Stamford Town Center facts for kids
The Grand Court of Stamford Town Center in 2006.
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| Location | Stamford, Connecticut |
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| Coordinates | 41°03′12″N 73°32′10″W / 41.053236°N 73.536242°W |
| Opening date | 1982 |
| Developer | F.D. Rich Co. |
| Owner | Taubman Centers |
| No. of stores and services | about 130 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 2 |
| Total retail floor area | 761,000 sq ft (70,700 m2) |
| No. of floors | 2 with a partial food court level (3 in Macy's) |
| Website | shopstamfordtowncenter.com |
Stamford Town Center is a large shopping mall located in Downtown Stamford, Connecticut. It opened its doors in 1982. This mall is the eighth largest in Connecticut. It has space for about 130 stores and places to eat.
The mall covers a huge area of 761,000 square feet. Its main stores are Macy's and Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH. A movie called Scenes from a Mall was partly filmed here in 1991.
Contents
Building the Mall
The F.D. Rich Co built Stamford Town Center. It opened in 1982. The area where the mall now stands was once part of a big city plan. This plan was called urban renewal. It meant changing older parts of the city. Before the mall, there were old apartment buildings on Greyrock Place.
A store called Saks Fifth Avenue opened in the mall in 1983. Another large store, Filene's, closed in 2005. This space was first a JCPenney store. Filene's took its place in 1996. The far south part of the mall was torn down in 2006. It was replaced by new stores and restaurants. This new area opened in 2007. It included a two-story Barnes & Noble bookstore.
The mall's construction changed downtown Stamford a lot. It has four levels for shopping. These are floors 3, 4, 5, and 7. The Food Court is on the 7th floor. There is also a large parking garage. It can hold 4,000 cars. The parking levels are both below and above the mall.
The mall was a big part of Stamford's city changes. It replaced many traditional shops. Some people felt it looked too big for the city. It was also built mainly for cars. This made it a bit hard for people walking to enter. But the newer outdoor area has helped with this.
How Popular the Mall Became
When it first opened, the mall was very popular. Shoppers came from far away, even from New York City. The new outdoor area made it easier for people to walk around. It also added more shops and places to eat.
In November 2007, four new restaurants opened. These included California Pizza Kitchen and Kona Grill. The Capital Grille opened in February 2008. Barnes & Noble Booksellers opened its biggest Connecticut store here. In 2017, The Cheesecake Factory opened. It took over the space where P.F. Chang's used to be.
The Plaza
The Plaza is a special outdoor area at the mall. It has restaurants and shops. Many of these were new to Connecticut. It is designed to be easy for people to walk around.
The Plaza has valet parking. You can also easily get to parking level 1 from Tresser Boulevard. A new entrance was built to make it easier to get into the main mall. Two glass elevators connect The Plaza to the mall levels. Barnes & Noble can be reached from Level 4 and The Plaza. H&M can only be reached from Level 5 of the mall.
The Plaza first opened in November 2007. It included Barnes & Noble and California Pizza Kitchen. Mitchell's Fish Market opened in December 2007. It closed in 2014. The Capital Grille opened in February 2008.
Shops and Restaurants in The Plaza
Here are some of the restaurants you can find in The Plaza:
- The Capital Grille
- Plan B Burger Bar
- Pieology
The retail stores in The Plaza include:
- Barnes & Noble – This is the largest Barnes & Noble store in Connecticut. It is 40,000 square feet.
Main Stores
The main stores at Stamford Town Center are called "anchors." They are usually very large stores.
- Macy's (250,000 sq ft) – This store opened when the mall did in 1982.
- Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH (78,000 sq ft) – This store opened in 2015.
Past Main Stores
Some large stores have been at the mall in the past:
- JCPenney (160,000 sq ft) – It opened in 1982 and closed in 1994.
- Filene's (160,000 sq ft) – It opened in 1994 and closed in 2005. The building was torn down in 2006.
- Saks Fifth Avenue (78,000 sq ft) – This store opened in 1983. It closed in 2014. It then reopened as Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH in 2015.
Images for kids
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Inside the Stamford Town Center during the holidays.
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The Plaza at the Stamford Town Center. H&M (closed in 2020) was once here.
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The Plaza at the Stamford Town Center. California Pizza Kitchen (closed in 2018) and Così (closed in 2016) were here.
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Kona Grill at The Plaza at Stamford Town Center.
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The Largest Barnes & Noble in Connecticut.
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The Capital Grille.
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The entrance to the main mall from the Plaza.
