The center included 14 buildings, 50 stores and 600,000-square feet of retail space and was anchored by Bamberger’s, the center’s biggest retailer when it opened.
“Back then suburbanization was in full tilt and malls were automobile-centric with a retail format. If you didn’t have a car you weren’t going anywhere,” said Prof. James W. Hughes, dean of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers.
“Fast-forward to the new millennium and everything has changed. The younger generation has a different lifestyle and work preference,” he said.