An officially released postcard for Westfarms "A regional retail development, is designed to be the most complete marketplace of its kind in New England. Westfarms site spans the boundaries of three outstanding Connecticut communities: West Hartford, Farmington and New Britain." Scanned and remastered by The Caldor Rainbow.
From a time when malls were plastered on post cards as vacation-like attractions, this is one of a few post cards sold for Westfarms, presumably in the mid-1970s.
Here's another view into the classic concourse of the unmistakably Taubman-designed Westfarms Mall, which is estimated to be taken around its opening in 1974. Almost everything you see here of the classic concourse is now gone: first to go was the unforgettable fountain, stage and Information tower (which can be seen here ever so slightly to the left), were all removed by 2001. The terrazzo tiles, which are still apart of the mall today, were twice removed from the concourse by today. Next, were the seating pits, stairs, ramps and planters, which were the last to go in 2010.
The twin obelisk structures seen here were one of a dozen or so throughout the mall, designed by artist Wen-Ying Tsai. These were the only feature to be removed fairly early on. These lighted towers were mildly interactive and reactive to sounds via hanging microphones strewn about the mall. Guests would light the towers based on sounds emitted. Tsai's pillars of this community would go nearly forgotten today as they are somewhat forogtten but also not listed on his history of works.
"Gift Showcase" and "Worth's", two staples of malls during this time, would become Abercrombie & Fitch. On the far left of the upper level is "Sights & Sounds". "Herman's World of Sporting Goods" (Dick's Sporting Goods-like chain of the 1970s) would keep that spot until its closure in 1993. Herman's also had its own mall entrance which was later converted into a maintenance hallway upon the 1996 expansion.
"Thom McAn" was as ubiquitous as Kinney Shoes and lasted until the 90's right in that spot. As for "Susan Terry", "Brooks" both women's fashion boutique and "Bakers", a shoe store for women, is still around but no longer at Westfarms.
This postcard was estimated to have been taken some short time later than the other one we posted.
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