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Garden State Plaza

Interior of Garden State Plaza, 2014
Location	Paramus, New Jersey
Coordinates	40°55′08″N 74°04′35″W / 40.91896°N 74.07639°W / 40.91896; -74.07639
Address	1 Garden State Plaza
Opening date	May 1, 1957
Developer	R.H. Macy Company
Management	Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield
Owner	Unibail-Rodamco Westfield
No. of stores and services	300 (As of March 2014)
No. of anchor tenants	3 at 1957 opening
Total retail floor area	2,118,718 sq ft (196,835.3 m)
No. of floors	2 (3 in Macy's, Neiman Marcus, and Nordstrom)
Parking	Parking lot, parking garage, and valet parking with 10,796 parking spaces.
Public transit access	NJ Transit bus: 163, 171, 175, 707, 709, 756, 758, 770
Website	westfield.com/gardenstateplaza

Garden State Plaza (officially Westfield Garden State Plaza) is a shopping mall located in Paramus, in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Owned and managed by Paris-based real estate management company Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, the mall is situated at the intersection of Route 4 and Route 17 near the Garden State Parkway, about 15 miles (24 km) west of the New York City borough of Manhattan. Opened in 1957 as the first suburban shopping mall in New Jersey, it has 300 stores and 2,118,718 sq ft (196,835.3 m) of leasable space, qualifying it as a super-regional mall according to the standards of the International Council of Shopping Centers.

The mall had sales of $500 per square foot in 2013, about $320 above the national average; Garden State Plaza is one of the most profitable malls in the country. In a study of malls in the United States performed on behalf of CNBC, published in 2018, Westfield Garden State Plaza ranked ninth in the nation, based on sales of $950 per square foot. Most of the mall, especially retail outlets, is closed on Sunday in accordance with state and local blue laws. Since April 2023, minors under the age of 18 are required to have an adult over 21 supervise them on Friday and Saturday nights.

In a borough where half of the property tax revenue comes from retail properties, Garden State Plaza accounts for 10% of the property taxes collected in Paramus.

History

The site at the southwest corner of Route 4 and Route 17 that would become Garden State Plaza was next to a drive-in theater dating back to the 1930s. Allied Stores and Macy's had discussed a shared project at the site that was abandoned in August 1953, after which Allied Stores pursued development of the Bergen Mall (since renamed as Bergen Town Center), that would be located a mile away on Route 4 and which was scheduled to open in September 1957 with Stern's as its anchor store.

R.H. Macy announced the creation of Garden State Plaza in May 1954, establishing a subsidiary that would own and operate the mall. JC Penney announced in June 1955 that the company would construct an 83,000-square-foot (7,700 m) standalone three-story building as part of the project, with the infrastructure to add a fourth floor, as needs grew. In September 1958, long-time Macy's rival Gimbel's announced that it was acquiring access to a building site in the mall for a facility that would include 240,000 square feet (22,000 m) of retail space on three floors, with completion expected in 1960.

Garden State Plaza opened on May 1, 1957, as the first suburban mall in New Jersey, with plans to be "the largest in the state". On opening day, Garden State Plaza had 75,000 shoppers at a mall that was anchored by a 340,000-square-foot (32,000 m) Bamberger's store on three floors and included 60 retail stores and 5,500 parking spaces on a site that covered 110 acres (45 ha). The formal ribbon cutting ceremony included the mayor of Paramus Fred C. Galda and a local eight-year-old who cut a ribbon with one thousand dimes as a fundraiser for the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (since renamed as the March of Dimes), part of an awareness campaign to encourage people to get the polio vaccine.

Its original three anchor stores were Bamberger's, Gimbels, and JCPenney, with the rest of the mall consisting of 90 smaller specialty shops. It was called "the largest shopping center in the world." Constructed by the Muscarelle Construction Company for owner/developer R.H. Macy & Co. as an open-air shopping "plaza", total construction costs for the mall were $26 million (equivalent to $282,000,000 in 2023).

Garden State Plaza drew much business from nearby New York towns and cities, whose shoppers wandered across state lines to take advantage of New Jersey's lower sales taxes and its policy that exempted clothing purchases from sales tax. By 1961, it was the world's largest mall.

In 1975, the mall began a multi-phased, years-long project that would fully enclose the mall, converting exterior passageways into covered spaces. The project, budgeted at $20 million, would add 400,000 square feet (37,000 m) of retail space, bringing the total to 1,757,000 square feet (163,200 m) upon completion.

A $21 million construction project in 1981 converted access tunnels into a second level for the mall, added 150,000 square feet (14,000 m) of retail space.

The mall was enclosed between 1981 and 1984 in response to competitive pressure from newer fully enclosed malls such as the Willowbrook Mall in nearby Wayne. Later in the 1980s, a lower level was added by converting a former basement truck tunnel into retail space. The existing JCPenney basement was given a new entrance on the lower level, but since the floors were at slightly different elevations, that entrance features the shortest escalator in North America, at a height of six steps.

In 1987, Gimbels' parent company, BATUS, which had been selling off its Gimbels' stores, sold its Garden State Plaza location to Associated Dry Goods. Associated reopened the store as the new headquarters for its Hahne's department stores. Hahne's had previously been headquartered at its flagship store in downtown Newark, which the company wanted to close. In the mid-1990s, a Nobody Beats the Wiz store was added as an out-parcel to the mall site; it later became a Best Buy store that closed in 2018. The site was then occupied by a toy store called Toy City, owned by Party City.

On September 7, 1990, Nordstrom opened its first New Jersey location, building a $37 million, 272,000 sq ft (25,300 m), three-level store on the former Hahne's site. In 1996, the luxury department store chain Lord & Taylor opened a store in the mall, which was its seventh in the state at the time.

In 1996, Garden State Plaza marked the completion of a $200 million expansion and major remodeling project that added over 700,000 sq ft (65,000 m) of retail space and two four level parking structures, Parking Garage A, and Parking Garage B. The downstairs food court was connected to the lower level from the previous expansion. J. C. Penney grew by 62,000 to 150,000 sq ft (5,800 to 13,900 m), and two new anchors were added, a 150,000 sq ft (14,000 m) Neiman Marcus on three levels and a 135,000 sq ft (12,500 m) Lord & Taylor on two levels, both targeted at the upscale fashion-conscious shopper. A Venetian carousel was also added at that time of the expansion and remodeling and was located in front of Macy's. The carousel closed in 2016, and was removed so that the mall could use that space for performances by the Bergen Performing Arts Center.

Westfield acquired the mall in 1986 from Macy's in a deal that also included New Jersey's Brunswick Square Mall and Quaker Bridge Mall.

The Borough of Paramus petitioned the New Jersey Supreme Court to review a decision by borough's Planning Board, asking it to review the plans to construct a 163,000-square-foot (15,100 m) "entertainment lifestyle precinct" at the mall that included a 16-screen AMC movie theater and 10 specialty retail stores, along with a 158,000-square-foot (14,700 m) parking lot below the new wing, known as "Parking Garage C". The petition was turned down, and the mall celebrated its 50th anniversary with the new expansion and stores opened on May 25, 2007.

In 2013, the mall rebuilt Parking Garage B, expanding it to five levels and 1,800 parking spaces. Adjacent were built a new guest services office and a valet lounge. A year later, the mall added a 55,000 square feet (5,100 m) wing at a cost of $160 million known as the "Fashion District" that has 22 stores and restaurants.

In January 2018, Best Buy announced that they would be closing their two-level store at Garden State Plaza and would be relocating to a single-floor building to be constructed at The Outlets at Bergen Town Center nearby. The store officially moved on April 14, 2018. J. C. Penney closed on March 10, 2018. Both stores are expected to be redeveloped by Westfield in the future, though as of October 2018, no such development has been announced. In July 2018 North Jersey Media Group reported that Uniqlo will be relocating from Westfield Garden State Plaza to Paramus Park. The Paramus Park Uniqlo officially opened on March 1, 2019. Westfield Garden State Plaza announced plans to build a mixed development center in the old JCPenney space.

In July 2019, Tru Kids announced that one of two Toys "R" Us stores being opened by that company as part of that toy retailer's recovery from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2017 and its acquisition by Tru Kids, would be at Garden State Plaza. (The other would be opened at The Galleria in Houston.) Eschewing the "warehouse" arrangement of previous stores, Toys "R" Us stores, these revamped versions were much smaller, and centered around open play areas, interactive displays and areas for special events and birthday parties. It opened on November 27, 2019. However it closed on January 28, 2021.

In September 2019, the mall announced that it would developing mixed-use projects with dining and other retail on the ground floors of the buildings and housing on the upper floors, which would be constructed in areas now covered by parking lots on the periphery of the mall. Construction of this housing would count towards the borough's affordable housing obligations and would serve as a downtown "town square" for Paramus.

On August 2, 2020, Lord & Taylor, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. On August 27, it announced that it would close all 38 of its stores.

In April 2023, the mall announced it would closely align with similar policies adopted by many other malls nationally, banning visitors under 18 without a parent or guardian from the building on weekends, effective the end of that month (except for its AMC location and onsite restaurants, leading some local residents to question the effectiveness of the policy).

Blue laws

Due to New Jersey state blue laws that only apply in Bergen County and more restrictive limitations in place in Paramus restricting business on Sunday, Garden State Plaza is almost completely closed on Sundays, except for some of the restaurants and the movie theater, all of which have special Sunday entrances. On Sundays, Garden State Plaza's parking lot is accessible only from the Route 4 and Route 17 access points. Gates are down so that the access roads from the secondary streets are blocked. The Paramus Borough Code forbids the performance of any "worldly employment" on Sunday, with very limited exceptions. These laws were enacted shortly after Garden State Plaza opened, out of fear that the mall would cause high levels of traffic congestion on the highways in the borough. During the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie issued an executive order that suspended the state's blue laws, allowing stores to be open on Sunday, November 4, 2012, for the benefit of those severely affected by flooding and/or power outages caused by the hurricane. A week later, after public outcry that included the mayor of Paramus announcing that the borough would continue to enforce its own restrictions, the state's blue laws were put back into effect.

Public transportation

Westfield Garden State Plaza serves as a local transportation hub. The mall is served by NJ Transit bus lines routes 163, 171, 175, 707, 709, 756, 758 and 770.

Incidents

On November 4, 2013, 20-year-old Richard Shoop, armed with a SIG 556R semi-automatic rifle, fired multiple shots in the mall. Customers and employees were evacuated immediately from the mall premises shortly after the shots were fired and the mall was on lockdown for hours. The mall remained closed the following day. No one was injured or killed, other than Shoop himself, who committed suicide at 3:20 AM.

Popular culture

• Garden State Plaza is the setting for Tricia Sullivan's science fiction novel Maul (2002). The novel takes its title from the way that the word "mall" is pronounced with the New Jersey accent. In the novel, three teenage girls start a shoot out with a local gang.
• Several episodes of The Sopranos, the HBO mob drama were filmed at the mall, which was called the "Paramus Mall".
• The 2005 Sesame Street direct-to-video special All Star Alphabet, featuring Stephen Colbert and Nicole Sullivan, was filmed on location at the mall.

See also

• Shopping malls in New Jersey
• Westfield Group

References

1. ^ "Big Shopping Area Opened In Jersey; 75,000 Visit Paramus Center --3-Story Bamberger Unit Is the Principal Store 17 Connections to Roads Price Range Like Newark's", The New York Times, May 2, 1957. Accessed February 28, 2021.
2. Ma, Myles. "Garden State Plaza in Paramus starts $130 million remodeling project", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, January 10, 2013, updated March 30, 2019. Accessed February 18, 2022.
3. ^ Anzidei, Melanie (May 5, 2019). "Westfield Garden State Plaza's transformation a sign of changing times in retail". Retrieved August 27, 2020.
4. ^ Westfield Garden State Plaza Archived August 1, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, Westfield Group. Accessed June 6, 2008
5. ^ Queally, James; Sherman, Ted; Grant, Jason (November 5, 2013). "Garden State Plaza shooting suspect killed self in mall, authorities say". NJ.com.
6. "Garden State Shopping Center Due to Open May 1 in Paramus; It Will Be Largest in Jersey --Bergen Mall Being Built Less Than a Mile Away", The New York Times, March 20, 1957. p. 49. Accessed February 27, 2021. "The Garden State Plaza Shopping Center, being built in Paramus, N.J., will open on May 1, it was announced yesterday. The center will be the largest in the state."
7. Westfield Garden State Plaza Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, International Council of Shopping Centers. Accessed June 6, 2008
8. U.S. Shopping-Center Classification and Typical Characteristics, International Council of Shopping Centers. Accessed July 31, 2023.
9. Ma, Myles (November 29, 2013). "Garden State Plaza addition to include Tory Burch, Microsoft stores". -NJ.com. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
10. Remo, Jessica. "This N.J. mall is 1 of most lucrative in country, study says", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, January 31, 2018. Accessed March 7, 2018.
11. ^ Shopping, Bergen County, New Jersey. Accessed November 25, 2019. "Bergen is the only county in New Jersey which enforces Blue Laws – legislation that limits Sunday shopping. Paramus strictly observes these laws, therefore major malls and other retail stores are closed on Sunday."
12. Munoz, Daniel (April 13, 2023). "Under 18? You'll need an adult chaperone on weekend evenings at the Garden State Plaza". North Jersey.com. Archived from the original on April 13, 2023. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
13. ^ Pries, Allison. "Garden State Plaza, N.J's biggest mall, is getting a massive makeover", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, May 1, 2019, updated September 24, 2019. Accessed March 1, 2021.
14. ^ Pries, Allison. "Garden State Plaza is expanding. See how it went from a drive-in to N.J.'s biggest mall.", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, July 5, 2019, updated September 24, 2019. Accessed February 28, 2021.
15. "Garden State Shopping Center Due to Open May 1 in Paramus; It Will Be Largest in Jersey --Bergen Mall Being Built Less Than a Mile Away", The New York Times, March 20, 1957. Accessed February 28, 2021. "
16. "Macy Forms Subsidiary; Garden State Plaza Corp. Will Run New Jersey Center", The New York Times, May 5, 1954. Accessed February 28, 2021.
17. "Penney Joins Center; Will Occupy 3-Story Building in Garden State Plaza", The New York Times, June 16, 1955. Accessed February 28, 2021.
18. "Gimbels Buys In Macy's; Rents Land for Store in Rival's Paramus Plot", The New York Times, September 5, 1958. Accessed February 28, 2021.
19. "Ribbon-Cutting Plan Set For Tomorrow", The Record, April 30, 1957. Accessed March 1, 2021, via Newspapers.com.
20. Karsian, Dillon. "Garden State Plaza Reshaped Landscape", National Real Estate Investor, May 1, 1999. Accessed February 10, 2021.
21. ^ Verdon, Joan. "Westfield Garden State Plaza, Paramus", The Record, July 27, 2008, backed up by the Internet Archive as of August 1, 2008. Accessed February 18, 2022. "The mall, which originally had 90 stores, cost $26 million to build in 1957."
22. Savage, Ania. "Garden State Plaza Will Enclose Mall", The New York Times, February 23, 1975. Accessed February 28, 2021.
23. ^ Garden State Plaza Reshaped Landscape Archived October 17, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, Retail Traffic, May 1, 1999
24. Hill, Jeffrey. "Taken for a Ride: The insanity of escalators". Next American City. Summer 2008. Accessed February 11, 2011."Next City – Inspiring Equitable Cities". Archived from the original on December 11, 2010. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
25. "11 Gimbels Stores Are Sold By Batus", The New York Times, June 18, 1986. Accessed February 18, 2022.
26. '26 Wiz Stores Will Be Closed in 2 Months", The New York Times, August 19, 2002. Accessed February 10, 2021.
27. Karsian, Dillon. "Garden State Plaza Reshaped Landscape" Archived October 17, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, Retail Traffic, May 1, 1999. Accessed February 11, 2011. "In May 1990, Nordstrom debuted in New Jersey by constructing a $37 million, 272,000 sq. ft., three-level store on the former Gimbel's site."
28. Barmash, Isadore. "Lord & Taylor to Bolster Presence in New Jersey", The New York Times, January 12, 1989. Accessed February 18, 2022.
29. Garden State Plaza carousel stops spinning. "NorthJersey.com". Accessed February 2, 2016.
30. Gutis, Philip S. "The Talk of Garden State Plaza; Scene at Mall in Jersey: Toys, Tinsel and Frenzy", The New York Times, November 18, 1987. Accessed February 11, 2011.
31. Greer, Kimberly. "3 Macy's Centers to Be Sold To Australian Company", Newsday, November 7, 1986. Accessed February 11, 2011.
32. Verdon, Joan. "These aren't your mother's shopping malls", The Record, February 11, 2007. Accessed February 13, 2021.
33. Gartland, Michael. "Epic theater to play its final reel". The Record, May 19, 2007. Accessed February 14, 2021.
34. "Indoor Parking Garage At Westfield Garden State Plaza", November 17, 2013. Accessed November 15, 2015.
35. "Photos: New $160 million opens at Garden State Plaza", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. Accessed November 15, 2015.
36. Verdon, Joan. "Best Buy relocation creates opening for new moves at Garden State Plaza", The Record, January 17, 2018. Accessed January 27, 2018.
37. Attrino, Anthony G. "J.C. Penney quietly closing another N.J. store after 60 years at mall", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, January 26, 2017. Accessed January 27, 2018.
38. Joan Verdon (January 26, 2018). "Paramus JCPenney Department Store At Garden State Plaza to Close March 10". NorthJersey.com. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
39. "Uniqlo clothing chain preparing to move to Paramus Park mall". North Jersey. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
40. "Garden State Plaza's sweeping overhaul plan draws mixed reaction locally". North Jersey. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
41. Bhattarai, Abha (July 18, 2019). "Toys R Us is back from the dead, but its new stores are unrecognizable". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 19, 2019. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
42. Valinsky, Jordan (July 18, 2019). "Toys 'R' Us is coming back to the United States". CNN. Archived from the original on July 19, 2019. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
43. Thomas, Lauren (January 29, 2021). "Toys R Us' last two stores in the U.S. are closed for good". CNBC. Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
44. Bomey, Nathan (August 27, 2020). "Lord & Taylor going out of business: Store closings, liquidation sales begin". USA Today. Archived from the original on August 27, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
45. Trapani, Matt (April 13, 2023). "Garden State Plaza: Teens must be accompanied by adults Friday and Saturday nights". News 12 - New Jersey. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
46. "'It's About Time': Garden State Plaza Chaperone Policy Applauded By Patrons". MSN. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
47. Brennan, John. "11 things you might not know about Bergen County's blue laws", The Record, June 23, 2017. Accessed January 28, 2018.
48. Chapter 391: Sunday Activities, Borough of Paramus. Accessed February 10, 2021.
49. Staff. "Sunday Selling Plaguing Jersey; Local Businesses Pushing Fight Against Activities of Stores on Highways", The New York Times, June 2, 1957. Accessed January 27, 2018.
50. Sullivan, S. P. "Bergen blue laws are back: Paramus mayor says Gov. Christie has reinstated Sunday shopping ban", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, November 13, 2012. Accessed January 28, 2018.
51. Bergen County System Map Archived August 6, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, NJ Transit. Accessed March 9, 2018.
52. Richard Shoop, New Jersey Shooting Suspect, Found Dead. "The Huffington Post". Accessed July 31, 2015.
53. New Jersey mall gunman found dead hours after shooting- CNN.com. Accessed July 31, 2015.
54. Sullivan, Tricia. Maul, Publishers Weekly. Accessed July 6, 2018.
55. Parrilo, Rosemary. "The Locations" Archived May 15, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, The Star-Ledger, March 4, 2001. Accessed September 10, 2013.
56. Nash, Margo. "Footlights; All About A, And Don't Forget Z", The New York Times, September 4, 2005. Accessed July 19, 2019.

External links

• Westfield Garden State Plaza
• Westfield Garden State Plaza, International Council of Shopping Centers
• Aerial View
• Karsian, Dillon (May 1, 1999). "Garden State Plaza Reshaped Landscape". Retail Traffic.

v t e Paramus, New Jersey
Areas	Arcola
Schools	Paramus Public Schools Paramus High School Bergen County Technical Schools Bergen County Technical High School, Paramus Campus Frisch School Paramus Catholic High School Yavneh Academy
Colleges and universities	Bergen Community College Berkeley College Paramus Campus
Shopping centers	Fashion Center Garden State Plaza The Outlets at Bergen Town Center Paramus Park
Parks and recreation	Ridgewood Country Club Saddle River County Park Dunkerhook Area Van Saun County Park
NRHP sites	Easton Tower Midland School Terhune House Terhune-Gardner-Lindenmeyr House Harmon Van Dien House Albert J. Zabriskie Farmhouse Zabriskie Tenant House
This list is incomplete.

v t e Westfield Shopping Centers in the United States
California	Northern California Galleria at Roseville Oakridge Valley Fair Southern California Century City Culver City Fashion Square Plaza Bonita Topanga UTC
Illinois	Old Orchard
Maryland	Montgomery Wheaton
New Jersey	Garden State Plaza
New York	World Trade Center ‡ Fulton Center ‡
Washington	Southcenter Mall
‡ Managed with no ownership interest. World Trade Center space is owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and the Fulton Center space is owned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

• Paramus, New Jersey
• Shopping malls in New Jersey
• Shopping malls established in 1957
• 1957 establishments in New Jersey
• Westfield Group
• Buildings and structures in Bergen County, New Jersey
• Tourist attractions in Bergen County, New Jersey
• Shopping malls in the New York metropolitan area
• Attacks on shopping malls
• Attacks on buildings and structures in the United States
• IMAX venues