SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549


                                    FORM 8-K


                                 CURRENT REPORT




Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934


Date of Report:  December 10, 1996




                         Federal Realty Investment Trust
             ------------------------------------------------------
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)




  District of Columbia               1-7533                   52-0782497
- -------------------------------   ----------------------  ----------------------
(State or other jurisdiction      Commission File Number)      (IRS Employer 
   of incorporation                                         Identification No.)


1626 East Jefferson Street, Rockville, Maryland                   20852
- -----------------------------------------------                 ----------
   (Address of principal executive offices)                     (Zip Code)




Registrant's telephone number including area code:  301/998-8100




Exhibit Index appears on page 3







Item 5.  Other Events

         Exhibits  are  filed   herewith  in  connection   with  Federal  Realty
Investment  Trust's final  prospectus  supplement dated December 10, 1996 to its
final prospectus dated November 7, 1995  (Registration  No. 33-63687) filed with
the Securities and Exchange  Commission on December 11, 1996 and relating to the
Trust's  offering of 1,600,000 common shares of beneficial  interest,  no par or
stated  value  ("Shares").  Attached  as  Exhibit  5 hereto is an  opinion  from
Kirkpatrick & Lockhart LLP regarding the legality of the Shares.  The consent of
Kirkpatrick  & Lockhart LLP to the inclusion of such opinion in this Form 8-K is
included in the opinion.

Item 7.  Financial Statements and Exhibits

Exhibit 5         Opinion Regarding Legality

Exhibit 23        Consent of Counsel (included in Exhibit 5)


Pursuant  to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Exchange  Act of  1934,  the
registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned hereto duly authorized.

                                    FEDERAL REALTY INVESTMENT TRUST

                                    /s/ Cecily A. Ward
                                    -------------------------------
                                    Cecily A. Ward
                                    Controller (Principal Accounting Officer) 


Date:  December 12, 1996


                                      - 2 -




                                  EXHIBIT INDEX



 ITEM NO.                                                           PAGE NO.

    5         Opinion regarding Legality

   23         Consent of Counsel (included in the opinion)





                                      - 3 -




                           KIRKPATRICK & LOCKHART LLP
                            1800 Massachusetts Avenue
                                  Second Floor
                             Washington, D.C. 20036



                                December 12, 1996



Federal Realty Investment Trust
1626 East Jefferson Street
Rockville, Maryland  20852

Ladies and Gentlemen:

         You have requested our opinion as counsel to Federal Realty  Investment
Trust,  a business  trust  organized  under the laws of the District of Columbia
with its headquarters  located in Rockville,  Maryland ("Trust"),  in connection
with a Prospectus Supplement, dated December 10, 1996 to the Trust's Prospectus,
dated  November 7, 1995  (registration  statement No.  33-63687)  ("Registration
Statement") relating to the Trust's offering and sale of 1,600,000 common shares
of  beneficial  interest,  no par or stated  value  ("Shares"),  pursuant  to an
underwriting  agreement and a pricing  agreement,  each dated  December 10, 1996
(together,  the  "Underwriting  Agreement")  between the Trust and Alex. Brown &
Sons Incorporated.

         We have participated in the preparation of the Registration  Statement,
and in  connection  therewith,  have  examined and relied upon the  originals or
copies of such records, agreements,  documents and other instruments,  including
the Third Amended and Restated  Declaration of Trust of the Trust  ("Declaration
of Trust"), the Bylaws of the Trust, the minutes of the meetings of the Trustees
to date relating to the  authorization  and issuance of the Shares and have made
such inquiries of such officers and  representatives  as we have deemed relevant
and  necessary  as the basis for the  opinion  hereinafter  set  forth.  In such
examination, we have assumed, without independent verification,  the genuineness
of all  signatures  (whether  original or  photostatic),  the legal  capacity of
natural persons, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals,
and the conformity to authentic original documents of all documents submitted to
us as certified or  photostatic  copies.  We have assumed,  without  independent
verification, the accuracy of the relevant facts stated therein.








Federal Realty Investment Trust
December 12, 1996
Page 2


         As to any other facts  material to the  opinion  expressed  herein that
were not independently  established or verified,  we have relied upon statements
and representations of officers and employees of the Trust.

         Based upon the  foregoing and subject to the  qualifications  set forth
below, we are of the opinion that:

         The Shares have been duly  authorized  by the Trust and when  delivered
against  payment  therefor as contemplated in the  Underwriting  Agreement,  the
Shares  will be  legally  issued,  fully  paid  and  non-assessable,  except  as
described in the Prospectus that forms a part of the Registration Statement.

         We hereby  consent to the  filing of this  opinion as an exhibit to the
Trust's  Current  Report  on Form 8-K filed  with the  Securities  and  Exchange
Commission on December 12, 1996.

                                           Very truly yours,

                                           KIRKPATRICK & LOCKHART LLP


                                           By: /s/ Simon M. Nadler
                                           --------------------------------
                                              Simon M. Nadler