Brass Mill Center

Brass Mill Center
Exterior view of Brass Mill Center, April 2018
LocationWaterbury, Connecticut, United States
Coordinates41°32′57″N 73°01′30″W / 41.549251°N 73.024986°W / 41.549251; -73.024986
Address495 Union Street, Suite 139, Waterbury, CT 06706 United States
Opening dateSeptember 17, 1997
DeveloperGeneral Growth Properties[1]
ManagementTony Guerriero
OwnerKohan Retail Investment Group
Summit Properties USA
Stores and services130
Anchor tenants3
Floor area1,179,569 sq ft (109,586 m2)[2][3]
Floors2
Parking5800 spaces
Public transit 422, 431
Websitebrassmillcenter.com

Brass Mill Center is a shopping mall in Waterbury, Connecticut. The mall and its accompanying complex, Brass Mill Commons, cost $160 million to build. At 1,180,000 square feet (110,000 m2), it is Connecticut's fifth-largest mall, containing over 130 shops. It is located off Interstate 84 in Waterbury, Connecticut. The mall features the traditional retailers JCPenney, Ashley Outlet, and Shoppers World.

History

Brass Mill Center opened on Wednesday, September 17, 1997. It has two floors of stores, and a third floor with a 12-screen Hoyts Cinema.[4]

Before construction began, 118,000 tons of contaminated soil and 63 vacant and deteriorated buildings were removed from the site. Brass Mill Center essentially replaced the older Naugatuck Valley Mall, built in 1969 and located on the city's northeast suburban side. Filene's and Sears relocated to Brass Mill Center. Naugatuck Valley Mall was demolished in the spring of 1999. Lechmere was originally planned as the fourth anchor,[5] but it never opened, because parent company Montgomery Ward closed the chain in 1997, the same year the mall opened.[6]

Numerous former tenants include Shaw’s Supermarket, Steve & Barry's, Hometown Buffet and OfficeMax, which closed in 2007, 2009, 2011, and 2014 respectively.[7][8]

On January 12, 2011, Save-A-Lot opened in the former Shaw's.[9] Shoppers World opened in 2013. In 2017, Five Below and Ulta Beauty opened in the space formerly occupied by OfficeMax.

Toys R Us & Sears both closed in 2018.[10] Macy's closed in 2021.[11]

On April 19, 2022, Kohan Retail Investment Group acquired Brass Mill Center for $44.9 million.[12]

On September 26, 2022, it was announced that Regal Cinemas would close, due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.[13]

In December 2023, Ashley HomeStore opened an outlet store in a portion of the old Macy's.[14]

In April 2024, Apple Cinemas opened in the old Regal Cinemas.[15]

That same year, TJ Maxx moved out of Brass Mill Commons.

Michaels closed on January 16, 2025.

On May 27, 2025, a mass shooting occurred inside the mall when a 19-year-old man from Waterbury opened fire in the central part of the mall, injuring five people. Police later responded that the suspect and a male victim knew each other before the shooting, and the incident was a result of a fight that escalated.[16]

Burlington moved to brass mill commons on August 22, 2025 in the former TJ maxx.

Barnes & Noble closed their location on January 18, 2026 alongside the city’s first Starbucks location within the store, as the last original tenant of brass mill commons.

References

  1. ^ KAUFFMAN, MATTHEW (September 18, 1997). "WATERBURY MALL'S DEBUT A CROWD PLEASER". courant.com. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  2. ^ "Leasing Opportunities". Archived from the original on December 25, 2010. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
  3. ^ "Retail Space for Lease in Waterbury, CT | Brass Mill Center". www.brookfieldpropertiesretail.com. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  4. ^ "Brass Mill Center opens". September 17, 1997. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  5. ^ Charles, Eleanor (March 19, 1995). "In the Region/Connecticut; Historic Brass Mill Giving Way to a Waterbury Mall". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
  6. ^ "Record-Journal - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
  7. ^ "Hometown Buffet restaurant closed at Waterbury site". November 30, 2011. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  8. ^ "OfficeMax store is closing". October 8, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  9. ^ {{Cite web}|url=https://archives.rep-am.com/2011/01/12/save-a-lot-targeted-for-brass-mill-space-vacated-by-shaws/%7Ctitle=Save-A-Lot targeted for Brass Mill space vacated by Shaw's|date=2011-01-12|access-date=2023-01-13}}
  10. ^ "Waterbury Sears closing". Archived from the original on July 1, 2018. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  11. ^ Thomas, Lauren; Rattner, Nate (January 6, 2021). "Macy's is closing dozens of stores this year. Here's the full list". CNBC. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  12. ^ Puffer, Michael (April 20, 2022). "Waterbury mall and neighboring shopping center sells for $44.9M". Hartford Business Journal. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  13. ^ "Regal Cinemas closes at Brass Mill Center in Waterbury". September 27, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  14. ^ "Ashley furniture outlet to open in Waterbury mall". CT Insider. December 7, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  15. ^ "Movie theater returns to Brass Mill Center in Waterbury this spring". CT Insider. March 5, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  16. ^ "5 people injured in shooting at Brass Mill Center in Waterbury". NBC Connecticut. May 27, 2025. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
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