New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
A recent drone photograph of the vacant land where the Silver City Galleria Mall once stood in Taunton, Massachusetts, has sparked a wave of nostalgia among residents. The image, taken from above by the aerial photography page “Aerial New England”, contrasts sharply with a photograph captured on March 1st, 1992, the day the mall first opened, when the entire parking lot was bustling with cars and eager shoppers.
The Silver City Galleria Mall, a beloved landmark that once symbolized the heart of retail and community spirit, has since closed its doors, and the once-vibrant building has been reduced to rubble. However, the site is not destined to remain empty. In July 2022, the Taunton Planning Board approved a site plan for a major redevelopment project at the former mall location.
The plan originally included the construction of a FedEx distribution center, but FedEx has since reevaluated it due to financial factors.
In January 2024, Portman Industrial secured $29 million for the first phase of Silver City Business Park, a 1.1-million-square-foot industrial park at the former Silver City Galleria Mall site in Taunton, MA. The site was purchased in 2021 for $75 million, and phase one will include a 248,435-square-foot building with modern amenities. The park will eventually feature four warehouses of varying sizes, with the three larger ones reaching 55 feet in height.
As construction progresses and the landscape changes, the drone photograph serves as a poignant reminder of the mall’s past glory days and a bittersweet glimpse into its future. The redevelopment of the former Silver City Galleria Mall site represents not just a physical transformation but also a nostalgic journey through cherished memories of days gone by.
