Green Acres Mall; Valley Stream, New York
Some of the most popular malls on this site have been in the tri-state area, so rather than keep you waiting, I’m offering up another:
Green acres is the place for me.
Farm livin’ is the life for me.
Land spreadin’ out so far and wide
Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside.
The Green Acres Mall is a large, old shopping mall located just barely outside of New York city limits on Sunrise Highway in Valley Stream, a Long Island suburb. At 1,635,000 square feet, it’s one of the largest malls on Long Island, and also the second oldest, after Roosevelt Field.
The Green Acres Mall was developed by the New York-based Chanin corporation, and first opened in 1956 replacing Curtiss Airfield, and was one of the first suburban shopping centers in the New York metropolitan area. The mall’s name is somewhat indicative of the post-war optimism of the time; it was an era when this area’s population was rapidly exploding, and it was necessary to provide more out-of-town shopping options to the sprawling Levittowns of Long Island. A four-level, 266,000 square-foot Gimbel’s (the westernmost anchor) was the only initial anchor to the center, but a Lane’s opened at the mall’s east end four years later. JCPenney also opened a smaller inline store at the mall’s center court at some point, and they remain in this location to today. In 1967, a 320,000 square-foot Alexander’s department store opened in the front of (but apparently not connected to) the mall. Initially, the center was open air, but in 1968 the entire center was enclosed, as was the trend at the time.
The original center was a more basic dumbell design. but a 3 level expansion and renovation in 1983 added the wing closest to Sunrise Highway along with a new Sears store. A brand new food court was added to this wing at some point as well, though I have my doubts it was right in the original 1983 expansion. In 1986, the Gimbel’s store became an Abraham & Straus (and here’s a GREAT photo of it), which would remain until 1995 when the nameplate was retired in favor of Macy’s. The Lane’s store, at the mall’s east end, would be home to many different nameplates over the years. The store became a Love’s in the late 1960s, before becoming an S. Klein for ten years or so. EJ Korvette’s then replaced the S. Klein store, which in the 1980s became a location for Queens-based Gertz before being rebranded as a Stern’s. Stern’s lasted until 2001, before becoming half of the Macy’s location at the mall, which it remains until now. The Alexander’s store closed in 1992 and was completely demolished, and replaced somewhat nearby by a Caldor store, which, well, geez, that didn’t work out so well either. Gone by 1999. It’s a Target now.
In 2003, a Walmart opened in a strip center on the mall’s outlots, replacing an old Kmart store. Although this wouldn’t normally be big news, this particular Walmart was the site of a major news story in fall of 2008, when a Walmart employee was trampled to death by a mob obsessed with Black Friday bargains.
The mall was again renovated in 2006-2007 to remove a lot of the neon accoutrements left over from the 1983 re-do: our two sets of photos date from 2001 (I think) and 2007, so before and after this most recent remodel. I’ll let you guess which is which because let’s be honest, it’s not that hard.
Despite all of the changes to Green Acres Mall over years, it has remained successful. It’s still one of the largest/only malls serving the adjacent part of Queens, and it is a vital shopping destination for the older inner ring suburbs not far from JFK Airport. Even though it seems the demographics have evolved over the years–from the post-war GI Bill-driven veteran sprawl to a plethora of ethnic and racial groups that shop at the mall today–it seems to be largely similar, serving a large middle income audience in the older suburbs of this part of New York.
The mall’s anchors today are Macy’s (two stores), JCPenney, Sears, and Kohls.
More on the mall:
mallguy
March 3rd, 2011 at 10:22 am
Got to be honest, I really don’t like the way the new renovation looks. And by looking at the pics, it looks as if they took out the fairly large fountain that was near the elevator. The renovation may not be all that aesthestically pleasing, but at least this Vornado mall is able to retain stores, unlike Monmouth Mall.
[Reply]
SEAN
March 3rd, 2011 at 12:33 pm
Outside the mall on Sunrise Highway you will find a former Circuit City, National Amusements 6-screen theatre, Red Lobster & a formerSeaman’s furniture. I don’t know what those vacant stores became, but the 6-plex theatre was originally a Cineplex Odeon acording to http://www.cinematour.com a cinema history web site.
Just west of the mall National Amusements built another theatre with 14-screens & was noted for riots & a stabbing that happend several years ago. As a result medal detectors were installed, a first for the area.
The wal-mart as well as a Walbaum’s are located in a strip center across from the mall on Green Acres road.
Interestingly similar to Broadway Mall & Garden State Plaza, the residential neighborhoods abut the Green Acres property rather tightly. There’s a clear lack of seperation between real estate classes. Walk out the back of the mall near the bus stops & go across the ring road & you will see just how close the houses come to the mall parking lot.
[Reply]
Pseudo3D
March 3rd, 2011 at 2:47 pm
Aw, they removed the neon tubes. Too bad…
[Reply]
Chris
March 3rd, 2011 at 7:10 pm
I have been to this mall (and the Walmart and Target) several times since the Valley Stream LIRR station is nearby. Not my favorite- kind of rough.
[Reply]
SEAN Reply:
March 4th, 2011 at 9:43 am
@Chris, Did you find it a problem crossing Sunrise Highway?
For those who don’t know, Sunrise Highway is one of the most dangerous streets for padestrians in New York State acording to the Tri-State Transportation campaign. http://www.tstc.org
[Reply]
Chris
March 4th, 2011 at 6:02 pm
Not a problem to cross the highway. There are 2 LIRR stations- Valley Stream and the one closer to the city (Rosedale?), and both have crosswalks in front of them. It’s not a long walk from either station.
The LIRR station closer to the city is right at the NYC border so you can go to it with a $3.50 ticket on weekends.
[Reply]
SEAN Reply:
March 4th, 2011 at 9:24 pm
@Chris, Cool! For $3.50 why not.
When I go to Roosevelt Field on transit, I bord the LIRR at Jamaica instead of Penn Station to save both money & sanity. It’s only a 15 minute train ride to Mineola & another 10 minutes to the mall by bus.
What I find totally rediculous is to get to Green Acres from Roosevelt Field, it requires 2 transfers & yet Valley stream is only a few miles from Garden City. The tricky part is crossing Hempstead Turnpike & Elmont Road between the N6 & N1 lines because you litterally take your life in your hands when you cross the street.
[Reply]
Chris
March 5th, 2011 at 6:36 pm
The Carle Place LIRR station is closer to Roosevelt Field
[Reply]
SEAN Reply:
March 6th, 2011 at 7:07 pm
@Chris, I didn’t know that, it’s a good thing to remember. The thing is transfers between LIRR trains & LI busses are a sinch since the new Mineola bus terminal opened. It’s literally a few steps off the eastbound platform. Also don’t forget just how traffic clogged Old Country Road can be at times making crossing nearly impossible for padestrians.
I have sene numerous times cars speeding in & out of the shopping centers in Westbury & assuming that there wont be any padestrians crossing the driveways. They have become more & more brazen in recent years, especially near California Pizza Kitchen/ Wal-mart.
[Reply]
InMyCornerOfTheWorld
March 15th, 2011 at 6:06 pm
I can remember when this mall had Korvettes as one of its anchors. There used to be a great restaurant here called Len’s, and also a J.J. Newberry, plus Puppy Palace. This is all going back to the late ’70s. I was there when the mall had just been renovated in late 1983; they had a store near the food court where I would get all my stickers. I also think there were a Pergament here as well, and how can I forget Dennison card/party store. Lots of memories of this place back in the day.
[Reply]
Back in the day Reply:
February 6th, 2012 at 3:30 pm
@InMyCornerOfTheWorld, I remember all that suff too – Bough some seeds in Newsberry’s for alyssum that are perrenial and still grow in my garden.
Do you remember the name of Pizza place on the outside walk facing Sunrise Highway.
And what was the name fo the STEAKHOUSE. Was it simply called he STEAKHOUSE?
[Reply]
S.D. Reply:
February 25th, 2012 at 12:22 pm
@Back in the day,
It was called Cooky’s Steak Pub. My family ate there a lot until my Mom found a cockroach in our booth one time and management didn’t seem to care.
[Reply]
tom creed Reply:
April 23rd, 2012 at 4:06 pm
I believe the pizza place was call Tony’s, they had the best square pie around, slice and coke .25 cents.
[Reply]
Tom
March 23rd, 2011 at 10:05 am
I used to live in Valley Stream and still live quite close to this mall. I also worked briefly in the mall. I have seen many of the changes in the mall first hand and it’s nice to see Green Acres finally get some Labelscar Love.
There has been another, recent, change to the East End Anchor. Macy’s has given up that location and Kohl’s has moved into the spot. This change has been within the last year, but I don’t know exactly when. I first noticed the sign change from the window of a passing LIRR train about 3 months ago.
[Reply]
Paul
March 26th, 2011 at 2:07 pm
The Macy’s-to-Kohl’s conversion must be really recent. I was at Green Acres in December 2010 (dropping off my partner at JFK and having the luxury of a rental car for a few more hours was the only reason I would be nuts enough to hit a mall on the Sunday before Christmas) and it was still Macy’s Mens. The larger Macy’s still has a 50′s feel to it, much like the former Gimbels at Cross County in Yonkers.
[Reply]
SEAN Reply:
March 28th, 2011 at 8:50 am
@Paul, The Macy’s stores at Roosevelt Field, GSP & Yonkers do retaine something of a vintage feel although they have been renovated. the Cross County location has recently been expanded along with a complete renovation of the center including a new parking structure, wider mallways & new bus stops.
[Reply]
rob Reply:
March 28th, 2011 at 9:47 am
@SEAN, Macys, in White Plains and Paramus Park look exactly the same as they were when those locations were Abraham and Straus. With the question mark on Nanuet the inside and outside is really horrible it looks the same before Palisades was built. The money they spend on their flower show and fireworks could be used to rennovate their stores.Thats why I hate Macys they do not take care of some of thier locations and do not give their employees any incentives so thats why there is such an overturn in all their stores.
[Reply]
mallguy Reply:
March 28th, 2011 at 9:55 am
@rob, A few years before the Paramus Park A&S became Macy’s, it was massively renovtaed, which opened up the escalator bank, made the store much lighter and more open. Even in its state today, it’s quite a nice Macy’s.
[Reply]
rob Reply:
March 28th, 2011 at 10:23 am
@mallguy, Its been over 16 years since Paramus Park became Macys. I shopped Abraham and Straus in Paramus from the late 80s until Macys merged with them. So right now it could stand an updated brighter look. Its tens times better than Nanuet but could use a little fixing up.
[Reply]
SEAN Reply:
March 28th, 2011 at 11:21 am
@rob, When Macy’s moved to the former A & S/ Stern’s in White Plains the store was not renovated right a way. However a slight cosmetic renovation was done in a few areas including the mens department, but most of the store hasn’t been touched since it opened.
The biggest problems with that store are it’s figure 8 configuration & it is quite dark in spots with thick seperation walls between departments.
[Reply]
rob Reply:
March 28th, 2011 at 12:27 pm
@SEAN, I agree I used to come down to Westchester from Fishkill to shop before Poughkeepsie Galleria was built. So Abraham and S traus does still look the same till this day when i was there a year ago.I saw on line the difference of Cross County because i used to go there when Sterns was there.Cross County has really come about over the years. I feel that Paramus Park the lighting is quite dark also in certain areas of the store and you know how i feel about Nanuet.
[Reply]
rob Reply:
March 28th, 2011 at 1:15 pm
@SEAN, Did you know that Lord and Taylor is opening its second store in Westchester in Yonkers in the Ridge Hill Shopping Center in 2012. So that tells us that they are doing ok.
[Reply]
rob Reply:
March 28th, 2011 at 12:28 pm
@SEAN, OOPS i MEAN mACYS w.p
[Reply]
SEAN Reply:
March 28th, 2011 at 2:16 pm
@rob, Oh yes I did. Lord & taylor is scheduled to open there in 2012. In adition National Amusements Cinema Deluxe, Whole Foods & LL Bean are anchoring the center
[Reply]
SEAN Reply:
March 28th, 2011 at 3:39 pm
@Rob, checked out the web site & L & T’s press release was the most recent, but it was a few months ago.
Some of the other names signed on include Dicks, REI, Cheesecake Factory & Texas de Brazil.
[Reply]
rob Reply:
March 28th, 2011 at 3:58 pm
@SEAN, We have an empty Liquidators store empty on route 59 in Nanuet, we could use a Dicks to replace it its been sitting empty for a few years or Big Lots. It seems Westchester is doing better than Rockland retail wise you are right we are squeezed between Westchester and Paramus.There is no way Nanuet mall is ever going to get back.
[Reply]
SEAN Reply:
March 28th, 2011 at 6:30 pm
@rob, Rockland geographicly speaking is in the worst posission of all the counties in the area when it comes to retail. Every retailer has a better store in Westchester, Dutchess or Bergen. Bergen excels at duplocating most stores in Paramus, wich is just about unherd of everywhere else in this country except the cities around Los Angeles perhaps.
Footnote I ignored Putnum County do to it being so small & having less population than Yonkers.
[Reply]
mallguy Reply:
March 29th, 2011 at 1:55 pm
@SEAN, The Putnam folks could easily split their time between White Plains and Danbury.
[Reply]
SEAN Reply:
March 29th, 2011 at 4:52 pm
@mallguy, You are correct. most likely Danbury though, do to it being a short trip across the state line on I-84. Putnum County’s population is around 100,000 & Yonkers is around 110,000 or so.
[Reply]
rob Reply:
March 29th, 2011 at 5:20 pm
@SEAN, Danbury Fair was only 30 minutes from Fishkill we went there for Macys and Lord and Taylor and even Filenes was larger than Poughkeepsie. Its a nice mall.
[Reply]
SEAN Reply:
March 29th, 2011 at 7:35 pm
@rob, Danbury Fair is esentially the design basis for Freehold Raceway. The first time I went there I was a freshman at Purchase College. At the time I couldn’t believe the enormity of the center & now it semes somewhat average in size when you look at malls like Green Acres, Roosevelt Field, GSP & of course Palisades Center.
I found That Green Acres exudes a strange vibe even though it is just as busy as Roosevelt Field. I cant put my finger on it. Hmmm
mallguy Reply:
March 29th, 2011 at 7:55 pm
@rob, Yes, it really is kind of freaky…in a good way, of course. Haven’t been to Danbury since they did their Freehold-Raceway Mall-like renovation, though.
Having driven on I-84 East before, the traffic level is much lighter than from Putnam Co-White Plains.
I have not been to Green Acres Mall since this renovation. The times I’ve been to Long Island recently, in all honestly, I preferred stopping at Roosevelt Field, Walt Whitman and Smith Haven Malls.
SEAN Reply:
March 30th, 2011 at 9:09 am
@mallguy, I was the one who made the Green Acres comment above.
Anyway It’s been a while since I went to Wesfield Sunrise Mall. It is more or less a streight shot from Macy’s to Sears on two levels. A food court was added a few years ago along with a two story Walmart in the original Macy’s location. The current Macy’s was originally Stern’s.
Even now the mall retains it’s 1960s/ 70s feell & decore. How it has survived in the shadow of Green acres is amazing, but I guess you could say the same reguarding Broadway Mall in terms of being only 7.5 miles from roosevelt Field. Although it’s trade area is very local outside of IKEA, the mall has no trouble atracting shoppers unlike Sunrise wich semes to struggle a bit.
mallguy Reply:
March 30th, 2011 at 10:01 am
@SEAN, Long Island is actually very similar to NJ in terms of traffic and shopping habits, and as a result, it doesn’t surprise me that Broadway and Sunrise Malls can do so well in the shadow of Roosevelt Field and Green Acres. The same can be said for Brunswick Square doing so well with Menlo and Woodbridge not too far off, and Livingston Mall doing well even though Short Hills is only 4 miles off.
[Reply]
SEAN Reply:
March 30th, 2011 at 11:29 am
@mallguy, One of the reasons can be attributed to a single word, dencity. Long Island as well as northern & central New Jersey are some of the most dence suburbs in the US & this has allowed for so many malls to thrive for such a long time.
As you have said in post after post, that is why the malls around the metro area especially in New Jersey need to constently renovate to keep pace with their compitition. We all know what happens if they don’t.
The last time I was at Broadway mall every retail spot was occupied with “real” tennents , wich I found incredible since this mall is a mear fle next to Roosevelt Field wich is an elephent. Well I guess having Target & IKEA helps with those prospects.
mallguy Reply:
March 29th, 2011 at 7:58 pm
@mallguy, I assume Green Acres Mall is doing better than Sunrise Mall?
[Reply]
rob Reply:
March 30th, 2011 at 7:30 am
@mallguy, When I visit friends in Massapequa I have been to Walt Whitman Mall and Roosevelt Field and i am impressed with both over Sunrise Mall. I just wish the malls here in Rockland County were more stable like the malls on Long Island, New Jersey and Danbury. When I visit my family in Raleigh N.C THE MALLS there are so much nicer for some reason and probably seeing different stores that are not here like Stein Mart, Belk and Dillards.I think many people are bored with Macys we need something new and different.
[Reply]
mallguy Reply:
March 30th, 2011 at 9:58 am
@rob, We have Stein Mart in NJ. It’s a pretty good store…never thought of it as being in a mall, though.
homan
March 27th, 2011 at 4:55 am
Tom and Paul,
The Macy’s Men store is still at the mall. The new Kohl’s is next to the Men’s Macy’s.The Kohl’s is on the northern side. Here is the mall map,
http://www.greenacresmallonline.com/stores.aspx
I believe the Kohl’s took over one of the old Chase locations. The store opened in Sep of 2010.
[Reply]
homan Reply:
March 27th, 2011 at 4:57 am
@homan,
Here is a great picture of the two stores on flickr.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/franthropologist/5503533812/lightbox/
[Reply]
Tom Reply:
April 8th, 2011 at 10:36 am
@homan,
Thanks for the clarification, I only saw the signage from the LIRR and assumed that it took over the Macy’s location – My Bad
[Reply]
Ron
October 28th, 2011 at 3:02 pm
I know for a time in the 80s-90s crime used to be a problem around the mall. From the looks of things, it seems to have cleared up. The mall looks beautiful. Last time I went to it, though, was prior to the ’83 renovation.
[Reply]