PRINCETON CENTER
Harrison Street North and Clearview AvenueMercer County (Princeton), New Jersey
Plans for the Garden State's first retail mall were underway by 1949. The complex would be built on a 32.6-acre parcel, located .9 mile northeast of the Borough of Princeton's town center. At the time, the property was in a section of Mercer County known as Princeton Township. Princeton's Theodore R. Potts was in charge of development, under the auspices of an entity known as Clearview Associates.
An open-air, courtyard-type "merchandising city," tentatively known as CLEARVIEW CENTER, was proposed. Ground was broken on July 15, 1952. The completed complex, which encompassed approximately 205,000 leasable square feet, was designed by Boston's Ketchum, Gina & Sharp firm, who had also envisaged Framingham, Massachussetts' revolutionary SHOPPERS' WORLD.
A mall-wide dedication commenced at PRICETON CENTER on June 3, 1954, with entertainment provided by Vaudeville acts, circus performers and musicians. Several stores opened their doors, including Mall Camera, Tween-Age Shoes, Hardware Corporation, Princeton Bank & Trust Company, an (18,000 square foot) Acme supermarket and (12,000 square foot) Sun Ray Drug. The mall included its own heliport.
Newark-based Bamberger's opened their 2-level (63,000 square foot) anchor store on September 9, 1954. It was the chain's third branch. The store dedication was officiated by John C. Williams, Bamberger's President, and Albert Salzman (Mayor of Princeton).
Although PRINCETON CENTER was a modest-sized mall, it was still the largest retail venue in the region for several years. This situation changed with the opening of QUAKER BRIDGE MALL {5.1 miles southwest, in Mercer County}, in 1976. This super-sized center was co-anchored by a 212,600 square foot Bambergers, which was over three times the size of the PRINCETON CENTER store. The two locations were maintained for 4 years. However, in the spring of 1980, Bamberger's Princeton was shuttered.
The building was renovated by Morristown, New Jersey's M. Epstein department stores. They opened at PRINCETON CENTER in fall of 1980. On September 14, 1990, Epstein's moved out of PRINCETON CENTER and re-opened at the new PRINCETON MARKETFAIR {3.1 miles southwest, in Mercer County}. McCaffrey's Market, a locally-owned gourmet grocer, renovated the ground floor of the building and opened for business in the fall of 1992.
A third major shopping hub was built in the vicinity of PRINCETON CENTER. NASSAU PARK PAVILION {4.1 miles southwest, also in Mercer County} was completed in 1995. It, and the adjacent QUAKER BRIDGE MALL, were regional-class venues. With two gigantic shopping hubs in its trade area, PRINCETON CENTER was now -strictly- a community-class complex.
Manhattan's George Comfort & Sons had owned and operated PRINCETON CENTER for several years. By the early 21st century, their historic retail structure was badly in need of renovation. A 5 million dollar remodeling was approved by the local governing body in November 2005.
Completed in August 2007, the project was summed up in the following manner..."a consistent appearance sympathetic to the original design intent is achieved." During the renovation, new terra cotta-colored awnings, signage and lighting were installed. Moreover, the mall's central courtyard was reconfigured and re-landscaped.
Until recently, there were two jurisdictions of Princeton, New Jersey; The Borough of Princeton (the center city) and outlying Princeton Township (in which PRINCETON CENTER was located). In November 2011, an election was held to consolidate the Borough and Township into a single political entity, to be known as simply Princeton.
Although PRINCETON CENTER was a modest-sized mall, it was still the largest retail venue in the region for several years. This situation changed with the opening of QUAKER BRIDGE MALL {5.1 miles southwest, in Mercer County}, in 1976. This super-sized center was co-anchored by a 212,600 square foot Bambergers, which was over three times the size of the PRINCETON CENTER store. The two locations were maintained for 4 years. However, in the spring of 1980, Bamberger's Princeton was shuttered.
The building was renovated by Morristown, New Jersey's M. Epstein department stores. They opened at PRINCETON CENTER in fall of 1980. On September 14, 1990, Epstein's moved out of PRINCETON CENTER and re-opened at the new PRINCETON MARKETFAIR {3.1 miles southwest, in Mercer County}. McCaffrey's Market, a locally-owned gourmet grocer, renovated the ground floor of the building and opened for business in the fall of 1992.
A third major shopping hub was built in the vicinity of PRINCETON CENTER. NASSAU PARK PAVILION {4.1 miles southwest, also in Mercer County} was completed in 1995. It, and the adjacent QUAKER BRIDGE MALL, were regional-class venues. With two gigantic shopping hubs in its trade area, PRINCETON CENTER was now -strictly- a community-class complex.
Manhattan's George Comfort & Sons had owned and operated PRINCETON CENTER for several years. By the early 21st century, their historic retail structure was badly in need of renovation. A 5 million dollar remodeling was approved by the local governing body in November 2005.
Completed in August 2007, the project was summed up in the following manner..."a consistent appearance sympathetic to the original design intent is achieved." During the renovation, new terra cotta-colored awnings, signage and lighting were installed. Moreover, the mall's central courtyard was reconfigured and re-landscaped.
Until recently, there were two jurisdictions of Princeton, New Jersey; The Borough of Princeton (the center city) and outlying Princeton Township (in which PRINCETON CENTER was located). In November 2011, an election was held to consolidate the Borough and Township into a single political entity, to be known as simply Princeton.
The "yes" votes prevailed and on January 1, 2013, the two jurisdictions became one. Meanwhile, the shopping hub had been sold in June 2012. Columbia, South Carolina-based Edens, Incorporated became its new proprietor.
Sources:
The Central New Jersey Home News (New Brunswick, New Jersey)
Town Topics (Princeton, New Jersey)
Sources:
The Central New Jersey Home News (New Brunswick, New Jersey)
Town Topics (Princeton, New Jersey)
The News (Patterson, New Jersey)
The Messenger-Press (Allentown, New Jersey)
Architectural Forum, August 1950
http://www.gcomfort.com / George Comfort & Sons
www.edens.com
http://www.princetonshoppingcenter.com
Architectural Forum, August 1950
http://www.gcomfort.com / George Comfort & Sons
www.edens.com
http://www.princetonshoppingcenter.com
"Princeton, New Jersey" article on Wikipedia
