Phillipsburg Mall
A former enclosed shopping mall on U.S. Route 22 in Warren County, New Jersey, that operated from 1989 until its closure and demolition.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Phillipsburg Mall was an enclosed shopping mall located along U.S. Route 22 in Warren County, New Jersey. Despite its name, the property stood just east of Phillipsburg, on the boundary between Lopatcong Township and Pohatcong Township. It served the eastern portion of the Lehigh Valley, a regional market centered on Allentown, Pennsylvania, as well as communities in western New Jersey. Crown American announced the project in 1985. The original development plan called for Bradlees, Sears, and Hess's as the principal anchors. Because Bradlees was closing stores during the development period, Crown American substituted Kmart for that space. Construction was delayed by highway-access and sewage-system problems, postponing the originally planned 1987 opening. The mall eventually opened on September 24, 1989, with Kmart, Hess's, and Sears as anchors and approximately 90 smaller stores. Its opening generated unusually heavy traffic: more than 7,000 people attended the grand opening, and congestion on U.S. Route 22 reportedly extended for about a mile in both directions. Hess's, which operated its first and only New Jersey location at the mall, attracted such a large opening-day crowd that its scheduled ribbon-cutting was not held. The tenant mix changed substantially over time. JCPenney joined the center in March 1990. Hess's was sold to The Bon-Ton in 1994, converting that anchor into a Bon-Ton department store. Kmart left in 2002 during bankruptcy-related store closures, and Kohl's later acquired and redeveloped the former Kmart space, opening there in April 2004. PREIT acquired the Crown American portfolio in 2003 and considered a modernization program designed with CREATE Architecture, but the renovation did not proceed. PREIT sold the property to Mason Asset Management and Namdar Realty Group for $11.5 million in 2013. By then, the mall was experiencing increasing vacancy and competition from nearby shopping centers. JCPenney announced in January 2014 that its Phillipsburg Mall store would close as part of a national reduction, and the vacant space later became home to Black Rose Antiques & Collectibles in 2017. Spin Me Round Records also opened nearby, while Gold's Gym occupied space associated with several former smaller stores. The mall's decline accelerated after Sears and Bon-Ton announced closures in late 2017 and early 2018. Sears closed on January 28, 2018, and Bon-Ton closed on April 29, 2018. A major roof collapse in the former Sears building during an August 2018 rainstorm forced the affected section to be blocked off and led remaining tenants to relocate toward the Kohl's side. The former Sears and Bon-Ton buildings were demolished in 2019. Other tenants, including Old Navy, left for nearby locations. In 2019, the owner stated that the property was better suited to a use other than a mall. Most remaining tenants received lease-termination notices in December 2019, and the enclosed mall was shuttered by July 2020. Black Rose Antiques announced its closure in January 2020, while Kohl's indicated that it would remain because it was separately owned. A proposed redevelopment centered on an approximately 852,000-square-foot warehouse delayed full demolition. Demolition of the remaining mall structures began in February 2024 and was completed by July 2024, ending the physical presence of Phillipsburg Mall as a shopping center.
History
Phillipsburg Mall originated in Crown American's 1985 proposal for a regional enclosed shopping center on U.S. Route 22 in Warren County, New Jersey. The site was near Phillipsburg but physically located across Lopatcong and Pohatcong townships. Crown American initially selected Bradlees, Sears, and Hess's as anchors. Because Bradlees was reducing its store base, Kmart replaced it in the development plan. Highway and sewage infrastructure problems delayed the project, which had been intended to open in 1987. The mall opened on September 24, 1989, with Kmart, Hess's, and Sears, along with about 90 smaller tenants. The opening was a major local event. More than 7,000 people attended, traffic backed up along Route 22, and Hess's faced such a large crowd that it did not conduct its scheduled ribbon-cutting. JCPenney expanded the anchor lineup in March 1990. Hess's was sold to The Bon-Ton in 1994, and the store continued operating under the Bon-Ton name. The center's first major anchor transition occurred when Kmart closed in 2002 during bankruptcy proceedings. Kohl's later acquired the space and opened a store there in April 2004. PREIT acquired Crown American's portfolio in 2003 and explored a renovation with CREATE Architecture. The concept would have given the aging center a more contemporary appearance, but the project was abandoned. PREIT eventually sold Phillipsburg Mall to Mason Asset Management and Namdar Realty Group in 2013 for $11.5 million. The mall entered a prolonged period of tenant erosion. JCPenney announced its closure in January 2014, and the former department-store space was later repurposed by Black Rose Antiques & Collectibles, which opened in 2017. Spin Me Round Records also opened near the former JCPenney area, while Gold's Gym occupied space created by earlier tenant departures. These additions provided alternative attractions but did not reverse the broader decline of the traditional department-store model. Sears announced its closure in November 2017 and exited on January 28, 2018. The Bon-Ton, carrying approximately $1.1 billion in debt according to the cited account, announced a broader round of closures and shut its Phillipsburg store on April 29, 2018. In August of that year, heavy rain caused an approximately 200-square-foot roof section in the former Sears building to collapse. The damaged side was closed, and affected tenants moved closer to Kohl's. Old Navy, which had operated at the mall since approximately 2000, left in September 2018 for a nearby shopping center. The former Sears building was demolished in August 2019 and the former Bon-Ton building followed in October. During the same year, additional tenants—including AT&T, Gold's Gym, H&M, and Victoria's Secret—departed. In March, owner representative Elliot Nassim said the property was more suitable for a use other than a mall. On December 23, remaining tenants received notices requiring them to vacate within 30 days. The enclosed interior was closed by July 2020. Black Rose Antiques announced its departure in January 2020, while Kohl's remained separately operated. In January 2021, Mason Asset Management announced a plan to replace the mall with an approximately 852,000-square-foot warehouse. The original demolition timetable was delayed, and full demolition began in February 2024. The remaining structures were removed by July 2024. Phillipsburg Mall therefore passed through the common life cycle of a late twentieth-century regional mall: rapid initial growth, department-store turnover, increasing vacancy, partial adaptation, closure, and eventual conversion of the site to a proposed logistics-oriented use.
- 2024
Remaining structures are demolished
[1]Demolition began in February and was completed by July.
- 2020
Interior mall shuts
[1]The enclosed interior was shuttered by July after remaining tenants were instructed to vacate.
- 2019
Anchor buildings are demolished
[1]The former Sears and Bon-Ton buildings were demolished during the year.
- 2018
Sears and Bon-Ton depart
[1]Sears closed in January and Bon-Ton closed in April, removing two of the mall's traditional anchors.
- 2017
Black Rose Antiques opens
[1]Black Rose Antiques & Collectibles opened in the former JCPenney space on January 1.
- 2013
Ownership changes to Mason and Namdar
[1]PREIT sold the property to Mason Asset Management and Namdar Realty Group.
- 2004
Kohl's opens
[1]Kohl's opened in the former Kmart anchor space in April.
- 2002
Kmart closes
[1]Kmart closed its mall location during bankruptcy-related store reductions.
- 1994
Hess's becomes The Bon-Ton
[1]The Bon-Ton acquired the Hess's store and converted the anchor to its own department-store brand.
- 1990
JCPenney opens
[1]JCPenney opened at the mall in March.
Products and positioning
A regional enclosed shopping center serving western New Jersey and the eastern Lehigh Valley, with a traditional department-store anchor model that later shifted toward specialty retail, antiques, fitness, and other nontraditional uses.
Retail format · 1989
Department-store retail
The mall's principal offering was a collection of department stores selling apparel, footwear, household merchandise, cosmetics, furniture, and general consumer goods. Its anchor roster changed over time from Hess's, Kmart, and Sears to Bon-Ton, Kohl's, and JCPenney. Department stores provided the center's primary traffic generators and shaped its original regional-mall positioning.
Specialty retail · 2017
Black Rose Antiques & Collectibles
Black Rose Antiques & Collectibles occupied the former JCPenney space beginning in 2017. Its presence represented a substantial change from the conventional department-store use of the space, offering antiques and collectibles as a destination-oriented specialty retail attraction. The store announced its closure in January 2020.
Specialty retail · 2017
Spin Me Round Records
Spin Me Round Records opened near the former JCPenney area during the mall's later period. The record-store format added a music-focused specialty retailer to a center increasingly relying on nontraditional tenants and local destination uses.
Fitness services · 2017
Gold's Gym
Gold's Gym opened at the mall in 2017 in space associated with several former smaller retail and restaurant tenants. The fitness club illustrated attempts to diversify the property's tenant base beyond apparel and department-store shopping, although it later closed during the mall's broader tenant exodus.
Brand decisions
2021
Warehouse redevelopment is proposedStrategyBackground
The enclosed mall had already been shuttered and its traditional anchor base had largely disappeared.
Action taken
Mason Asset Management announced a plan to demolish the remaining mall and develop an approximately 852,000-square-foot warehouse.
Aftermath
The announced timetable was delayed, with demolition of the remaining structures beginning in February 2024 and finishing by July 2024.
2019
Property strategy shifts away from enclosed retailStrategyBackground
The mall had lost major anchors and numerous smaller tenants, while the owner assessed the site's future use.
Action taken
Mason Asset Management indicated that the property was better suited to a use other than a mall and proceeded with a transition that included tenant departures and demolition of former anchor buildings.
Aftermath
Remaining tenants received termination notices in December, and the interior mall was closed by July 2020.
2013
PREIT sells the property to Mason Asset Management and Namdar Realty GroupM&ABackground
The mall had experienced tenant turnover and required a strategy for a changing regional retail environment after PREIT's acquisition of the Crown American portfolio.
Action taken
PREIT transferred ownership to Mason Asset Management and Namdar Realty Group.
Aftermath
The new ownership period included further tenant departures, partial demolition, lease terminations, closure of the enclosed interior, and a proposed warehouse redevelopment.
Reported sale price. $11.5 million (2013)
Sources1 sources
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