Quaker Bridge Mall is a two-level super-regional mall located in the Clarksville section of Lawrence Township, New Jersey, on U.S. Route 1 near Interstate 295. The mall opened in 1975, and currently has over 120 retail establishments. Managed by Simon Property Group (which owns 50% of it), the mall's anchors include Sears, JCPenney, Macy's, and Lord & Taylor. It is also the location of the transmitter for the New Jersey-based radio station WKXW-FM, better known as New Jersey 101.5. The mall has a gross leasable area of 1,084,000 sq ft (100,700 m2), making it one of the largest shopping malls in New Jersey.
History
Quaker Bridge Mall opened in 1975 with four anchors: Bamberger's, Hahne's, JCPenney and Sears. The mall's existence helped to spur growth along the Route 1 corridor with the opening of additional shopping and strip centers, as well as the reconstruction of numerous intersections on Route 1 to accommodate the rising levels in traffic.
An AMC 4-screen cinema opened February 1977 at the back entrance, under Woolworth's. Department store changes took place in 1986 and 1990 when Bamberger's converted to Macy's and the closing of Hahne's allowed for the opening of Lord & Taylor. In 1988â€"89, the mall was heavily renovated. New flooring was added, new lighting was added, new seating areas added, the child's play area in the Sears wing was removed in favor of a planter and seating area, the majority of the fountains were removed, the mall received a paint job and the mall entrances facing Route 1 were redesigned. In the late 1990s, Woolworth's and the movie theater closed.
Expansion
A proposed 600,000-square-foot (56,000Â m2) expansion project, would add Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom, along with as many as 100 new stores and restaurants. Nordstrom's two-level, 144,000-square-foot (13,400Â m2) store will be the fifth Nordstrom store in New Jersey. Neiman Marcus is planning to occupy about 90,000 square feet (8,400Â m2) on two levels. The township approved the new JCPenney building and parking deck in 2008.
On October 25, 2010, the Quaker Bridge Mall received approval from Lawrence Township to build the expansion. In 2012, Simon began a large-scale renovation of the mall, replacing flooring, the escalator in the center court, and adding a glass elevator in front of Lord & Taylor and escalators in front of JCPenney. A new food court is also being built on the upper level where Woolworth's was, near Sears. Some of the other planned renovations and expansions have yet to begin.
References
External links
- Quaker Bridge Mall website
- International Council of Shopping Centers: Quaker Bridge Mall
- Quakerbridge Mall expansion leasing sheet
