In spring 1957, in Paramus, New Jersey, between Route 4 and Route 17, Garden State Plaza opened and drew about 75,000 people.
Most arrived by car, reflecting the postwar era when automobile ownership shaped daily life and made new destinations easy to reach.
The complex was a new kind of shopping center for New Jersey. A three-story Bamberger’s department store anchored the site with 340,000 square feet…