Forrestal Village is a ,

mixed-use Mixed-use is a kind of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning type that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions are to some ...

retail and office complex in Plainsboro Township, Middlesex County,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, along Route 1. Despite being in Plainsboro it has a

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...

address. It is just north of

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

's Forrestal campus and is named for

James Forrestal James Vincent Forrestal (February 15, 1892 – May 22, 1949) was the last Cabinet-level United States Secretary of the Navy and the first United States Secretary of Defense. Forrestal came from a very strict middle-class Irish Catholic fami ...

. The center is anchored by Can Do Fitness (an upscale chain of fitness centers in the northeast) and a

Westin Westin Hotels & Resorts is an American upscale hotel chain owned by Marriott International. , the Westin Brand has 226 properties with 82,608 rooms in multiple countries in addition to 58 hotels with 15,741 rooms in the pipeline. History Wester ...

hotel. In recent years, it has suffered a sharp decline, turning into a

dead mall A dead mall (also known as a ghost mall, zombie mall, or abandoned mall) is a shopping mall with a high vacancy rate or a low consumer traffic level, or that is deteriorating in some manner. Many malls in North America are considered "dead ...

. Renovations and rebranding as an "office" complex are underway to bring customers back. The center has spawned some development in the area, including an adjacent office complex and several apartment and condo communities, including Princeton Windrows, which is right across the street.

History

Princeton Forrestal Village broke ground in 1986 on land leased from Princeton University, at Route 1 and College Farm Road. A

cloverleaf interchange A cloverleaf interchange is a two-level interchange in which all turns are handled by slip roads. To go left (in right-hand traffic; reverse directions in left-driving regions), vehicles first continue as one road passes over or under the ...

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 The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is an American philanthropic organization. It is the largest one focused solely on health. Based in Princeton, New Jersey, the foundation focuses on access to health care, public health, health equity, ...

. Designed by

Sasaki Associates Sasaki is a design firm specializing in Architecture, Interior Design, Urban Design, Space Planning, Landscape Architecture, Ecology, Civil Engineering, and Place Branding. The firm is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, but practices on an i ...

Watertown, Massachusetts Watertown is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, and is part of Greater Boston. The population was 35,329 in the 2020 census. Its neighborhoods include Bemis, Coolidge Square, East Watertown, Watertown Square, and the West End. Watertown ...

, 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". When it opened, it contained nightclubs, several restaurants, a 300-room

Marriott Marriott may refer to: People *Marriott (surname) Corporations * Marriott Corporation, founded as Hot Shoppes, Inc. in 1927; split into Marriott International and Host Marriott Corporation in 1993 * Marriott International, international hote ...

hotel, an indoor food court, and many upscale stores, all set up in an open-air Main Street-style village area. 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 Palmer Square is a public square and planned development in the heart of Princeton, New Jersey across from Nassau Street and Princeton University that today forms a collection of shops, restaurants, offices and residential spaces. History Orig ...

, and the

Quaker Bridge Mall Quaker Bridge Mall is a two-level super-regional mall located in the Clarksville section of Lawrence Township, New Jersey. As of 2022, the mall currently features the traditional tenants Macy's, and JCPenney. The mall currently features prominen ...

, it was not as successful as planned. As many of the upscale tenants moved out, the owners brought in

outlet stores An outlet store, factory outlet or factory shop is a brick and mortar or online store in which manufacturers sell their stock directly to the public. Traditionally, a factory outlet was a store attached to a factory or warehouse, sometimes allowin ...

and the Forrestal Village became an

outlet mall An outlet store, factory outlet or factory shop is a brick and mortar or online store in which manufacturers sell their stock directly to the public. Traditionally, a factory outlet was a store attached to a factory or warehouse, sometimes allowin ...

. The concept was successful for a brief period.

Revitalization

By the late 1990s, 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. 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 "Market Hall" building, which includes a Koi Spa, physical therapy center, nail salon, and other small retail stores inside. Also, Luxe Home, a furnishings store, relocated to the center from Princeton's

. Several restaurants, such as the Salt Creek Grille and

Ruth's Chris Steak House Ruth's Chris Steak House is a chain of over 100 steakhouses across the United States, Canada and Mexico. On May 22, 2008, the company underwent rebranding and became part of Ruth's Hospitality Group after its acquisition of Mitchell's Fish Mark ...

have also opened. The food court, which was relocated from the Market Hall to an area in the main retail area, only has four current tenants, a Subway, a pizza place (Valentino's Pizzeria/Trattoria), a sushi/teriyaki vendor (Teriyaki Boy), and a Chinese restaurant/Deli (China Chen/Village Grille). Most of the other tenants in the retail spaces are offices and services.

Gallery

Princeton_forrestal_village_morning_flowers.jpg, Morning Flowers Princeton_forrestal_village_New-Tre-Piani-GREAT-SHOT.jpg, Inside Tre Piani Princeton_forrestal_village_-Photo-14.jpg, In the Spring Princeton_forrestal_village_square.jpg, Fountain on the Square Princeton_forrestal_village_cando.jpg, Cando Fitness Princeton_forrestal_village_Salt-Creek-2.jpg, Salt Creek Grille Princeton_forrestal_village_Tre-Piani.jpg, Tre Piani Princeton_forrestal_village_Foutain.jpg, Fountain in the Square

References

External links

Deadmalls.com entry
{{New York City Malls Shopping malls in New Jersey Hotels in New Jersey Shopping malls established in 1986 1986 establishments in New Jersey Shopping malls in the New York metropolitan area Plainsboro Township, New Jersey