Shoppers’ World was the first regional shopping mall east of the Rockies and the 2nd in the country. It set the standard for shopping malls across the nation, transforming Framingham and the national consumer culture of the 20th Century.
When it opened in 1951 with 44 establishments, Shoppers’ World was the most ambitious project of its kind. It featured an innovative two-tiered layout that became the norm for shopping malls across the country and featured the largest arched beam construction in the world. While this made Shoppers’ World a national icon, it was the unparalleled focus on community gathering and enrichment that made it an enduring piece of Framingham’s cultural memory.
Despite its groundbreaking status, a decline in attendance led to the closure and redevelopment of Shoppers’ World into a “retail park” in 1992. This sign – made by University Brink, manufacturers of the famous Citgo Sign in Kenmore Square – is the oldest surviving piece of the original Shoppers’ World. It stood at the north end of the Shopping Center on Route 30 for almost 50 years.
The Centre Common was the common of the horse and buggy. The Downtown Common was the common of the railroad. Shoppers’ World was the common of the automobile.
J. Christopher Walsh (1951-2018)
Massachusetts State Representative & Former President, Framingham Historical Society