Rich Co and Taubman Centers,[2] Stamford Town Center opened on June 17, 1982 as part of an urban renewal project[2] and had been the location of tenement structures that once lined Greyrock Place,[3] the street which is its primary address.

The mall was a significant part of Stamford's urban renewal efforts, and thus its construction was not without controversy.

[4] An opinion piece in the New York Times lamented the destruction of once lively housing complexes which hosted lower-income residences, which was done to make way for the mall.

[9][non-primary source needed] This portion of the mall, which included Filene's, was replaced with space for six new restaurants,[8] and Connecticut's largest Barnes & Noble,[8] the latter of which opened in 2008.

[4] The initial opening of the Plaza (which included Barnes & Noble, H&M, California Pizza Kitchen, Così, Kona Grill, and P.F.