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:   August 1, 1997



                         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 
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 Pricing Supplement No. 1 to its Prospectus Supplement,  dated
April 17, 1997,  to its  Prospectus  dated  November 7, 1995  (Registration  No.
33-63687),  filed with the Securities and Exchange  Commission on August 1, 1997
and  relating  to the issue and sale by the  Trust of $40  million  of its 6.82%
Medium-Term Notes due August 1, 2027 (the "Notes"). Attached as Exhibit 5 hereto
is an opinion  from  Kirkpatrick  & Lockhart LLP  regarding  the legality of the
Notes.  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:    August 1, 1997






                                  EXHIBIT INDEX

ITEM NO.

       5         Opinion Regarding Legality
      23         Consent of Counsel (included in the opinion)





                           KIRKPATRICK & LOCKHART LLP
                         1800 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
                                    2nd Floor
                           Washington, D.C. 20036-1800





                                 August 1, 1997




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

Ladies/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 the Trust's Pricing Supplement No. 1 to the Trust's Prospectus  Supplement,
dated  April  17,  1997  to the  Trust's  Prospectus,  dated  November  7,  1995
(registration statement No. 33-63687) ("Registration Statement") relating to the
issue and sale by the Trust of $40  million of its 6.82%  Medium-Term  Notes due
August 1, 2027 (the "Notes"),  pursuant to a Distribution Agreement, dated April
17,  1997 (the  "Distribution  Agreement")  between  the  Trust and J.P.  Morgan
Securities Inc., Alex.  Brown & Sons  Incorporated,  First Union Capital Markets
Corp.,  Goldman,  Sachs & Co. and Merrill Lynch & Co.,  Merrill  Lynch,  Pierce,
Fenner & Smith 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  for issuance of the Notes and have made
such inquiries of such officer 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.




         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 Notes  have  been  duly  authorized  for  issuance,  offer and sale
pursuant to the  Distribution  Agreement,  and when  issued,  authenticated  and
delivered  pursuant to the  provisions  of the  Distribution  Agreement  and the
Indenture,  dated as of  December 1, 1993,  between  the Trust and Signet  Trust
Company ("Indenture"),  against payment of the consideration therefor, the Notes
will constitute valid and legally binding  obligations of the Trust  enforceable
in accordance with their terms,  except to the extent that  enforcement  thereof
may be limited by bankruptcy,  insolvency,  reorganization or other similar laws
relating to or affecting  enforcement of creditors'  rights or by general equity
principles.

         To the extent that the obligations of the Trust under the  Distribution
Agreement  and  Indenture  may be  dependent  upon such  matters,  we assume for
purposes of this opinion that the  Trustee,  Calculation  Agent and Paying Agent
are, respectively,  duly organized,  validly existing and in good standing under
the  applicable  laws  of the  jurisdictions  of  organization  of the  Trustee,
Calculation  Agent and Paying  Agent;  that the Trustee,  Calculation  Agent and
Paying Agent are,  respectively,  in compliance generally with respect to acting
as a  trustee,  calculation  agent and  paying  agent  under the  Indenture  and
Distribution Agreement,  and with all applicable laws and regulations;  and that
the  Trustee,  Calculation  Agent  and  Paying  Agent  have,  respectively,  the
requisite  organizational  and  legal  power  and  authority  to  perform  their
respective obligations under the Indenture and Distribution Agreement.

         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 August 1, 1997.

                                             Very truly yours,

                                             KIRKPATRICK & LOCKHART LLP




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