Paramus' Bergen Mall

An aerial view of BERGEN MALL from around 1959. The vast parking area could accommodate 8,600 autos.
Photo from Pendor Natural Color

A rendering from 1954, showing the prospective "Paramus Bergen Center." Most of what is depicted here came to fruition. A second -west end- anchor store was completed 10 years after the mall's 1957 grand opening. However, the south parking area office tower would never be built.
Drawing from http://ntl.bts.gov/lib / "Shopping Centers: Locating Controlled Regional Centers" Eugene J. Kelley / 1956

By the time that the shopping hub was completed, its name had been changed to BERGEN MALL. Stern Brothers (a.k.a. "Stern's") anchored the complex with a huge 4-level, 320,000 square foot store. The high-end ultra-modern structure was the second branch in the New Jersey-based chain.

Photo from Allied Stores Corporation Annual Report 1957

 

The first six stores in BERGEN MALL opened in November 1957. The shopping venue was one of -if not- the first in the nation (or world) to be officially promoted as a quote-unquote "Mall." The complex encompassed approximately 902,800 leasable square feet and contained over 100 stores and services.

BERGEN MALL TENANTS 1958:

STERN'S (with Beauty Salon, Skyline Restaurant, Coffee Shop, Basement Store and freestanding Auto Center) / J.J. NEWBERRY 5 & 10 (with William Tally House restaurant and Snack Bar) / A.S. Beck Shoes / Baker's Shoes / Barricini Candy / Brill Hardware / Broadstreet's men's wear / Cards Galore / Chandler's Shoes / Fanny Farmer Candies / Finley-Straus Jewelers / Horn & Hardart Retail Store / Kinney Shoes / Konner's Apparel / Lady Rose Specialty Shop / Law, Incorporated men's wear / Lerner Shops ladies' wear / Lobel's Youth Center / Maisel Restaurant / Melburn Specialty Shop / Miles Shoes / Milmar Hosiery Shop / Miss Josephine Gifts / National Key Company / National Shirt Shops / Paris Hats / Ripley's Men's Store / Rose's Specialty Shop / Slenderella Figure Salon / Stenchever's Shoes & Women's Apparel / Taft Cleaners / Teen Towners Shoes / The Corset Bar / Thom McAn Shoes / The Midland Bank / Tony Richard Ties / Trepel Florist / US Post Office / Veltri Travel Bureau

BERGEN MALL FOOD CENTER

Food Fair supermarket / Penn Fruit supermarket / Walgreen Drug (with luncheonette)

A late 1950s view of the BERGEN MALL Center Court. A section of the Lower Promenade Kiddie Lane Victorian Village is in view, along with Upper Level stores such as Miss Josephine Gifts, Paris Hats and Stern's. The main mall entrance of this store originally consisted of two door-less "air curtains."
Photo from Pendor Natural Color

Law, Incorporated was one of the mall's first operational tenants. The men's wear retailer opened its doors in November 1957.
Drawing from the Allied Stores Corporation

Food Fair was located in the Bergen Mall Food Center, a three-tenant strip plaza on the east end of the shopping hub. Food Center stores were dedicated between July and December of 1958.
Drawing from Food Fair Properties

The single screen Mall Theatre faced the south parking area, along the back side of the complex. It did not have access to the central shopping concourse. The motion picture venue opened for business in July 1960.
Photo from http://cinematreasures.org / Mike Rivest

Playhouse On The Mall, a live performance venue, was dedicated in September 1962. It was a fixture at BERGEN MALL for nearly 25 years.

Photo from http://www.bergencounty.com / "Remembering Playhouse On The Mall"

A frontal view, taken after the August 1967 dedication of the Ohrbach's anchor store seen on the right. With its completion, BERGEN MALL encompassed approximately 1,037,800 leasable square feet.
Photo from http:///www.bergencountyfhistory.org 

BERGEN MALL, following completion of its enclosing renovation. The shopping hub now housed around seventy-two stores and services. Food Fair was rebranded as a Pantry Pride store before being shuttered. The Bergen Mall Ice Arena opened in the store space in June 1973.

BERGEN MALL TENANTS 1973: 

STERN'S (with Beauty Salon, Cafe International restaurant, Cafe Promenade restaurant, Snack Bar, Basement Store and freestanding Auto Center) / OHRBACH'S / J.J. NEWBERRY 5 & 10 (with William Tally House restaurant and Snack Bar) / SHOP-RITE supermarket / A.S. Beck Shoes / Alexander's Personnel / American Handicraft Company / Baker's Shoes / Barricini Candy / Bergen County C.Y.O. / Bergen County Girl Scout Council / Bergen Mall Barber Shop / Bergen Mall Executive Offices / Bergen Mall Hearing Aid Center / Bergen Mall Ice Arena / Bergen Mall Shoe Repair / Brentano's Books / Budget Rent-a-Car / Cards Galore / Caro-Len Coin Exchange / Catholic Charities / Charles B. Perkins Tobacco Shop / Christine Valmy Skin Care / Colonial Magnavox Home Entertainment Center / Columbia Savings & Loan Association / Community Opticians / Copper Skillet restaurant / Corset Bar / Doctor Seymour Levinson / Edwards & Hanly Stock Brokers / European Health Spa / Fabric Emporium / Fanny Farmer Candies / Genovese & Maddalene Architects / Gourmate Limited / Hardy Shoes / Indescribable ladies' wear / Jay G Music Center / Kelly Services / Lady Madonna Maternity Boutique / Lambert's Bakery / Lerner Shops / Linens 'n Things / Lumberama / M.L. Atlas Shoes / Mall Jewelers / Mall Theatre (single screen) / Mar-Glo Gifts / Melburn ladies' wear / Midland Bank / Miles Shoes / National Key Shop / National Shirt Shops / Nelson Furs / P.J. Inganarnort / Parklane Hosiery / Playhouse On The Mall / Princeton Skate & Ski / Proving Ground / Puppy Palace Pets / Radio Shack / Richards Travel Agency / Ripley's men's wear / Roger Kent / Roses Bridal Shop / St. Therese Chapel On The Mall / Singer Sewing Center / Smalls Formal Wear / Stage IV Hairdressers / State Designers / Stenchever's Shoes & Women's Apparel / Stern's Executive Offices / Suburban Associates / Ten Pin On The Mall bowling alley / Thom McAn Shoes / Tires, Incorporated / Tri-County Mortgage Company / US Post Office / Village Shop ladies' wear / Wolfie's Deli-Restaurant / World Imports / Yarn Center   

The BERGEN MALL Lower Promenade in 1975. This floor housed Village Mall (a mall within a mall), a chapel, bowling alley, community auditorium, bank, truck tunnel and basement sales floors for Stern's and Newberrys.

An early 2000s view of the West Wing and Value City mall entrance. Steinbach had taken the place of Ohrbach's in 1987. This morphed into the Value City seen here in 1996.

Photo from www.myspace.com / Bergen Mall / Jordan B.

The central mallway, as it appeared between 1973 and 2006.
Photo from www.myspace.com / Bergen Mall / Jordan B.

A snapshot of the '70s-style Center Court. The Macy's seen here operated -in the old Stern's space- between 2001 and 2005.
Photo from www.myspace.com / Bergen Mall / Jordan B.

Village Square opened in August 1975. It filled Lower Promenade space where the Kiddie Lane Victorian Village had once stood. By the time of this photo, the name of the mini-mall had been changed to Village Mall.
Photo from www.myspace.com / Bergen Mall / Jordan B.

A view of a Village Square corridor. Tise Colonial-themed mall-within-a-mall housed sixty boutique-type stores.
Photo from www.myspace.com / Bergen Mall / Jordan B.

A vacant BERGEN MALL anchor store awaits its impending demolition. The building, opened as an Ohrbach's in 1967, housed a Steinbach department store between February 1987 and March 1996 and Value City between November 1996 and January 2006.
Photo from www.myspace.com / Bergen Mall / Jordan B.

The arched-roof Penn Fruit supermarket, which was one of three stores in the freestanding Bergen Mall Food Center. The building had tenures as Dale's Market and Shop-Rite grocery stores. After sitting vacant for 8 years, it was torn down in 2006. The demolition was a facet of the metamorphosis of BERGEN MALL into THE OUTLETS AT BERGEN TOWN CENTER.
Photo from www.myspace.com / Bergen Mall / Jordan B.

A circa-2009 view of THE OUTLETS AT BERGEN TOWN CENTER. Century 21 occupies the second and third (and a small part of the fourth) levels of the old Stern's. In this photo, Filene's Basement fills the first. This store was replaced by HomeGoods and Bloomingdale's-The Outlet in 2009 and 2010. Lincoln Technical College moved into a large section of the fourth level.
Photo from www.coppercarry.com / Cooper Carry Architects

The south-facing facade of THE OUTLETS mall. Whole Foods Market used space previously occupied by inline stores, with some additional square footage added.
Photo from www.coppercarry.com / Cooper Carry Architects

A 2010s view of Center Court and a Century 21 mall entrance.
Drawing from www.bergenonline.com / Vornado Realty Trust

Here we see the expanded West Wing, where Ohrbach's used to stand. A Target mall entrance appears in the distance.
Drawing from www.bergenonline.com / Vornado Realty Trust

A revitalized shopping mall was dedicated in August 2009. The structure had been expanded toward the southeast and west. A new Target and parking garage were built. Several outparcel structures were added that now surround the complex. Tenants included Ulta Beauty (2009), Lowe's (2011), Pei Wei Asian Diner (2012), Adidas Outlet Store (2013) and Olive Garden (2013).

We'll call this graphic The Name Game. Since 2005, the moniker of the northern New Jersey shopping hub has been changed three times. From BERGEN MALL, it morphed into BERGEN TOWN CENTER, THE OUTLETS AT BERGEN TOWN CENTER and (as an encore) BERGEN TOWN CENTER.

Graphic 1 from http://www.vno.com / Vornado Realty Trust

Graphic 2 from http://www.vno.com / Vornado Realty Trust

Graphic 3 from https://www.bergentowncenter.com

BERGEN MALL
East Route 4 and Forest Avenue
Paramus and Maywood, New Jersey

New Jersey's first major shopping mall, Paramus' GARDEN STATE PLAZA, was completed in phases between May 1957 and September 1960. The state's second regional-class shopping center, BERGEN MALL, was built one-half mile east of GARDEN STATE PLAZA, on a site straddling the corporate line of the cities of Paramus and Maywood.

In its early stages, the complex went under the provisional name of "Paramus Bergen Center." The facility was developed by the Alstores Realty Corporation, a division of Allied Stores. It was situated on an 85-acre site, located 10.5 miles northwest of Manhattan's Times Square. Designed by Seattle's John Graham, Junior, the original BERGEN MALL encompassed approximately 902,800 square feet.

An official grand opening was held on November 14, 1957. Six stores opened their doors; Stern's, Konner's Apparel, A.S. Beck Shoes, Law, Inc., Lerner Shops, Fanny Farmer Candies and Brill's Hardware. The dedication was attended by Fred Galda (Mayor of Paramus) and William C. Lawton (Mayor of Maywood). Also present were B. Earl Pickett (Allied Stores' Chairman of the Board). Music was provided by the Saint Columcille's United Gaelic Pipe Band of Kearny. NBC-TV's "Today Show" also did a live broadcast.

BERGEN MALL encompassed 2 levels, with the Upper being open-air. It was anchored by the aforementioned, 4-level (320,000 square foot), Stern's (based, at the time, in New York City). Among sixty-three charter stores and services were Broadstreet's men's wear, Cards Galore, Miles Shoes and a 2-level (96,000 square foot) J.J. Newberry 5 & 10.

The Bergen Mall Food Center, a freestanding convenience center, was connected to the east end of the mall via a pedestrian and auto bridge. This facility housed a (31,000 square foot) Food Fair supermarket, (25,100 square foot) and Penn Fruit supermarket and (16,000 square foot) Walgreen Drug. Food Fair welcomed its first shoppers in July 1958. Penn Fruit and Walgreen's were up and running by December of the same year.

The Lower Promenade at BERGEN MALL contained Midland Bank, the Ten Pin On The Mall bowling alley, a Community Auditorium, Post Office and Kiddie Lane children's amusement area. This facility included thirty small-fry rides. A section, known as the Victorian Village, featured a mock-up Train Station, Firehouse and Horse & Carriage Shop.

The B.S. Moss Enterprises Mall Theatre showed its first feature on July 13, 1960. The single-screen venue was housed within the mall and was accessed from its rear (or south) parking area. It was shuttered in the late 1980s. A live performance venue, the Playhouse On The Mall, was dedicated September 18, 1962. The (11,000 square foot) facility was a BERGEN MALL tenant until June 1986.

A 2-level (135,000 square foot), New York City-based Ohrbach's was added to the west end of the mall and opened for business on August 17, 1967. A freestanding Korvette City discount mart was also built as a peripheral structure. It was located north of the mall, on the opposite side of State Route 4, and was connected to the mall via footbridge. The Carmelite Chapel of St. Therese, located on the Lower Promenade at BERGEN MALL, held its first services in 1971.

Within a year, construction was underway on a 1.2 million dollar renovation. The 920-foot shopping concourse was enclosed and climate-controlled. New lighting and flooring were installed along with a Center Court fountain. The Upper Level area over the old Kiddie Lane was filled with eleven new shops and services. 

The mall was re-dedicated on September 16, 1973. An Early American-theme Village Square was installed on the Lower Promenade (where Kiddie Lane had been). This mall within a mall, which encompassed sixty vendors, opened for business on August 20, 1975. Stores included The Nutcracker Suite, The Golden Ladder, The Beadhive and The Fontocini Children's Theatre. 

The roofing renovation of 1972-73 kept BERGEN MALL competitive with other regional-class shopping centers in its trade area. In addition to GARDEN STATE PLAZA {1/2 mile west, in Paramus}, there were FASHION CENTER (1967) {3.4 miles northwest, in Paramus}, PARAMUS PARK (1974) {2.6 miles northwest, also in Paramus} and RIVERSIDE SQUARE MALL (1977) {1.3 miles southeast, in Hackensack}.

In November 1986, Canada's Campeau Corporation acquired the holdings of the Allied Stores holding company. Included in the transaction were five shopping malls; NORTHSHORE CENTER {Massachusetts}, BERGEN MALL {New Jersey} and COLUMBIA CENTER, TACOMA MALL and NORTHGATE CENTER {Washington State}. In December 1986, a joint venture was formed by Canada's Campeau Corporation and Ohio's Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation. DeBartolo assumed management of the five shopping centers in 1987. 

As the years passed, BERGEN MALL became stuck in a time warp. There were no major renovations and anchor stores came and went. Ohrbach's became an Asbury Park, New Jersey-based Steinbach on February 1, 1987 and Columbus, Ohio-based Value City in November 1996. This store was shuttered in January 2006.

J.J. Newberry closed in early 1994. Its space re-opened, as a 2-level Marshalls, in the fall of 1994. Adjacent store space was fashioned into a 2-level (32,000 square foot) Saks OFF Fifth, which welcomed its first shoppers in November 1996. Stern's was rebranded by Macy's in May 2001 and closed in April 2005.

BERGEN MALL was purchased by the New Jersey-based Vornado Realty Trust in December 2003. The firm changed the name of the complex to BERGEN TOWN CENTER and started a 171 million dollar renovation in late 2006. This included a complete interior-exterior remodeling.

The old Ohrbach's / Steinbach / Value City was demolished. An extended West Wing was built, which was anchored by a 2-level (121,900 square foot) Target. The discount retailer opened for business March 7, 2009. A 3-level section of the vacant Stern's was configured as a (145,300 square foot), New York City-based Century 21. This store was dedicated October 10, 2006. The bottom floor became a (50,500 square foot) Filene's Basement, which held its grand opening on October 28, 2007 (but closed in 2009).

The basement was divided into two stores. A (22,100 square foot) Bloomingdale's-The Outlet began business August 27, 2010. A (28,400 square foot) HomeGoods opened its doors in October 2013. The bulk of the building's fourth floor was leased as the (30,000 square foot) Lincoln Technical Institute.

Elsewhere in the mall, a 2-level (77,200 square foot) Whole Foods Market was dedicated March 19, 2009. This was followed by a 1-level (36,400 square foot) Nordstrom Rack, which debuted on March 21, 2009. A ceremony marking the official grand re-opening of the retail hub was held on August 25th.

A new name was bestowed in mid-2010. The facility would be known, henceforth, as THE OUTLETS AT BERGEN TOWN CENTER. A 1-level (16,000 square foot) Neiman Marcus Last Call Studio opened November 19, 2010. With this store, the complex encompassed 917,100 leasable square feet housed 100 tenants under its roof.

Several freestanding structures were built in the mall's periphery. These included Lowe's (117,000 square feet), Ulta Beauty, Jared The Galleria of Jewelry, Bahama Breeze and Olive Garden. A 25,000 square foot strip center housed stores such as Adidas Outlet, Jos. A. Bank Factory Store, Chico's Outlet, Torrid and Pei Wei Asian Diner.

The old Bergen Mall Food Center, on the east end of the complex, was partially demolished. The Food Fair building was retained and sectioned into three retail areas. The largest opened, as a (24,100 square foot) REI (Recreational Equipment Incorporated), in September 2011. Red Robin Gourmet Burgers served its first meals in October 2013.

In January 2015, the Vornado Realty Trust completed the spin-off of a new public company known as Urban Edge Retail Properties. THE OUTLETS AT BERGEN TOWN CENTER became one of its holdings. In December 2015, Urban Edge announced plans for a prospective expansion of the complex. The 130 million dollar project would add a 200,000+ square foot third retail level to the existing structure.

In the meantime, a (36,900 square foot) Burlington store opened its doors on August 2, 2019. On December 5, 2020, the mall's 4 year-old Century 21 location went dark, as part of the dissolution of that chain. The official name of the mall had been truncated to BERGEN TOWN CENTER in November.

Sources:

The New York Times
The News (Patterson, New Jersey)
The Record (Hackensack, New Jersey)

The Youngstown Vindicator (Youngstown, Ohio)

Allied Stores Corporation Annual Reports

"Dual Anchor Shopping Centers 1952-1965" / Richard Longstreth

http://www.myspace.com / bergenmall / Site maintained by Jordan B.

https://www.cinematreasures.org

https://www.vno.com / Vornado Realty Trust

https://www.northjersey.com

https://www.bergenonline.com

https://www.bergencounty.com / "Remembering Playhouse On The Mall"
https://www.coopercarry.com / Cooper Carry Architects

"Ohrbach's" and "Steinbach" articles on Wikipedia