Silver City Galleria

On May 10, 2016, two people were stabbed at the mall shortly after another two were stabbed at a nearby residence. Two of the victims died along with the attacker, who was shot by an off-duty sheriff's deputy. The attacker had previously crashed a Honda Accord into the Macy's store at the mall. The incident occurred at about 7:00 p.m. EDT.[8][9]

The attacker was identified as 28-year-old Arthur DaRosa.[10] According to DaRosa's sister, he checked himself into a local hospital the night before the attack and was released the following morning.[9] He was also reportedly mentally ill and had been struggling with depression for years.[11]

The attack started when DaRosa crashed his car on Myricks Street, located near the mall. DaRosa then began to run around the area erratically, attempting to break into a number of homes. He eventually broke into a house and stabbed Patricia Slavin, 80, and her daughter Kathleen, 48, with a kitchen knife. Patricia died in the hospital while Kathleen was being treated for life-threatening injuries. DaRosa then stole a Honda vehicle from the Slavin household, crashed it into the Macy's, stabbed two more people at a Bertucci's restaurant, and assaulted three other people before being shot by an off-duty police officer. One of the stabbing victims, 56-year-old George Heath, was killed while trying to rescue the other stabbing victim—a pregnant 26-year-old waitress named Sheenah Savoy, who survived.[9][10][11]

After the stock market crash due to the Great Recession in September 2008, Silver City Galleria saw a sharp decline in both its traffic and its finances. Many retailers closed their stores without replacement stores moving into the vacated lots. In March 2010, the mall reached an estimated 75 percent occupancy rate, which is very low by industry standards.[12] Some of the more notable national brands that left included Old Navy, Max Rave and Pacsun.[13]

The exodus of tenants only amplified the financing troubles plaguing the mall. The mortgage on the mall, serviced by Midland Loan Services, went into default in November 2009. In September 2011, negotiations to sell the mall fell through.[14]

In mid-November 2011, the Galleria was bought out by Midland Loan Services, ending the ownership by General Growth Properties. In early December 2011, Silver City Galleria's management was replaced with Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Real Estate Management.

In July 2013, the mall was bought out again by the MGHerring group in conjunction with the Tricom real estate group. In April 2014, the mall announced that it was set to undergo renovations, reducing the likelihood of foreclosure. On January 8, 2015, JCPenney announced that it would be closing its store in Silver City as part of a plan to close 39 under-performing stores nationwide. The store closed in April 2015.[15]

In May 2015, the mall announced that a new tenant, Round One, would be placed in the spot formerly occupied by Steve & Barry's and Lechmere. The mall also announced that the Regal Cinemas would be upgraded with a restaurant and a bar as well as recliner chairs and a new entrance. Both of these improvements were completed by December 2015.[16]

Macy's announced on January 4, 2017 that they would be closing their Silver City location as part of a plan to close 68 stores; the store closed in April 2017.[17] On September 15, 2017, Best Buy announced that it would also be closing in October 2017 as part of a plan to close 15 stores nationwide, leaving Sears and Dick's Sporting Goods as the only anchor tenants remaining.[18] On August 22, 2018, Sears announced that they would closing their Silver City location in November 2018 as part of a plan to close 46 stores nationwide, leaving Dick's Sporting Goods as the last remaining anchor tenant.[19]

In May 2019, the mall was foreclosed on by the Branch Banking and Trust Company due to an unpaid mortgage loan. On May 17, 2019, the Silver City Galleria was sold for $7.5 million at an auction.[20] On June 19, 2019, Thibeault Developments, the new owners, said that the mall's former owners and management would continue to manage the mall during their ownership. They also said that they would announce redevelopment plans in the near future. On October 17, 2019, it was announced that Bristol Community College would be leaving Silver City in 2020.[21]

On February 4, 2020, the mall abruptly give notices of termination to six tenants; the only remaining tenants at this point were on the mall's west side or rear. The mall's main entrance was also closed at this time, with signs directing shoppers to the entrance near Regal Cinemas.[22][23][24] The mall closed for good on February 29, 2020.[23]

Regal Cinemas shut down in 2020 as part of a temporary closure of all Regal theaters due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On December 11, 2020, it was announced that Round One Entertainment would be closing in January 2021.[25] Dick's Sporting Goods closed in early January 2021. On January 21, 2021, it was announced that Silver City Galleria would be demolished in February, with one investor saying that it was too expensive to keep open.[26]