Rockaway Townsquare

Rockaway Townsquare, also known as the Rockaway Mall, is a two-level super regional shopping mall, located in Rockaway Township, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The mall features a gross leasable area of 1,245,741 sq ft (115,733.1 m2),[1] placing it among the top ten largest shopping malls in New Jersey.

Rockaway Townsquare
LocationRockaway, New Jersey
Coordinates40.907°N 74.554°W / 40.907; -74.554
Address301 Mount Hope Avenue
Opening dateSeptember 1977 (1977-09)
DeveloperCopaken, White & Blitt
ManagementSimon Property Group
OwnerSimon Property Group
No. of stores and services152
No. of anchor tenants2
Total retail floor area1,245,741 sq ft (115,733.1 m2)
No. of floors2
ParkingParking lot
Public transit accessBus transport NJ Transit NJ Transit bus: 880
Bus transport Lakeland Bus Lines: 46, 80
Websitesimon.com/mall/rockaway-townsquare

Rockaway Townsquare is owned by the Simon Property Group. The mall features the traditional retailers Macy's, JCPenney, and Raymour & Flanigan, as well as featuring over 140 other stores.[2][3]

Located in Morris County along Interstate 80, the mall also attracts customers from Sussex and Warren counties and is under an hour away from New York City.[4]

Mall history

The mall first opened on Labor Day Weekend of 1977. It was built on top of a wetland, which was not protected in New Jersey until 1988 with the passage of the New Jersey Freshwater Wetlands Protection Act, and the former Dover town landfill. A time capsule was enclosed in the interior of the mall, marked with a plaque. The contents were unveiled on August 22, 2000.[5]

Upon opening, the mall contained five large sculptures by Rita Blitt.[6] Most were located on the first floor and reached up through openings to the second; a 20-foot (6.1 m) long stainless steel and brass American flag hung from the ceiling.[7] The silhouette of one of these sculptures, the yellow Stablitt 55, became the mall's original logo. Although the other sculptures have been removed, Stablitt 55 still stands outside the mall, on the corner near the three-store strip at the entrance off the main road.

Major stores that have since closed include: Bamberger's which was in the location currently occupied by Macy's (it was converted along with the other Bamberger's stores to the Macy's nameplate in 1986[8]), Hahne's which was in the location most recently occupied by Lord & Taylor (converted to the L&T nameplate in 1988), Child World, which was occupied by Kids "R" Us after Child World went out of business in 1992, though was occupied by Office Depot after the majority of standalone KRU locations closed in 2003. (Office Depot has since closed as well; this space has since been converted to DSW, relocated from the existing Marketplace at Rockaway location; after Toys R Us closed in 2018, Toys R Us/Kids R Us is currently occupied by Party City), Acme, which is currently occupied by Nordstrom Rack, and Party Fair, which is currently occupied by Five Below, moving it from the shopping plaza where Target is. The old location is currently occupied by Orangetheory Fitness.

AMC Theatres had screens 1–6 in the location currently occupied by Forever 21 (previously FYE and Record Town) located inside the mall, as well as screens 7–12 in the location currently occupied by Best Buy in one of the strip malls located on the perimeter road. The 1–6 screens closed in 1998 and the 7–12 screens in 2002. When the theaters originally expanded from six screens to 12 in February 1981, it was claimed to be the first 12-screen multiplex in America. A successor 16-screen theater, also operated by AMC, opened on the perimeter road in 2006.[9][10]

On August 25, 2009, a small plane crash-landed in the parking lot. The only injury was the pilot, who walked away and was treated.[11]

In 2016, Raymour & Flanigan opened after reconstructing an area of the Sears. In 2020 it was announced Sears would shutter as part of an ongoing decision to eliminate its traditional brick-and-mortar format.[12][13][14]

The Cheesecake Factory opened in December 2017.[15] P. F. Chang's opened at the mall in February 2022.[16]

Between January 2019 and Fall 2019, the food court was renovated.[17]

In August 2020, Lord & Taylor announced that it would close its brick-and-mortar format as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[18][19]

Expansion

The mall has undergone several expansions since it opened. These include Rockaway Commons, a strip mall in the southeast corner of the property featuring anchors Best Buy, Nordstrom Rack and DSW, as well as a Hilton Garden Inn. The Shops at Rockaway Mall, a strip mall, opened in the corner near Interstate 80. Rockaway Town Court is a strip mall at the East side of the mall. Rockaway Town Plaza is a strip mall at the west side of the mall featuring Target and many other stores. There is also a health pavilion for the Morristown Medical Center in the complex.

Anchors

Current anchors

Former anchors

A scene from the 1984 film Firstborn starring Sarah Jessica Parker shows Parker's character Lisa shopping at Rockaway Townsquare.[20]

References
  1. "Rockaway Townsquare". Simon Property Group, Inc. Retrieved 2011-01-28.
  2. About Rockaway Townsquare, Simon Property Group. Accessed May 18, 2023.
  3. https://www.simon.com/mall/rockaway-townsquare/stores
  4. Level Up at Rockaway Townsquare, Simon Property Group. Accessed May 18, 2023. "The most popular shopping destination for families in affluent West Morris County, and its only super-regional enclosed mall. Rockaway, 30 miles west of Manhattan, has a highly diverse, highly affluent and educated customer base, with Morris County being the 10th-wealthiest county in the US."
  5. "Rockaway Twp. Opens Door to the Past". NJ Morris County Online.
  6. "Blitt Sculptures Add Art to the Mall : Rockaway Townsquare". Archived from the original on 2012-11-29. Retrieved 2012-11-05.
  7. "Untitled Document". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-11-05.
  8. Bagli, Charles V. "Page turns in story of Bamberger's", Daily Record, September 3, 1986. Accessed March 31, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "R.H. Macy & Co. is expected to formally announce the renaming of its 93-year-old Bamberger's chain today, a move to consolidate operations that will be nearly invisible to consumers. The 10th largest retailer plans to emblazon the Macy's name on the 24 Bamberger's stores in four states, including those in Morris-town, Rockaway Townsquare Mall and Livingston."
  9. "AMC Rockaway 16 opening". Daily Record. 17 November 2006. p. 63.
  10. Buckley, Tom (February 6, 1981). "At The Movies; How Resnais made a success with science". The New York Times. Retrieved March 31, 2023. Multiple-screen theaters are not only increasing in number around the country, but they are also increasing in the number of screens. In fact, the first 12-screen theater in the country, as far as the management knows and called the Rockaway Twelve, opens today at a shopping mall in Rockaway Township, N.J.
  11. Schapiro, Rich (August 25, 2009). "Small plane crash-lands in New Jersey mall parking lot". Daily News. New York. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  12. "Furniture retailer leasing first floor space at Rockaway Sears".
  13. "Sears to Shutter Rockaway Townsquare Mall Location, Closing Jobs Available". 29 June 2020.
  14. https://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/news/2019/11/07/96-more-sears-and-kmart-stores-to-shutter.html
  15. "The Cheesecake Factory Opens in Rockaway, New Jersey". www.businesswire.com. 2017-12-19. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
  16. "P.F. Chang's Debuts New Location in Rockaway, New Jersey" (Press release). 23 February 2022.
  17. "Rockaway Townsquare mall set to get a makeover, including a modern food court". North Jersey. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  18. Willis, David P. (August 27, 2020). "Lord & Taylor closing all stores, including Freehold Raceway Mall location". Asbury Park Press. Archived from the original on December 9, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  19. https://www.bizjournals.com/newyork/news/2020/08/28/lord-taylor-going-out-of-business.html
  20. " "History Spotlight: Rockaway Township in Film"
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