Buffalo's Eastern Hills Mall

Youngstown's Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation, developer of Greater Buffalo's original mega mall, recycled its provocative logo. The trademark had been used for Memphis' RALEIGH SPRINGS MALL. It would also promote St. Petersburg's TYRONE SQUARE.

Graphic from the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation

Buffalo-based Hengerer's anchored the east side of EASTERN HILLS MALL with a 2-level (130,000 square foot) store. Among its many features were The Pewter Pitcher (an upscale restaurant) and The Pantry (a gourmet delicatessen).

Drawing from the William Hengerer Company

Upon its completion in 1972, EASTERN HILLS was the largest mall in -or around- Buffalo. The single-level complex housed over 1 million leasable square feet and contained seventy-five stores. Its four anchors were J.C. Penney, Adam, Meldrum & Anderson (AM&A's), Sears and the aforementioned Hengerer's. Free parking was provided for 6,000 autos.

The first major renovation was done in 1987. The Treats Food Court was added to the southeast corner of the mall.
Drawing from The Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation

At the time of a circa-1987 site plan, Rochester-based Sibley's is operating in the Hengerer's space. The new Treats Food Court is shown in gray. 

We zoom through time to an early 2000s layout. The shopping hub houses eighty-five stores. Sibley's morphed into a Kaufmann's and AM&A's into The Bon Ton. Burlington Coat Factory, which assumed the Jenss space in late 1998, has just closed for good. The Woolworth section housed a Waccamaw's HomePlace for 3 years. That space has been vacant since early 1998. 

EASTERN HILLS MALL TENANTS 2003:

J.C. PENNEY (with Optical Shop, Photography Studio and Styling Salon) / KAUFMANN'S / THE BON TON / SEARS (with Optical Shop, Miracle Ear, Portrait Studio and freestanding Auto Center) / A Dollar / Aeropostale apparel / American Eagle Outfitters / Amy's Gems / Bath & Body Works / Bridgestone-Firestone Mastercare Center (outparcel) / Carlton Cards / Champs Sports / Christopher & Banks ladies' wear / Cinema I-II-III / Claire’s Boutique / Cricket Communications / D&K / Dakota Watch Company / Deb Shop ladies' wear / Designer Fashion apparel / Dunhill Staffing / Easy Spirit shoes / Elitine’s Nail & Spa / Express ladies' wear / Express Men / Finish Line shoes / Flagtastic / FYE (For Your Entertainment) / GNC / Game Stop / Gap Kids / G & G ladies' wear / George & Company / GT Wireless / Hearts Desire ladies' wear / Homespun Primitives / Honey Hill Pet Center / Jamestown Savings Bank / Jay’s Communications / Kay-Bee Toys / Kay Jewelers / Landmark Furniture / Lane Bryant ladies' wear / Laux Sporting Goods / LensCrafters/ Lerner New York ladies wear / Millennium apparel / Mrs. Field’s Cookies / Monkey-A-Round / Morgan’s Mountain Tees ladies' wear / New Age Creations / Parkside Candy / Payless Shoe Source / Piercing Pagoda / Pretzel  Time / Radio Shack / Rontina’s Hallmark / Sheriff's Substation / Smartlink / Source International / Spencer Gifts / Sterling Optical / Survey Service of Western New York / The Gap apparel / The Shoe Department / Things Remembered / Tuxedo Junction men's wear / Urban Classics / Victoria’s Secret / Village Cabinet & Furniture / Vinny's  Sports  Grill / Vitamin World / Waldenbooks / Zales Jewelers 

TREATS FOOD COURT:

Auntie Anne’s Pretzels / Burger King / China Panda / Hoagie Brothers / La Rosa Pizza / Ted’s Hot Dogs & Ice Cream

Sears anchored the south end of the complex for 47 years. The store shut down in late 2018.
Photo from https://www.flickr.com / Jack Thomas  

The Bon Ton assumed the old AM&A's space in late 1994. The Bon Ton operated an EASTERN HILLS store for over 23 years.
Photo from https://www.flickr.com / Jack Thomas  

An early 2000s renovation included an interior face lift of the complex. Here we see a newly-refurbished Center Court.

Photo from http://shopeasternhills.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine). 

Entrances at EASTERN HILLS MALL were also rebuilt as part of the 2004 remodeling.

Photo from Wikipedia / "KCin716"

The mall's 1970s-era multiplex was in operation for 50 years. It closed for good in October 2022.
Photo from Dave Bronx

Buffalo-based Hengerer's opened in this building in late 1971. There were stints as Sibley's and Kaufmann's before Macy's moved in, in late 2006. Macy's went dark in early 2016.
Photo from https://www.flickr.com / Jack Thomas

By 2016, there was talk of a total reinvention -and demalling- of the shopping hub. We saved this aerial view while it was still available on the Bing server.
Photo from www.bing.com

In 2021, all anchors at EASTERN HILLS are occupied...but not for long. Middle anchors had gone dark in 2016 and 2018, respectively. Macy's became the Niagara Emporium; the The Bon Ton morphed into Raymour & Flanigan Furniture. Sears did an "anchors away" in late 2018. Its space became the BFLO Store, which closed in July 2022. In July 2023, forty-eight inline stores were given eviction notices, effective in mid-January 2024. 

 

 

We submit for your approval a plan for the new & improved EASTERN HILLS TOWN CENTER. Structures remaining from the former mall are surrounded in blue. When completed, the facility will be Western New York's first town center complex.

Original drawing and graphic from https://uniland.com (Uniland Development Company)

EASTERN HILLS MALL
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 Vermont-based Orvis, 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 morphed into Macy's on September 9, 2006. Soon after, a large portion of the vacant Woolworth-Waccamaw's space was leased by Thurman Thomas, star player of the NFL Buffalo Bills. 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 center features were proposed, such as "quaint architecture," apartments, coffee shops, a fitness center, hotel, gourmet grocer 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, 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 (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
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 / WKBW-TV
"Eastern Hills Mall" article on Wikipedia

 Buffalo's Boulevard Mall

The original BOULEVARD MALL trademark, circa-1962. Umbrella motif logos such as this were often used to promote America's early enclosed shopping centers.
Graphic from Forest City Enterprises

BOULEVARD MALL vies with Long Island's WALT WHITMAN CENTER for the distinction of first enclosed mall in New York State. The first operational store at WALT WHITMAN CENTER opened in March 1962, with a mall-wide dedication held on November 23, 1962. An initial grand opening was held at BOULEVARD MALL on November 6, 1962.
Photo from http://www.buffalohistoryworks.com

A vintage view of the 200-foot-long shopping concourse. The "Sattler's 998" mallway entrance is seen on the right. The store's numeric designation was a homage to the address of the downtown Buffalo Sattler's, at 998 Broadway.
Photo from http://www.flickriver.com / "Flickriver PhotoStream" / William Bird

 

BOULEVARD was the first of ten major malls built in the Niagara Frontier between 1962 and 1989. In 1963, the newly-completed mall encompassed approximately 491,400 leasable square feet and housed thirty-six stores. Its parking area accommodated 5,000 autos at one time.

BOULEVARD MALL TENANTS 1963:

SATTLER'S 998 (with restaurant, beauty salon, Food Market and parcel pick-up service) / JENSS BOULEVARD (with beauty salon) / S.S. KRESGE 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / ACME MARKETS / KLEINHANS men's & boy's wear / Al Brownrout Fisheteria / A.S. Beck Shoes / Bond Clothes / Boulevard Barber Shop / Burczynski Bakery / Cataract Loan Company / Cavages Records & Cards / David's Specialty Shop ladies' wear / Dixies Sample Hat Shops / Edwards Shoes / Elkin Brothers / Fanny Farmer Candies / Flagg Brothers Shoes / Goldman's Shoes / Gray Drug (with luncheonette) / Gutman's ladies' wear / J & A Maternity / Joseph M. Dramer / Krasner's ladies' wear / Laux Sporting Goods / Manufacturers & Traders Trust / Mall Restaurant / Martin's Men's Wear / Miles Shoes / Morrison's ladies' wear / Putnam's Pet Shop / Reed's Jewelers / Singer Sewing Center / The Sample Casual Shops / Thom McAn Shoes / Wagner Optical

The first BOULEVARD MALL expansion got underway in 1969 and was completed in February 1971. A J.C. Penney anchor store and freestanding Auto Center were added to the northeast corner of the complex.
Photo from https://www.flickr.com / Jack Thomas

A circa-1980 plan shows three additions. A twin cinema (in dark gray) opened in 1966 and has been remade into a tri-plex. As mentioned, Penney's built a third anchor store. A southward expansion (light gray) was dedicated in March 1979. With its completion, the mall spans around 786,700 leasable square feet, with eighty-three stores and services.  

The image above -and two that follow- present a visual history of the
mall's original anchor department store. Buff-based Sattler's opened at
the mall in November 1962. The chain folded in 1982, with the
BOULEVARD MALL store remaining in business until it closed for good, in January 1983.
Graphics from United Department Stores

BOULEVARD MALL was expanded again between 1992 and 1994. The Picnic Place Food Court (in light gray) was added to the southeast corner. A freestanding Bob's Store (dark gray) was also built in the mall's southern periphery. The shopping complex was given an indoor-outdoor face lift in 1996-'97. When construction dust settled, the mall covered approximately 966,700 leasable square feet.  

Construction on the south end of the mall resumed in the late '90s. By the year 2000, an expanded South Wing (in light gray) has been completed. It adds Sears, Michaels and CompUSA. On the mall's north end, Jenss has just closed for good. With these modifications, BOULEVARD MALL encompasses around 1,148,900 leasable square feet and contains 106 stores and services.

The turn of the century brought a third rebranding of the mall's original anchor store. Built as a Buffalo-based "Sattler's 998," it morphed into a Rochester-based Sibley's in October 1983 and Pittsburgh-based  Kaufmann's in April 1990. In February 2006, a Macy's nameplate was installed.
Photo from https://www.flickr.com / Jack Thomas  

A 2010s view of Center Court...which is quite a contrast to the vintage interior photo above!
Photo from https://douglasdevelopment.com / Douglas Development

Bonefish Grill was one of three sit-down restaurants added to the shopping center during a 2006 face lift. It is the only one of the three still in business.
Photo from https://douglasdevelopment.com / Douglas Development

By the 2010s, BOULEVARD MALL was in a downward spiral. Inline stores, such as The Limited, Size 5-7-9 Shops and Pacsun, pulled up stakes. Then, the Sears and Macy's Men's anchor stores went dark. To avoid foreclosure, the mall's owner sold the struggling complex back to the lender in December 2017.
Graphic from www.boulevardmall.com

The Picnic Place Food Court had run its course by 2015. It was replaced by Dick's Sporting Goods (in medium gray). In 2023, Greater Buffalo's first enclosed mall housed seventy-seven store spaces, with thirteen kiosks. Twenty-three spaces were vacant.

On the horizon may be a total redevelopment of the mall. A new owner came on board in June 2019. They devised a plan to revitalize the complex as a mixed-use town center that would be known as BOULEVARD PLACE.
Drawing from Dover, Kohl & Partners

The new and improved BOULEVARD PLACE may even include a station stop on a newly-extended Metro Rail light rail transit line. This terminal would be one of ten along a prospective 7-route-mile Tonawanda-Amherst Extension.
Photo from Wikipedia / David Wilson

BOULEVARD MALL

Niagara Falls Boulevard / US 62 and Maple Road

Erie County (Town of Amherst), New York

Greater Buffalo's first fully-enclosed shopping center was developed by Suburban Shoppers World, Incorporated, which was a joint venture of Buffalo's Harold A. Dautch, Niagara Falls' Jack E. Gellman, and Greater Cleveland's Forest City Enterprises. The shopping center proper was designed by New York City's Lathrop Douglass. Peter Copeland, also of New York City, designed the mall's Sattler's anchor store. 

The 12 million dollar complex originally occupied 44.7 acres of a 55.8-acre parcel. This was located 11 miles northeast of downtown Buffalo, in a section of Erie County known as Town of Amherst. The name BOULEVARD MALL was derived from the mall's location along Niagara Falls Boulevard. Ground was broken on September 13, 1961. 

 

Six stores debuted on November 6, 1962. These were a 2-level (220,000 square foot), Buffalo-based "Sattler's 998," 2-level (80,000 square foot), Amherst-based Jenss, (13,500 square foot) Acme Market, (28,800 square foot) Kleinhans men's, The Sample Casual Shops and Morrisons. 

 

The highlights of the dedication were the release of several colored balloons and a TV broadcast greeting by Nelson A. Rockefeller (R) (Governor of New York). Speeches were given by Edward R. Rath (Erie County Executive), Herbert C. Weinberg (Forest City Enterprises Project Coordinator) and Harry R. Jones (Town of Amherst Supervisor). Music was provided by the Sweet Home Central High School Band.

 

A (24,000 square foot) S.S. Kresge 5 & 10 welcomed first customers on February 11, 1963. A mall-wide dedication was held on March 13th. The high point of this celebration was a public, trans-oceanic phone call to to the office of the mayor of Buffalo's sister city, Kanazawa, Japan. Demonstrations were given at a small figure skating ice rink in the mall's Center Court. The Sweet Home Central High School Band, who had performed at the November 1962 dedication, provided music.

Charter inline stores included Thom McAn Shoes, Baker's Qualicraft Shoes, Reed's Jewelers, Bond Clothes, Gray Drug, and Fanny Farmer Candies. On the south end of the property was the freestanding Suburban Lanes Bowling Center. A pad northeast of the mall proper was developed as the General Cinema Corporation Boulevard Mall Cinema I & II. This venue opened for business on February 16, 1966. It was reconfigured as the Boulevard Mall Cinema I-II-III in October 1973 and as the Boulevard Mall 1-4, in June 1980.

The first expansion of the mall had been announced in February 1969. A 3-level (214,600 square foot) J.C. Penney and freestanding Auto Center were added to the northeast corner. These opened for business on February 25, 1971. 

Competing shopping hubs in Buffalo's Northtowns area included NORTHTOWN PLAZA (1951) {.3 mile south, in Erie County (Town of Amherst)} and EASTERN HILLS MALL (1971) {6.3 miles southeast, in Erie County (Town of Clarence)}. Also in the vicinity were THRUWAY PLAZA (1952) {5.7 miles southeast, in Erie County (Town of Cheektowaga)} and WALDEN GALLERIA (1989) {5.6 miles southeast, also in Erie County  (Town of Cheektowaga)}.

A second mall expansion was announced on February 5, 1977 and approved, by the Amherst Planning Board, on February 17th. This project, extending the south end of the mall, added 80,000 square feet and thirty-three stores. A recently shuttered Acme supermarket was fitted with retail spaces and the interior and exterior of the mall given face lifts. This brought new skylights, tropical foliage and an underwater-lit fountain. 

Fifteen new stores were dedicated on November 9, 1978. Among these were Casual Corner, Foxmoor Casuals, Kinney Shoes and J. Rigging's. The renovation was officially dedicated in March 1979. BOULEVARD MALL now covered approximately 786,700 leasable square feet, with a tenant list eighty-three stores and services. 

In the following year, the BOULEVARD MALL Sattler's was remodeled. The 2 million dollar project was carried out between July and November 1980. It added two restaurants and a Professional Services Center. This included a beauty salon, dental clinic, legal services office, insurance agency and travel bureau. The store was also downsized to 206,000 square feet. 

Sattler's BOULEVARD MALL store was shuttered in January 1983 and re-opened, as a Rochester-based Sibley's, on October 10, 1983. The store was rebranded again when Sibley's merged with another May Department Stores division, Pittsburgh-based Kaufmann's. This process got underway on February 4, 1990, when the store officially became Sibley's-Kaufmann's. In March, it was marketed as Kaufmann's-Sibley's. Finally, on April 1, 1990, it received a Kaufmann's nameplate.

A third expansion of BOULEVARD MALL had been announced in March 1990. The outparcel bowling alley would be razed and a South Wing extension constructed. This would house the 12-bay Picnic Place. This food facility opened on March 31, 1994. Original vendors were A Lotta Chiladas, Arby's, Cousin's Dog House, Kostas Souvlaki, Leon's Pizza, The Great Steak & Potato Company and the Everything's Yogurt & Salad Cafe.

A freestanding Bob's Store was also built adjacent to the south end of the mall. The (60,000 square foot) apparel retailer held its grand opening on April 10, 1994. To make the existing mall consistent with the expansion area, a 4 million dollar face lift commenced in July 1996. This project included the installation of new lighting, ceilings, skylights, landscaping and porcelain tile flooring. Two entrances were also rebuilt. A grand re-opening commenced on May 30, 1997.

Jenss was shuttered on September 15, 2000. The chain downsized from a full-line department store into a specialty retailer, dealing in high-end gifts and home decor. A new location opened one block from the mall. The first level of the old Jenss re-opened, as the very first Kaufmann's Men's Store, on May 16, 2001.

Meanwhile, the South Wing had been enlarged with four new stores. A 2-level (122,000 square foot) Sears held its grand opening on August 19, 2000. A (30,200 square foot) CompUSA and (30,000 square foot) Michaels were built adjacent to the existing Boulevard Athletic Club. BOULEVARD MALL now encompassed approximately 1,148,900 leasable square feet, with a tenant roster of 106 stores and services.

The mall's two Kaufmann's stores were rebranded by Macy's on February 1, 2006. This transition was accompanied by a renovation of the mall that was done between August and December 2006. Three new sit-down restaurants opened in existing mall space; Bonefish Grill, Johnny Rockets and Grand Buffet. Likewise, the mall's exterior was updated with new entrances, signage and landscaping.

Picnic Place closed in early 2015. The facility was demolished and replaced by a (55,000 square foot) Dick's Sporting Goods, which opened for business on November 7 of the same year. Rated, at the time, as the number two mall in Greater Buffalo, the shopping center soon encountered several hurdles. Inline stores, such as The Limited, Foot Locker and Regis Hairstylists moved out. Sears, a mall tenant for over 16 years, went dark on March 28, 2017, followed by Macy's Men's & Home, which shut down on October 13th.

The Forest City Realty Trust put the shopping hub on the open market in July 2016. There were no buyers. In December of the same year, it was turned over to the lender; New York City's LNR Partners. LNR flipped the property. Washington, DC-based Douglas Development acquired the struggling shopping center in June 2019. A redevelopment plan was envisaged, whereby the complex would be partially demolished and reconfigured as BOULEVARD PLACE, a mixed-use town center.

Sources:

The Buffalo News

The Courier Express (Buffalo, New York)

The Spectrum (Buffalo, New York)

http://www.fultonhistory.com / Old Fulton NY Post Cards By Tom Tryniski

http://www.boulevard-mall.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine) 

https://boulevard-mall.com 

http://movie-theatre.org / Mike Rivest

https://www3.erie.gov / Erie County, New York

http://www.wkbw.com / WKBW-TV

https://www.wivb.com / WIVB-TV

"Boulevard Mall" article on Wikipedia

Buffalo's Thruway Plaza

Western New York's first major post-war shopping complex opened for business in October 1952. The 8 million dollar facility originally spanned 300,000 leasable square feet and contained thirty-two stores and services. Free parking was provided for 3,000 autos.

Graphic from the Sommers Brothers Construction Company 

An early '50s view of THRUWAY PLAZA. Tenants in the open-air strip center included W.T. Grant, J.C. Penney, Woolworth's and Neisner's 5 & 10s and A & P and NuWay supermarkets.

Photo from http://wnyheritagepress.org / Buffalo Courier-Express

A THRUWAY PLAZA grand opening celebration was hosted by Duncan Renaldo, star of "The Cisco Kid" western TV series.

Photo from Wikipedia / B & I Circus Store

J.C. Penney's THRUWAY PLAZA location was comprised of 3 levels, although only one -the 25,000 square foot main sales floor- was used for retail. A basement and small third floor housed offices, storage and an employee break room. The store would be expanded in 1957.

Drawing from the J.C. Penney Company

Lerner Shops at THRUWAY PLAZA originally encompassed 10,800 square feet, all on one floor. This store would also be enlarged in 1957.

Drawing from the McCrory Company

An advertisement for the Luncheonette at the THRUWAY PLAZA Neisner's. Note that a "Home Style Meat Loaf Dinner" cost just 55 cents. I wonder if a beverage was included.

Graphic and advert from Neisner Brothers, Incorporated

A promotion for the PLAZA Woolworth's included mention of the store's Pet Shop. Back in the day, the typical 5 & dime always had a department that sold live animals. These included monkeys, canaries, parakeets, turtles, white mice and (even) baby alligators! 

Graphic and advert from the F.W. Woolworth Company

Our first THRUWAY plan depicts the complex of 1957. The original strip center is shown in black. Additions to the Penney's, Neisner's, Lerner Shops, Woolworth's, A.S. Beck and Bergner's stores have just been completed and are shown in medium gray. A recent mall-making addition also appears in medium gray. With these improvements, THRUWAY PLAZA contains fifty-five stores and services. An expanded parking area provides space for 5,500 autos.

THRUWAY PLAZA TENANTS 1957:

J.C. PENNEY /  A & P supermarket / NU-WAY supermarket / F.W. WOOLWORTH 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / NEISNER's 5 & 10 (with luncheonette and beauty salon) / W.T. GRANT (with luncheonette) / A.S. Beck Shoes / Alcon Lock & Key Shop / Burns Barber & Beauty Salon / Cavage's Records & Cards / Colonial House restaurant / Dick Fisher Athletic Goods / Endicott-Johnson Shoes / Fanny Farmer Candies / Firestone retail store / Glickstein's Jewelers / Goldin's ladies' wear / Harvey & Carey Drugs (with luncheonette) / Household Finance Corporation / Household Outfitting / Howard Clothes / Janie's Youth Center children's wear / Jacobi Brothers men's wear / Jay-Bee Pastry Shop / Kiddie Ranch / Kleinhans men's wear / L.L. Berger ladies' wear / Lerner Shops ladies' wear / Little Colony / Loft Candies / Manufacturers & Traders Trust Bank (outparcel) / Martin, Limited men's wear / Master-Simon Hardware / My Maternity Shops / National Shoe Service Repair / Niagara Cotton Shop ladies' wear / Oppenheim-Collins ladies' wear (with Andre Beauty Salon and Simon Restaurant) / Record Rack / Russell Jay ladies' wear / Sattler's youthware / Schiff Shoes / Sears Catalogue & Appliance / Seeburg's men's wear / Singer Sewing Center / Susan Ives ladies' wear / Suzy Millinery / Thom McAn Shoes / Thruway Card & Camera / Thruway Liquor / Ulbricht's Books & Office Supplies / US Post Office /  Victor's Home Furnishings / Wahl Shoes / Wayne Optical / Woodrow

The strip plaza became an open-air mall with the aforementioned mid-50s expansion. A December 1958 snapshot shows the center section of the shopping concourse. Going from right-to-left, the stores are W.T. Grant, Howard Clothes, Russell Jay ladies' wear and Martin, Limited men's wear. 

Photo from Jerome Pinson

Another view of the open-air mall was taken on its north end. On the left are Victor's Home Furnishings, Kleinhans men's wear and the center's first Adam, Meldrum & Anderson ("AM&A's") store. Over its 43 years in business, the mall would house two.

Photo from http://www.tocny.org / Town of Cheektowaga, New York

A THRUWAY logo montage consists of trademarks for stores that operated in the shopping center during the 1950s, '60s and '70s.  

By 1971, several PLAZA stores have come and gone. A freestanding Acme Markets grocery (in dark gray) welcomed first shoppers in June 1960. AM&A's opened a new store in November 1971 (medium gray). With these modifications, the open-air shopping hub now covers approximately 760,000 leasable square feet and houses fifty-five stores and services behind its awnings.

THRUWAY PLAZA was given a thorough renovation in the mid-1970s. The northern section of the shopping concourse was enclosed, with the southern part -and stores such as J.C. Penney- left out in the rain and snow. A grand re-opening was held in July 1975. The remainder of the mallway would be enclosed as part of a "South Court" expansion. This project would be completed in 1980.

Graphic from the United Nations Corporation

Our third THRUWAY layout depicts the fully-enclosed mall of 1987. A freestanding tri-plex cinema opened in December 1977. The outparcel supermarket was rebranded in 1979. The South Court wing is shown in light gray. With these -and other- modifications, the shopping hub encompasses around 860,000 leasable square feet and houses eighty-five stores under its roof. 

SENECA MALL opened for business in May 1969. It covered 700,000 leasable square feet and contained sixty-two stores and services. In its early years, it was a major competitor of THRUWAY PLAZA and MALL. 

Graphic from the Pyramid Management Group

Greater Buffalo's super mall, WALDEN GALLERIA, was dedicated in May 1989. This six-anchor complex, with 1.2 million leasable square feet and 185 stores, put the hurt on both the THRUWAY and SENECA malls. The SENECA property was shuttered and demolished in 1994. THRUWAY closed in November 1995 and was partially demolished in 1997.

Graphic from the Pyramid Management Group

Value City Furniture repurposed the old AM&A's building at THRUWAY MALL. The 50,000 square foot store was dedicated in October 1994. It became part of a redeveloped THRUWAY PLAZA power center, whose newly-built stores opened between 1999 and 2001.

Photo from http://dlc.propertycapsule.com / DLC Management Corporation

Firestone was one of the original tenants at THRUWAY PLAZA. In the early 1990s, the southwest section of the mall, including the original Firestone store, was demolished. It relocated into this new freestanding structure. 

Photo from http://dlc.propertycapsule.com / DLC Management Corporation

THRUWAY PLAZA

Walden Avenue and Harlem Road

Erie County (Town of Cheektowaga), New York

 

One of the earliest post-war shopping centers in the Niagara Frontier was developed by the Sommers Brothers Construction Company, of Iselin, New Jersey. THRUWAY PLAZA was built on a 75-acre site, located 4.6 miles northeast of Buffalo's center city. The 8 million dollar, open-air complex was adjacent to a section of the New York State Thruway that had opened to traffic on October 29, 1951.

Promoted as the largest shopping center in Western New York, the 300,000 square foot strip complex was designed by the Walter Koppel firm of Miami, Florida. Among thirty-two charter stores and services were W.T. Grant, Lerner Shops, A & P and Nu-Way supermarkets. There were also a 1-level (12,000 square foot) F.W. Woolworth, 1-level (14,000 square foot) Neisner's and 3-level (25,000 square foot) J.C. Penney.

A grand opening celebration commenced on October 16, 1952. The festivities were hosted by Duncan Renaldo, "The Cisco Kid," star of the syndicated western TV series of the same name. Several retail store executives were present, along with officials from the Sommers Company. Benedict T. Holz (Town of Cheektowaga Supervisor) cut a ceremonial ribbon. Entertainment included animal acts from the Gengler Brothers Circus.  

THRUWAY PLAZA was expanded with a western section in the mid-1950s. Two new store blocks faced those in the original strip center, creating an open-air mall between them. A 2-level (35,000 square foot) Oppenheim-Collins opened its doors on November 1, 1956. Kleinhans' 2-level (16,000 square foot) unit debuted  on November 15th. Sears' 2-level (45,000 square foot) store opened its doors on February 13, 1957, with a 2-level (60,000 square foot), Buffalo-based Adam, Meldrum & Anderson (AM&A's) holding its grand opening on February 14th.

As the two west store blocks were being completed, several existing THRUWAY PLAZA stores were enlarged. Woolworth's, Neisner's, L.L. Berger, A.S. Beck and Lerner Shops expanded eastward. Likewise, J.C. Penney increased its square footage to 58,000 square feet. This was done by reconfiguring basement space as retail area. An eastward expansion was also constructed. The enlarged store was re-dedicated on May 2, 1957.   

The Nu-Way supermarket, a charter 1952 THRUWAY PLAZA tenant, initiated construction on a new freestanding unit, which was being built in the shopping center's northeast parking area. In August 1959, stores in the Nu-Way chain were acquired by Acme Markets of Philadelphia. The new (25,600 square foot) grocery -branded with an Acme Markets nameplate- was officially dedicated on June 2, 1960. 

An enclosing renovation of THRUWAY PLAZA had been proposed since the mid-1960s. Various plans were announced...and eventually abandoned. Ground was broken on August 10, 1970 for -what was considered to be- an enlargement and enclosure of the entire complex. This project began with the construction of a new AM&A's anchor store; this replacing the existing circa-1956 unit. 

Unfortunately, the new AM&A's would be the only segment of the prospective renovation to come to fruition. The new 2-level (100,000 square foot) AM&A's was officially dedicated on November 1, 1971. The enclosure and expansion of THRUWAY PLAZA was temporarily postponed, with plans getting back on track in April 1973. As the first facet of the up-and-coming renovation, the name of the complex was changed to THRUWAY MALL.  

New York City's United Nations Corporation, who had acquired THRUWAY PLAZA in 1969, were wanting to build a roof over the shopping concourse and add 60,000 square feet of retail area. A new East Mall, and third anchor department store, were also envisaged. Construction was delayed by problems securing building materials. However, by mid-1975, the enclosing project was completed.

The "Aloha To The New Enclosed Thruway" celebration commenced on July 9, 1975. Twenty-one new stores joined the tenant list, including York Steak House, Florsheim Thayer McNeil Shoes, Richman Brothers men's wear, So-Fro Fabrics, The Fashion Factory, a Child World toy store and Hickory Farms of Ohio. THRUWAY MALL now spanned approximately 820,000 leasable square feet and housed seventy-three stores and services.

While the mall had been enclosed and climate-controlled, it had only been a partial job. The southern portion of the shopping concourse had been left in the open. A construction project to fully enclose the mallway was completed in mid-1980. Twelve new stores opened as part of this "South Court" expansion, which increased the mall's gross leasable area to around 860,000 square feet. The tenant list included eighty-five stores and services.  

Neisner's shuttered their 25-year-old THRUWAY store in early 1978. The vacant building was thoroughly remodeled. It was re-opened, as a (32,300 square foot), Buffalo-based Sattler's Fashion Store, on October 11, 1978. The Sattler's chain began a retail retreat when the downtown Buffalo store closed, in May 1981. 

The THRUWAY MALL location went dark in February 1982. The building was reconfigured as an eleven-store Mini-Mall; this dedicated in November 1984. Sears, a mall tenant for 28 years, shuttered their store on July 31, 1985. Anderson-Little set up shop in a portion of the vacant Sears space and opened for business in late 1985. The shopping hub now contained ninety stores and services under its roof.

Meanwhile, the General Cinema Corporation Thruway Mall Cinema was built as a southeastern outparcel. Its first features were shown on December 16, 1977. Originally a 3-screen venue, the facility was expanded into a 6 -and then 8- plex. It was shuttered on November 30, 1999 and re-opened, as the Dipson Theatres Thruway Cinema 8, on June 1, 2001. The venue morphed into the JGM Entertainment Movieland 8 Theatres in 2004. 

Major shopping centers in the THRUWAY trade area included SENECA MALL (1969-1994) {4.7 miles south, in Erie County (Town of West Seneca)}, COMO PARK MALL / APPLETREE MALL (1972) {1.5 miles southeast, in Erie County (Town of Cheektowaga)} and McKINLEY MALL (1985) {8.2 miles south, in Erie County (Town of Hamburg)}.

THRUWAY MALL did well until the completion of WALDEN GALLERIA {.8 mile northeast, in Erie County (Town of Cheektowaga)}. This mega mall's first stores opened in May 1989. Eventually, WALDEN GALLERIA would snatch the J.C. Penney and AM&A's from THRUWAY MALL. Kleinhans pulled up stakes in December 1990.

The abandoned AM&A's building at THRUWAY MALL was subdivided, with a (49,800 square foot) Value City Furniture setting up shop in its first floor. A grand opening was held in October 1994. This new store was part of an ongoing shift to remarket THRUWAY MALL as an off-price shopping center. Unfortunately, this new focus could not change the fortunes of the past-its-prime property. 

A foreclosure auction was held in September 1994. The Buffalo-based Benderson Development Company acquired the virtually vacant facility for a rock bottom price and shuttered the shopping concourse in November 1995.

As one might expect, a raze-and-replace plan had been devised. The first, announced in November 1995, would have demolished only the southern half of the complex. A second proposal, from November 1996, became the accepted plan. 600,000 square feet were knocked down, leaving the AM&A's building and freestanding Firestone Store, cinema and bank structures standing. 

News of a prospective retail complex, to be known as THRUWAY CONSUMER SQUARE, surfaced in March 1997. By April, the name had been changed to THRUWAY PLAZA. The first tenant, a 1-level (90,000 square foot) Wal-Mart SuperCenter, opened its doors on January 26, 1998. A newly-built (55,400 square foot) Tops Market opened in December 1999. This was followed by a 1-level (132,300 square foot) Home Depot, which held its grand opening in 2001.

Beachwood Ohio's Developers Diversified Realty acquired the real estate portfolio of Benderson Development in mid-2004 and became the new proprietor of THRUWAY PLAZA. They sold the 572,600 square foot power center, along with fifteen other properties, to a joint venture of Elmsford, New York's DLC Management Corporation and DRA Advisors. This transaction closed in October 2016.

WalMart at THRUWAY PLAZA had pulled up stakes in April. Its vacant store was re-leased in increments. A 12,000 square foot section was occupied by Citi Trends. Planet Fitness (with 25,000 square feet) was dedicated on March 21, 2018. The Movieland 8 Theatres had been shuttered on May 11, 2015. The building was sold to a local church in June 2017. 

Sources:

The Buffalo News

The Courier-Express (Buffalo, New York)

The Cheektowaga Chronicle (Cheektowaga, New York)

"Dual Anchor Shopping Centers 1952-1965" / Richard Longstreth

Information provided by Bill Schultz and Robert Lackameyer, Greater Buffalo residents

http://www.tocny.org / Town of Cheektowaga

http://wnyheritagepress.org 

http://www.ddr.com / Developers Diversified Realty

http://rew-online.com / Real Estate Weekly

http://dlc.propertycapsule.com / DLC Management Corporation

https://buffalostreets.com