Ridgeway Shopping Center

Ridgeway Shopping Center is a retail and commercial property in Stamford, Connecticut. It opened on March 26, 1947, and is notable in the history of American retail development because it was an early department-store-anchored suburban shopping center in the Eastern United States. The project was designed by Stamford architect and designer Alfons Bach, whose work emphasized modern commercial architecture and planned retail environments. The original development provided approximately 110,000 square feet of retail space on a roughly 20,000-square-foot site, establishing a suburban shopping destination at a time when department stores were still concentrated largely in traditional downtown districts. The center grew through successive additions. Early tenants included W.J. Sloan Home Furnishings, Pennsylvania Drug, Deena's, The Lurie Company, Chizzini, and Slenderella Figure Salon. In 1951, Bach expanded the property with a three-story office tower and a Sears department store; a movie theater was also added that year. A six-story office building followed in 1956. The 1958 expansion brought a branch of Saks-34th, operated by Gimbel Bros. Saks-34th was positioned as a more value-conscious upper-middle-market companion to Saks Fifth Avenue. Its arrival helped make Ridgeway the largest retail center in Connecticut at that time. By 1960, the center reportedly contained approximately 367,000 square feet of gross leasable area and parking for about 1,000 vehicles. It was sold that year for $5 million, although the available reference material does not identify the purchaser or provide a complete ownership history. After Gimbel Bros. discontinued the New York Saks-34th Street flagship in 1965, its three Saks-34th branches, including the Stamford location, were converted into Gimbels stores. This reflected the center's continuing relationship with major department-store operators during the period when large suburban retail properties were expanding across the United States. Ridgeway underwent a major refurbishment and repositioning during the mid-to-late 1990s. The redevelopment removed or displaced legacy occupants including Sears, Gimbels, and Grand Central Market and introduced a more contemporary mix of discount, specialty, home-improvement, office-supply, apparel, and supermarket tenants. Stop & Shop, Bed Bath & Beyond, Staples, Michaels, Marshalls, Old Navy, Amazing Savings or Just-A-Buck, and Dress Barn were among the businesses associated with the renovated center. The project also added Montgomery KONE elevators and escalators serving the retail areas and the six-story parking garage. The former Professional Building was demolished in 1997-1998 and replaced with smaller business spaces, a loading dock, and employee service corridors. The property continued to change as individual tenants and formats evolved. LA Fitness moved into the former Ridgeway Theater space in 2003. Modell's Sporting Goods occupied a former discount-retail space in 2007 but closed in 2020 during the company's liquidation. In 2015, a former United States Post Office building next to LA Fitness became a Wells Fargo bank branch. By June 2023, the principal anchors were Burlington, Michaels, Marshalls, Old Navy, and Stop & Shop. Burlington occupied part of the space formerly associated with Bed Bath & Beyond, which had closed earlier that year. Other listed occupants included Staples, Five Below, Carter's, Ideal Image, Snipes, AT&T, Starbucks, LA Fitness, BevMax, DSW Shoes, and smaller businesses along Sixth Street. In its current form, the property is characterized as a power center rather than a conventional enclosed mall, while retaining historical significance as an early suburban department-store retail development.

Ridgeway Shopping Center was planned in Stamford, Connecticut, by architect and designer Alfons Bach. The initial section opened on March 26, 1947, with approximately 110,000 square feet of retail space. Its department-store-oriented suburban format was historically significant because large-scale retail in the Eastern United States had traditionally been concentrated in central business districts. The center offered a planned destination for automobile-oriented shopping and combined retail tenants with later office, entertainment, and service uses. The early tenant roster included W.J. Sloan Home Furnishings, Pennsylvania Drug, Deena's, The Lurie Company, Chizzini, and Slenderella Figure Salon. Expansion began quickly. In 1951, Bach added a three-story office tower and a Sears department store, while a movie theater was also introduced. A six-story office building was completed in 1956. In 1958, Gimbel Bros. expanded the property again by opening a Saks-34th branch. Saks-34th served as an upper-middle-market and comparatively value-oriented companion to Saks Fifth Avenue. The new branch contributed to Ridgeway's status as the largest retail center in Connecticut during that period. The center had reached approximately 367,000 square feet of gross leasable area and parking for about 1,000 cars by 1960, when it was sold for a reported $5 million. The available account does not identify the buyer. In 1965, after Gimbel Bros. closed the New York Saks-34th Street flagship, its three Saks-34th branches, including Stamford's, were converted to Gimbels stores. This change illustrates how department-store portfolios and retail brands were consolidated during the era of suburban expansion. Ridgeway's format and tenant mix changed substantially in the 1990s. A major refurbishment and expansion in the middle to late part of that decade removed or displaced Sears, Gimbels, Grand Central Market, and other earlier occupants. The renovated center instead emphasized Stop & Shop, Bed Bath & Beyond, Staples, Michaels, Marshalls, Old Navy, Amazing Savings or Just-A-Buck, Dress Barn, and other contemporary chain retailers. New elevators and escalators by Montgomery KONE served the center and its six-story parking garage. The Professional Building was demolished in 1997-1998 and replaced with smaller business spaces, a loading dock, and employee circulation areas. Later changes continued the property's transition toward a flexible power-center model. LA Fitness moved into the former Ridgeway Theater in 2003. Modell's Sporting Goods opened in 2007 in space previously used by Amazing Savings or Just-A-Buck, then closed in 2020 when Modell's liquidated its business. In 2015, a former United States Post Office next to LA Fitness was converted into a Wells Fargo bank branch. As of June 2023, the principal anchors were Burlington, Michaels, Marshalls, Old Navy, and Stop & Shop. Burlington occupied part of the space vacated by Bed Bath & Beyond after its 2023 closure. Additional occupants identified in the reference material included Staples, Five Below, Carter's, Ideal Image, Snipes, AT&T, Starbucks, LA Fitness, BevMax, DSW Shoes, and smaller businesses along Sixth Street. The property is now described as a power center, but its 1947 opening and successive department-store expansions give it an important place in the history of suburban retail architecture. The Smithsonian's guide to the Alfons Bach Papers also identifies extensive Ridgeway Center files and photographs documenting Bach's design work.

• 2023

  Burlington joins anchor lineup

  [1]Ridgeway Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Burlington occupied part of the former Bed Bath & Beyond space; the center's listed anchors also included Michaels, Marshalls, Old Navy, and Stop & Shop.

• 2020

  Modell's location closes

  [1]Ridgeway Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The Modell's Sporting Goods store closed during the retailer's corporate liquidation.

• 2015

  Wells Fargo occupies former post office

  [1]Ridgeway Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The former United States Post Office next to LA Fitness became a Wells Fargo bank location.

• 2003

  LA Fitness opens

  [1]Ridgeway Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org

  LA Fitness occupied the former Ridgeway Theater space.

• 1997

  Major refurbishment begins

  [1]Ridgeway Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org

  A large redevelopment program reshaped the tenant mix and modernized the physical facilities.

• 1965

  Saks-34th branches become Gimbels

  [1]Ridgeway Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The Stamford Saks-34th branch was converted to a Gimbels store after the New York flagship closed.

• 1960

  Center sold after reaching regional scale

  [1]Ridgeway Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Ridgeway was sold after reaching about 367,000 square feet of gross leasable area and parking for approximately 1,000 cars.

• 1958

  Saks-34th branch opens

  [1]Ridgeway Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Gimbel Bros. opened a Saks-34th branch during the center's third expansion.

• 1956

  Six-story office building added

  [1]Ridgeway Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org

  A six-story office building expanded Ridgeway's combined commercial and retail functions.

• 1951

  Sears, office tower, and theater added

  [1]Ridgeway Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The center expanded with a three-story office tower, a Sears department store, and a movie theater.

• 1947

  First section opens

  [1]Ridgeway Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Ridgeway opened on March 26 with approximately 110,000 square feet of retail space.

• 1946

  Initial center planned by Alfons Bach

  [1]Ridgeway Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Stamford architect and designer Alfons Bach planned the original section of the future Ridgeway Shopping Center.

A community-oriented, multi-tenant retail and commercial center that combines large-format anchor stores, grocery shopping, specialty retail, services, fitness, and smaller local businesses. Historically, it was positioned as an innovative suburban alternative to downtown department-store shopping; in its current form, it functions primarily as a power center serving Stamford and nearby communities.

• Shopping center · 1947

  Ridgeway retail center

  The principal offering is a multi-tenant retail property rather than a manufactured consumer product. Ridgeway provides a combination of large-format anchors, specialty stores, grocery shopping, personal services, fitness, food and beverage, banking, and smaller local businesses. Its tenant mix has changed substantially over time, allowing the property to shift from a department-store-led suburban center to a contemporary power-center format.

• Supermarket anchor

  Stop & Shop

  Stop & Shop is a supermarket anchor serving grocery and everyday household needs. Its presence represents Ridgeway's later emphasis on recurring community shopping and essential retail, complementing the center's discount, specialty, home, and service tenants.

• Arts and crafts retail

  Michaels

  Michaels is an arts-and-crafts anchor offering craft materials, seasonal merchandise, home décor, framing, and related project supplies. At Ridgeway it forms part of the center's contemporary large-format tenant mix.

• Off-price retail

  Marshalls

  Marshalls is an off-price retailer focused on apparel, footwear, accessories, and home merchandise. Its value-oriented format fits the center's post-1990s repositioning toward high-volume discount and specialty retail.

• Apparel retail

  Old Navy

  Old Navy is an apparel anchor offering casual clothing and accessories for adults, children, and families. The store contributes a national apparel presence to the center's current retail mix.

• Off-price department store · 2023

  Burlington

  Burlington is an off-price department-store format carrying discounted apparel, accessories, footwear, and home merchandise. Its arrival in part of the former Bed Bath & Beyond space illustrates the center's continuing adaptation to anchor-vacancy and retail-format changes.

• Fitness center · 2003

  LA Fitness

  LA Fitness is a large fitness facility occupying the former Ridgeway Theater space. The conversion added an experiential and service-based use to the center, broadening its role beyond conventional merchandise retail.

• Department store · 1951

  Sears

  Sears was one of Ridgeway's major historical department-store anchors and was added during the 1951 expansion. It was later removed as part of the center's extensive 1990s refurbishment.

• Department store · 1958

  Saks-34th

  Saks-34th was a Gimbel Bros. retail format positioned as an upper-middle-market but more value-conscious counterpart to Saks Fifth Avenue. The Stamford branch opened in 1958 and was converted into a Gimbels store in 1965.

• 2023

  Burlington replaces part of former Bed Bath & Beyond spaceStrategy

  Background

  Bed Bath & Beyond had closed at the center earlier in 2023, leaving anchor space available for a new retail use.

  Action taken

  Burlington took over a portion of the former Bed Bath & Beyond space.

  Aftermath

  Burlington joined Michaels, Marshalls, Old Navy, and Stop & Shop as a principal listed anchor.

  Source

• 2003

  Former theater converted to fitness useOther

  Background

  The former Ridgeway Theater represented a large entertainment-oriented space within a changing retail property.

  Action taken

  LA Fitness moved into the former theater location.

  Aftermath

  The conversion diversified the center's activity mix by adding a recurring fitness and service use.

  Source

• 1997

  Repositioning from department-store center to modern power centerStrategy

  Background

  The center's older department-store and market tenants no longer represented its intended retail mix, prompting a major refurbishment and expansion during the mid-to-late 1990s.

  Action taken

  Sears, Gimbels, Grand Central Market, and other occupants were removed or displaced, while new supermarket, discount, specialty, home, and office-supply tenants were introduced. The property also received vertical-transportation and back-of-house improvements.

  Aftermath

  Ridgeway emerged with a more flexible, contemporary tenant mix and is now characterized as a power center rather than a traditional enclosed shopping mall.

  Source

1. 1Ridgeway Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org
2. 2Guide to the Alfons Bach Paperssi.edu