Stamford Town Center

Stamford Town Center is an urban shopping mall located in Downtown Stamford, Connecticut. The 761,000 square feet (70,700 m2) mall is the eighth largest in Connecticut, with space for about 130 stores and restaurants. As of 2022, the mall currently features a Macy's and a Barnes and Noble. The mall currently features popular staples Banana Republic, Johnston & Murphy, and Sephora[2] This mall will soon feature a new two story 80,000 square foot food hall by Todd English.[3]

Stamford Town Center
The Grand Court of Stamford Town Center in 2006.
LocationStamford, Connecticut
Coordinates41.053236°N 73.536242°W / 41.053236; -73.536242
Opening date1982
DeveloperF.D. Rich Co.
Taubman Centers
OwnerStamford Town Center LLC
No. of stores and servicesabout 130
No. of anchor tenants2
Total retail floor area761,000 sq ft (70,700 m2)[1]
No. of floors2 with a partial food court level and basement (3 in Macy's)
Websiteshopstamfordtowncenter.com

History

Construction

Built by F.D. Rich Co and Taubman Centers,[4] Stamford Town Center opened in 1982 as part of an urban renewal project[4] and had been the location of tenement structures that once lined Greyrock Place,[5] the street which is its primary address.

The mall was a significant part of Stamford's urban renewal efforts, and thus its construction was not without controversy. Upon the mall's opening, the city of Stamford reoriented nearby Bedford Street and Summer Street to be one-way, in order to make the mall more accessible via car, a move which harmed surrounding businesses.[6] An opinion piece in the New York Times lamented the destruction of once lively housing complexes which hosted lower-income residences, which was done to make way for the mall.[5]

Launch and success

The mall launched with two anchors: Macy's and J.C. Penney.[4] Saks Fifth Avenue opened its store in the mall on March 12, 1983,[7] and served as the mall's third anchor.[8] From its opening, the mall was very popular and drew shoppers and tourists from as far as the New York City boroughs and even internationally,[9] and was considered "one of the country's most successful malls" by the 1990s, despite stiff nearby competition.[8] In July 1994, it was announced the mall's J.C. Penney would move out, and would be replaced by a Filene's,[8] which took place in 1996.

2000s redevelopment

In May 2006, the southern portion of the mall, along Tresser Boulevard, was raised and redeveloped.[10] The redevelopment of the former Filene's anchor emphasized being more pedestrian-friendly,[6][11] and improving the nearby better streetscape.[11] This portion of the mall, which included Filene's, was reconstructed for six new restaurants,[10] and Connecticut's largest Barnes & Noble,[10] the latter of which opened in 2008.[6] In November 2007, Stamford Town Center opened four new restaurants; California Pizza Kitchen, Così, Kona Grill, and P.F. Chang's China Bistro. The Capital Grille opened on February 25, 2008. Barnes & Noble Booksellers opened their largest Connecticut store in this new space.[12]

Layout and design

Stamford Town Center has four floors of shopping – floors 3, 4, 5 and 7 – with The Food Court located on the 7th floor. The supporting parking structure has space for 4,000 cars and is situated in levels below and above the mall, thus forming a kind of mall and parking 'sandwich'.

The mall's design has been criticized for not being pedestrian-friendly,[6] something that the mall's developers sought to address in a redevelopment during the mid-2000s.[6][11]

The mall is widely perceived to be a large fortress-like structure, out of scale with the surrounding cityscape.

The Plaza

The Plaza is a pedestrian-friendly complex of restaurants and merchants that are new to Connecticut and the region.

The Plaza offers valet parking and easy access to parking level 1 from Tresser Boulevard. There is also a new entrance that was built to ease accessibility to the main mall. Other mall and parking levels are accessible by two all-glass elevators that access Levels 1, S*/M* for the Plaza, and the mall levels (4–5), and levels 6–Rooftop (10). Barnes & Noble is accessible from Level 4 and from the Plaza. H&M is accessible from only Level 5 of the mall.

The initial opening of the Plaza (which included Barnes & Noble, H&M, California Pizza Kitchen, Così, Kona Grill) occurred on November 1, 2007. Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que had planned to open in this new space, but pulled out of the project.[13]

Tenants
Kona Grill in The Plaza

The current restaurants located in the Plaza are:

The retail stores in the Plaza include:

  • Barnes & Noble – the largest Barnes & Noble location in Connecticut at 40,000 square feet (3,700 m2)

The 1991 film, Scenes from a Mall, was partially filmed at this center.


Anchors

Former anchors
  • JCPenney (160,000 sq ft, 15,000 m2) – opened in 1982, closed in 1994[14]
  • Filene's (160,000 sq ft, 15,000 m2) – opened in 1994,[14] closed in 2005, demolished in 2006
  • Saks Fifth Avenue (78,000 sq ft, 7,200 m2) – opened in 1983, closed in 2014
  • Inside the Stamford Town Center during the holidays.
  • The Plaza at the Stamford Town Center. H&M (closed in 2020) is shown here.
  • The Plaza at the Stamford Town Center. California Pizza Kitchen (closed in 2018) and Così (closed in 2016).
  • Kona Grill at The Plaza at Stamford Town Center.
  • The Largest Barnes & Noble in Connecticut.
  • The Capital Grille.
  • The entrance to the main mall from the Plaza.

References
  1. "Stamford Town Center | Taubman Properties | Taubman". www.taubman.com. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  2. Schott, Paul (September 28, 2021). "Saks Off 5th to close at Stamford Town Center, Michael Kors confirms exit". Stamford Advocate. Retrieved January 9, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. "New Food Hall from Todd English Coming to Stamford Town Center". March 2022.
  4. Barmash, Isadore (February 14, 1982). "SHOPPING CENTER PLANS OPENING MINUS 132 STORES". The New York Times. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  5. Bascom, Lionel C. (May 8, 1988). "CONNECTICUT OPINION; A Town Sells Off Pieces of Its Soul". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  6. "Future of Stamford Town Center Discussed at City Planning Board". Greenwich Free Press. November 19, 2019. Retrieved January 13, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. Walsh, Erin (March 10, 2008). "From the Archives: The Week of March 9". The Advocate. Stamford. p. A5.
  8. Charles, Eleanor (July 10, 1994). "Commercial Property/Suburban Mall Competition; Stamford Town Center Pins Hopes on New Addition". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  9. Cavanaugh, Jack (May 22, 1988). "Tourists Welcome at Stamford Mall". The New York Times.
  10. Juliano, Michael (April 3, 2010). "Shopping malls put on a new face". Stamford Advocate. Retrieved January 13, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. "Stamford Town Center's New Outdoor Plaza Draws Six Full-Service Restaurants Making Area Debuts". Stamford Town Center. Archived from the original on November 9, 2006.
  12. http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-16144682_ITM. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  13. Pinto, Amanda (April 2, 2017). "Food court and play area to debut in mall". The Hour.
  14. Fritsch, Jane (September 22, 1997). "Stamford Would Like to Turn A Successful Mall Inside Out". The New York Times. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
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