Forrestal Village

infobox shopping mall
shopping_mall_name = Forrestal Village
location = Princeton, New Jersey, USA
hours = Retail - Monday – Saturday: 10 am – 6 pm Sunday: 11 am – 5 pm; Office - Monday – Friday 8 am – 6 pm; Food Court - Monday – Saturday: 10:00 am - 9:00 pm Sunday: 11 am – 6 pm
opening_date = 1986
developer = Toombs Development Company
manager = Gale Real Estate Services Company
number_of_current_tenants= 30 (room for 41)
floors = 2
floor_area = 720,000ft²
parking = Surface Lot and Parking Garage
website = [http://www.princetonforrestalvillage.com/index.asp PrincetonForrestalVillage.com]

Forrestal Village is a 720,000 square foot, 52 acre mixed-use retail and office complex in Princeton, New Jersey along Route 1. It is just north of Princeton University's Forrestal campus, whose name it is derived from. The center is anchored by Can Do Fitness (an upscale chain of fitness centers in the northeast) and a Westin hotel. In recent years, it has suffered a sharp decline, turning into a dead mall. Renovations and rebranding as an "office" complex are underway to bring customers back. The center has spawned some development in the area, including an adjecant office complex and several apartment and condo communities, including Princeton Windrows, which is right across the street.

History and Decline

Princeton Forrestal Village broke ground in 1986 on land leased from Princeton University, at Route 1 and College Farm Road. A cloverleaf interchange was completed at the intersection to ease the congestion of the then-planned center. The center's developer ultimately paid for the intersection after a two year battle against the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0DE3DF1138F937A1575BC0A960948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all Road-Improvement Dispute Impairs Forrestal Complex - New York Times ] ]

Designed by Sasaki Associates of Watertown, Mass., and Bower Lewis Thrower/Architects of Philadelphia, the initial goal of the center was to "Create a retail mix that will not just bring people in every few weeks like the regional malls do". [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DEFDA1330F934A35752C0A961948260 ABOUT REAL ESTATE; FIRST 30 TENANTS ARE SET AT RETAIL CENTER IN JERSEY - New York Times ] ]

When it opened, it contained nightclubs, several restaurants, a 300-room Marriott hotel, an indoor food court, and many upscale stores, all set up in an open-air Main Street-style village area. [ [http://www.deadmalls.com/malls/princeton_forrestal_village.html Dead Malls dot Com: Feature: Princeton Forrestal Village: Princeton, New Jersey ] ] To lure "everyday" shoppers, a barbershop, a tailor and custom shirt shop, a shoe repair establishment, an express mail operation and a video rental store were also opened.

Since the area was surrounded by competitors, such as downtown Princeton , Palmer Square, and the Quaker Bridge Mall, it wasn't as successful as planned. As many of the upscale tenants moved out, the owners brought in Outlet stores and the Forrestal Village became an Outlet mall. The concept was successful up until about the late 90's, when the mall became almost empty.

Revitalization

By the late 90's, the center was almost dead. Some changes were made, including the opening of the Tre Piani restaurant and a new office building on the site.

In 2003, the owners, The Praedium Group, sold the center for $39.6 million to the Gale Company. [ [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3601/is_7_50/ai_108552194 Princeton complex fetches $39.6m - Princeton Forrestal Village - Brief Article | Real Estate Weekly | Find Articles at BNET.com ] ] In 2007, the mall rebranded itself as mainly an office and professional complex with some retail stores, mainly for the office workers. By that time, the Marriott, which moved across Route 1 to the site of the former Scanticon Hotel, was replaced with a Westin. The first change was the Can Do Fitness, which opened up in the 60,000 square foot "Market Hall" building, which includes a Koi Spa, physical therapy center, nail salon, and other small retail stores inside. Also, Luxe Home, a furnshings store, relocated to the center from Princeton's Palmer Square.

Several restaurants, such as the Salt Creek Grille and Ruth's Chris Steak House have also opened. The food court, which was relocated from the Market Hall to an area in the main retail area, only has two current tenants, Subway and Teryaki Boy. Most of the other tenants in the retail spaces are offices and services.

Current Tenants

References

External links

* [http://www.princetonforrestalvillage.com/index.asp Forrestal Village Website]
* [http://www.deadmalls.com/malls/princeton_forrestal_village.html Deadmalls.com entry]
* [http://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1440 The Westin Princeton at Forrestal Village]