Plans for the Garden State's first retail mall were underway by 1949. The complex would be built on a 32.6-acre parcel; this located .9 mile northeast of the Borough of Princeton town center. At the time, the property was in a section of Mercer County known as Princeton Township.
The open-air "merchandising city" was built by Clearview Associates, a joint venture headed by local developer Theodore R. Potts. It was designed by Boston's Ketchum, Gina & Sharp firm, who had also envisaged Framingham, Massachussetts' SHOPPERS' WORLD mall. Ground was broken for CLEARVIEW CENTER on July 15, 1952. By the time of its completion, the facility had been renamed PRINCETON CENTER.
A mall-wide dedication commenced on June 3, 1954. Entertainment was 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 complex included its own heliport.
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 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 government 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 signage, lighting and terra cotta-colored awnings were installed. Moreover, the mall's central courtyard was reconfigured and re-landscaped.
For years, 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 known as Princeton.
Sources:
The Central New Jersey Home News (New Brunswick, New Jersey)
Town Topics (Princeton, New Jersey)
Architectural Forum, August 1950
https://www.gcomfort.com / George Comfort & Sons, Incorporated
https://www.edens.com
https://www.princetonshoppingcenter.com
