Livingston Mall

Livingston Mall was a two-level regional shopping center in Livingston, New Jersey. With approximately 968,820 square feet of gross leasable area, it served shoppers from Essex, Morris, and Union counties and occupied a strategically accessible site near the Passaic River, Eisenhower Parkway, and South Orange Avenue. The property was connected to major regional roads including Interstate 280, Route 10, Route 24, Interstate 78, and Interstate 287, and was also served by several New Jersey Transit and local shuttle routes. The mall was conceived in the late 1960s during the expansion of suburban retail in northern New Jersey. Its development coincided with the movement of residents and retailers away from traditional downtown shopping districts, particularly Newark, whose retail importance had weakened substantially after the 1967 race riots. The first major store, Bamberger's, opened in 1971, and the enclosed mall followed in 1972 with Sears and Hahne & Company as additional anchors. These stores connected the new suburban center with established department-store traditions: both Bamberger's and Hahne's had previously operated prominent Newark locations, while Sears had also maintained a Newark presence. The anchor lineup changed over time. Bamberger's was converted to Macy's in 1986 after the Bamberger's name was retired. Hahne's was replaced by Lord & Taylor in 1989 when its parent company discontinued the Hahne's banner. A major renovation completed in 2008 added a food court, redesigned entrances, a new center court, and a new elevator. Barnes & Noble and Applebee's joined the expanded portion of the property during that project, broadening the mall's mix beyond traditional department-store retail. The property entered a prolonged period of decline as department stores contracted, consumer shopping habits changed, and investment in the physical site weakened. Sears announced in 2020 that its Livingston store would close as part of a nationwide reduction. Lord & Taylor also announced the closure of its Livingston location in 2020 during the company's restructuring and the wider disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Livingston Township authorized a plan to refresh the approximately 50-year-old mall in 2021, but the property changed hands in 2022 when Simon Property Group sold it to Kohan Retail Investment Group. Under Kohan's ownership, the mall was widely reported to have deteriorating infrastructure, including heating and air-conditioning failures, water intrusion, damaged parking surfaces, nonfunctional escalators, and an elevator that was reportedly shut down. These conditions contributed to tenant departures and a sharp reduction in shopper traffic. By the mid-2020s, local observers and media commonly characterized the property as a dead, zombie, or largely vacant mall. The township adopted a high-density housing redevelopment plan in March 2025. Reports later described significant unpaid property taxes associated with Kohan's mall portfolio, including a substantial delinquency attributed to Livingston Mall. The remaining major tenants subsequently departed. Barnes & Noble announced plans to relocate to the nearby Livingston Shopping Center and ultimately closed its mall location on July 15, 2026. Macy's announced its closure as part of a broader program targeting underperforming stores and closed in April 2026. A burst pipe led to a temporary mall closure in February 2026, apart from limited access associated with Macy's and Barnes & Noble at that time. After the final establishments left, the property no longer operated as a conventional shopping mall. Its decline also attracted attention from retail enthusiasts, urban explorers, and social-media creators, prompting local police to warn people against entering the privately owned site without authorization.

Livingston Mall emerged from the suburbanization of retail in northern New Jersey. Planned during the late 1960s, it was designed to capture shopping demand from growing suburban communities and from consumers who had previously traveled to downtown Newark. Newark's retail district had suffered a major decline after the July 1967 race riots, while population movement toward suburban and exurban areas created demand for large, automobile-accessible shopping centers. Bamberger's began operations at the site in 1971. The enclosed mall opened the following year with Sears and Hahne & Company joining Bamberger's as principal anchors. The tenant lineup reflected the transition from traditional urban department-store retail to the suburban mall format: Bamberger's and Hahne's had both operated large flagship stores in Newark, and Sears had also maintained a Newark location. The mall's department-store identity changed as its anchor companies consolidated. In 1986, Bamberger's was converted to Macy's. In 1989, Lord & Taylor replaced Hahne's after the parent company retired the Hahne's name. These changes preserved a conventional department-store mix for several decades, but the broader retail environment became increasingly difficult for enclosed malls as department stores reduced their footprints, online shopping expanded, and shoppers shifted toward open-air centers and other formats. A substantial renovation in 2008 attempted to modernize the property and improve the customer experience. The work added a new food court, a redesigned center court, a new elevator, and additional entrances. Barnes & Noble and Applebee's opened in the new wing as part of the expansion, giving the center a combination of retail, books, and casual dining. The mall's decline accelerated in the late 2010s and 2020s. Sears announced in February 2020 that its store would close in a nationwide reduction. Lord & Taylor announced later that year that the Livingston location would also close, amid the company's restructuring and the economic disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic. Livingston Township authorized a plan in March 2021 to refresh the aging property, but the mall was sold by Simon Property Group to Kohan Retail Investment Group in 2022. During Kohan's ownership, the property was associated with worsening physical conditions. Reported problems included failures of the HVAC system, insufficient heating and air conditioning, water leaks, mold-like odors, potholes and other deterioration in the parking lot, a disabled elevator, and multiple inoperable escalators. Tenants reportedly responded with temporary climate-control measures or departed altogether. The decline in occupancy and maintenance led local observers to describe the center as a dead or zombie mall. The site's future shifted toward redevelopment. In March 2025, the Livingston Township Council adopted a plan for high-density housing on the mall property. Reports in September 2025 also described significant unpaid taxes associated with Kohan's properties, including a large overdue amount attributed to Livingston Mall. In February 2026, a burst pipe resulted in a temporary closure. Macy's closed in April 2026, while Barnes & Noble closed on July 15, 2026, ahead of its relocation to the Livingston Shopping Center. With those remaining major establishments gone, the mall ceased functioning as a conventional retail destination. The deteriorating property became a subject of online attention among mall enthusiasts, influencers, and urban explorers. Local police warned teenagers and content creators not to enter the site without permission because it remained private property. The Livingston Mall story illustrates the decline of a once-important suburban retail center as anchor stores disappeared, infrastructure investment weakened, and local planning moved toward a different use for the land.

• 2026

  Final major tenants depart

  [1]Livingston Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Macy's closed in April and Barnes & Noble closed on July 15, leaving the property without its principal establishments.

• 2025

  High-density housing redevelopment plan adopted

  [1]Livingston Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The township adopted a plan calling for high-density housing redevelopment of the mall site.

• 2022

  Ownership transfers to Kohan Retail Investment Group

  [1]Livingston Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Simon Property Group sold the mall to Kohan Retail Investment Group.

• 2021

  Township authorizes mall refresh plan

  [1]Livingston Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Livingston Township authorized a plan to refresh the aging shopping center.

• 2020

  Sears and Lord & Taylor closures announced

  [1]Livingston Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Both remaining traditional department-store anchors announced plans to close their Livingston Mall locations.

• 2008

  Major renovation and expansion

  [1]Livingston Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The property added a food court, new entrances, a center-court elevator, and an expanded wing containing Barnes & Noble and Applebee's.

• 1989

  Lord & Taylor replaces Hahne's

  [1]Livingston Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Lord & Taylor took over the Hahne's anchor after the Hahne's banner was retired.

• 1986

  Bamberger's becomes Macy's

  [1]Livingston Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The Bamberger's department-store location was converted to Macy's.

• 1972

  Enclosed mall opens

  [1]Livingston Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The mall opened with Sears and Hahne & Company joining Bamberger's as principal anchors.

• 1971

  Bamberger's opens

  [1]Livingston Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Bamberger's became the first major store to begin operations at the planned Livingston Mall site.

Regional shopping center serving suburban communities in northern New Jersey

• Retail real estate · 1972

  Enclosed regional shopping center

  Livingston Mall provided enclosed, climate-controlled retail space organized around department-store anchors and smaller specialty tenants. At its peak, the center served a multi-county suburban trade area and offered apparel, accessories, home merchandise, books, food, dining, and services. Its two-level format and large parking area reflected the automobile-oriented regional mall model that expanded across the United States during the second half of the twentieth century.

• Department stores · 1971

  Department-store anchors

  The mall's anchor history included Bamberger's, Sears, Hahne & Company, Macy's, and Lord & Taylor. These stores supplied broad merchandise assortments and generated much of the center's visitor traffic. Bamberger's later became Macy's, while Hahne's was replaced by Lord & Taylor after its banner was discontinued.

• Books and media · 2008

  Barnes & Noble

  Barnes & Noble opened in the mall's 2008 expansion and became one of the property's best-known later tenants. The bookstore provided books, media, gifts, and an experience-oriented destination that complemented the mall's traditional retail mix. It closed the Livingston Mall location on July 15, 2026, in preparation for relocation to the nearby Livingston Shopping Center.

• 2025

  Tax delinquency and deteriorating property conditions

  Reports stated that Kohan Retail Investment Group had accumulated more than $8.7 million in overdue taxes across its mall portfolio, with Livingston Mall identified as having a particularly large outstanding balance. The reports appeared alongside criticism of the property's declining maintenance, including HVAC failures, water intrusion, parking-lot damage, and nonfunctional vertical transportation.

  Source

• 2025

  Lawsuit over parking-lot sinkhole damage

  A Florham Park resident reportedly sued Kohan after a teenager's vehicle was badly damaged when it fell into a large depression or sinkhole in the mall parking lot. The incident was cited in reporting about the property's neglected infrastructure.

  Source

Read more

• 2025

  High-density housing redevelopmentStrategy

  Background

  The mall had lost major anchors and was widely viewed as underutilized and physically deteriorated.

  Action taken

  The Livingston Township Council adopted a plan supporting high-density housing redevelopment of the site.

  Aftermath

  The plan established a policy direction away from continued operation as a conventional enclosed shopping mall.

  Source

• 2022

  Sale from Simon Property Group to Kohan Retail Investment GroupM&A

  Background

  The mall was transferred during a period of declining occupancy and pressure on traditional enclosed shopping centers.

  Action taken

  Simon Property Group sold the Livingston Mall property to Kohan Retail Investment Group.

  Aftermath

  The mall experienced reported maintenance problems, tenant departures, and increasing discussion of redevelopment.

  Source

• 2021

  Township approves a mall refresh planStrategy

  Background

  The approximately 50-year-old property required reinvestment and repositioning.

  Action taken

  Livingston Township authorized a plan intended to refresh the mall.

  Aftermath

  The property was sold to Kohan Retail Investment Group the following year and subsequently continued to lose tenants and physical functionality.

  Source

• 2008

  Renovation and expansionStrategy

  Background

  The aging regional mall needed updated public areas and additional uses to remain competitive.

  Action taken

  The property added a food court, new entrances, a center court, an elevator, and an expanded wing with Barnes & Noble and Applebee's.

  Aftermath

  The work modernized the center and diversified its tenant mix, although it did not prevent longer-term decline.

  Source

1. 1Livingston Mallen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Simon Property Group: Livingston Mallsimon.com