Willowbrook Mall (New Jersey)

1962–1968: Pre-construction and development

In 1962, Newark-based department store Bamberger's announced their plan to construct the Willowbrook Shopping Center on 100 acres of land beside Routes 80, 46, and 23.[7]

The Rouse Company of Baltimore, who also constructed the Cherry Hill Mall and Woodbridge Center, headed the project.[7] Department stores S. Klein, Sears, and Ohrbach's joined the project as anchor tenants, necessitating that the initial concept change "from a Y-shape to the mall’s current, cross-shaped form".[7]

Rouse founded the subsidiary Willowbrook Mall, Inc. for the mall development.[8]

Construction of Willowbrook Mall began in 1966 with the groundbreaking of the Bamberger's store.[9]

In September 1968, The New York Times reported that department store Ohrbach's had begun construction on a two-floor, 100,000-square-foot store in the upcoming mall.[10] That year, Sears also confirmed their new location.[10]

The mall was originally planned as a 110-store indoor shopping mall, encompassing 1500000 sqft.[11]

Opening and 20th century

Willowbrook Mall opened on September 24, 1969,[12] with four main department stores and 70 other shops,[7] including "Commonwealth Shoe & Leather Co., Custom Shirt Maker, Spencer Gifts, Sosin Jewelry, Merle Norman Cosmetics, and Belle Fashion Shoppes".[7] Dining options were Bagel Shop, O’Dea’s Bar-B-Que Pit, and Molinari Meat Market. The mall also featured art exhibits and galleries.[7]

A second phase opened on August 12, 1970, consisting of 47 specialty stores on two floors, and a Stern's department store.[13] Upon the opening of Stern's, Willowbrook Mall became the largest enclosed shopping mall in the world,[14] superseding its competitor, Garden State Plaza.

On October 15, Wayne mayor and state senator Edward Sisco opened The Four & Twenty at the Willowbrook Mall, a luxury restaurant with live piano and organ music.[7] It was recommended by American Express as a The New Money cardholder destination the same year.[14]

On October 17, the Willowbrook Cinema had its grand opening, featuring "a lobby decorated with potted trees, tiered lamps, and crystal chandeliers".[15]

In 1984, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Division III hosted a three-day boating safety exhibit show with the vessel Blackjack. Wayne mayor Walter J. Jasinski cut the ceremonial ribbon. 5,000 visitors attended the show, and The Navigator magazine estimated that 50,000 cars passed by the Route 46 billboard for the event.[16]

In 1993, as part of an effort to attract non-smokers, the Willowbrook Mall became one of the first malls in New Jersey to ban smoking on mall grounds.[17][18] The Bamberger's store was rebranded as Macy's in September 1986 after its corporate parent decided to rebrand its entire northeastern United States operation under its namesake marque.[19][20] Ohrbach's was converted as part of the Steinbach chain, which went out of business in 1996.[21][22] The building was expanded for its new tenant Lord & Taylor, which opened in 1997.[23]

21st century

Stern's closed its doors in 2001 after its parent company, Federated Department Stores, retired the brand; the store was converted to its sister brand, Bloomingdale's, which opened on April 11, 2002.[24][25]

In 2002, The Rouse Company reacquired Willowbrook from Urban Retail Properties/Rodamco North America following a joint venture with Simon Property Group and Westfield Group, and it reformed the subsidiary Willowbrook Mall, Inc., and related subsidiaries like The Willowbrook Company.[26] Two years later, Rouse and its assets, including Willowbrook, was acquired by General Growth Properties (GGP).[27]

In 2015, GGP announced that the mall would undergo a two-year, $23 million renovation. The renovation entailed new ceilings in the Sears and Macy's wings, an overhaul of the food court, new flooring throughout the mall, additional seating, and a two-story streetscape theme for the Bloomingdale's wing.[28][29] In 2017, Sears opened an updated store format and subleased an unused space to Dave & Buster's, which opened on Valentine's Day 2018.[30] Seritage shuttered and razed the Sears Auto Center for a Cinemark movie theater, becoming the second movie theater within the mall area limits (after a 14-screen AMC Theatres, formerly Loews Theatres). On July 15, 2019, Sears announced that it would shutter as part of an ongoing decision to eliminate their traditional brick-and-mortar format.[31][32] In October 2020, it was announced that BJ's Wholesale Club would plan to open a warehouse store and gas station where the previous Sears outpost was with the gas station opening north of the mall's parking lot. The store opened in November 2022.[33]

In August 2018, Macy's added a Macy's Backstage outlet in a portion of its store.[34] In the same month saw owner and manager General Growth Properties was acquired by Brookfield Properties.

A P.F Chang's opened in a small space within the Bloomingdale's store on January 22, 2019.[35]

In August 2020, Lord & Taylor announced that it would closed its location at Willowbrook Mall as part of its plans to shutter its traditional brick and mortar format due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[36] Shopper's Find opened in Lord & Taylor's former anchor location in June 2021 and closed in early 2023.[37] JCPenney, which had been an anchor at neighboring Wayne Towne Center since that mall's opening, moved to Willowbrook in the spring of 2024 to take over a space previously occupied by Ohrbach's, Steinbach, and Lord & Taylor.

BJ's Wholesale Club opened its Willowbrook outpost in late 2022 in a portion of the former Sears anchor, which had been downscaled and reconfigured before it was closed.[38][39]

In January 2026, Brookfield Corporation rebranded the Brookfield Properties Retail Group division back to GGP Inc.[40]