Bridgewater Commons

Bridgewater Commons is a fully enclosed shopping mall located in Bridgewater Township, New Jersey. The mall is located at the intersection of Route 22 and Route 202/206 and borders I-287. The mall opened on February 26, 1988 and has a gross leasable area of 900,000 sq ft (84,000 m2).[2][3]

Bridgewater Commons
Southern side of Bridgewater Commons
LocationBridgewater, New Jersey
Coordinates40°35′09″N 74°37′10″W
Address400 Commons Way
Opening dateFebruary 26, 1988 (February 26, 1988)
DeveloperThe Hahn Company
ManagementTrademark Property Company
OwnerPacific Retail Capital Partners
No. of stores and services170[1]
No. of anchor tenants3 (2 open, 1 vacant)
Total retail floor area970,000 sq ft (90,000 m2)
No. of floors3 (2 in Bloomingdale's)
ParkingParking lot and 3-story parking garage east of AMC
Public transit accessBus transport NJ Transit NJ Transit bus: 65, 114
Websitebridgewatercommons.com

History

In the 1960s, a township redevelopment agency combined various plots of land in Bridgewater, and then it declared the entire area blighted so that the land could be sold to one developer.[4] Bridgewater township signed a contract with The Hahn Company, a California-based mall-developer, in 1985.[4] The Prudential's real estate division joined the development project later.[4][5]

In 1986, R.H.Macy Co announced they would open a Macy's store in the shopping center, instead of the company's Bamberger's banner, as originally planned. The company was in the process of retiring the Bamberger's brand and converting its Bamberger's stores to its Macy's banner. [6][7]

Bridgewater Commons opened on February 26, 1988 with anchor stores Macy's, Hahnes and Stern's. On June 18, 1988, a Disney Store opened, which was the first Disney Store located outside of California.[8] On October 18, 1989, Hahnes converted to Lord & Taylor.[9]

Since opening, mall management and Somerset Medical Center have sponsored a HealthHike mall walking program to give walkers an indoors, secured, and climate-controlled environment in which to walk. Anyone can obtain a name tag to enter the mall starting at 6:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. Sunday. The program also includes a monthly meeting at 8:30 a.m. on the first Wednesday of each month from October through June to discuss health-related topics. Since opening, the mall has also featured an annual Christmas display and kids photo opportunity with Santa Claus in addition to a photo opportunity with the Easter Bunny around Easter time.[10][11]

The mall complex pursued a major expansion in 1991 to add two eight-story office buildings to the complex, which would include 578,000 sq ft (53,700 m2). of office space and a 300-room hotel. The effort was initiated as part of a longstanding urban renewal project.[12] By 2000, with a 347-room Bridgewater Marriott Hotel already under the construction, the mall's developers pushed ahead to develop the office towers planned for the complex.[13] The two towers later opened, occupied mostly by Brother Industries and Sanofi-Aventis.

In 1993, Bridgewater Commons became one of the first malls in the state to ban smoking, joining 300 of 1800 malls nationwide that prohibited smoking on mall grounds.[14]

In 2001, Macy's announced that two Stern's stores will close in the same year, and reopen as Bloomingdale's stores in 2002; Bridgewater was one of them. The other store that was affected was the Wayne location, located at the Willowbrook Mall.

In 2003, upscale seafood chain McCormick & Schmick's opened.[15]

The Village at Bridgewater Commons, a lifestyle center adjacent to the mall's property, officially opened on Saturday, September 23, 2006 with two anchors: Crate & Barrel and Maggiano's Little Italy, which opened a month before.[16]

As of November 2008, the Food Court has reopened after its extensive renovation. Some of the restaurants within have reopened as well.[17]

Throughout the year of 2010, Bridgewater Commons sought an increase in entertainment and restaurant occupants with The Cheesecake Factory opening on August 23, and both AMC Theatres and California Pizza Kitchen opening in November.[18][19][20]

On May 1, 2015, casual burger restaurant Shake Shack opened their first Central Jersey location in The Village occupying the space vacated by Coldwater Creek. This marked the chain’s third location in the state of New Jersey.[21]

On November 23, 2016, American restaurant chain Redstone American Grill opened their second New Jersey location in a pad next to California Pizza Kitchen.[22]

On October 19, 2017, Mediterranean restaurant chain Cava opened their third New Jersey location at The Village in the former Brooks Brothers space.[23]

McCormick & Schmick's closed in January 2019 due to the expiration of their lease.[24]

Mexican food chain Uncle Julio’s opened their first NJ location in the space formerly occupied by McCormick & Schmick's on February 25, 2020.[25]

On August 27, 2020, Lord & Taylor announced they would liquidate and shutter all their remaining stores as the company declared bankruptcy.[26][27]

In November 2021, Crate & Barrel, an anchor of The Village, declared its departure from the mall after they opted to not renew their lease. The township plans to re-zone the building to allow medical use to occupy the space after the popular furniture chain vacated.[28]

In December 2022, the town council approved a zoning ordinance in the former Lord & Taylor anchor pad to attract entertainment and amusement establishments such as Topgolf or Dave & Buster's to occupy the vacant space.[29]

In January 2023, Brazilian steakhouse chain Fogo de Chão announced that they will open three locations in NJ, including a venue at the mall.[30]

In May 2023, Pacific Retail Capital Partners acquired the mall and The Village from Trademark Properties to revitalize the properties into a "vibrant mixed-use destination", in honor of the mall's 35th year anniversary. A purchase price has not been disclosed.[31]

References
  1. "Bridgewater Commons". Archived from the original on August 21, 2018. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
  2. "International Council of Shopping Centers: Bridgewater Commons". October 3, 2006. Archived from the original on March 4, 2008. Retrieved July 11, 2009.
  3. "Rockaway Townsquare". Simon Property Group, Inc. Archived from the original on November 27, 2011. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
  4. Rundquist, Jeanette (July 7, 1991). "Bridgewater Office Complex Stalled as Economy Hinders Developers". The Star-Ledger (Newark, New Jersey).
  5. Ali, Sam; Berkin, George (May 5, 1997). "Robert Beck of Prudential dies at 71: Rose from salesman to company CEO]". The Star-Ledger. (Newark, New Jersey). p. 1.
  6. Verdon, Joan. "Bamberger's stores are gone but impact lives on". North Jersey Media Group. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  7. Lisicky, Michael J. (November 6, 2017). Abraham and Straus: It's Worth a Trip from Anywhere. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4396-6367-7. Archived from the original on February 17, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  8. "New Jersey Disney to Open Store in Somerset", The Record, June 16, 1988. p. C3.
  9. Rundquist, Jeanette (October 19, 1989). "Lord & Taylor Opens New Store at the Bridgewater Commons". The Star-Ledger (Newark, New Jersey).
  10. Richardson, Kara. "Central Jersey retailers hoping for busy Black Friday". Gannett. Archived from the original on January 17, 2016. Retrieved July 11, 2009.
  11. Loyer, Susan. "Local walkers get healthy at Bridgewater mall". Gannett. Retrieved July 11, 2009.
  12. "Hoping to Defy the Odds in Bridgewater; Developers Bet On Office Center, Citing Location", The New York Times, February 17, 1991. p. R8
  13. Garbarine, Rachelle (May 21, 2000). "In the Region/ New Jersey; Bridgewater Commons Is Entering the Home Stretch Offices and hotel will complete the master plan for the mall". The New York Times. pp. RE9. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  14. "2 Big Malls Ban Smoking". The New York Times. October 8, 1993. pp. B6. Archived from the original on September 4, 2017. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  15. "McCormick & Schmick's plans Providence restaurant - 2003-08-13 - the Business Journal of Portland". www.bizjournals.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2004. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  16. "2006-09-23.pdf" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on June 17, 2016.
  17. Heyman, Lois. "Bridgewater Commons food court reopen for business". Gannett. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved July 11, 2009.
  18. "The Cheesecake Factory Opens in Bridgewater, New Jersey". investors.thecheesecakefactory.com. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  19. "California Pizza Kitchen Opens in Bridgewater, New Jersey | RestaurantNews.com". November 15, 2010. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  20. Monthly, New Jersey (November 15, 2010). "It's Showtime: Let's Eat!". New Jersey Monthly. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  21. "Bridgewater Bound! Shake Shack Opens First Central New Jersey Location at the Village at Bridgewater Commons, Friday, May 1st". www.businesswire.com. April 30, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  22. Deak, Mike. "Redstone American Grill opens at Bridgewater Commons". Courier News. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  23. "Cava Opens New Jersey Location in Bridgewater". QSR magazine. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  24. Muscavage, Nick. "McCormick & Schmick's closes at Bridgewater Commons". Courier News. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  25. NJ.com, Nicolette Accardi | NJ Advance Media for (February 26, 2020). "Mexican food chain Uncle Julio's expands to N.J." nj. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  26. Bomey, Nathan. "Lord & Taylor going out of business: Store closings, liquidation sales begin". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on August 27, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  27. "Crate & Barrel To Close, Bridgewater Looks To Rezone Building For Medical Purposes". Bridgewater, NJ Patch. November 11, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  28. "Crate & Barrel To Close, Bridgewater Looks To Rezone Building For Medical Purposes". Bridgewater, NJ Patch. November 11, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  29. "Bridgewater Commons gets OK for games, amusement, entertainment businesses". Courier News. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  30. "Brazilian steakhouse opening at Bridgewater Commons". Courier News. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  31. "Bridgewater Commons mall sold; new owner plans 'vibrant mixed-use destination'". Courier News. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
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