Photo from Dexter Press, Incorporated / Stephen Heaslip
Showing posts with label Rochester (New York) Malls. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rochester (New York) Malls. Show all posts
Rochester's Midtown Plaza
The Flower City's revolutionary retail center, which was the first suburban mall in a center city setting. MIDTOWN PLAZA consisted of 2 levels; the Mall Level (or ground floor) and Terrace Level. Upon its official dedication in April 1962, the PLAZA was heralded as "The nation’s most spectacular center-city revival project."
Photo from Dexter Press, Incorporated / Stephen Heaslip
Photo from Dexter Press, Incorporated / Stephen Heaslip
A 1962 newspaper ad entices visitors to Rochester's gleaming new MIDTOWN PLAZA. Terms such as "exclusive," "unique in the whole wide world" and "awesome splendor" may seem a bit over the top in this super-jaded world of today. However, back in the mid-century years, this is how new things were often promoted.
Advert from the Midtown Holdings Company
The Clock of Nations, which was the centerpiece of a 2-level Public Plaza. On the hour and half hour, it gave musical puppet shows representing twelve different nations. The clock, designed by California's Dale Clark, stood 28 feet high.
Photo from Dexter Press, Incorporated
The Sidewalk Cafe at MIDTOWN PLAZA was a forerunner of the shopping mall food courts that would proliferate in the 1980s and '90s.
Photo from Marks & Fuller Company
Midtown Tower was a component of the MIDTOWN PLAZA development. The International-style building encompassed 18 floors and included a seventy-room hotel, 10 floors of office suites, the Top of the Plaza restaurant & nightclub and a Trailways bus terminal.
Photo from Dexter Press, Incorporated
MIDTOWN PLAZA TENANTS 1962:
ON THE MALL
McCURDY'S (with Beauty Salon, Garden Room restaurant, Coffee Break snack bar and Community Center) / B. FORMAN (with Beauty Salon) / American Airlines ticket office / Andrew J. Mickles Agency Insurance & Real Estate / Baker's Qualicraft Shoes / Casual Corner ladies' wear / Christian Science Reading Room / Clark's Shoes / Edison Brothers Shoes / Fanny Farmer Candies / Funfair Recreation Center / Grinnell-Kalb-Fleish Travel Agency / Hershberg's Jewelers / Lane Bryant ladies' wear / Likly's Luggage & Gifts / Lincoln Rochester Trust Company / Medwin's Liquor Store / Melcrest Shoes / National Key Company / No Waiting Barber Shop / Parklane Hosiery (two stores) / Peck & Peck ladies' wear / Rochester Midtown Pharmacy (with luncheonette) / Rochester Telephone Corporation / Ryan, Limited men's wear / Scrantom's Stationers / Sidewalk Cafe / Tracy Shoes / US Post Office / Wegmans Food Market / Zava Coiffures
IN MIDTOWN TOWER
MIDTOWN TOWER HOTEL / TOP OF THE PLAZA RESTAURANT / Allyn, Clements & Small / Continental Can Company / Darcy, Bush & Osborne / Emil Muller Construction Company / Functional Broadcasting, Incorporated / George D.B. Bonbright & Company / Haskins & Sells / Herbert E. Wilson Associates / Hutchins Advertising Agency / Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company / Middleton, Giannini & Remington Attorneys at Law / Middletown Holdings, Corporation / Nellson, Incorporated / Pfaudler Permutit / Price Waterhouse / Robert A. Bristol / The Canada Life Insurance Company / The Consolidated Insurance Companies / Trailways Bus Terminal / WBBF Radio / Xerox
A nighttime view of what was originally known as the Lincoln First Bank. This 27-story office tower was completed in 1973 and was linked -by elevated Skyway- to MIDTOWN PLAZA. The building's official name has been changed twice over the years. It morphed into The Chase Tower in 1996 and The Metropolitan in 2015.
Photo from Wikipedia / Maximilian Kapitonoff
A Monorail, which circled the Garden Court of MIDTOWN PLAZA, was set up as part of an annual Christmas season spectacular. It quickly became a "Ra-Cha-Cha" holiday tradition.
Photo from www.midtownrochester.com
A parting view of the Public Plaza and Clock of Nations in the virtually vacant MIDTOWN mall. After the its official closing, in July 2008, the clock was relocated to the Greater Rochester International Airport terminal.
Photo from Wikipedia / "LTPowers"
Midtown Tower was left standing when MIDTOWN PLAZA was given a wrecking ball renovation, in September 2010. The building was remodeled between 2014 and 2016 and renamed Tower 280 at Midtown. Now a residential complex, it also houses offices, retail stores and an upscale restaurant.
Photo from http://www.pmbdesignstudio.com / Philip Michael Brown Design Studio
MIDTOWN PLAZA
East Main Street and South Clinton Avenue (Clinton Square)
Rochester, New York
Plans for the nation's first center city shopping mall got underway in late 1956. Gilbert and Gordon McCurdy and Maurice and Fred Forman, four Rochester retail moguls, met with architect Victor Gruen to discuss a concept to save their downtown department stores from the ravages of suburbanization.
Gruen's proposal was submitted to the McCurdys and Formans in September 1958 and was enthusiastically received. Plans for a "multi-functional" downtown civic center and retail complex were officially announced on September 25, 1958. Ground was broken on April 6, 1959.
MIDTOWN PLAZA was built under the auspices of the Midtown Holdings Company, which was under the control of McCurdy & Company ("McCurdy's") and the B. Forman Company. The 35 million dollar complex occupied an 8.6-acre site in Rochester's downtown core, which had previously been city blocks bisected by Cortland Street.
East Main Street and South Clinton Avenue (Clinton Square)
Rochester, New York
Plans for the nation's first center city shopping mall got underway in late 1956. Gilbert and Gordon McCurdy and Maurice and Fred Forman, four Rochester retail moguls, met with architect Victor Gruen to discuss a concept to save their downtown department stores from the ravages of suburbanization.
Gruen's proposal was submitted to the McCurdys and Formans in September 1958 and was enthusiastically received. Plans for a "multi-functional" downtown civic center and retail complex were officially announced on September 25, 1958. Ground was broken on April 6, 1959.
MIDTOWN PLAZA was built under the auspices of the Midtown Holdings Company, which was under the control of McCurdy & Company ("McCurdy's") and the B. Forman Company. The 35 million dollar complex occupied an 8.6-acre site in Rochester's downtown core, which had previously been city blocks bisected by Cortland Street.
Existing buildings were worked into the project, such as the McCurdy's and B. Forman stores. A new headquarters was also built for the Rochester Telephone Corporation. An ultra-modern merchandising mecca was dedicated on April 10, 1962, with over 5,000 Rochesterians on hand for the festivities. A ceremonial ribbon was cut by Mayor Henry Gillette and former mayor Peter Barry.
MIDTOWN PLAZA consisted of a 3-level, subterranean parking garage and 2-level, fully-enclosed shopping mall. These were topped off by an 18-floor office tower, with its 4 upper levels comprising the (78-room) Midtown Tower Hotel. The ground floor of the building included a multi-modal bus terminal. Anchoring the complex were the 6-level (487,000 square foot) McCurdys and 4-level (179,000 square foot) B. Forman.
Among the mall's fifty charter tenants were Casual Corner, Malcrest Shoes, Scrantom's Books & Stationery, Lane Bryant, No Waiting Barber Shop, Lincoln Rochester Trust Company and a Wegman's supermarket. There was also a 300-seat Community Auditorium.
The centerpiece of the facility was its Clock of Nations, which presented animated puppet shows of twelve cultures. These were from Ireland, Puerto Rico, Scotland, Japan, Thailand, Poland, Italy, Canada, Germany, Isreal, Nigeria and the United States.
MIDTOWN PLAZA garnered much media coverage and served as a model for subsequent urban renewal projects across the United States. Renovations were completed in the 1970s and '80s, with the PLAZA being incorporated into the city's Skyway, an enclosed network of overhead pedestrian passageways. The Continental Sidewalk Cafe was converted to a standard mall Food Court in 1983. By this time, the shopping complex housed over 100 stores and services.
Unfortunately, the shift of downtown commerce to the suburbs, which MIDTOWN PLAZA had been created to curtail, had continued unabated. The B. Forman MIDTOWN store was shuttered in August 1994, with McCurdy's going dark in the following September. B. Forman was resurrected on November 25, 1994, but closed for good in January 1996. Virginia-based Peebles leased the the first floor of the former Forman's, with the remainder of the building, and the entirety of the old McCurdy's, being renovated into office spaces.
MIDTOWN PLAZA languished for the remainder of the 1990s. A California concern known as Arnold Industries acquired the struggling complex in November 1997. Their plans for a revitalization of the decaying facility were abandoned when the company declared bankruptcy in the year 2000. A subsequent plan, put forward by the Province of Palermo, Italy, would have reconfigured part of the moribund mall as an "Italian shopping experience." This project was also abandoned.
By 2006, redevelopment plans for the "hulking mess" centered around a partial demolition of the structure. The mall was shuttered on July 29, 2008, with its final tenant, the Adirondack Transit Bus Lines station, going dark on November 3, 2009.
The first phase of demolition, consisting of asbestos abatement, had commenced in July 2009. Demolition began, in earnest, on September 27, 2010. Three structures were spared; the Midtown Tower, Seneca Building and subterranean parking garage. The two buildings were renovated. Midtown Tower was rebuilt between 2014 and 2016. It reemerged as Tower 280 at Midtown, a residential, office and retail complex.
Originally, the Paetec Holding Corporation, a Rochester-based telecommunications company, was going to redevelop a portion of the former mall site with a 40-story corporate headquarters. The Great Recession prompted Paetec to drastically scale down their building plan. Eventually, they would be acquired by Arkansas' Windstream Communications. A Rochester office was installed in a downsized and renovated Seneca Building, which re-opened in September 2013.
A new headquarters for the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle was built adjacent to the renovated Seneca Building. This facility was completed in May 2016. In the interim, Cortland and Elm Streets were extended through the bulk of the site. Future plans call for the new Golisano Center for the Performing Arts, and a 150-unit residential tower; these to be built on the remainder of the old MIDTOWN PLAZA parcel.
Sources:
The Rochester Beacon
MIDTOWN PLAZA consisted of a 3-level, subterranean parking garage and 2-level, fully-enclosed shopping mall. These were topped off by an 18-floor office tower, with its 4 upper levels comprising the (78-room) Midtown Tower Hotel. The ground floor of the building included a multi-modal bus terminal. Anchoring the complex were the 6-level (487,000 square foot) McCurdys and 4-level (179,000 square foot) B. Forman.
Among the mall's fifty charter tenants were Casual Corner, Malcrest Shoes, Scrantom's Books & Stationery, Lane Bryant, No Waiting Barber Shop, Lincoln Rochester Trust Company and a Wegman's supermarket. There was also a 300-seat Community Auditorium.
The centerpiece of the facility was its Clock of Nations, which presented animated puppet shows of twelve cultures. These were from Ireland, Puerto Rico, Scotland, Japan, Thailand, Poland, Italy, Canada, Germany, Isreal, Nigeria and the United States.
MIDTOWN PLAZA garnered much media coverage and served as a model for subsequent urban renewal projects across the United States. Renovations were completed in the 1970s and '80s, with the PLAZA being incorporated into the city's Skyway, an enclosed network of overhead pedestrian passageways. The Continental Sidewalk Cafe was converted to a standard mall Food Court in 1983. By this time, the shopping complex housed over 100 stores and services.
Unfortunately, the shift of downtown commerce to the suburbs, which MIDTOWN PLAZA had been created to curtail, had continued unabated. The B. Forman MIDTOWN store was shuttered in August 1994, with McCurdy's going dark in the following September. B. Forman was resurrected on November 25, 1994, but closed for good in January 1996. Virginia-based Peebles leased the the first floor of the former Forman's, with the remainder of the building, and the entirety of the old McCurdy's, being renovated into office spaces.
MIDTOWN PLAZA languished for the remainder of the 1990s. A California concern known as Arnold Industries acquired the struggling complex in November 1997. Their plans for a revitalization of the decaying facility were abandoned when the company declared bankruptcy in the year 2000. A subsequent plan, put forward by the Province of Palermo, Italy, would have reconfigured part of the moribund mall as an "Italian shopping experience." This project was also abandoned.
By 2006, redevelopment plans for the "hulking mess" centered around a partial demolition of the structure. The mall was shuttered on July 29, 2008, with its final tenant, the Adirondack Transit Bus Lines station, going dark on November 3, 2009.
The first phase of demolition, consisting of asbestos abatement, had commenced in July 2009. Demolition began, in earnest, on September 27, 2010. Three structures were spared; the Midtown Tower, Seneca Building and subterranean parking garage. The two buildings were renovated. Midtown Tower was rebuilt between 2014 and 2016. It reemerged as Tower 280 at Midtown, a residential, office and retail complex.
Originally, the Paetec Holding Corporation, a Rochester-based telecommunications company, was going to redevelop a portion of the former mall site with a 40-story corporate headquarters. The Great Recession prompted Paetec to drastically scale down their building plan. Eventually, they would be acquired by Arkansas' Windstream Communications. A Rochester office was installed in a downsized and renovated Seneca Building, which re-opened in September 2013.
A new headquarters for the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle was built adjacent to the renovated Seneca Building. This facility was completed in May 2016. In the interim, Cortland and Elm Streets were extended through the bulk of the site. Future plans call for the new Golisano Center for the Performing Arts, and a 150-unit residential tower; these to be built on the remainder of the old MIDTOWN PLAZA parcel.
Sources:
The Rochester Beacon
The Democrat & Chronicle (Rochester, New York)
https://rbj.net/1997 / "Downtown Office Buildings" / Rochester Business Journal
https://www.monorails.org
https://nyrej.com / New York Real Estate Journal
https://www.midtownrochester.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
https://www.cityofrochester.gov
https://www.rochesterhistory.org
https://rbj.net/1997 / "Downtown Office Buildings" / Rochester Business Journal
https://www.monorails.org
https://nyrej.com / New York Real Estate Journal
https://www.midtownrochester.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
https://www.cityofrochester.gov
https://www.rochesterhistory.org
"Midtown Plaza (Rochester)" article on Wikipedia
Rochester's Greece Towne Mall
GREECE TOWNE MALL was built on a site located 8 miles northeast of downtown Rochester. The complex opened for business in May 1967. It served as the nucleus of today's gigantic -1.4 million square foot- GREECE RIDGE.
Photo from Manson News Distributers, Incorporated
Photo from Manson News Distributers, Incorporated
Graphic from Wilmorite, Incorporated
In a rendering from January 1965, a prospective GREECE TOWNE MALL has an east-west orientation. The shopping hub that was eventually built was positioned with a north-south alignment.
Drawing from Wilmorite, Incorporated
Rochester-based Sibley, Lindsay & Curr was the sole anchor of the original GREECE TOWNE MALL. The store was the fifth branch in the Sibley's chain.
Photo from https://greeceimages.org / Office Of The Town Historian / Historical Images Database
A TOWNE MALL advertisement from May 1967. It is interesting how, in those days, a shopping center could be praised for having everything all inside.
Advert from Wilmorite, Incorporated
Rochester-based Sibley, Lindsay & Curr was the sole anchor of the original GREECE TOWNE MALL. The store was the fifth branch in the Sibley's chain.
Photo from https://greeceimages.org / Office Of The Town Historian / Historical Images Database
A TOWNE MALL advertisement from May 1967. It is interesting how, in those days, a shopping center could be praised for having everything all inside.
Advert from Wilmorite, Incorporated
SIBLEY'S (with Beauty Salon, Ridge Room restaurant, Budget Store and Sibley's Bakery) / LOBLAWS supermarket / G.C. MURPHY 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / A.S. Beck Shoes / Alro Liquors / Altier's Shoes / Barbers 6 Shop / Casual Corner ladies' wear / Critics Mall Restaurant / David's Ladies' wear / Deon's Cosmetic & Wig Shop / Dixie Hats / El Frieda's Salon of Beauty / Flagg Brothers Shoes / Goodyear Tire & Auto / Gutman's ladies' ready-to-wear / Haffey Cards & Gifts / Household Finance Corporation / Loft's Candies / Marlee's ladies' wear / Miles Shoes / McFarlin's apparel / Monroe County Savings Bank / Mother-To-Be Maternity / Music Lover's Shoppe piano, organ & electronics / National Clothing Company / Norton Cleaners / Ormond Shop ladies' wear / Paine Rexall Drug (with luncheonette) / Parklane Hosiery / Phelps Hand-Cut Glass Studio / Robin Hood Room restaurant / Rudolph's Jewelers / Scot Ties, Limited / Security Trust Company / Singer Sewing Center / Teru Apparel / The Fabric Tree / Thom McAn Shoes / Aldert Opticians / Wynken, Blynken & Nod Toys
The "Wonderful WonderFall" at TOWNE MALL. These water-less fountains, which consisted of floor-to-ceiling nylon strands with descending drops of glycerine, were a popular enclosed mall feature in the mid-to-late 1960s. Due to their high-maintenance requirements, they quickly fell out of favor. None exist in the present day.
Photo from Manson News Distributors, Incorporated
The local Northwest Concert Band performed in the mall's Wonderfall Court in 1967. Storefronts for Singer Sewing Center and Casual Corner are seen on the right. A glimpse of the Wonderfall "fountain" appears on the left.
Photo from http://www.greeceperformingarts.org
A logo montage of TOWNE MALL stores covers the years 1967 to 1993. Loblaws, G.C. Murphy, Paine's Rexall, McFarlin's and The National (an apparel store) were original tenants.
GREECE TOWNE MALL
West Ridge Road and Somerworth Drive
Monroe County (Town of Greece), New York
MIDTOWN PLAZA, the first enclosed mall in Greater Rochester, was dedicated in April 1962. The complex redeveloped several city blocks in the downtown area. The region's second roofed retail hub was built by James P. Wilmot, under the auspices of Rochester-based Wilmorite, Incorporated.
GREECE TOWNE MALL occupied a 35-acre site. This was located 8 miles northwest of downtown Rochester, in a section of Monroe County known as Town of Greece. The complex was designed by Seattle's John Graham, Junior. Ground was broken on March 25, 1966. Configured on a single level, the complex would be anchored by a 2-level (150,000 square foot), Rochester-based Sibley, Lindsay & Curr (a.k.a. Sibley's).
A formal grand opening was held on May 1, 1967. Ceremonial ribbons were cut at each of the four mall entrances, releasing a hot air balloon. A salute was then given by the American Legion Post 468 Color Guard, with music provided by the Greece Arcadia High School Concert Band. Sixteen stores and services opened for business. Among these were Sibley's, Security Trust Company, National Clothing Company, A.S. Beck Shoes, Miles Shoes, Paine Drug and Norton Cleaners.
On August 17, 1967, Grand Opening 2 was held, with eighteen stores inaugurated. These included Singer Sewing Center, Ormond Shops, Casual Corner, Music Lovers Shoppe, Haffey's Card & Gift Shop and Gutman's. A (30,000 square foot) G.C. Murphy 5 & 10 was officially dedicated on October 12, 1967. By November, a (25,000 square foot) Loblaws supermarket was also in business. GREECE TOWNE MALL now covered approximately 360,000 leasable square feet and housed forty-three stores under its roof.
A nineteen-store addition was built onto the south end of the complex in the early 1980s. The 7 million dollar expansion brought a 1-level (85,500 square foot), Worthington, Ohio-based Gold Circle discount mart. This store welcomed first shoppers in September 1982.
An interior renovation got underway in early 1984. New ceilings, skylights and landscaping were installed. Moreover, new stores were signed. These included Rubino's Deli, Azteca Mexican Imports, 1 Potato 2 and Linehan's Hallmark Shop. GREECE TOWNE MALL now spanned approximately 490,000 leasable square feet and featured seventy-eight stores and services.
Gold Circle was shuttered in November 1988. Canton, Massachusetts-based Hills assumed the vacant building and opened on April 3, 1989. This store went dark in November 1991. A Macy's Close-Out Center leased the building on a temporary basis. Caldor, headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut, expanded the store -to 112,500 square feet- and held a grand opening on March 11, 1993. Caldor went dark in June 1996.
Gold Circle was shuttered in November 1988. Canton, Massachusetts-based Hills assumed the vacant building and opened on April 3, 1989. This store went dark in November 1991. A Macy's Close-Out Center leased the building on a temporary basis. Caldor, headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut, expanded the store -to 112,500 square feet- and held a grand opening on March 11, 1993. Caldor went dark in June 1996.
Long Ridge Plaza (Mall)
Rochester's McCurdy & Company built their third branch next door to TOWNE MALL. This standalone store opened for business in October 1969. A fully-enclosed mall was added to the south side of McCurdy's.
Photo from http://www.greecemallantholog.com
Originally known as LONG RIDGE PLAZA, the shopping complex was dedicated in September 1971.
Graphic from National Shopping Centers
Within a few months of its grand opening, the official name of the shopping hub was changed to LONG RIDGE MALL.
Graphic from National Shopping Centers
Promoted as the largest shopping center in Greater Rochester, the LONG RIDGE property included a 67,000 square foot F.W. Woolworth, which housed a Harvest House Cafeteria.
Drawing from the F.W. Woolworth Company
One of the mall's inline stores was a branch of Kennedy's, a New England-based family apparel retailer. The store was promoted as putting "the new in New York."
Drawing from National Shopping Centers
Rochester's McCurdy & Company built their third branch next door to TOWNE MALL. This standalone store opened for business in October 1969. A fully-enclosed mall was added to the south side of McCurdy's.
Photo from http://www.greecemallantholog.com
Originally known as LONG RIDGE PLAZA, the shopping complex was dedicated in September 1971.
Graphic from National Shopping Centers
Within a few months of its grand opening, the official name of the shopping hub was changed to LONG RIDGE MALL.
Graphic from National Shopping Centers
Promoted as the largest shopping center in Greater Rochester, the LONG RIDGE property included a 67,000 square foot F.W. Woolworth, which housed a Harvest House Cafeteria.
Drawing from the F.W. Woolworth Company
One of the mall's inline stores was a branch of Kennedy's, a New England-based family apparel retailer. The store was promoted as putting "the new in New York."
Drawing from National Shopping Centers
The shopping concourse at LONG RIDGE was decorated by several works of art. Here we see the Baschet Brothers "Sculpture Number 1," which was a fixture of the mall's North -or McCurdy's- Court.
Photo from http://www.greecemallanthology.com / George Rhoads & Susan Park
LONG RIDGE MALL TENANTS 1972:
McCURDY'S (with Community Center auditorium and Country Kitchen restaurant) / B. FORMAN / J.B. HUNTER / SEARS (with Coffee House and attached Auto Center) / F.W. WOOLWORTH 5 & 10 (with Village Grill and Harvest House Grill Cafeteria) / STAR MARKETS (outparcel) / Animal Green toys / Bathique / Baker's Shoes / Bond Clothes / Candlelight Gifts / Carousel Snack Bar / Cheese Shop / Chess King / Children's Photographer / Community Savings Bank / Country Kettle / Delton Shoes / Disc Records / Dick Fischer Sporting Goods / Fanny Farmer Candies / Father & Son Shoes / Florsheim Shoes / Foxmoor Casuals / Friendly's Ice Cream / Hanover Shoes / Heath Kit / Hershberg's Jewelers / Hot Sam Pretzels / Interior Systems electronics / Jack B. Nimble Photographers / Jeans West / Jo-Ann Fabrics / Kennedy's of New England / Kinney Shoes / Lane Bryant / Lerner Shops / Lincoln Rochester Trust Company / Mary Jane Shoes / Maternity Modes / National Shirt Shops / Nature Food Centers / Nobil Shoes / Parklane Hosiery / Play 'N Learn juvenile furniture & toys / Plum Tree Gifts / The Rafter's, Limited / Rite Aid Drug / Sanford Sheldon, Limited / Schmanke's Shoes / Spencer Gifts / Tale O' The Whale restaurant / Waldenbooks / Waldencards / Williams Village Shop ladies' wear / Zales Jewelers
LONG RIDGE PLAZA-MALL
West Ridge Road and Mitchell Road-Long Pond Road
Monroe County (Town of Greece), New York
Greater Rochester's GREECE TOWNE MALL celebrated its second anniversary in May 1969. By this time, the McCurdy Company was building a freestanding department store on an adjacent 73.4-acre site. The parcel was located at the southeast corner of the West Ridge and Mitchell-Long Pond Roads intersection.
The 2-level (136,000 square foot) McCurdy's was dedicated on October 2, 1969. Ground was broken on November 14th for an adjoining -30 million dollar- shopping mall. LONG RIDGE PLAZA was designed by George Yurchison, of Rochester, and developed by a joint venture of National Shopping Centers, Incorporated and the Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Company.
LONG RIDGE PLAZA was officially dedicated, with an initial thirty stores, on September 15, 1971. Attending the ceremony were Fred J. Eckert (Greece Town supervisor), David W. Bermant (president of National Shopping Centers), Seymour Ainbinder (president of J.B. Hunter Stores), Gilbert G. McCurdy (president of McCurdy & Company) and Jane Piampiano, "Harvest Queen 1971."
The fully-enclosed mall consisted of a single level of retail and encompassed approximately 724,000 leasable square feet. There would eventually be sixty-five tenants. In addition to McCurdy's, the complex was anchored by a 2-level (141,300 square foot) J.B. Hunter department store, 2-level (41,600 square foot) Rochester-based B. Forman and 1-level (67,100 square foot) F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10. A 1-level (125,600 square foot) Sears opened its doors on February 1, 1972.
Charter inline stores included Bond Clothes, Chess King, Disc Records, Foxmoor Casuals, Jo-Ann Fabrics, Plum Tree Gifts, a Rite-Aid Pharmacy and freestanding Star Markets grocery. Within 6 months of its dedication, the name of the center had been changed to LONG RIDGE MALL. J.B. Hunter closed in late 1974 and was replaced with Rochester's first full-line J.C. Penney. This store made its debut in September 1975.
The two adjacent malls in Greece, New York competed against one another, as well as with EASTVIEW MALL (1971) {17.1 miles southeast, in Ontario County (Town of Victor)}, THE MARKETPLACE MALL (1982) {9 miles southeast, in Monroe County (Town of Henrietta)} and IRONDEQUOIT MALL (1990) {5.7 miles east, in Monroe County (Town of Irondequoit)}.
The Mall at Greece Ridge Center
Rochester-based Wilmorite, Incorporated developed GREECE TOWN MALL in the late 1960s. They acquired the adjacent LONG RIDGE MALL in 1989. In March 1993, Wilmorite initiated construction on a project to merge the two shopping centers into a single structure. THE MALL AT GREECE RIDGE CENTER was completed in March 1994.
Photo from Wikipedia / Matthew D. Wilson
1995 and two shopping malls are one! Pre-merger complexes are indicated in black. The connecting corridor, linking the two centers, is shown in light gray. Additions to the old GREECE TOWNE MALL appear in medium gray.
Rochester-based Wilmorite, Incorporated developed GREECE TOWN MALL in the late 1960s. They acquired the adjacent LONG RIDGE MALL in 1989. In March 1993, Wilmorite initiated construction on a project to merge the two shopping centers into a single structure. THE MALL AT GREECE RIDGE CENTER was completed in March 1994.
Photo from Wikipedia / Matthew D. Wilson
The Bon Ton anchored the northeast corner of the complex between 1996 and 2012, when said store was shuttered and demolished. The building was replaced by the lifestyle-like State Street Wing, whose first stores opened in October 2013.
Photo from http://www.themallatgreeceridge.com
A shopping concourse, once a part of the old GREECE TOWNE MALL, was remodeled during the building of the adjacent State Street Wing. A gallery of twenty-five murals, depicting moments in the history of the State of New York, now lined the walls.
Photo from http://www.themallatgreeceridge.com
On a circa-2014 plan, the mall's new State Street Wing is shown in medium gray. It houses casual dining restaurants, such as Moe's Southwest Grill and Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, and Chico's and LOFT apparel stores. The shopping hub now houses around 140 tenants.
In 2025, the complex is promoted
as simply GREECE RIDGE. It has lost three anchor department stores (Macy's, Macy's Men's and Sears). The State Street Wing
lost all but one of its seven original tenants. Six new restaurants and apparel
retailers moved in. The Regal Cinema closed in 2023. It was renovated
and re-opened under the Apple Cinemas banner. Boscov's opened a GREECE RIDGE store in November 2025.
THE MALL AT GREECE RIDGE (CENTER)
West Ridge and Long Pond Roads
Monroe County (Town of Greece), New York
Rochester's Wilmorite, Incorporated acquired LONG RIDGE MALL in 1989. In March 1993, they embarked on a 70 million dollar project to merge two adjacent shopping centers into a single structure. A connecting corridor was built which extended between the TOWNE MALL west entrance and McCurdy's store at LONG RIDGE MALL.
When construction dust settled, on March 15, 1994, a new name had been bestowed; THE MALL AT GREECE RIDGE CENTER. The 1.6 million square foot shopopolis contained 215 stores and services. It was billed as the second-largest enclosed mall in the Eastern United States.
West Ridge and Long Pond Roads
Monroe County (Town of Greece), New York
When construction dust settled, on March 15, 1994, a new name had been bestowed; THE MALL AT GREECE RIDGE CENTER. The 1.6 million square foot shopopolis contained 215 stores and services. It was billed as the second-largest enclosed mall in the Eastern United States.
A 2-level (164,400 square foot) J.C. Penney was the centerpiece of the connecting concourse. This store was dedicated on May 4, 1994. A 9-bay Food Court was also housed in the new mall section. Existing structures were given interior and exterior face lifts to make them more consistent with new construction.
The mall's retail roster changed over the years. The first anchor rebranding occurred in April 1990, when Sibley's morphed into a Pittsburgh-based Kaufmann's. Woolworth's folded and was replaced by Dick's Sporting Goods in August 1994. The old J.C. Penney was subdivided into a Burlington, New Jersey-based Burlington Coat Factory (lower level) and Massachusetts-based Lechmere ["leech-meer"] (upper level). The Burlington store welcomed first customers in April 1995.
McCurdy's had shut down in July 1994. The building was renovated and re-opened as a Kaufmann's; this replacing an original Kaufmann's location in GREECE TOWNE MALL. The vacant Kaufmann's space was assumed by York, Pennsylvania-based The Bon-Ton, who opened for business in August 1996.
Caldor, at the southwest corner of GREECE TOWNE MALL, was shuttered in June 1996. The building was demolished and replaced by the Hoyts Greece Ridge Cinema 12, which was dedicated on July 10, 1998. The cinema became a Regal venue in 2004.
Meanwhile, new stores had opened in THE MALL AT GREECE RIDGE CENTER. These included Old Navy (1994), Bed, Bath & Beyond (1998), Circuit City (1998-2009) and Michaels (1999). A 1-level (124,000 square foot) Target was built -as a freestanding structure- southeast of Sears. The new discount store opened on October 6, 1999. Kaufmann's (in the original LONG RIDGE MALL) was rebranded as a Macy's in September 2006.
Wilmorite Properties had become a subsidiary of the Santa Monica-based Macerich Company in April 2005. In September 2006, the official name of their Greece, New York complex was shortened to THE MALL AT GREECE RIDGE (sans "CENTER").
A renovation of the northeast corner commenced in April 2012. The Bon Ton, which had closed in March, was demolished. It was replaced by a 15 million dollar, open-air lifestyle component, known as the State Street Wing. This housed seven tenants, with five dedicated to food service and two being apparel retailers.
Bar Louie became the first State Street Wing business to open, on October 30, 2013. It was followed by Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Moe's Southwest Grill, Hooplah Frozen Yogurt, LOFT and Chico's. The final business, Benucci's Italian Restaurant, debuted in early 2014. With this renovation, the gross leasable area of THE MALL AT GREECE RIDGE was reduced to 1,537,000 square feet.
Three LONG RIDGE-GREECE RIDGE anchors pulled up stakes. Sears shuttered their 46-year-old store in July 2018, with Macy's closing its two units in March 2025. The abandoned Sears was repurposed as True Storage, which began leasing units in October 2024. The Regal Cinema shut down on March 9, 2023. It briefly re-opened -under the Apple Cinemas banner- in June. The theater closed again and was renovated. It was rededicated in 2025.
York, Pennsylvania's Boscov's chain gutted the center section of the former LONG RIDGE MALL. A 1-level (175,000 square foot) store space was created. The new Boscov's held its official grand opening on November 1, 2025.
Sources:
The Democrat Chronicle (Rochester, New York)
The (Greater) Greece Press (Rochester, New York)
The Brighton-Pittsford Post (Pittsford, New York)
The Catholic Courier (Rochester, New York)
https://www.cinematreasures.org
https://www.labelscar.com
https://www.greeceridgecenter.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
https://www.themallatgreeceridge.com
http://www.wilmorite.com / Wilmorite Management Group (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
The (Greater) Greece Press (Rochester, New York)
The Brighton-Pittsford Post (Pittsford, New York)
The Catholic Courier (Rochester, New York)
https://www.cinematreasures.org
https://www.labelscar.com
https://www.greeceridgecenter.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
https://www.themallatgreeceridge.com
http://www.wilmorite.com / Wilmorite Management Group (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
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