History

History

In 1957, Westfield Garden State Plaza was constructed by original owner R.H. Macy & Company (Macy’s) as a one-level shopping center. The open-air facility featured the department stores Gimbels, Bamberger’s and J.C. Penney, plus more than 70 stores, which is why it was known as the largest shopping center in the world.

In 1981, the center underwent its first re-development with a $21 million expansion. A new second level totaling 150,000 square feet was created for specialty shops and a food court.

Westfield purchased the center in 1986. As part of the 1989 expansion, the first Nordstrom in New Jersey took residence in Garden State Plaza with 50 new specialty stores.

Neiman Marcus and Lord & Taylor joined the shopping center in 1993, as well as 100 additional retailers. During this time, two new parking decks were constructed to meet the growing attendance. Westfield Garden State Plaza continued to increase its store offerings in 1996 by expanding J.C. Penney and building 200,000 square feet of specialty retail space. In 1997, the lower level beneath the shopping center was converted into an additional 50,000 square feet for stores to satisfy the increased demand for premier and specialty brands.

As part of the $100 million expansion of 2007, the state-of-the-art AMC Garden State 16 cineplex, remodeled food court and 30,000 square feet of specialty retail space became shining fixtures of the shopping center.

The nearly 300 specialty stores, dining establishments and entertainment venues of Westfield Garden State Plaza cover over two million square feet and attract 20 million guests per year. The center serves as the region’s exclusive shopping headquarters, where new brands launch and flagships emerge. Westfield Garden State Plaza continues to be one of the nation’s landmark premier shopping destinations in the heart of the New Jersey/New York metropolitan area.