The store that gave The Mall at Whitney Field its original name closed in early 2020. The building it left behind remains one of the two largest spaces on the property, and it is still empty.
The mall has served North Central Massachusetts since 1967. Over those decades, it cycled through department stores, discount chains, electronics retailers, and toy stores, replacing each one when it failed with whatever the market offered next.
JCPenney, which had itself replaced an earlier department store roughly four decades ago, is still open. The food court installed during the 2004 renovation still has tables…