Throughout the first half of the century, the suburban community grew quickly, and local residents desired quality shopping within their local setting. Their vision began to take shape in 1949 when the Prudential Insurance Company of America acquired a large tract of land where The Mall at Short Hills and part of the Canoe Brook Country Club now sit. Seven years later, B. Altman & Company opened a 130,000-square-foot store on the land and eventually added an additional 50,000 square feet to meet market demands. Local residents continued their demand for expanded retailing and in the early '60s, a small center opened. The open-air center included Bonwit Teller along with retailers such as FAO Schwarz, Pottery Barn and Brentano's. The momentum continued as America's largest Bloomingdale's premiered on the site in 1967. The 243,000-square-foot store included an entire floor devoted to furniture and decorative accessories. In addition, smaller "boutiques" were created in the store such as, Young World, Delicacies Shop, Au Gourmet, a men's store, and a Stouffer's restaurant. In 1974, Prudential Insurance Company of America began working with The Taubman Company, The Mall at Short Hills' current owner. By 1980, the two had completed a two-year, $100 million project to enclose the mall, which at that time included 1,160,000 of gross leasable space and three anchor stores. New retailers included Godiva Chocolatier, Black Star and Frost, The Limited and Gap. The following year, 1981, Abraham & Straus joined the center. The first phase of a major expansion began in 1993, and was completed in November 1994 adding a 100,000-square-foot Saks Fifth Avenue. Bloomingdale's was renovated, and Abraham & Straus became Macy's. The next expansion phase was completed in August 1995 adding two anchors—a 129,000 square-foot Neiman Marcus and a 172,000 square-foot Nordstrom—and many new specialty stores including Tiffany & Co., Crate & Barrel, DKNY and others. Saks Fifth Avenue closed in September 2016. A portion of the store was converted to the first Indigo Books and Music store in the United States, which opened in October 2018. The third and second floors will be converted into Industrious. On June 24 2020, GNC announced that it permanently closed it's store at The Mall At Short Hills.
Incidents
On December 15, 2013, attorney Dustin Friedland was shot and killed during a carjacking. In 2018, four people responsible for this killing were sentenced 30 years in a New Jersey State Prison. In December 2019, the mall had to close down for a day, following a water line rupture for the building's sprinkler system. The mall initially reported the cause of the shutdown and evacuation as a water main break underneath the building.
