Garden State Plaza (formally known as Westfield Garden State Plaza) is a high-end retail mall in Paramus, New Jersey. It is owned and managed by Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, a Paris-based real estate management business situated on the Garden State Parkway, some 15 miles (24 kilometers) west of Manhattan. As the second-largest mall in New Jersey, it is also the third-largest mall in the New York metropolitan region. It is one of the most lucrative shopping centers in the nation. It opened in 1957 as the first suburban shopping mall in New Jersey. With 2,118,718 sq ft (196,835.3 m2) of leasable space and over 300 businesses, it is the second-largest mall in New Jersey and the third-largest mall in the New York metropolitan area. Browse this site.
In May 1954, R.H. Macy announced the formation of Garden State Plaza, a company that would own and run the mall. In June 1955, JC Penney stated that as part of the project, the firm would build an 83,000-square-foot (7,700 m2) independent three-story building to add a fourth level if demand arose. Long-time In September 1958, Macy’s rival Gimbel announced that it had gained access to a mall structure site for a building with 240,000 square feet (22,000 m2) of shop space on three floors, with a 1960 completion date.
Garden State Plaza, New Jersey’s first suburban mall, opened on May 1, 1957, with ambitions to be “the state’s biggest.” Garden State Plaza attracted 75,000 consumers on opening day. A mall comprised a 340,000-square-foot (32,000 m2) Bamberger’s store on three levels, 60 retail establishments, and 5,500 parking spots on a 110-acre property (45 ha). The mayor of Paramus, Fred C. Galda, and a regional eight-year-old cut a ribbon with 1,000 dimes as part of fundraising for the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (now renamed the March of Dimes) as part of a public awareness campaign to urge people to obtain the polio vaccination.
Bamberger’s, Gimbels, and JCPenney were the mall’s first three anchor stores. The remainder of the mall consisted of 90 smaller specialized retailers. It was dubbed “the world’s biggest shopping mall.” The Muscarelle Building Company built the mall as an open-air retail “plaza” for owner/developer R.H. Macy & Co. Total construction expenditures for the mall were $26 million (equivalent to $240,000,000 in 2020).
The mall stated that in September 2019 that it will construct mixed-use developments with restaurants and other shops on the lower levels and lodging on the higher floors, which will be built on areas presently inhabited by parking lots on the mall’s perimeter. This development would help the borough meet its affordable housing responsibilities while serving as a downtown “town square” for Paramus.
There’s more to discover about the Garden State Plaza, so call them at (201) 843-2121. Next blog post >>