| Woodbridge Center | |
| Location: | Woodbridge, New Jersey |
| Address: | 250 Woodbridge Center Drive |
| Opening Date: | [1] |
| Developer: | The Rouse Company |
| Manager: | JLL Properties |
| Owner: | JLL Properties |
| Number Of Stores: | 200 |
| Number Of Anchors: | 5 |
| Floor Area: | 1633000square feet |
| Floors: | 2 (3 in Macy's) |
| Parking: | Parking lot with 8,651 spaces |
| Publictransit: | NJ Transit bus: 48, 810, 815 |
Woodbridge Center is a major two-level shopping mall located in Woodbridge Township, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, at the intersection of U.S. Route 1 and U.S. Route 9. As of 2022, the mall features Macy's, Boscov's, JCPenney, and Dick's Sporting Goods.
The land that Woodbridge Center now stands on used to be the location of Maple Hill Dairy farm and old clay pits.[2] The mall is owned and managed by JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle Inc.).[3] The mall features a fountain, carousel, train ride, and children's play area. Although most malls have a food court, Woodbridge Center's eating establishments are spread throughout the mall with their own individual seating areas and restrooms.[4]
The mall's location near Staten Island and the benefit of no sales tax on clothes in New Jersey makes this mall, along with nearby Menlo Park Mall in Edison, a popular choice for New York shoppers. The mall has gross leasable area (GLA) of 1633000square feet, making it the fourth largest of all shopping malls in New Jersey, behind Freehold Raceway Mall in Freehold Township, Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, and American Dream Meadowlands in East Rutherford.
Lord & Taylor and Sears closed in 2019.[5] SeaQuest Interactive Aquariums opened a large space, its first in New Jersey, on Thanksgiving 2019.
The mall was developed by the Rouse Company and opened in 1971 with Abraham & Straus, Ohrbach's, and Stern's. In 1978, the mall was expanded with a new wing to include Hahne's. In 1981, the mall added a JCPenney, which moved from the Menlo Park Mall in Edison. By 1987, the mall got a fresh new look through renovation. The stairwell in the A&S wing next to center court was removed, new flooring was added, new lighting was added, the mall entrances were redone, and the fountains in front of A&S were either changed (the 2nd floor fountain) or removed (the first floor fountains). The Mall's current fountain is on the 1st floor outside of Macy's. (The fountains in front of Lord & Taylor and Sears have been disabled.) In 2003, the mall was expanded with a new 100000square feet Galyan's, the chain's first location in New Jersey,[6] which become Dick's Sporting Goods in 2004.[7] Notable department stores that have closed include Hahne's (became Fortunoff now Boscov's), Ohrbach's (which became Steinbach and later Lord & Taylor), Stern's (now Macy's), and A&S (later Sears).
In October 2007, the carousel ride was relocated near the J. C. Penney. The train ride was also reconfigured to ensure both rides stay together at the same location. A toddler's play area, "Tiny Town", is located near the carousel and train rides.
On November 14, 2017, Dave & Buster's opened on the upper level by Sears, their first location in New Jersey.[8]
On October 15, 2019, it was announced that Lord & Taylor would be closing.[9]
On February 4, 2020, it was announced that Sears would also be closing during a series of closures.[10]
In February 2024, Brookfield Properties sold the mall to JLL Properties. [11]
On March 8, 2012, police shot and killed a shoplifter in the Sears wing who had held a woman hostage.[12]