Ridgeway Shopping Center Explained

Ridgeway Shopping Center is a ^[1] shopping center in Stamford, Connecticut, now classifying as a power center but when first opened in 1947, the first department store-anchored suburban shopping center in the Eastern United States.^{[2] [3]}

Stamford designer and architect Alfons Bach planned the initial section of the center in 1946, which opened on March 26, 1947, with of retail space on a 20000square feet parcel. Initial tenants included W.J. Sloan Home Furnishings (October 1948), Pennsylvania Drug (May 1949), Deena's, The Lurie Company, Chizzini and a Slenderella Figure Salon.^[4]

In 1951, Bach added a three-story office tower and a Sears department store.^[5] A six-story office building was added in 1956.

In 1958, in a third expansion of the center, Gimbel Bros. opened a branch of Saks-34th, which briefly formed a small 4-store chain, positioned as an upper-middle-market, yet more value-conscious sibling of Saks Fifth Avenue. Its addition to the center made Ridgeway the largest retail center in Connecticut. By 1960, when the center was sold fo $5 million, it had of gross leasable area and parking for 1000 cars.^[6]

When Gimbel Bros. closed the New York City Saks 34th Street flagship store in July 1965, the three Saks-34th branches including Stamford were converted to Gimbels branches.^[7]

Anchors as of June 2023 were Burlington (taking over the space of the Bed Bath & Beyond that had closed earlier in 2023), Michaels, Marshalls, Old Navy, and a Stop & Shop supermarket.^{[8] [9] [10]}

External links

• Web site: Guide to the Alfons Bach Papers (Archive) . Smithsonian National Museum of History Kenneth Behring Center., "The files on the Ridgeway Center mall are particularly extensive. Photographs cover the period from 1937-1961 and document Bach's design projects, particularly the Ridgeway Center."

Notes and References

1. Web site: Four Corners Town Center Revitalization Plan: Discovery Findings Four Corners – Town Center District Conditions April 2, 2012 . Brookfield, Connecticut municipal website . 4 November 2023 . Brookfield, Conn. . 2012.
2. Web site: Reft . Ryan . Retail California: Shopping Centers, Malls, and Creating a New Consumerism . Tropics of Meta . 4 November 2023 . 7 April 2014.
3. News: Stamford Man Disclosed as Interested Developer . 4 November 2023 . Hartford Courant . 16 June 1955 . Manchester, Connecticut . 4.
4. "Ridgeway Center", Mall Hall of Fame (blog)
5. News: The First Shopping Mall in Each New England State . 4 November 2023 . New England Historical Society.
6. News: Shop Park Sold for $5 million . 4 November 2023 . Bridgeport Post . 2 October 1960 . Stamford, Connecticut . 36.
7. News: 'Hot Lines' at New Gimbels (Saks 34 St. branches become Gimbels 2011-07-12) . 4 November 2023 . Daily News . 11 July 1965 . 526.
8. News: Soule . Alexander . Stamford retailer taking over Bed Bath & Beyond store . 4 November 2023 . CT Insider . 19 June 2023 . en.
9. Web site: Ridgeway Shopping Center, Stamford, CT 06905 – Retail Space Regency Centers . www.regencycenters.com . 4 November 2023 . en.
10. Web site: "Ridgeway Shopping Center 2235 Summer St. 18,436 SF of Retail Space Available in Stamford, CT" . LoopNet . 4 November 2023.