Quaker Bridge Mall facts for kids
Entrance near Lord & Taylor
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| Location | Lawrenceville, New Jersey |
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| Coordinates | 40°17′26″N 74°40′54″W / 40.2906°N 74.6818°W |
| Opening date | 1975 |
| Developer | The Kravco Co. |
| Management | Simon Property Group |
| Owner | Simon Property Group (50%) |
| No. of stores and services | 116 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 4 (2 open, 2 vacant by 2021) |
| Total retail floor area | 1,079,542 sq ft (100,292.7 m2) |
| No. of floors | 2 |
| Parking | Parking lot |
| Public transit access |   NJ Transit bus: 600, 603, 605, 609, 613 |
The Quaker Bridge Mall is a large, two-story shopping mall located in Lawrence Township, New Jersey. You can find it right off U.S. Route 1 near Interstate 295. This mall first opened its doors in 1975 and now has 116 different stores.
Simon Property Group manages the mall and owns half of it. The main, big stores, often called "anchor stores," used to be JCPenney, Macy's, Lord & Taylor, and Sears. However, by 2021, only JCPenney and Macy's remained. The mall is also home to the radio transmitter for WKXW, known as New Jersey 101.5. With over 1 million square feet of space for stores, it's one of the biggest shopping malls in New Jersey.
Contents
History of the Mall
Early Days and First Stores
Quaker Bridge Mall first opened in 1975. When it started, it had four major anchor stores: Bamberger's, Hahne's, JCPenney, and Sears. The mall's opening helped other businesses and shopping centers grow along the nearby Route 1 road. Many road crossings on Route 1 were also changed to handle the increasing number of cars.
In February 1977, an AMC movie theater with four screens opened at the back entrance of the mall. It was located near the Woolworth's store.
Changes and Renovations
Over the years, some of the main stores changed. In 1986, Bamberger's became Macy's. Then, in 1990, Hahne's closed, and a new store, Lord & Taylor, opened in its place.
The mall had a big makeover in 1988 and 1989. They put in new floors and new lights. More places to sit were added, and a children's play area was removed to make space for plants and seating. Most of the fountains were taken out, and the mall was painted. The entrances facing Route 1 were also redesigned. In the late 1990s, Woolworth's and the movie theater both closed down.
Modern Updates and Recent Changes
In the 2000s, there were plans for a huge expansion. This project would have added new luxury stores like Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom. It also aimed to bring in about 100 more stores and restaurants. The township gave permission for a new JCPenney building and parking garage in 2008.
On October 25, 2010, Lawrence Township officially approved the mall's expansion plans. In 2012, Simon Property Group began a major renovation of the mall. They replaced the flooring and the escalator in the center of the mall. A new glass elevator was added in front of Lord & Taylor, and new escalators were put in front of JCPenney. A brand new food court was also built on the upper level.
On May 31, 2018, Sears announced that its store at the mall would be closing. This was part of a plan to close many Sears stores across the country. The Sears store at Quaker Bridge Mall closed on September 2, 2018.
From March to mid-May 2020, Quaker Bridge Mall was used as a main drive-up testing center for the coronavirus in Mercer County.
On August 27, 2020, it was announced that Lord & Taylor would be closing all its stores, including the one at Quaker Bridge Mall. That store closed in February 2021. This left JCPenney and Macy's as the only remaining anchor stores at the mall.
Images for kids
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Center court
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Second floor looking from Sears in 2008, before the mall was renovated
