Newly Designed Bergen Town Center a Hit Despite Recession
The Bergen Town Center in New Jersey Has Become a Destination mall for "off-price fashion" shoppers. It was developed by Vornado Realty Trust. The architect is Cooper Carry.
New York, NY, September 17, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Newly Designed Bergen Town Center a Winner Despite the Great Recession (Off-Price Fashion Niche Drives Sales)
One of America’s most storied malls, the Bergen Mall -- which originally opened with great fanfare on NBC’s “Today Show” in 1957, but in recent decades has fallen on hard times – is again a major success story, despite the Great Recession.
It has a new name (The Outlets at Bergen Town Center), a new design and has carved out a unique and profitable “off-price fashion” niche in Paramus, NJ, the mall mecca of Metro New York.
Vornado Realty Trust purchased the Bergen Mall in 2003. Over the next few years, the developer coupled a bold leasing strategy with an innovative, $171-million renovation and expansion that, since its official opening in August 2009, is attracting crowds of shoppers seeking high-end brands at value prices.
Anchor tenants in the 1.4 million s.f. mall include Whole Foods, Target and Century 21. Other brand name stores such as Norsdstrom Rack, Nike Factory Store and Saks Fifth Avenue-Off 5th fill out the main concourse. Other stores opening soon are Bloomingdale’s Outlet and Last Call Studio @ Niemen Marcus.
The challenge for the design architects, Cooper Carry, was to create a highly visible and easily accessible enclosed mall that appealed to discretionary-income shoppers, neighborhood residents, the city of Paramus and town of Maywood, and automobile passengers on busy Route 4.
Interior Concourse: A Quality Backdrop, But Not Too Upscale
“A decision was made early on that the main concourse should be a backdrop for the retail stores – evoke quality, but not be too upscale,” said Gar Muse, AIA, project architect for Cooper Carry. “The overall goal was to create an aesthetic comfort zone for high-end, off-price shoppers.”
As a result, the lengthy main concourse is grand in a subdued way -- with high, barrel-vaulted ceilings; brightly lit coffered areas at each of three entranceways, and polished (but not high-polish) terrazzo flooring with bold curves, yet warm earth tones.
The previous discount mall’s common area was barren, so Cooper Carry injected some interior design vitality down the center of the new concourse. Most prominently, several well marked wood-framed pavilions offer “soft seating” for weary shoppers, who can sink into muted-red modern armchairs for a brief respite.
One fun, off-beat feature just off the main concourse: two, colorful 500-gallon tropical fish tanks that have become destination points for children.
A Cityscape of Stores is Sensitive to Residential Neighbors
Cooper Carry was very sensitive to the fact that one side of the mall faces a well-established residential neighborhood, and that home owners would want diret pedestrian access to small stores as well as Whole Foods and Target. To scale things down and appeal to shoppers in the town of Maywood, they designed sidewalks and a cityscape of boldly colored and graphically distinct store facades. “This gives the otherwise monolithic, uniform structure the appearance of a community of smaller buildings,” said Ben Wauford, Cooper Carry’s exterior design architect.
A Garage That Does Not Look Like a Garage Faces Route 4
A new, five-level 1,800-car garage was required to absorb the expected increased volume of shoppers at Bergen Town Center. The City of Paramus, however, did not want a stack of bare concrete parking decks facing Route 4. The solution developed by Cooper Carry was to design a brick building façade for the garage, punctuated with rows of window openings that have concrete lintels, a series of rusticated concrete piers at ground level and a chiseled concrete cornice line.
The result: the entire mall facing Route 4 (with the significant presence of Target and Century 21 serving as book-ends to the large, new garage), appears to be a collection of prominent office and retail buildings. No “garage” is visible.
Retail Space is Embedded Between Levels of the Parking Garage
Many malls have adjoining garages; few have retail stores physically embedded between the decks. This innovative plan was developed because the basement level of the original mall had been decommissioned (it was too far removed from shopping traffic and the main concourse) and additional retail space was needed.
The architects decided the best solution was to transform most of the parking spaces on the third level of the garage into retail stores that front onto the main concourse. Some thermal and acoustical adjustments, including a ceiling spray, were made to keep out the cold and car noise.
Shoppers who now stroll along the concourse and step inside of these stores do not realize that over them and beneath them are parked cars.
Bulleted History of Bergen Mall
· Built in 1957, one of the first malls in the nation, and designed by John Graham, architect for the Space Needle in Seattle. It included Paramus’ city hall, a church and a bowling alley.
· The mall’s opening was broadcast on NBC-TV’s “Today Show.”
· In September, 1960 John F. Kennedy campaigned for the Presidency here.
· In October, 1964 Linden Johnson campaigned for the Presidency here.
· In 1973, the open-air mall was enclosed. Over the next 30 years the once glamorous mall fell into disrepair and became a much smaller discount mall.
· In 2003, The Bergen Mall was sold to Vornado Realty Trust.
· In 2006, ground breaking took place on the new development.
· On March 9, 2009, the renamed Bergen Town Center had its grand opening.
Cooper Carry is a planning, architecture, interior design, landscape architecture and environmental graphic design firm with offices in Atlanta, New York, Washington DC and Newport Beach. It was founded in 1960. Its specialized practice areas include corporate, hospitality, retail, mixed-use, residential, science + technology, planning, universities, government, office, sustainable design and transit.
Contact:
Axel F. Bang
914.234.5433
###
One of America’s most storied malls, the Bergen Mall -- which originally opened with great fanfare on NBC’s “Today Show” in 1957, but in recent decades has fallen on hard times – is again a major success story, despite the Great Recession.
It has a new name (The Outlets at Bergen Town Center), a new design and has carved out a unique and profitable “off-price fashion” niche in Paramus, NJ, the mall mecca of Metro New York.
Vornado Realty Trust purchased the Bergen Mall in 2003. Over the next few years, the developer coupled a bold leasing strategy with an innovative, $171-million renovation and expansion that, since its official opening in August 2009, is attracting crowds of shoppers seeking high-end brands at value prices.
Anchor tenants in the 1.4 million s.f. mall include Whole Foods, Target and Century 21. Other brand name stores such as Norsdstrom Rack, Nike Factory Store and Saks Fifth Avenue-Off 5th fill out the main concourse. Other stores opening soon are Bloomingdale’s Outlet and Last Call Studio @ Niemen Marcus.
The challenge for the design architects, Cooper Carry, was to create a highly visible and easily accessible enclosed mall that appealed to discretionary-income shoppers, neighborhood residents, the city of Paramus and town of Maywood, and automobile passengers on busy Route 4.
Interior Concourse: A Quality Backdrop, But Not Too Upscale
“A decision was made early on that the main concourse should be a backdrop for the retail stores – evoke quality, but not be too upscale,” said Gar Muse, AIA, project architect for Cooper Carry. “The overall goal was to create an aesthetic comfort zone for high-end, off-price shoppers.”
As a result, the lengthy main concourse is grand in a subdued way -- with high, barrel-vaulted ceilings; brightly lit coffered areas at each of three entranceways, and polished (but not high-polish) terrazzo flooring with bold curves, yet warm earth tones.
The previous discount mall’s common area was barren, so Cooper Carry injected some interior design vitality down the center of the new concourse. Most prominently, several well marked wood-framed pavilions offer “soft seating” for weary shoppers, who can sink into muted-red modern armchairs for a brief respite.
One fun, off-beat feature just off the main concourse: two, colorful 500-gallon tropical fish tanks that have become destination points for children.
A Cityscape of Stores is Sensitive to Residential Neighbors
Cooper Carry was very sensitive to the fact that one side of the mall faces a well-established residential neighborhood, and that home owners would want diret pedestrian access to small stores as well as Whole Foods and Target. To scale things down and appeal to shoppers in the town of Maywood, they designed sidewalks and a cityscape of boldly colored and graphically distinct store facades. “This gives the otherwise monolithic, uniform structure the appearance of a community of smaller buildings,” said Ben Wauford, Cooper Carry’s exterior design architect.
A Garage That Does Not Look Like a Garage Faces Route 4
A new, five-level 1,800-car garage was required to absorb the expected increased volume of shoppers at Bergen Town Center. The City of Paramus, however, did not want a stack of bare concrete parking decks facing Route 4. The solution developed by Cooper Carry was to design a brick building façade for the garage, punctuated with rows of window openings that have concrete lintels, a series of rusticated concrete piers at ground level and a chiseled concrete cornice line.
The result: the entire mall facing Route 4 (with the significant presence of Target and Century 21 serving as book-ends to the large, new garage), appears to be a collection of prominent office and retail buildings. No “garage” is visible.
Retail Space is Embedded Between Levels of the Parking Garage
Many malls have adjoining garages; few have retail stores physically embedded between the decks. This innovative plan was developed because the basement level of the original mall had been decommissioned (it was too far removed from shopping traffic and the main concourse) and additional retail space was needed.
The architects decided the best solution was to transform most of the parking spaces on the third level of the garage into retail stores that front onto the main concourse. Some thermal and acoustical adjustments, including a ceiling spray, were made to keep out the cold and car noise.
Shoppers who now stroll along the concourse and step inside of these stores do not realize that over them and beneath them are parked cars.
Bulleted History of Bergen Mall
· Built in 1957, one of the first malls in the nation, and designed by John Graham, architect for the Space Needle in Seattle. It included Paramus’ city hall, a church and a bowling alley.
· The mall’s opening was broadcast on NBC-TV’s “Today Show.”
· In September, 1960 John F. Kennedy campaigned for the Presidency here.
· In October, 1964 Linden Johnson campaigned for the Presidency here.
· In 1973, the open-air mall was enclosed. Over the next 30 years the once glamorous mall fell into disrepair and became a much smaller discount mall.
· In 2003, The Bergen Mall was sold to Vornado Realty Trust.
· In 2006, ground breaking took place on the new development.
· On March 9, 2009, the renamed Bergen Town Center had its grand opening.
Cooper Carry is a planning, architecture, interior design, landscape architecture and environmental graphic design firm with offices in Atlanta, New York, Washington DC and Newport Beach. It was founded in 1960. Its specialized practice areas include corporate, hospitality, retail, mixed-use, residential, science + technology, planning, universities, government, office, sustainable design and transit.
Contact:
Axel F. Bang
914.234.5433
###
Contact
Cooper Carry
Axel Bang
914.234.5433
Axel Bang
914.234.5433
Contact
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