Shopping malls in New Jersey

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Shopping Malls in New Jersey have played a major role in shaping the suburban landscape of the state following World War II.

Contents

[edit] History

New Jersey, the most densely populated state in the United States, and in the suburban sphere of influence of both New York City and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has a comparatively large number of notable malls throughout the state. Paramus, in Bergen County, is one of the largest shopping meccas in the country, with its four major shopping malls accounting for a significant proportion of the over $5 billion in annual retail sales generated in the borough, more than any other ZIP Code in the United States.[1] This high level of retail sales persists despite the fact that the County, in general, and the Borough, in particular, have blue laws that force the malls and other retailers to close on Sunday.

The Bergen Mall, the oldest mall in New Jersey[2], opened in Paramus and Maywood on November 14, 1957, with great fanfare, as Dave Garroway, host of The Today Show served as master of ceremonies.[3] The mall was first planned in 1955 by Allied Stores to have 100 stores and 8,600 parking spaces in a 1.5 million ft² mall that would include a 300,000 ft² Stern's store and two other 150,000 ft² department stores as part of the initial design. Allied's chairman B. Earl Puckett confidently announced the Bergen Mall as the largest of ten proposed centers, stating that there were 25 cities that could support such centers and that no more than 50 malls of this type would ever be built nationwide.[4]

Cherry Hill Mall, was the first large indoor shopping center on the East Coast of the United States and attracted busloads of visitors soon after its opening in October 1961. (The Southdale Shopping Center in Edina, Minnesota, was the very first enclosed mall, beating Cherry Hill to the honor by five years). The popularity of the mall as a destination is often cited as one of the factors that led the mall's host municipality to change its name from Delaware Township, to its current name of Cherry Hill Township.[5]

[edit] Role as public square

With the shift in shopping from publicly owned Main Streets to privately-held shopping malls, the question of access to malls, and their shoppers, as a public forum has been an issue raised nationwide. This issue has become particularly relevant in New Jersey, where malls in both suburban and exurban areas have largely supplanted local downtown districts as shopping destinations, depriving individuals and organizations of a public location to reach out to neighbors for distribution of fliers and other forms of expression. While different conclusions have been reached elsewhere, New Jersey's approach has been one of the most expansive in providing groups with access to malls as a public forum, despite their private ownership.

The Bergen Mall was the target of a lawsuit by nuclear-freeze advocates who challenged the malls restrictions on distribution of literature to shoppers. On October 12, 1984, Bergen County Superior Court judge Paul R. Huot ruled that the organization should be allowed to distribute literature anywhere and anytime in a shopping mall, noting that "the Bergen Mall has assumed the features and characteristics of the traditional town center for the citizens who reside in Paramus and surrounding Bergen County towns."[6]

The New Jersey Supreme Court has been at the forefront in providing access to malls as a public forum under the New Jersey State Constitution's free-speech protections, requiring private owners of shopping malls to allow use as a forum by individuals and groups. In New Jersey Coalition Against War in the Middle East v. J.M.B. Realty Corp. (1994), the Court ruled that because the mall owners "have intentionally transformed their property into a public square or market, a public gathering place, a downtown business district, a community," they cannot later deny their own implied invitation to use the space as it was clearly intended.[7] Despite the broad powers granted to those seeking to use these facilities as public forums, mall owners retain the right to establish regulations regulating the time, place and manner of exercising of freedom of speech rights on their properties.[8]

[edit] Role as performance venue

In their role as a public forum, malls have also developed a role as a public performance venue, as an addition to theaters, arenas and stadiums. Singer Tiffany was one of the pioneers in this innovative use of malls, using the mall tour as a stepping stone to stardom. The first performance on Tiffany's mall tour — "The Beautiful You: Celebrating The Good Life Shopping Mall Tour '87" — took place on June 23, 1987 at the Bergen Mall in Paramus. The tour was sponsored by major advertisers Toyota, Clairol, and Adidas.[9] While perhaps not the first singer to do so, Tiffany established the shopping mall as a location for public performances. Britney Spears' Hair Zone Mall Tour built on Tiffany's use of the mall as a medium to reach fans.

[edit] List of malls

The following is a list of shopping malls in the state of New Jersey (ordered by location, but click on the sort tag after each column to change the sort order):

Mall Location Gross Leasable Area
Pier Shops at Caesars Atlantic City 320,000 ft²[10]
Quarter at Tropicana Atlantic City 200,000 ft²[11]
Bricktown Shopping Centre
(under construction)
Brick Township
Bridgewater Commons Bridgewater Township 900,000 ft²[12]
Bridgewater Promenade Bridgewater Township 370,545 ft²[13]
Bridgewater Town Centre Bridgewater Township 460,000 ft²[14]
Kinnelon Mall Butler
Burlington Center Mall Burlington 670,000 ft²[15]
Cherry Hill Mall Cherry Hill 1,283,000 ft²[16]
Cinnaminson Mall
(defunct)
Cinnaminson
Deptford Mall Deptford 1,300,000 ft²[17]
Brunswick Square Mall East Brunswick 769,041 ft²[18]
Meadowlands Xanadu
(under construction)
East Rutherford 2,200,000 ft²[19]
Monmouth Mall Eatontown 1,500,000 ft²[20]
Menlo Park Mall Edison 1,232,000 ft²[21]
Shore Mall Egg Harbor Township 635,000 ft²[22]
Jersey Gardens Elizabeth 1,292,611 ft²[23]
The Promenade at Sagemore Evesham Township 272,000 ft²[24]
American Way Mall
(defunct)
Fairfield
Flemington Mall
(defunct)
Flemington
Freehold Raceway Mall Freehold 1,600,000ft²[25]
The Shops at Riverside Hackensack 637,963 ft²[26]
Cedar Knolls Plaza (formerly Morris County Mall)
(defunct)
Hanover
Hudson Mall Hudson 377,000 ft²[27]
Newport Centre Mall Jersey City 1,149,147 ft²[28]
Quaker Bridge Mall Lawrenceville 1,102,000 ft²[29]
Ledgewood Mall Ledgewood (in Roxbury Township) 518,246 ft²[30]
Livingston Mall Livingston 980,000 ft²[31]
Manalapan Mall
(defunct)
Manalapan
Hamilton Mall Mays Landing 1,028,500 ft²[32]
Moorestown Mall Moorestown 1,046,100 ft²[33]
Seaview Square Mall
(defunct)
Ocean Township (Monmouth County)
Gateway Shopping Center Old Bridge Township
Bergen Mall Paramus 917,129 ft²[34]
Fashion Center Paramus 446,000 ft²[35]
Mall at IV Paramus
Westfield Garden State Plaza Paramus 2,000,000 ft²[36]
Paramus Park Paramus 770,941 ft²[37]
Hillcrest Professional Plaza (formerly Hillcrest Mall) Phillipsburg
Phillipsburg Mall Phillipsburg 536,000 ft²[38]
Princeton MarketFair Princeton
Rio Mall
(defunct)
Rio Grande Township
Rockaway Townsquare Mall
& Plazas on Property
Rockaway 1,250,000 ft²[39]
The Mall at Millcreek Seacaucus
The Mall at Short Hills Short Hills 1,342,000 ft²[40]
Middlesex Mall South Plainfield 320,000 ft²[41]
Roxbury Mall Succasunna (in Roxbury Township) 706,000 ft²[42]
Ocean County Mall Toms River 890,000 ft²[43]
Seacourt Pavilion Toms River 253,000 ft²[44]
Cumberland Mall Vineland 921,593 ft²[45]
Echelon Mall Voorhees Township 1,140,000 ft²[46]
Wayne Hills Mall Wayne
Wayne Towne Center Wayne 653,000 ft²[47]
Willowbrook Mall Wayne 1,500,000 ft²[48]
Village Mall
(defunct)
Willingboro
Willingboro Town Center (former Levittown Plaza)
(defunct)
Willingboro
Woodbridge Center Woodbridge 1,633,000 ft²[49]

[edit] Largest malls

The largest malls in New Jersey — those with at least 1 million square feet of Gross Leasable Area (GLA) and ranked in descending order by size — are:

  1. Westfield's Garden State Plaza - 2,000,000 ft²
  2. Woodbridge Center - 1,633,000 ft²
  3. Freehold Raceway Mall - 1,600,000ft²
  4. Monmouth Mall - 1,500,000 ft²
  5. Willowbrook Mall - 1,500,000 ft²
  6. The Mall at Short Hills - 1,342,000 ft²
  7. Deptford Mall - 1,300,000 ft²
  8. Jersey Gardens - 1,292,611 ft²
  9. Cherry Hill Mall - 1,283,000 ft²
  10. Rockaway Townsquare Mall - 1,250,000 ft²
  11. Menlo Park Mall - 1,232,000 ft²
  12. Newport Centre Mall - 1,149,147 ft²
  13. Echelon Mall - 1,140,000 ft²
  14. Quaker Bridge Mall - 1,102,000 ft²
  15. Moorestown Mall - 1,046,100 ft²
  16. Hamilton Mall - 1,028,500 ft²

[edit] References

  1. ^ Paramus 07652, GlobeSt. Retail, October 3, 2005
  2. ^ Bergen Mall's makeover approved, The Record (Bergen County), December 1, 2006
  3. ^ "Shoppers Throng to Opening of Bergen Mall in Jersey", The New York Times, November 15, 1957
  4. ^ "10 Shopping Centers Scheduled For Allied Stores Within 3 Years; Chain' s Chairman Gives Details of Biggest, 7 Miles From George Washington Span, Where Stern Will Open Branch by '57: STORE CHAIN PLANS 10 RETAIL CENTERS", The New York Times, January 13, 1955. p. 37
  5. ^ Cherry Hill Township: About Us, accessed September 4, 2006
  6. ^ "JERSEY JUDGE ORDERS LEAFLET DISTRIBUTION IN MALL AT ANY TIME", The New York Times, October 21, 1984. p. A.49
  7. ^ assembly on private property, First Amendment Center, accessed August 10, 2006
  8. ^ The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press: ACCESS TO PRIVATE PROPERTY, accessed August 10, 2006
  9. ^ Chronology of the Life and Career of Tiffany, accessed August 10, 2006
  10. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: The Pier At Caesars, accessed February 17, 2007
  11. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: The Quarter, accessed December 6, 2006
  12. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: Bridgewater Commons, accessed October 3, 2006
  13. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: Bridgewater Promenade, accessed December 25, 2006
  14. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: Bridgewater Town Centre, accessed December 25, 2006
  15. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: Burlington Center Mall, accessed September 21, 2006
  16. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: Cherry Hill Mall, accessed September 21, 2006
  17. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: Deptford Mall, accessed October 3, 2006
  18. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: Brunswick Square Mall, accessed December 25, 2006
  19. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: Meadowlands Xanadu, accessed December 6, 2006
  20. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: Monmouth Mall, accessed September 21, 2006
  21. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: Menlo Park Mall, accessed September 21, 2006
  22. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: Shore Mall, accessed December 25, 2006
  23. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: Jersey Gardens, accessed November 6, 2006
  24. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: The Promenade at Sagemore, accessed September 21, 2006
  25. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: Freehold Raceway Mall, accessed September 21, 2006
  26. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: The Shops at Riverside, accessed November 6, 2006
  27. ^ http://www.preit.com/pages/leasing/detail/index.jsp?property=11 PREIT: Hudson Mall, accessed March 2, 2007
  28. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: Newport Centre Mall, accessed September 21, 2006
  29. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: Quaker Bridge Mall, accessed September 21, 2006
  30. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: Ledgewood Mall, accessed October 16, 2006
  31. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: Livingston Mall, accessed September 21, 2006
  32. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: Hamilton Mall, accessed September 21, 2006
  33. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: Moorestown Mall, accessed December 25, 2006
  34. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: Bergen Mall, accessed November 6, 2006
  35. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: Fashion Center, accessed September 21, 2006
  36. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: Fashion Center, accessed September 21, 2006
  37. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: Paramus Park, accessed November 6, 2006
  38. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: Phillipsburg Mall, accessed December 25, 2006
  39. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: Rockaway Townsquare Mall, accessed September 21, 2006
  40. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: The Mall at Short Hills, accessed September 21, 2006
  41. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: Middlesex Mall, accessed December 25, 2006
  42. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: Roxbury Mall, accessed October 16, 2006
  43. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: Ocean County Mall, accessed September 21, 2006
  44. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: Seacourt Pavilion, accessed September 21, 2006
  45. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: Cumberland Mall, accessed December 25, 2006
  46. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: Echelon Mall, accessed September 21, 2006
  47. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: Wayne Towne Center, accessed September 21, 2006
  48. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: Willowbrook Mall, accessed September 21, 2006
  49. ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: Woodbridge Center, accessed December 22, 2006