Landmark building to be demolished, unique sporting goods store coming to NJ

Out with the old and in with the new.

A nine-story office building that has stood next to the Cherry Hill Mall since the 1970s is soon going to be dust. Reports say the interior of One Cherry Hill is already being gutted, and the exterior will soon be demolished. Planned implosion? Not sure.

But when all is said and done, this landmark office building will leave behind a space to be filled by something pretty extraordinary. There is a huge sporting goods store coming. A 120,000-square-foot retail space will house a sporting goods business, and the most special part of this is the additional 10,000 square feet of outdoor space and what’s planned there.

A fenced-in field in that space will only be accessible through the store. It will have a turf field and track and will be a place where customers can try out their purchases and where events and sports clinics can be held.

Cherry Hill Mayor David Fleisher said, “It’s a very exciting and creative use of that property by the new owners of the mall.”

The new owner, Philadelphia-based PREIT, isn’t saying what the name of the incoming sporting goods store will be. The Courier Post is reporting the store’s interior will have a batting cage simulator, a rock climbing wall, golf, baseball, bike, and other sporting services.

KYW reported the office building that is coming down had been there since 1970, but Courier Post says it went up in the late 70s. Either way, it’s been there a very long time, but the occupancy rates for office buildings in that part of New Jersey have not been healthy.

Say what you will about nostalgic feelings, but this new retail concept sounds quite interesting.

“The retail space nationally continues to shift in a post-COVID world, but Cherry Hill continues to be a regional destination, and we welcome creative investments that keep that location thriving,” Mayor Fleisher said.

“I think that this new use is just all part of the strategy to continue to make the mall a multi-use destination.”

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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