Transit Road and Main Street
Erie County (Town of Clarence), New York
For their Niagara Frontier foray, Ohio's Edward J. Debartolo Corporation developed a fully-enclosed shopping center of 1.1 million leasable square feet. EASTERN HILLS MALL, whose stores opened between March 1971 and July 1972, was the largest retail center in Greater Buffalo. It would hold this distinction for 17 years.
Ground was broken at a 72.4-acre site, located 11 miles northeast of Buffalo's city center, in March 1970. A 2-level (154,800 square foot) Sears became the first operational EASTERN HILLS store on March 15, 1971. Hengerer's 2-level (130,000 square foot) unit welcomed first shoppers on August 2, 1971. By October, there were four tenants in business; Sears, Hengerer's, Marine Midland Bank and Gutman's ladies' wear.
An initial grand opening was held on November 8, 1971. Fourteen tenants opened their doors. These included Chess King, Flagg Brothers Shoes, Foxmoor Casuals, Konee's Restaurant, National Record Mart, Spencer Gifts and Zales Jewelers. During the dedication, a ceremonial ribbon was cut by Edward J. DeBartolo and Norman L. Witnauer (Town of Clarence Supervisor).
A formal mall dedication took place on February 14, 1972, with twenty-seven stores being inaugurated. Among these were Rite Aid Drug, Kleinhans, Nobil Shoes, Play 'n Learn Toy Center, White's Shoes and Bond Clothes. A 2-level (151,200 square foot), Buffalo-based Adam, Meldrum & Anderson (AM&A's) made its debut, along with a 2-level (60,000 square foot), Buffalo-based Jenss and 1-level (56,500 square foot) F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10.
EASTERN HILLS MALL now housed sixty-five stores and services under its roof. When fully leased, the mall would contain seventy-five. The General Cinema Corporation Eastern Hills Cinema I & II, an in-mall venue, debuted on May 24, 1972. One of the final charter stores was a 2-level (152,300 square foot) J.C. Penney, which was dedicated on July 27, 1972.
Major shopping centers in the EASTERN HILLS trade area included BOULEVARD MALL (1962) {6.3 miles northwest, in Erie County (Town of Amherst)} and WALDEN GALLERIA (1989) {5 miles southwest, in Erie County (Town of Cheektowaga)}. CLARENCE MALL (1966) was a small, strip-type complex located directly south of EASTERN HILLS MALL.
The EASTERN HILLS twin-plex was reconfigured as the Cinema I-II-III. It opened on October 24, 1980 and was shuttered on May 20, 1993. Buffalo-based Dipson Theatres bought the multiplex and resumed operations in June 1993.
Meanwhile, anchor store rebrandings had begun in the early 1980s. Hengerer's morphed into a Rochester-based Sibley's on November 5, 1981. May Department Stores announced a merger of their Kaufmann's and Sibley's chains on January 5, 1990. At this time, Pittsburgh-based Kaufmann's operated fourteen stores, Sibley's had eleven.
The conversion was put in motion on February 4, 1990, when the Sibley's-Kaufmann's name appeared in print ads. In March, a Kaufmann's-Sibley's co-branding was used. Sibley's stores -including the EASTERN HILLS location- received a bona fide Kaufmann's brand on April 1, 1990.
EASTERN HILLS MALL was given its first major renovation in the mid-1980s. A 10 million dollar project got underway in January 1987. The 14-bay Treats Food Court was added to the southeast corner of the complex (which would be the only physical expansion of the mall). Moreover, courts and concourses were redone in shades of chic gray, black and burgundy. New lighting, carpeting, ceilings, seating areas, water features and skylights were installed and mall entrances rebuilt. A grand re-opening celebration commenced on September 19, 1987, with the Treats Food Court dedicated on November 14th.
A second anchor rebranding transpired after York, Pennsylvania's The Bon Ton acquired Buffalo's AM&A's chain, in May 1994. AM&A's stores were branded with The Bon Ton banner on November 16, 1994. Woolworth closed its doors in late 1993. Waccamaw's HomePlace, of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, leased the space and began business on November 2, 1995. This store's final transaction took place in February 1998.
Jenss had been shuttered in August 1997. The vacant store was expanded by 10,000 square feet, taking in area previously occupied by The Limited and Icing stores. A Burlington Coat Factory, in the adjacent CLARENCE MALL, moved into the expanded Jenss space and opened for business on August 28, 1998. The (70,000 square foot) store closed in 2003.
By this time, EASTERN HILLS MALL was in a downward spiral, caused by competition from WALDEN GALLERIA and a revitalized BOULEVARD MALL. The DeBartolo Realty Corporation had merged with the Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group in March 1996, forming the Simon DeBartolo Group. In 1998, the name of the concern reverted to the original Simon Property Group heading.
In July 2003, Simon sold the struggling EASTERN HILLS MALL to a joint venture of Lanham, Maryland's Glenmont Financial and Woodland Park, New Jersey's Mountain Development Corporation. Within months, the new owners had announced a major renovation and repositioning that would be conducted over the next 3 years.
The first stage of the project included a remodeling of the existing Treats Food Court into a 6-bay facility centered on a double-sided fireplace. Mall restrooms were rebuilt and new mallway ceilings and flooring installed. The shopping hub was given a new roof and HVAC system. Moreover, entrances were updated and the exterior painted.
2004 and 2005 brought several new tenants. These included Petite Sophistocate and August Max Woman. An (18,000 square foot) Old Navy had been installed in existing space in the north end of the mall, in 1998. It morphed into a Sunderland, Vermont-based Orvis, which was an upscale hunting, fishing and outdoors retailer. This store welcomed first shoppers on September 9, 2005.
Dave & Buster's Grand Sports Cafe renovated the vacant Jenss-Burlington Coat Factory structure and held an official dedication on October 6, 2005. As these stores opened, the mall's Center Court was given a total overhaul. Kaufmann's was "Macy-ated" on September 9, 2006. Soon after, a large portion of the vacant Woolworth-Waccamaw's space was leased by Thurman Thomas, star player on the NFL Buffalo Bills team for 12 seasons. Thomas opened his Sports Performance Park training facility on December 19, 2009.
In the 2010s, the shopping hub was officially promoted as EASTERN HILLS MALL & COMMONS. It encompassed approximately 997,900 leasable square feet and contained ninety-one stores and services. Macy's was shuttered on March 26, 2016, with the store re-opening, as a Niagara Emporium, in June 2017.
Mountain Development had established a joint venture with Amherst, New York's Uniland Development Company in March 2018. They announced plans for a renovation that would transform the shopping hub into an open-air "town center." The standard lifestyle complex features were proposed, such as "quaint architecture," apartments, coffee shops, a fitness center, hotel, gourmet grocery store and bank.
Sources:
The Buffalo News
The Pittsburgh Press
Meanwhile, anchor store rebrandings had begun in the early 1980s. Hengerer's morphed into a Rochester-based Sibley's on November 5, 1981. May Department Stores announced a merger of their Kaufmann's and Sibley's chains on January 5, 1990. At this time, Pittsburgh-based Kaufmann's operated fourteen stores, Sibley's had eleven.
The conversion was put in motion on February 4, 1990, when the Sibley's-Kaufmann's name appeared in print ads. In March, a Kaufmann's-Sibley's co-branding was used. Sibley's stores -including the EASTERN HILLS location- received a bona fide Kaufmann's brand on April 1, 1990.
EASTERN HILLS MALL was given its first major renovation in the mid-1980s. A 10 million dollar project got underway in January 1987. The 14-bay Treats Food Court was added to the southeast corner of the complex (which would be the only physical expansion of the mall). Moreover, courts and concourses were redone in shades of chic gray, black and burgundy. New lighting, carpeting, ceilings, seating areas, water features and skylights were installed and mall entrances rebuilt. A grand re-opening celebration commenced on September 19, 1987, with the Treats Food Court dedicated on November 14th.
A second anchor rebranding transpired after York, Pennsylvania's The Bon Ton acquired Buffalo's AM&A's chain, in May 1994. AM&A's stores were branded with The Bon Ton banner on November 16, 1994. Woolworth closed its doors in late 1993. Waccamaw's HomePlace, of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, leased the space and began business on November 2, 1995. This store's final transaction took place in February 1998.
Jenss had been shuttered in August 1997. The vacant store was expanded by 10,000 square feet, taking in area previously occupied by The Limited and Icing stores. A Burlington Coat Factory, in the adjacent CLARENCE MALL, moved into the expanded Jenss space and opened for business on August 28, 1998. The (70,000 square foot) store closed in 2003.
By this time, EASTERN HILLS MALL was in a downward spiral, caused by competition from WALDEN GALLERIA and a revitalized BOULEVARD MALL. The DeBartolo Realty Corporation had merged with the Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group in March 1996, forming the Simon DeBartolo Group. In 1998, the name of the concern reverted to the original Simon Property Group heading.
In July 2003, Simon sold the struggling EASTERN HILLS MALL to a joint venture of Lanham, Maryland's Glenmont Financial and Woodland Park, New Jersey's Mountain Development Corporation. Within months, the new owners had announced a major renovation and repositioning that would be conducted over the next 3 years.
The first stage of the project included a remodeling of the existing Treats Food Court into a 6-bay facility centered on a double-sided fireplace. Mall restrooms were rebuilt and new mallway ceilings and flooring installed. The shopping hub was given a new roof and HVAC system. Moreover, entrances were updated and the exterior painted.
2004 and 2005 brought several new tenants. These included Petite Sophistocate and August Max Woman. An (18,000 square foot) Old Navy had been installed in existing space in the north end of the mall, in 1998. It morphed into a Sunderland, Vermont-based Orvis, which was an upscale hunting, fishing and outdoors retailer. This store welcomed first shoppers on September 9, 2005.
Dave & Buster's Grand Sports Cafe renovated the vacant Jenss-Burlington Coat Factory structure and held an official dedication on October 6, 2005. As these stores opened, the mall's Center Court was given a total overhaul. Kaufmann's was "Macy-ated" on September 9, 2006. Soon after, a large portion of the vacant Woolworth-Waccamaw's space was leased by Thurman Thomas, star player on the NFL Buffalo Bills team for 12 seasons. Thomas opened his Sports Performance Park training facility on December 19, 2009.
In the 2010s, the shopping hub was officially promoted as EASTERN HILLS MALL & COMMONS. It encompassed approximately 997,900 leasable square feet and contained ninety-one stores and services. Macy's was shuttered on March 26, 2016, with the store re-opening, as a Niagara Emporium, in June 2017.
The Bon Ton Stores conglomerate crashed and burned in mid-2018, with the EASTERN HILLS store going dark in June. The building was leased by Raymour & Flanigan Furniture & Mattress, who opened for business on September 1, 2019. Sears pulled the proverbial plug on their EASTERN HILLS unit in December 2018. The building was substantially renovated. A Buffalo-based Destination BFLO, which had operated from a mall kiosk since 2012, was dedicated on March 4, 2019. This store included a hair salon, home decor department, bakery, full-service bar and Polish restaurant.
Mountain Development had established a joint venture with Amherst, New York's Uniland Development Company in March 2018. They announced plans for a renovation that would transform the shopping hub into an open-air "town center." The standard lifestyle complex features were proposed, such as "quaint architecture," apartments, coffee shops, a fitness center, hotel, gourmet grocery store and bank.
The mall's cinema would not be included in this redevelopment. The venue closed -after 50 years in business- on October 2, 2022. In June 2022, it had been announced that the 3-year-old BFLO store would be closing for good. A brouhaha erupted in July, when mall owners blocked BFLO store personnel from removing merchandise and store fixtures. The impasse was settled by a New York State Supreme Court judge, with The BFLO store moving across the street.
Meanwhile, progress had been made toward the redevelopment of the mall. Town of Clarence officials approved a zoning change in January 2018. This converted the mall site to a mixed-use, "lifestyle center district." Initial redevelopment plans were approved by the Town of Clarence in August 2018. In June 2021, a Concept Plan was submitted.
On January 14, 2024, all interior shopping concourses were closed to public access. Fifteen stores and services -and two outparcels- remained in operation. These included J.C. Penney, Kidz Bounce, Orvis, Raymour & Flanigan Home Furnishings, Firestone and the Sport Performance Park. When fully-realized, the new EASTERN HILLS TOWN CENTER will include 1,500 residential units and public green space, as well as retail, restaurant, hospitality, medical, office and entertainment components.
Sources:
The Buffalo News
The Pittsburgh Press
https://www.niagara-gazette.com
http://blog.buffalostories.com
http://www.fultonhistory.com / Old Fulton NY Post Cards By Tom Tryniski
http://www.shopeasternhills.com
http://www.speakupwny.com
http://blog.buffalostories.com
http://www.fultonhistory.com / Old Fulton NY Post Cards By Tom Tryniski
http://www.shopeasternhills.com
http://www.speakupwny.com
https://spectrumlocalnews.com
https://uniland.com/property-development (Uniland Development Company)
https://www.mountaindevelopment.com (Mountain Development Corporation)
https://www.wkbw.com
"Eastern Hills Mall" article on Wikipedia
"Eastern Hills Mall" article on Wikipedia
