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.
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}.
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 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
https://www.coopercarry.com / Cooper Carry Architects
"Ohrbach's" and "Steinbach" articles on Wikipedia
