MALL HALL OF FAME: September 2010

MAJOR GREATER NEW YORK CITY MALLS & SHOPPING CENTERS

1. CROSS COUNTY CENTER -1954 / open-air / Yonkers

2. ROOSEVELT FIELD CENTER -1956 / open-air, enclosed 1968 / ROOSEVELT FIELD MALL -1968 / ROOSEVELT FIELD -1993 / Nassau County

3. GREEN ACRES CENTER - 1956 / open-air, enclosed 1970 / Nassau County

4. MID-ISLAND SHOPPING PLAZA -1956 / open-air, enclosed 1968 / BROADWAY MALL -1989 / Nassau County

5. GARDEN STATE PLAZA -1957 / open-air, enclosed 1983 / WESTFIELD SHOPPINGTOWN GARDEN STATE PLAZA -1998 / WESTFIELD GARDEN STATE PLAZA -2005 / Paramus [New Jersey]

6. BERGEN MALL -1957 / open-air, enclosed 1973 / BERGEN TOWN CENTER -2004 / OUTLETS AT BERGEN TOWN CENTER -2010 / Paramus & Maywood [New Jersey]

7. MENLO PARK CENTER -1959 / open-air / MENLO PARK MALL -1967 / enclosed / Middlesex County [New Jersey]

8. MALL AT SHORT HILLS -1961 / open-air, enclosed 1980 / Essex County [New Jersey]

9. WALT WHITMAN CENTER -1962 / Greater New York City's first enclosed mall / WALT WHITMAN SHOPS -2012 / Suffolk County

10. SOUTH SHORE MALL -1963 / open-air, enclosed 1975 / WESTFIELD SHOPPINGTOWN SOUTH SHORE -1998 / WESTFIELD SOUTH SHORE -2005 / Suffolk County

11. FASHION CENTER -1967 / enclosed / Paramus [New Jersey]

12. MALL AT NEW ROCHELLE 1968-1996 / enclosed center city complex / NEW ROC CITY -1999 / entertainment and residential complex / New Rochelle

13. SMITH HAVEN MALL -1969 / enclosed / Suffolk County

14. WILLOWBROOK MALL -1969 / enclosed / Passaic County [New Jersey]

15. KINGS PLAZA -1970 / enclosed / Borough of Brooklyn [New York City]

16. WOODBRIDGE CENTER -1971 / enclosed / Middlesex County [New Jersey]

17. LIVINGSTON MALL -1972 / enclosed / Essex County [New Jersey]

18. MALL AT THE WORLD TRADE CENTER 1973-2001 / enclosed center city complex / WESTFIELD WORLD TRADE CENTER -2016 / Borough of Manhattan [New York City]

19. STATEN ISLAND MALL -1973 / enclosed / Borough of Richmond (Staten Island) [New York City]

20. QUEENS CENTER -1973 / enclosed / Borough of Queens [New York City]

21. SUNRISE MALL -1973 / enclosed / WESTFIELD SHOPPINGTOWN SUNRISE -1998 / WESTFIELD SUNRISE -2005 / SUNRISE MALL 2020-2022 / Nassau County

22. WAYNE HILLS MALL -1973 / open-air & enclosed / Passaic County [New Jersey]

23. PARAMUS PARK -1974 / enclosed / Paramus [New Jersey]

24. WEST BELT MALL -1974 / enclosed / now WAYNE TOWNE CENTER / Passaic County [New Jersey]

25. OCEAN COUNTY MALL -1976 enclosed / Ocean County [New Jersey]

26. RIVERSIDE SQUARE MALL -1977 / enclosed / SHOPS AT RIVERSIDE -2005 / Hackensack [New Jersey]

27. HUNTINGTON SQUARE -1980 / enclosed / Suffolk County

28. GALLERIA AT WHITE PLAINS -1981 / enclosed center city complex / White Plains

29. STAMFORD TOWN CENTER -1982 / enclosed center city complex / Stamford [Connecticut]

30. MALL AT MILL CREEK -1986 / enclosed / Secaucus [New Jersey]

31. CROSS COUNTY SQUARE - 1987 / enclosed community-class complex / now MALL AT CROSS COUNTY - / Yonkers

32. NEWPORT CENTRE -1987 / enclosed / Jersey City [New Jersey]

33. BRIDGEWATER COMMONS -1988 / Somerset County [New Jersey]

34. THE WESTCHESTER -1995 / enclosed center city complex / White Plains

35. PALISADES CENTER -1998 / enclosed / Rockland County

36. JERSEY GARDENS -1999 / Elizabeth [New Jersey]

37. THE SOURCE AT WHITE PLAINS -2004 / enclosed center city community-class complex / White Plains

38. AMERICAN DREAM MEADOWLANDS -2019 / enclosed / Bergen County [New Jersey]

[Structures indicated in green have full articles on the MALL HALL OF FAME site, while those in blue have full articles on the SHOPPING MALL MUSEUM site]

New York City's Cross County Center

The first shopping mall in Greater New York City -as well as in New York State- was built in the Westchester County suburb of Yonkers.

Graphic from Eastern Shopping Centers

The first phase of CROSS COUNTY CENTER was dedicated in April 1954, with thirty-five stores and services. The center was built by Sol Atlas, under the auspices of Yonkers-based Eastern Shopping Centers.

CROSS COUNTY CENTER TENANTS 1954:

JOHN WANAMAKER [opens April 1955] / GIMBELS [opens September 1955] / F. W. WOOLWORTH (with luncheonette) / A.S. Beck Shoes / Blackton Fifth Avenue ladies' wear / Buster Brown Shoes / Carolee Shops ladies' wear / Chandler's Shoes / Cross County Art Center / Cross County Barber Shop / Cross County Jewelers / Fanny Farmer Candies / Flagg Brothers Shoes / First National Stores supermarket (outparcel) / First National Bank in Yonkers / George's Sport Shop / Horn & Hardart Restaurant / Household Finance Corporation / Layin's Interiors / Lerner Shops ladies' wear / Lubin Youth Center / Miles Shoes / Oppenheim-Collins ladies' wear / Peoples Savings Bank / Plymouth Shops / Popular Fashion Shop ladies' wear) / Reynold's Hardware / Russek's ladies' wear / Slenderella Figure Salon / Stride-Rite Shoes / Town & Country Fashions ladies' wear / Wallach's men's wear / Wallace-Corning men's wear / West Chester Bootery / Wilsker's Delicatessen

By late 1957, CROSS COUNTY CENTER is fully-realized. Two anchor department stores have been completed. Three additional retail blocks (in gray) have been added, which increases the center's store count to eighty. The newly-expanded parking area now accommodates 5,500 autos.

The tower at CROSS COUNTY CENTER housed retail, offices and the Cross County Medical Center. The hospital opened in March 1955.
Photo from Library of Congress

A high definition, mid-mall view of the Cross County Medical Center tower, with Chandler's Shoes on the ground level. Woolworth's is on the right.
Photo from Library of Congress / https://www.shorpy.com / Shorpy, The American Historical Photo Archive

The John Wanamaker Westchester store at CROSS COUNTY CENTER opened for business in April 1955.
Photo from Library of Congress

Wanamaker's Westchester operation was the first anchor department store to operate at the mall. It was joined by a Gimbels in September 1955.
Photo from Library of Congress

Graphic from John Wanamaker & Company

Another high definition view of the original CROSS COUNTY CENTER. Legible nameplates include F.W. Woolworth, Lerner Shops, Fanny Farmer Candies and Gimbels. The Upper Walk, in the upper left corner of the snapshot, provides the mall with additional retail and office space.

Photo from Library of Congress / https://www.shorpy.com / Shorpy, The American Historical Photo Archive

Gimbels Westchester stood at the west end of the 1,000-foot Mall Walk concourse. The Gimbels logo dates to 1963. At this time, there were six stores; the main Manhattan operation (at Broadway and 33rd Street), four New York branches, and a single location in New Jersey.

Photo from Library of Congress

Graphic from Gimbels Brothers, Incorporated

The CROSS COUNTY CENTER store was the first branch of the New York City-based Gimbels division. It originally encompassed 200,000 square feet.

Photo from Shorewood Cards

It is now September of 1955. We embark on a virtual shopping spree at the shiny new Gimbels Westchester department store at CROSS COUNTY CENTER. We begin by gazing in the window at the store's Men's department.
Photo from Library of Congress

Inside the store, we see the plethora of merchandise on display.
Photo from Library of Congress

Here we see the selection of Men's Shirts.
Photo from Library of Congress

Around the corner is Men's Sportswear.
Photo from Library of Congress

In a high definition view, we see the Gimbels Westchester main sales floor.
Photo from Library of Congress / https://www.shorpy.com / Shorpy, The American Historical Photo Archive

Now onto the Ladies Boutique.
Photo from Library of Congress

Then onto Daytime Dresses.
Photo from Library of Congress

And Ladies Sportswear.
Photo from Library of Congress

Above, we see the entrance to the Maternity department.
Photo from Library of Congress

We are now entering the Millinery department.
Photo from Library of Congress

With Jewelry & Hats not far away...
Photo from Library of Congress

The store's escalators and stairs provide access to the upper level and basement sales floor.
Photo from Library of Congress

The Boy's 3 to 6 Shop has a wide variety of apparel.
Photo from Library of Congress

As does the Girl's 1 to 3 Shop seen here.
Photo from Library of Congress

Shoes aplenty for boy's and girl's.
Photo from Library of Congress

Of course, any youngster would much prefer getting something from the Gimbels Westchester Toys department!
Photo from Library of Congress

For Dad, we have the Smoke Shop.
Photo from Library of Congress

Mom would surely love to peruse all of the fine silverware and glassware on display.
Photo from Library of Congress

The Kitchen Shop has a nice selection of dinettes, china cabinets, refrigerators and ranges.
Photo from Library of Congress

And there are lots of gourmet delights available from the Epicure Shop!
Photo from Library of Congress

After a long day of shopping, it will be great to relax and dine at the store's County Roost restaurant.
Photo from Library of Congress

We end our Gimbels excursion with a second view of the County Roost dining room.
Photo from Library of Congress

Switching to full-color snapshots, we have an eastward view of the shopping center's landscaped concourse, referred to as its "Mall Walk." This picture, taken in 1960, shows Building 2 stores, such as Wilsker Delicatessen, Miles Shoes and Walgreen Drug.
Photo from www.crosscountycenter.com

In a second circa-'60 snapshot, we see more Building 2 storefronts. Lerner Shops is on the left.
Photo from www.crosscountycenter.com

Building 5 stores, such as Chandler's Shoes and Oppenheim-Collins, are visible in this view.
Photo from www.crosscountycenter.com

A small, enclosed retail complex was built on a pad southwest of CROSS COUNTY CENTER. Originally known as CROSS COUNTY SQUARE, it opened for business in August 1987. Today, the facility is known as MALL AT CROSS COUNTY.
Photo from http://www.aacrealty.co / Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation

CROSS COUNTY CENTER remained essentially the same for its first 50 years. The mall was given a major makeover between April 2007 and October 2011. Newly-built -or substantially rebuilt- areas are indicated in dark gray on this circa-2014 site plan.

There is the so-called "Harundale Rock," at a shopping center outside of Baltimore. CROSS COUNTY CENTER has its own "Trading Rock." This commemorates the site of a major Native American market place.
Photo from Wikipedia / "Anthony22"

In this snapshot, we see the east-facing facade of the Charlotte Russe store. The high-rise building in the background housed the Cross County Medical Center between 1955 and 1977. After a major refurbishment, it re-opened, as the Hyatt Place Hotel, in April 2015.

Photo from Wikipedia / "Anthony22"

The CROSS COUNTY Sears took the place of a shuttered John Wanamaker Westchester store, in October 1995. Sears operated at the mall for over 23 years.
Photo from Wikipedia / "Anthony22"

An abandoned CROSS COUNTY Sears was gutted and rebuilt. A new Target opened it doors in the fall of 2023.

Drawing from Target Corporation

CROSS COUNTY CENTER
New York State Thruway / Interstate 87 and Cross County Parkway
Yonkers, New York

Developer Sol G. Atlas announced plans for Greater New York City's first shopping mall in July 1950. The open-air center would be built on a 46.5-acre plot, that would eventually be expanded to 71 acres. The site was located 12.5 miles northeast of Times Square, in the Westchester County suburb of Yonkers.

Construction started on CROSS COUNTY CENTER in early 1953. Designed by New York City's Lathrop Douglass, the 30 million dollar complex was predominantly a single-level structure, with service basements. Its southwest store block consisted of two above-ground levels.

The first phase of the project opened, with thirty-five stores, on April 28, 1954. Attending the grand opening were Sol G. Atlas, Lathrop Douglass, Bruce Gimbel and John Guelfl (of Gimbels), John Wannamaker III, John J. Harrington and Edmund J. Murphy (of First National Stores) and Kristen Kristensen (Mayor of Yonkers). Celebrities at the dedication ceremony were Morey Amsterdam, Martha Raye, Henny Youngman, Carl Reiner and Jackie Cooper. Music was provided by the Gorton and Roosevelt High School Bands.

A short list of charter CROSS COUNTY stores included Walgreen Drug, Wilsker Delicatessen, A.S. Beck Shoes, Westchester Bootery, Layin's Interiors, Wallace-Corning Men's Wear, Buster Brown Shoes and a freestanding (22,600 square foot) First National Stores supermarket.

An 8-story tower housed retail on its first level and offices on levels 2 through 4. The Cross County Medical Center, taking levels 5 through 8, opened on March 29, 1955. John Wanamaker, of Philadelphia, built a 3-level (225,000 square foot) store. It opened, as the center's first anchor, on April 28, 1955. Gimbels-New York's 3-level (200,000 square foot) unit welcomed its first shoppers on September 8th.

By December 1957, CROSS COUNTY CENTER was fully-leased, with a total of eighty tenant spaces. The complex incorporated approximately 906,200 leasable square feet of retail, office and hospital space. Three store blocks had just been added to the mall's southwest corner. New stores included Lofts Candy, Wing & Fin Pets and Simple Simon Hardware. In the original section of the mall, a 1-level (24,000 square foot) F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10 had opened for business.

The CROSS COUNTY mall was adjacent to the final construction segment of the New York State Thruway. It opened to traffic in August 1956. A fourth level was added to Gimbels in 1960. The store now encompassed 250,000 square feet; the mall, approximately 981,500 square feet.

In 1977, the Medical Center closed and was renovated into additional office space. In the same year, the shopping hub was acquired by a joint venture of New York City's Leonard Marx, Senior and Charles Benenson (this under the auspices of Brooks Shopping Centers, Limited Liability Company).

CROSS COUNTY CENTER, a middle-market venue, had no similar competitors in its vicinity. There were, however, more upscale shopping destinations, such as GALLERIA OF WHITE PLAINS (1981) {8.2 miles northeast, in White Plains}, THE WESTCHESTER (1995) {8.4 miles northeast, in White Plains} and THE SOURCE AT WHITE PLAINS (2003) {8.3 miles northeast, also in White Plains}.

A small (265,000 square foot) enclosed mall of twenty-six stores was built on a site directly southwest of CROSS COUNTY CENTER. Originally known as CROSS COUNTY SQUARE, it opened in August 1987. Today, this complex is known as MALL AT CROSS COUNTY.

Anchor rebrandings at CROSS COUNTY CENTER began in February 1987, when Gimbels morphed into a Stern's. The store was "Macy-ated" in February 2001. John Wanamaker Westchester was shuttered in March 1995 and re-opened, as a Sears, on October 28 of the same year. The First National Stores supermarket had been rebannered as a Finast in mid-1963 and eventually became a Stop & Shop. In 2002, it relocated into a newly-built (65,000 square foot) Super Stop & Shop. This freestanding store was located southeast of the mall proper.

A freestanding movie house, the National Amusements Cross County Multiplex Cinemas, was built on a pad directly south of CROSS COUNTY CENTER. The venue showed first features on November 5, 1993. During the 1960s, '70s and '80s, many of America's open-air malls were enclosed and air-conditioned. However, such a remodeling was never done at CROSS COUNTY CENTER. Its management felt that, being as how the center had remained profitable, there was no need to renovate it.

A 265 million dollar remodeling did get underway in April 2007. Santa Monica, California's Macerich Company, who managed the property, supervised its renovation. The complex was left essentially the same, but upgraded into a modern, lifestyle-type mall.

Improvements included face lifts of all exteriors, refurbishment of the existing pedestrian mall with new landscaping and fountains, demolition of 47,000 square feet of retail space and construction of two new store blocks housing 95,500 square feet. Macy's was also expanded (by 92,500 square feet), a 5-level parking garage constructed and the office tower renovated into a 150-bed hotel.

Phase One of the project, which brought new American Eagle Outfitters and Guess stores, was completed in late 2008. Phase Two, adding AX Armani Exchange, Bebe, Forever 21 and H & M, concluded in 2009. Phase Three, which comprised the Macy's addition and construction of the new parking structure, was finished in late 2011.

A week-long celebration, commemorating the re-launching of the 57-year-old retail hub, got underway October 11, 2011. With its recent modifications, the mall encompassed approximately 1, 073,000 leasable square feet and contained eighty-seven stores and services.

At the time of the re-launching, an official grand opening was held at WESTCHESTER'S RIDGE HILL {2.1 miles north, also in Yonkers}. This open-air, cluster-type mall would eventually encompass 1,300,000 leasable square feet. Although it was in close proximity to CROSS COUNTY CENTER, it was too upscale to be a true competitor.

Sears shuttered their 23-year-old CROSS COUNTY CENTER unit on July 28, 2019. Target acquired the vacant building and rebuilt it from top to bottom. The (130,000 square foot) store welcomed first shoppers on October 22, 2023.

Sources:

The New York Times

The Daily News (New York, New York)

The Yonkers Times (Yonkers, New York)

The New Castle Tribune (Chappaqua, New York)
"Dual Anchor Shopping Centers 1952-1965" / Richard Longstreth
http://www.fultonhistory.com / Old Fulton NY Post Cards By Tom Tryniski
Draft Environmental Impact Statement / Brooks Shopping Centers LLC / Yonkers Planning Board / Jim Myers Consulting PC / August 2005
www.cinematreasures.org

Final Environmental Impact Statement / Brooks Shopping Centers LLC / Yonkers Planning Board / Jim Myers Consulting PC / June 2006
www.crosscountycenter.com
https://westfaironline.com

BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOS:

From the Gottscho-Schleisner Collection / Repository: United States Library Of Congress Prints and Photograph Division, Washington, D.C. / Taken by Gottscho-Schleisner, Inc. / Samuel Herman, April 1959 / Sol Atlas- Client / Photographs are in the public domain: no known restrictions on publication / www.loc.gov/rr/print/catalog.html

The Lost Malls of Huntsville, Alabama

In the mid-1950s, Huntsville, Alabama was a sleepy southern town of sixteen thousand inhabitants. Then came the Space Race, with Huntsville chosen as the site for America's missile research, as well as the development of much of the nation's space program. By the early 1960s, the city was booming.

To facilitate its traffic flow, the first section of Memorial Parkway was dedicated in December 1955. The original 4-lane thoroughfare had just one grade-separated overpass. More were added between 1969 and 2012.

By the 1980s, Huntsville had the dubious distinction of being the largest city in "The Lower 48" with no Interstate Highway connection. A 22 mile spur route -Interstate 565- was dedicated between 1989 and 1991. It linked the Rocket City with Interstate 65 to the west.

Back in the day, everything in Huntsville was situated along Memorial Parkway. The thoroughfare had four shopping malls within a 3 mile stretch by 1976. The city continued to grow at an alarming rate during the 1980s and '90s. A big time, superregional shopping hub, MADISON SQUARE, opened in 1984 and the city was (finally) connected into the national Interstate Highway grid in 1991.
Click on image for a larger view

The first of five shopping malls built in the Rocket City, HEART OF HUNTSVILLE, was completed in 1961. This was just a year after the state's first interior mall, EASTWOOD, had opened for business in Birmingham.

Our LOST MALLS OF HUNTSVILLE section will cover four past-their-prime properties, which opened for business between 1961 and 1976. Three of these have been completely demolished, while one has been repurposed as a medical facility. These shopping centers are listed henceforth, using their original names.

*HEART OF HUNTSVILLE MALL [1961-2007]
*DUNNAVANT'S MALL [1965 to present]
*THE MALL [1966-2001]
*PARKWAY CITY MALL [1976-1999]

The four LOST MALLS flanking Memorial Parkway should probably not be classed as "freeway-friendly" during their early years, as The Parkway was upgraded to a limited-access highway on a piecemeal basis.

For this reason, MADISON SQUARE, in the western environs of the metro area, should probably be remembered as the city's first freeway-friendly mall. Dedicated in August 1984, it was built adjacent to an interchange on the Research Park Boulevard expressway.

This shopping facility opened with an incredible amount of ballyhoo (I was present at its grand opening). It hit the proverbial skids in the twenty-tens and was given a wrecking ball renovation in February 2017.

The successor, MIDCITY HUNTSVILLE, is a mixed-use project, which (naturally) is open-air in format. With these revelations, MADISON SQUARE becomes the Rocket City's fifth LOST MALL. However, our focus right now will be on Huntsville's first four...

From our shopping center article library, we present The Lost Malls of Huntsville:

Montgomery's Normandale Shopping City

NORMANDALE SHOPPING CITY was one of the first regional retail centers in the Southeast and also the first mall-type complex in Alabama. The shopping hub was built in two stages. The first, stretching along the top of this rendering, opened in September 1954.

Drawing from Sherlock, Smith & Adams / Aranov Realty

Anchoring the original section of NORMADALE was a 2-level Loveman's of Alabama department store. It opened, in September 1954, as the second branch of the Birmingham-based chain.

Advert from the City Stores Company

Cars fill the parking lot on September 10, 1954...the center's grand opening day.

Photo from http://digital.archives.alabama.gov / John Engelhardt Scott

A nighttime view of the NORMANDALE Kwik Chek supermarket. Obviously, it was a high-end ultra-modern structure.

Photo from http://digital.archives.alabama.gov / John Engelhardt Scott

An open-air shopping concourse -or Normandale Arcade- connected with the existing strip center and extended to a new W.T. Grant variety store. With this expansion, the complex would be promoted by the press as "one of the Southland's most striking pieces of architecture."

Photo from http://digital.archives.alabama.gov / John Engelhardt Scott

A small Woolworth's, in the original strip center, was replaced by a larger store on the new Normandale Arcade. The expansion wing opened for business in June 1957.

Photo from http://digital.archives.alabama.gov / John Engelhardt Scott