Paramus Park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Paramus Park | |
| Facts and statistics | |
|---|---|
| Location | Paramus, New Jersey |
| Opening date | March 14, 1974 |
| Developer | The Rouse Company |
| Management | General Growth Properties |
| Owner | General Growth Properties |
| No. of stores and services | 107 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 2 |
| Total retail floor area | 770,941 ft² |
| No. of floors | 1 with Food Court Mezzanine |
| Website | http://www.paramuspark.com/ |
Paramus Park is a shopping center located on From Road in Paramus, New Jersey, United States, sandwiched between Route 17 and the Garden State Parkway, a little more than two miles north of Route 4. The mall is owned by General Growth Properties and offers a Gross leasable area (GLA) of 770,941 ft².[1]. The mall is accessible from Parkway exits 163 (northbound only) and 165.
The quartet of Paramus Park, Westfield Garden State Plaza, Bergen Mall and Fashion Center, account for a major portion of the $5 billion in retail sales generated in Paramus, more than any other ZIP Code in the United States.[2] Paramus Park gets 6 million visitors annually to its 107 stores.[3]
Contents |
[edit] History
The mall, developed by The Rouse Company, opened on March 14, 1974, with a 300,000 sq. ft. Abraham & Straus (now a Macy's store) and Sears (which didn't open until August) as anchors and space for 120 specialty stores.[4] The Paramus High School Marching Band played at the grand opening.
Paramus Park was the fourth, and final major indoor (or in the case of Garden State Plaza, soon to be indoor) mall in Paramus. It is shaped as a four-legged zigzag, with an anchor store at each end and the mezzanine-level food court on a large balcony in the middle. Two small courtyards are at the other leg intersections; one now hosts a carousel, the other the bronze statue of a turkey described below. That turkey has since been moved to the food court in front of the elevators.
In 1977, Paramus Park was immortalized in the lyrics of the song "Ariel", which was a #26 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, by Dean Friedman, who was born and raised in Paramus. The two characters in the song meet "by the waterfall at Paramus Park"...
In 1986, Paramus Park was the site of an innovative McDonald's store in its food court, which featured a decor with oak trim, pastel tiles and marble counters, in lieu of the traditional plastic interior in primary colors. The facility cost $650,000 to construct, 40% more than a typical McDonald's, and was designed to create more of the feel of an upscale restaurant. Closed in 2000, it was replaced by a walk-up. Their are now restrooms where the old McDonalds was.[5][6]
The mall used to have a glass elevator to the food court mezzanine. The lines for the elevator were very long so in 2001, it was finally demolished and two elevators were installed between Cinnabon and Auntie Anne's. Among the few stores that have remained throughout the mall's thirty-plus years are Sears, Fortunoff, and Chick-Fil-A.
As of the Holiday season of 2006, Paramus Park is experimenting with expanded hours on the weekends. The mall opens at 8 a.m. on Saturdays, closing at 10 p.m. Whether or not this move will benefit the businesses within the mall remains to be seen. As of February 2007, the mall has gone back to its normal 10 a.m. opening on weekends. The mall has also recently returned to a closing time of 9:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
The name Paramus comes from the Lenni Lenape Native American word meaning "land of the wild turkey" or "place of fertile soil".[7] That is why there is a giant metal statue of a turkey in the Paramus Park mall.
The mall and its parking lot lie in a 500-year flood plain, which has flooded extensively twice since the opening.
[edit] Anchors
[edit] References
- ^ International Council of Shopping Centers: Bergen Mall, accessed November 6, 2006
- ^ Paramus 07652, GlobeSt. Retail, October 3, 2005
- ^ In This Town, Even a Mall Rat Can Get Rattled, The New York Times, December 20, 2006
- ^ "Shopping Center Is Opening; Parallel to Parkway", The New York Times March 10, 1974; pg. 72
- ^ "At Fast-Food Restaurants, Plastic Is Out, And Marble, Brass and Greenhouses Are In", Wall Street Journal, December 3, 1985. pg. 1
- ^ Friendly, Jonathan. "A McDonald's in Paramus With Infusions of Grandeur", The New York Times, April 18, 1986. p. A22. Accessed June 12, 2008.
- ^ If You're Thinking of Living In/Paramus; In Shopping Mecca, Houses Sell Well Too, The New York Times, April 15, 2001
