American Dream

History

The development process of American Dream was stalled for almost three decades (including the 2002 cancellation of Meadowlands Mills) as a result of multiple legal setbacks, financial struggles (which led to numerous developer changes), and opposition regarding wetland and the sheer scale of the mall, leading to multiple construction delays and the building remaining abandoned for several years.

1994–2002: Meadowlands Mills

The Arlington, Virginia-based Mills Corporation first began working on plans for an outlet mall in the New Jersey Meadowlands in 1994 that would utilize the company's "shoppertainment" model used for Landmark Mills malls that combined retail outlets with entertainment facilities. Meadowlands Mills, as it was called, would have been constructed on the Empire Tract, an area of 587 acres (238 ha) of wetlands in Carlstadt, New Jersey. The tract was owned by Empire Ltd., a company which had purchased the land in 1961 and had been planning a major development since 1987. The commercial development would have consisted of 2.1 million square feet (200,000 m2) of retail space, a hotel, and 1 million square feet (93,000 m2) of office space on 206 acres (83 ha) of the tract. To mitigate the heavy environmental impact, the remainder of the tract would have been converted into stormwater retention basins.

After Empire and Mills announced their proposal in 1996, the project quickly became controversial and faced opposition from a variety of environmental and conservationist groups, as well as the tract's congressman, Steve Rothman. Opponents stated that the mall would have a devastating impact on the ecological health of the area, while the Mills Corporation defended its plans by arguing that the land was already devastated by pesticide usage and invasive common reeds.

The Environmental Protection Agency and the Fish and Wildlife Service opposed the project after studying its potential environmental impact. However, the Army Corps of Engineers conducted its own study which contradicted the EPA's findings and stated that the project was not a threat to the Meadowlands area. New Jersey governor Donald DiFrancesco announced plans to protect the area in 2001, encouraging the Mills Corporation to look at other potential sites in the region. His successor, Jim McGreevey, informed Mills the following year that the state government would not provide permits for the mall, effectively ending the project as originally proposed. The Empire Tract was later permanently protected by the Meadowlands Conservation Trust, which purchased it in 2005 and renamed it the Richard P. Kane Natural Area after a noted New Jersey conservationist.

2002–2011: Meadowlands Xanadu

In July 2002, the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA) issued a request for proposal for a project in the area that was then the parking lot of the Continental Airlines Arena. The request was inspired by the Meadowlands Mills project as well as by plans to move the New Jersey Nets out of the arena, and involved significantly less environmental damage because it would be built on already developed land. The Mills Corporation retooled its earlier proposal for Meadowlands Mills to fit the new site, and partnered with Mack-Cali Realty Corporation to design Meadowlands Xanadu, a major multi-use development which would incorporate a renovated Continental Airlines Arena. The name was taken from the Mills Corporation's Madrid Xanadú, a shopping mall in Spain which opened in May 2003. NJSEA accepted several other proposals for developing the site. Westfield Group proposed Arena Place, an "urban village" and "town square" built around the arena. Hartz Mountain Industries and Forest City Realty Trust submitted plans for Expo Park at the Meadowlands, featuring an outlet mall, a convention center, an indoor racetrack, and three hotel buildings. Triple Five Group proposed MeadowFest America, which planned an adaptive reuse of the arena to create a retail and entertainment complex.

Other proposals focused on the project's location in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. International Speedway Corporation envisioned plans for Sports City America, a development centered around the proposed Garden State International Speedway, a NASCAR racetrack seating 80,000. A consortium that included Paul Newman, Carl Haas, and Mario Andretti proposed Liberty Speedway and Family Theme Park, combining a racetrack with an amusement park and connecting the two with a monorail. In February 2003, the authority's board chose the Mills Corporation and Mack-Cali's plan over the other two finalists, Westfield Group and Hartz Mountain Industries. The project was billed by Mills chairman and executive officer Laurence C. Siegel as "...a new standard for bringing lifestyle, recreation, sports and family entertainment offerings together in one location." Ground was broken on the complex on September 29, 2004, and, at the time, was expected to open two years later. However, in May 2006, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced it was formally investigating the Mills Corporation after it announced that it was restating four years of earnings due to executive misconduct and accounting errors. Later in the year, an analyst at Bank of America Securities forced Mills to abandon the project, citing the signs of cost overruns. In November 2006, Colony Capital Acquisitions LLC purchased the project from the Mills Corporation for $500 million and pushed the projected opening to 2008. The Mills Corporation was acquired by Simon Property Group in April 2007, permanently ending any involvement with the property.

2011–2016: American Dream Meadowlands

On April 29, 2011, the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority completed a deal with the Canadian Triple Five Group, the developers, owners and operators of two of North America's largest malls: West Edmonton Mall and the Mall of America, who had previously proposed MeadowFest America for the New Jersey site in 2002, before the contract was awarded to the Mills Corporation. Triple Five assumed ownership of the mall and renamed it "American Dream Meadowlands", announcing a tentative opening date of early 2014, to coincide with Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium. The deal was officially announced on May 3, 2011. Among the changes to the project would be an expansion to 3 million square feet, an 8.5-acre indoor glass-domed amusement park, water parks, and an ice skating rink. In July 2012, DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg announced that a DreamWorks Water Park would open at the mall.

In June 2012, the New York Giants and the New York Jets sought an injunction against Triple Five from resuming construction after it took over the project from the Mills Corporation, stating that the addition of amusement and water parks at the site would adversely affect traffic at MetLife Stadium on days when home games were played there, specifically 16 Sundays out of the year, the day of the week that Bergen County's Blue Law prohibits shopping, though not amusement parks. The teams contended that while the mall would be closed on Sundays, the amusement park would not, which would create traffic jams on game days, when between 20,000 and 25,000 vehicles would park at the complex. Traffic studies conducted by the team estimated that 7,700 spots would be added by the project, while developers stated that it would add only 63 more cars, as local residents would be wise enough to avoid the grounds at that time, and most tourists would take the rail link to the MetLife Stadium site rather than drive. Triple Five objected to the law's restriction because it would infringe upon their business. In July 2012, Triple Five countersued for what it called an improper campaign by the teams to preserve their monopoly at the site, while dissuading potential lenders from investing. The project was criticized even further by environmentalists who issued a complaint on July 10, 2012, that draft permits approved by the Army Corps of Engineers would allow five more acres of wetlands to be destroyed for the project, which had already filled in more than seven. Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club, stated, "This project will increase traffic and flooding while taking business away from existing stores. This project is the Super Bowl of Sprawl and the American Dream is a commuter's nightmare." On March 12, 2014, the parties reached a tentative settlement, agreeing to drop their lawsuits. Though specific details of the agreement were not made public, the agreement allowed the long-delayed project to move forward. Construction had been ongoing since November 2013, and was expected to pick up in early 2014. That April, Triple Five released a revised design for the mall's exterior and confirmed a tentative opening date in late 2016, though by December 2014, it was reported that this would only be a partial opening. Triple Five officially took ownership of the mall on July 31, 2013, with construction set to start in late August of that year, despite the lawsuit.

2016–2019: Construction halts and resumes again

On December 22, 2016, work on the project stopped again. Financing from the planned 2016 bond issue was delayed until 2017. In May of that year, the developers secured $1.67 billion in construction financing from a private lending syndicate led by JPMorgan Chase, and by the following month, work had resumed.

The State of New Jersey, through the New Jersey Sports and Exhibition Authority, issued $1.15 billion in tax-free bonds in June 2017 to support the project. These unrated bonds yielded 6.625% when first issued. They were part of a suite of tax concessions negotiated with the state and the City of Hackensack.

In June 2018, the developer indicated that most of the complex was scheduled to open in early 2019, though the water park would open at the end of 2019. In August 2018, a Triple Five executive, Tony Amrlin, specified that the project was 68% complete and would open in April 2019. That November, it was announced that September 2019 would be the water park's opening date.

In August 2018, Triple Five revealed that H&M, Uniqlo, and Zara would open stores at the mall; the three stores would be those companies' largest mall-based flagship locations. On September 25, 2018, the New Jersey Hall of Fame announced that they would be permanently moving to American Dream. On March 12, 2019, Barneys New York announced that it would open a flagship store at the mall, its only one in New Jersey. However, the firm announced in October 2019 that as part of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, it would close most of its stores, without specifying whether the one at American Dream would be one of the few to remain open.

In October 2019, Triple Five dropped "Meadowlands" from the name American Dream. On March 8, 2019, Governor Phil Murphy indicated that the mall complex would open that June, but on March 25, Triple 5 Group announced that the project would open in August. On May 20, Triple Five announced that the mall's opening date had again been moved to later in the year, and that some retailers would not open until the 2019 holiday season or early 2020. It revealed that tenants would include Tiffany & Co., Watches of Switzerland, Dolce & Gabbana, Moncler and the experimental retailer Fourpost, which operates a store at Triple Five's other mall property, the Mall of America. Triple Five also revealed more of the complex's attractions and common areas, which were planned to feature rotating art installations and attractions.

2019–2020: Completion, grand opening, and COVID-19 pandemic temporary closure

On September 20, 2019, Triple Five announced that the mall would open in four stages it refers to as "chapters." In October 2019, the mall's much-criticized colorful exterior was repainted white. Triple Five also announced that the ski slope would be covered in a mural painted by a Canadian artist collective, set to be completed in 2020. Much of the facade facing the Turnpike would be covered in dynamic LED displays.

In August 2019, Hard Rock Cafe was announced to open a restaurant at American Dream. However, following the pandemic, plans were temporarily on hold, but ultimately, as of January 2021, the restaurant was never developed. On October 25, 2019, the mall opened its first chapter, an ice-skating rink and a Nickelodeon Universe indoor theme park, which contained more than 35 rides and attractions. The next chapter, the DreamWorks Water Park, was set to open on November 27, 2019. However, on November 21, 2019, the company announced that they were postponing the water park opening until March 19, 2020. The next chapter, the Big Snow American Dream ski slope, opened on December 5, 2019.

The final chapter, consisting of the mall's 350 shops and over 100 restaurants, was branded "In Grand Style", and planned for a March 2020 opening. However, on February 27, 2020, NJ.com reported that the mall's enclave of luxury stores called The Collections would open in September 2020. On February 19, 2020, Sea Life announced it would open its location at American Dream on April 23, 2020.

On March 8, 2020, the mall closed, which Triple Five Worldwide announced was a temporary measure resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic in New Jersey, thus again delaying the opening of its retail shops and the DreamWorks Water Park. That same day, it was announced that Forever 21 pulled out of American Dream, due to the company filing for bankruptcy.

In April 2020, Triple Five announced that the proportion of the retail tenants at the mall would be smaller, as the mall would consist of approximately 70% entertainment and 30% retail. Among the newly announced entertainment venues would be a trampoline park, eight more rides to Nickelodeon Universe, and interactive museums featuring elaborate props and backdrops. Plans were also in the works for several hotels that would connect to the mall via skybridges, with the area zoned for 3,500 hotel rooms. That same month, the mall partnered with Hackensack Meridian Health and Agile Urgent Care to open a drive-through testing site primarily for local police, first responders, and frontline health care workers.

2020–present: Reopening and beyond

On October 1, 2020, American Dream officially reopened. That same day, NJ.com reported that Coca-Cola Eats, a Coca-Cola themed food court, would open later in the month, and that Munchies, a gourmet food court, would open by the end of the year. It was also announced that the luxury stores, anchored by Saks Fifth Avenue, would open in March 2021, with hotels to be added in the near future. Sea Life Aquarium and Legoland Discovery Center opened at the mall on May 29, 2021.

On July 8, 2021, American Dream announced that The Avenue, the luxury wing of the complex consisting of over 20 retailers and upscale eateries and named for its anchor store, Saks Fifth Avenue, would open on September 17, 2021, as would the mall's Ferris Wheel. That August, the Oreo Café opened on the third floor of the mall's candy and novelty store IT'SUGAR. The eatery, which sells Oreo-themed desserts and beverages, was the first of its kind.

On September 14, 2021, Hasbro announced that the company would open a branded game room at American Dream called The Game Room powered by Hasbro. The venue, which is the first of its kind, would include an arcade platform with video games and interactive amusements like Skee Golf. It was scheduled to open near the Sea Life Aquarium in 2022. In the early hours of September 25, 2021, the ski slope caught fire, but no injuries were reported. In the weeks after the fire, the mall's management announced that repairs would take months to be completed.

In December 2021, NJ.com reported that Toys R Us would open a 20,000 sq ft (1,900 m2), two-story global flagship store at American Dream. In light of the pandemic-related closings of its stores at Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey and The Galleria mall in Houston, Texas, this would be the company's only brick and mortar store until that company's July 2022 comeback, and would open in the middle of the month, in time for holiday shopping. In May 2022, Bloomberg News reported that the mall reported nearly $60 million in losses in 2021, a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the fire at the Big SNOW ski slope, and delays in openings for some stores and attractions. The mall's expenses totaled $232.4 million, but its revenue reached only $173 million. In June 2022, the mall made a late payment to its bondholders of $13.9 million, but remained behind on its payments, including interest on the bond payment that its owners missed on June 1, which put them in default. This prompted East Rutherford Mayor Jeffrey Lahullier to state that same month, "The mall's definitely in trouble, there's no doubt in my mind."

Transportation and parking

Public transport

Public transportation to American Dream's on-site bus hub and train station is provided by NJ Transit. Direct local and express bus service to American Dream includes the following NJ Transit Bus lines:

85: Hoboken/Union City – American Dream

355 Express: Port Authority Bus Terminal – American Dream

356: Secaucus Junction – American Dream

703: Paterson/Passaic – American Dream

772: Hackensack – American Dream

For travel by rail, the Meadowlands station is the western terminus for the Meadowlands Rail Line, located at the Meadowlands Sports Complex next to American Dream. However, that line is not being operated daily for American Dream, but solely during events at the stadium. NJ Transit stated that daily rail service could be added "once the rail system is resilient enough that doing so won't adversely affect NJ Transit commuters".

Multi-modal service is provided by NY Waterway, which provides a package service consisting of ferry service from Manhattan to Weehawken Port Imperial in Weehawken, followed by a bus for the remaining 6.5 miles to the mall. Passengers can also take the bus without a ferry connection.

Private transport

Motorists traveling to the location are accommodated with a 33,000-space parking lot. American Dream initially announced plans to charge for daily parking, but changed this, charging patrons only when events were held at MetLife Stadium. By August 2021, this was amended again to make parking free for the first hour, after which motorists would be charged $3.00 USD. As of 2026, parking is free for the first 15 minutes and costs $5.00 for any additional time.

A helipad on the roof of the mall's Saks Fifth Avenue store was one of three located on the property by the time it opened that October. That month, NorthJersey.com reported the mall had purchased three helicopters in May, plus four automobiles—two Rolls-Royces and two Bentleys—to transport customers from Manhattan and the Hamptons. American Dream would also employ a Rolls-Royce golf cart to move VIP guests throughout the property. The amenity made American Dream one of the region's first retail centers to offer such an accommodation to shoppers wishing to avoid traffic.

Amenities

As of 2019, American Dream consists of 70% entertainment facilities and 30% retail locations.

General

Six distinctive grand atria flooded with natural light. One includes an extensive garden with bird-filled aviaries and rabbit fields. Another was designated as an entertainment hub.

Albero dei Sogni/Secret Garden – a tree-like sculpture consisting of more than 75,000 LED lights and 25,000 leaves that play music during intervals several times a day

A 60-foot fashion fountain that can be converted into a catwalk in seconds

Interactive museums featuring extravagant props and backdrops

Instagram moments – areas designed specifically for social media photography

Museum-scale interiors displaying artwork by local and international artists

Shopping

450 retail shops (at peak)

Six anchor retail tenants (at peak) with more than 50,000 square feet (4,600 m2) each

12 major retailers (at peak) (20,000 to 50,000 square feet [1,900 to 4,600 m2] each)

339 smaller shops (up to 20,000 square feet [1,900 m2])

A 35,000-square-foot (3,300 m2) H Mart Asian-American supermarket

A 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m2), two-story Toys "R" Us flagship store

Dining

Over 100 eateries (at peak)

21 full-service restaurants (at peak)

45 specialty food retailers (at peak)

A 38,000-square-foot (3,500 m2), 18-vendor, Munchies-themed food hall, which includes a kosher food court

Entertainment

The Rink @ The Arena - an Indoor NHL-sized ice rink, convertible to surfaces for sports like roller hockey, basketball, arena football, boxing matches as well as concerts and other events.

Nickelodeon Universe American Dream – an indoor theme park

DreamWorks Water Park – a year-round indoor water park

Big Snow American Dream – an indoor ski slope

Two miniature 18-hole golf courses (with one themed to Angry Birds)

B&B Theatres Movie Theater and Bowling Alley

Legoland Discovery Center

Sea Life Aquarium

Hapik indoor rock climbing facility

Mirror Maze attraction

The Game Room powered by Hasbro

Jump, a virtual reality cliff jumping attraction

Ninja Kidz, a trampoline park

An Escape Room complex with six puzzle rooms by The Escape Game

Sesame Street Learn & Play - An attraction themed off of Sesame Street

Topgolf Swing Suite

Dream Live Performing Arts Center

Go Kart facility

Freddy Fazbear's Pizza - A Five Nights at Freddy's-themed restaurant (projected to open in 2027)