New York City's, 9.1 route mile -privately-owned- IRT (Interborough Rapid Transit) line began revenue service on October 27, 1904. Its original guideway is indicated in black on the map above. The system was extended to The Bronx and Brooklyn in 1905 and reached Queens in 1915. The Borough of Richmond (Staten Island) was never connected -via subway- with the four other boroughs.
The boroughs of Manhattan, The Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens were eventually served by three separate subway systems. The privately-owned BRT (Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company) commenced operations in August 1913. It eventually became known as the BMT (Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation). The City-owned IND (Independent System) commenced revenue service in September 1932.
All companies were consolidated under a single management in June 1940, with the unified system known henceforth as the New York City Subway. Today, it is the world's second-largest rail rapid transit network, with 229 route miles and 468 stations. The top contender, the London England Underground, stretches for 250 route miles, with 272 stations.
Greater New York City's first suburban-style shopping mall, Westchester County's CROSS COUNTY CENTER, was dedicated in April 1954. This was joined by Long Island's first mall, ROOSEVELT FIELD CENTER, in August 1956. New Jersey's first major shopping mall, GARDEN STATE PLAZA, welcomed first customers in May 1957.
The first regional-class, suburban-style mall within the corporate limits of New York City was built in the Borough of Brooklyn. KINGS PLAZA was completed in September 1970. Next in line was STATEN ISLAND MALL, in the Borough of Richmond, which debuted in August 1973. The third of New York City's regional malls, QUEENS CENTER, opened for business in September of the same year.
There were also many office tower shopping gallery-type malls within the confines of Manhattan; the most noteworthy being the MALL AT THE WORLD TRADE CENTER (1973-2001). This complex was replaced by WESTFIELD WORLD TRADE CENTER in August 2016. In addition to this, there are MANHATTAN MALL (1989) and TIME WARNER CENTER (2003).
From Our Shopping Center Article Library, We Now Present New York City Centers:
a disclaimer
Although all mall articles and special features on this site have been thoroughly researched, we can not guarantee that all information is 100% accurate. We do our best with (sometimes) limited reference material. Contemporary newspaper write-ups are our primary source of information. These, and other materials, are listed at the end of each article.
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in the beginning (1917-1943)
Click on image to read about innovative retail facilities that led to the development of the post-war shopping center and mall.
TOY & MHoF Productions Present
A documentary which offers a contradictory viewpoint to the "all malls are dead or dying" declaration. A short history of the American shopping center and mall is also provided.
also from toy & mhof productions
A visual history of the American mobile home and the folk who lived in them, centering on the mid-20th century years.
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Mall logo and trademark images in various articles illustrate key moments in a mall's history. The images are not replaceable with free-use or public-domain images. The use of the images does not limit the copyright owners' rights to distribute the images in any way. Images are used for non-profit, informational purposes only and their use is not believed to detract from the original copyrighted images in any way.