Brookfield Place Mall Brings Upscale Shopping To Downtown Manhattan

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- You no longer need to head to Midtown for upscale shopping.

Hermes, Bottega Veneta, and Diane von Furstenberg are just a few of the retailers who have a new home near the World Trade Center.

The new Brookfield Place Shopping Center opened on Thursday. Brookfield Properties national director of retail leasing Ed Hogan said it will provide a luxury shopping experience in the complex formerly known as the World Financial Center.

The 375,000 square foot shopping venue also features a Saks Fifth Avenue, which Hogan described as the first downtown Manhattan department store in a couple of centuries.

"We took the 25-year-old center and we really redesigned it to create a unique downtown experience," Hogan told CBS2's Diane Macedo. "You see vistas of the Statue of Liberty and the World Trade Center memorial park across the street. It is really kind of the heart and soul of the new downtown that's emerging."

Hogan said the mall provides a unique New York experience.

"I think it's really the experience and the location, so when you're in this mall, it's been designed to really open itself to the neighborhood," he said.

The food available at the mall is also unique to New York.

He said the response to the mall since opening Thursday has been "fabulous."

For more information on the Brookfield Place mall, click here.