NORTH ATTLEBORO -- On a quiet night in early August of 1989, a section of Route 1 near Interstate 295 in North Attleboro glowed brighter than at any time in the past. Women decked out in fancy dresses and high heels and men in suits, including rented tuxedos, entered the largest structure ever built in the Attleboro area — Emerald Square, a three-story, 150-store shopping mall with 1 million square feet of retail space — for a private preview party. A path of yellow mums lined the mall’s five entrances, simulating the path to Emerald City from “The Wizard of Oz.
” The film classic was celebrating its 50th anniversary that summer with a traveling show of entertainers, and Emerald Square’s owners arranged for performances to align with the theme of the mall’s opening: “There’s no place like Emerald Square.” The 2,500 invited guests browsed the mall — it was still partially under construction — enjoying hors d’oeuvres and Oz performances. Many joked, “I don’t think we’re in North Attleboro anymore.
” The next day, Thursday, Aug. 10, 1989, at 10:12 a.m.
, representatives from the two developers, New England Development of Newton and the Pyramid Companies of Syracuse, N.Y., along with state and town officials, used gold scissors to cut the ribbon on the most anticipated retail opening in southern New England history.
The area had long been a “retail desert,” with the nearest full-sized mall at least a half hour’s drive away. Now, North Attlebor.