and Walden books

Woolworths joined the mall on October 11th 1978.

A free standing Riverside Market [grocery store] opened on the mall grounds on December 5th 1978.

The Hadany Arch was dedicated in a ceremony December 5th, 1978

Read more about the arch here:

https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-hadany-arch-at-lycoming-mall.html

In July of 1979, a new 11,000 foot expansion was underway for the Deisroth's Department store.

In 1985, a 4.7 million dollar expansion added Bon-Ton to the mall

J.C. Penny moved from downtown Williamsport to the mall in the late 1980s.

I found no information on the carousel, but I'll so a deeper search later.  Do any of you remember when it was added to the mall?

The UA movie theater was in the mall, in the area where Dicks was in 2023. 

 Capri Pizza, an arcade, and the UA theater. In the late 1980s, there was a Med Plus walk in medical clinic in that same area of the mall. The last movies were shown at the UA in April of 2004.  The new Great Escape Theater, outside of the mall, opened in July of 2004.

The first  circus was held at the mall in 1979.  

In 2014, there was glow in the dark mini golf in the mall.

The Muncy  historical society hosted a mini museum display in 2014, about the Underground Railroad.  Many historical displays and events were held at the mall over the years, including an annual boy scout event, and a visit from Hatchy Malatchy.

Aerial View of the Lycoming Mall

Not certain of the year, but it appears to be fairly recent.  The Great Escape Theater was added in 2004, and it is clearly shown here.

The Bush Estate is on the left near the top.

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The Bush Estate

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The History Of Bush House Estate

From their Website 

https://bushhouseestate.com/history/

History of Bush House Estate

The estate was originally built in 1847 by the Reverend D.R. Dickinson and his wife Margaret of New York City. The property is still referred to as “Margaret Hall” in the National Historic Register. The house passed down to their daughter, Elizabeth, and her husband, the Reverend A.D. Lawrence Jewett. The family used it as a summer home, becoming known in the area as the “Jewett Mansion.”

The mansion’s changing ownership

In 1912 Charles and George Stearns purchased the home and added a front and side porch. They also built the barn that still stands today.

Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Munson, a prominent attorney from Williamsport and an interior decorator from a wealthy New York family, bought the estate in 1925. Mrs. Munson began renovations to the home and gave it a new name – Wyno – a Native American word meaning both good luck and welcome. Mrs. Munson added stone terraces, formal gardens, and the tea house. She brought many elements of interior styles together including the free-hanging spiral staircase, a unique “ships cabin” room on the third floor, imported Italian marble, and she incorporated powder room panels originally from Marie Antoinette’s boudoir in France.

After Mr. Munson passed away, the house stood vacant for twelve years until it was purchased in 1940 by Dr. Roy Simon. The home remained unchanged until 1945 when Congressman Alvin R. Bush purchased the estate. The Bush family gave the house a major facelift and established a working dairy farm. The Bush family’s children grew up on the estate until the family downsized to a smaller home in Williamsport.

A new life for the elegant estate

In 2013, Alvin’s son Charles and his wife Carmen transformed the estate into a private family corporation under the Bush name. The couple has renovated and updated the mansion and cottages and the Bush House Estate Wedding and Event Venue has enthralled couples, guests, and visitors alike ever since.

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READ MORE

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The Mall Was Being Planned as early as February 1975