The Old Nordstrom at South Shore Plaza Is Getting a Climbing Tower
October 8, 2026
October 8, 2026
The concrete panels on the old Nordstrom at South Shore Plaza are staying. Under a design change the Braintree Planning Board approved 5–0 on April 14, 2026, crews will clean the big panels from the department store and stain them copper and auburn. Other sections on the north and south sides will get forest green aluminum composite panels. DICK'S Sporting Goods told the board the job is already a renovation of more than $40 million. The team chose to keep the panels rather than send them to a landfill, and that choice also keeps the project inside what the Massachusetts energy code allows for an alteration.
The glass corner facing southeast is what passing drivers will notice first. According to the meeting minutes, it holds a putting green on the first floor and rock climbing on the second and third floors. Nordstrom's South Shore Plaza store closed in March 2025. The space is set to come back as a three-story DICK'S House of Sport. Most of what the mall has added since then falls into the same category: places where you spend an afternoon doing something.
The building is large. Braintree's filings put it at about 150,000 square feet over three stories, topped by a central clerestory. The Zoning Board of Appeals granted height and signage variances on October 27, 2025, so the bigger wall signs and taller elements could go ahead. The April 2026 minutes say the large skylight at the top did not change in the redesign.
The design change also moves the way in. Nordstrom had a customer entrance on the south side, next to Target. The House of Sport will have one entrance only, on the east side, facing the playing fields and set well back from them. The glass that once framed the old south entrance is being removed.
Here is what has been described for this location:
The last two come from the 2025 hearing and have not been confirmed again in the 2026 record. Nothing found so far confirms an indoor turf field for Braintree. DICK'S puts "The Field" at select House of Sport locations, but that describes the chain's format, not this site's final plan.
The opening date is still open. Coverage in early 2025 pointed to summer 2026. That window has passed. At the October 2025 hearing, the applicant's attorney said construction could run through the end of 2026 or into the end of the first quarter of 2027. As of early October 2026, DICK'S Massachusetts store locator does not list a Braintree store. We found no opening date in the town record or in DICK'S public listings so far.
The DICK'S building is the largest example, but it isn't the first. Walk the lower level today and three of the stops near each other are activities, not stores.
| Spot | Where | What it is | Open since |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aloha Mini Glow Golf | Lower level, across from Lucky Brand Jeans, LOFT and Space Zero | 18-hole glow-in-the-dark course with a Hawaiian theme, about 13,000 sq ft | December 2025 |
| Space Zero | Lower level | Trampolines, ball pit and obstacle course, climbing walls, VR games | April 2022 |
| Dave & Buster's | 250 Granite St. | Games and dining | Operating, with an October 6, 2026 event on the calendar |
Aloha is the newest of the three and comes with a local backstory. Founder Douglas Molina is a Boston native who served as a Marine infantryman at Kaneohe Bay on Oahu. He opened his first course at the Northshore Mall in Peabody in 2017 and a second in Manchester, New Hampshire, in 2023. MassLive reported that Braintree is his largest location yet. Admission is $16.99 for ages 13 and up and $13.99 for ages 4 to 12. Children under 4 play free. You can try for a prize on a giant Plinko board at the end of the round.
Aloha's prices are worth setting against the House of Sport. For about the price of one adult round of glow golf, a family can already fill a cold Saturday on the lower level. The DICK'S building adds a different kind of activity at the other end of the mall: climbing and golf practice inside a store. The mall itself already sells the visit as a day out. Simon's own description lists Space Zero, Dave & Buster's and the Play Area under "Play."
The retail openings fit the same pattern. Toys"R"Us opened a standalone store on the upper level, between Tilly's and Forever Flawless. The Patriot Ledger reported on October 2, 2026, that it is the only standalone Toys"R"Us in Massachusetts. It is part of a national rollout of 120 new standalone stores timed for this holiday season. That takes the chain from 40 standalone U.S. stores to 160.
The plaza now has two Toys"R"Us locations, which can confuse first-time visitors. The brand also runs a shop inside the South Shore Plaza Macy's. MassLive notes that the standalone stores carry a larger range of toys, games and gifts than the Macy's shops. The Braintree store is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
POP MART and Rolife arrived before Toys"R"Us, and both lean toward collectible and creative retail. The mall announced them in November 2025. Rolife set its grand opening for November 15, and POP MART was expected in late November. The summer 2026 group was more traditional: Timberland, True Religion and Cape Cod Coffee. The coffee counter fits a mall where more of the visit is spent doing things.
Even the town library comes here. Thayer Public Library holds "Monday at the Mall" children's storytime on the first Monday of the month, in the Play Area by the second-level food court. Each session has books and songs, and kids leave with a craft bag.
These are dated items for this fall and winter, in order. Some are firmer than others.
Construction updates on the House of Sport will come through the Braintree Planning Board, which keeps its agendas and minutes on the town website. The next public detail on the old Nordstrom will most likely show up there.
Big projects at South Shore Plaza, like a $40 million rebuild, can affect what nearby homes are worth. If you own near Granite Street and want to see where your home's value stands, Your Partner Chris Real Estate can run the numbers with you. Get Your Instant Home Valuation and see where you stand before the House of Sport opens.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
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