Monmouth Mall - History

History

Opened on March 1, 1960 as a 500,000-square-foot (46,000 m2) open-air center, the Monmouth Mall was built on what was then a farm owned by the Valentino Family of the nearby City of Long Branch, New Jersey. Original anchors of the mall consisted of Bamberger's and Montgomery Ward. After pulling out of New Jersey, Montgomery Ward became Alexander's in the 1970s. The mall was enclosed and expanded to its current size in 1975. The older section of the mall continued to be one level while the new expansion was two levels anchored by Abraham & Straus, Hahne's and JCPenney.

In 1987, the mall was renovated. The renovation brought in new lighting, new flooring, and new glass and chrome handrails along the second level; took out the in-floor planters and replaced them with movable planters; closed off the mall entrance near the former arcade on the Wyckoff Road side of the old wing; and raised the lowered seating areas in front of the anchors.

In 1996, the mall was expanded to include a new food court (modeled after a Jersey Shore theme) including 1920's style beach photos wrapped around the columns in the older section of the mall, as well as a new 15-screen Loews Theatres to replace the closed Caldor. The mall also saw minor cosmetic changes that consisted of replacing black with sky blue in the color schemes through painting and retiling, as well as new lighting along the pillars.

Through the years, Monmouth Mall has seen many different anchors that have come and gone, however, JCPenney was built by themselves in 1976 and remains to this day. Anchor changes consisted of Caldor replacing Alexander's in 1986, Macy's replacing Bamberger's in 1986, Lord and Taylor replacing Hahne's in 1989, Stern's replacing Abraham & Straus in 1995 and Boscov's replacing Stern's in 2001. Boscov's closed in October 2008, while Burlington Coat Factory moved to the former Seaview Square Mall the same year. In 2010, Planet Fitness opened at Monmouth Mall. In May 2011, Eatontown Mayor, Gerald Tarantolo, announced that Boscov's will reopen. In May 2011, Kid City and yogoswirl opened The Boscov's store is projected to reopen October 8, 2011. Next to disestablished Old Town Buffet, There was Greenman Bros. in 1960-1993, Noodle Kidoodle in 1993-2000, ZANYbrainy in 2000-2001 and is Thomasville in 2001-present.

Monmouth Mall went through a significant expansion in 2009, including a Barnes & Noble, a Jared jewelry store, and two restaurants sharing a single structure: a Chipotle Mexican Grill and Bobby's Burger Palace. The Barnes & Noble store was built adjacent to the mall structure next to the former Macy's Kids Annex near Ruby Tuesday, while the other two structures are free-standing. In mid-2010, cosmetic renovations started at the mall including new tile, paint, lighting, and a complete overhaul of the food court. These renovations will last until summer 2011. In 2012, Vornado Realty Trust announced plans to sell its portfolio of enclosed shopping malls, which means that ownership and management at Monmouth Mall is likely to soon change.

In 1989, Ashley Tisdale was discovered at the mall as a three-year old.