Editing Gallery Market East (section)

== Design and Architecture ==

Bower Lewis Thrower Architects designed the Gallery as an enclosed multi-level shopping complex stretching from 8th to 11th Streets, incorporating both new construction and renovated existing buildings. The design turned the mall inward, with storefronts facing interior corridors rather than the street, in contrast to traditional urban retail that engaged sidewalks and street life. This introverted approach, common to suburban malls, provided climate-controlled comfort while creating the barrier between mall and city that later critics would fault.<ref name="luria"/>

The mall connected to the underground SEPTA concourse and the regional rail stations at Market East (now Jefferson Station), providing transit access that suburban malls lacked. This integration recognized that urban retail could compete by leveraging transit infrastructure that suburban locations could not match. The transit connection brought potential customers directly into the mall while providing convenient departure for visitors arriving by other means.<ref name="gallery"/>