PYRAMID MALL PLATTSBURGH
Cornelia Street and Smithfield Boulevard
Clinton County, New York

Syracuse's Pyramid Companies was formed in 1970. Through self-described innovation and entrepreneurial spirit (and more than a bit of controversy), the Pyramid organization rose to prominence and has become the largest privately-held shopping mall developer in the nation.

Headed by Syracuse's Robert J. Congel, the company built five "Pyramid" retail properties. The first two were nearly identical community-class structures, each encompassing approximately 126,000 leasable square feet. PYRAMID MALL JOHNSTOWN and PYRAMID MALL ONEONTA opened for business in 1972.

The first of the regional-sized "Pioneer Malls," PYRAMID MALL SARATOGA, was built in Saratoga County's Town of Winton and opened in 1973. It was followed by PYRAMID MALL PLATTSBURGH, in 1975, and PYRAMID MALL ITHACA, built in Tompkins County's Town of Lansing. This complex was dedicated in 1976.

In the 21st century, the Ithaca property is the only complex out of three that remains intact. It was renamed SHOPS AT ITHACA in August 2007. The first PYRAMID MALL was renamed SARATOGA MALL in 1987. It had a destiny date with the wrecking ball in 1999.

PYRAMID MALL PLATTSBURGH was constructed on a 28-acre parcel, located 1.6 miles west of downtown Plattsburgh. The site was adjacent to the Adirondack Northway-Interstate 87 highway. Plans for the mall were announced in June 1973.

Encompassing a single retail level and 400,000 leasable square feet, the complex housed forty-five stores and services. The anchors were a 1-level (71,000 square foot) Kmart, 1-level (84,000 square foot) Montgomery Ward and 1-level (45,000 square foot) J.C. Penney.

The first operational store, a (38,000 square foot) Price Chopper supermarket, began business in January 1975. Kmart opened on April 11, 1975, followed by Montgomery Ward, which debuted on April 16, 1975. J.C. Penney, the final operational anchor store, held its official grand opening on May 2, 1976.

Charter inline stores included Fay's Drugs, Ye Olde Smoke Shop, Kinney Shoes, Friar Tuck Book Shop, Record Town, a Pizza Boy restaurant and Burlington, Vermont-based Magrams "fashion department store."

Although a physical part of the shopping center structure, the Theater Management Services Plattsburgh Cinema I & II had an exterior entrance and could not be accessed from inside the mall. The venue would be under the operation of two subsequent owners before it was shuttered, in 1990.

 The original PYRAMID MALL PLATTSBURGH featured interior decor typical of a mid-1970s shopping center. Concourses were carpeted and dimly lit to -supposedly- entice shoppers into brightly-illuminated stores. A write-up from 1975 describes the mall as being decorated with "earthen textures" and "super graphics."

There were three court areas. Fronting on Kmart, the Laurentian Court had a fountain in one of three interlocking pools of water. The Champlain Court, facing J.C. Penney, had two waterfalls and a bridge as its focal points. On the east end of the mall, the Adirondack Court had a fountain and pool feature at its center. PYRAMID MALL PLATTSBURGH was built on a sloping lot. Several stairways and ramps were necessary for shoppers to negotiate two level changes. 

The original complex was the only regional shopping center in its trade area. Located only 21 miles south of the US-Canadian border, it attracted a great deal of commerce from Quebec. This changed when Pyramid Companies decided to build a larger mall only .3 of a mile northeast of their original development. The reasoning behind this was simple; PYRAMID MALL was hemmed in on all sides, making any sizable expansion impossible.

The shiny new (600,000 square foot) CHAMPLAIN CENTRE NORTH was nearing completion when the official grand re-opening was held for a renovated -and renamed- PYRAMID MALL. Rededicated on June 21, 1987, CHAMPLAIN CENTRE SOUTH had been given a 3 million dollar face lift. Its dark, '70s-style decor was brightened up with seventeen new skylights. Moreover, new paint, flooring and lighting had been installed.

Shuttle bus service was instituted between the CHAMPLAIN CENTER NORTH and SOUTH malls, but was soon halted. The exodus of stores from the old into the new began with the closings of J.C. Penney and Hickory Farms of Ohio, in July 1987. 

 In 1991, the "south mall" began to be promoted as an upscale outlet-type shopping center. Stores such as T.J. Maxx, Champion, Softbags, Fashion Cents, London Fog and Payless ShoeSource were signed. The existing Kmart was expanded at this time by 12,600 square feet, becoming an 83,600 square foot operation. It would be converted into a Big Kmart in August 1997.

New stores and a new marketing focus failed to stop the decline of CHAMPLAIN CENTRE SOUTH. By the late 1990s, the mall was virtually vacant. The closing of the Plattsburgh Air Force Base, in September 1995, resulted in an economic slowdown in the entire region. This was exacerbated by the shriveling of the Canadian dollar.

In December 1997, Montgomery Ward pulled out of CHAMPLAIN CENTRE SOUTH, signalling the mall's demise. The complex was shuttered, with demolition of the vacant Wards getting underway on August 16, 1999. Kmart, Price Chopper and various outparcels were left intact. These were worked into an open-air power center, which retained the CHAMPLAIN CENTRE SOUTH name.

The first newly-built store, a (69,000 square foot) Price Chopper supermarket, was dedicated in June of 2000. This was joined by a 1-level (115,000 square foot) Lowe's in September 2001. Bed, Bath & Beyond (in the original Price Chopper space) opened in October 2003. Petco and Rent-A-Center debuted in February 2004. The 43-year-old Kmart was shuttered in April 2018.

Sources:

The Plattsburgh Press-Republican (Plattsburgh, New York)
The Chateaugay Record (Chateaugay, New York)
The Franklin County Democrat (Chateaugay, New York)
https://movie-theatre.org / Mike Rivest
https://www.nnyln.org / Northern New York Library Network
https://www.pyramidmg.com / The Pyramid Management Group
"Pyramid Companies" article on Wikipedia