Latham Circle Mall; Latham, New York

Latham Circle Mall sign in Latham, NY
After a rather long dry spell (since November), I managed to get out for a day this past weekend to re-visit all of the malls in the Albany area, one of my favorite metropolitan areas for retail development within easy reach of Boston. I hadn’t actually been out to visit since 2001, so it was a fun (and revelatory, but not necessarily in the good way) trip. I plan on posting a full-scale case study along with posts of each of Albany’s malls soon, but I wanted to cut to the chase with a truly fun one.

When I last visited Latham Circle Mall in 2001, it was a mostly-thriving, older mall with predominantly ancillary tenants that served Albany’s northern suburbs and the Troy area. Too close to Albany’s powerhouse to malls to be truly dominant, the still-quite-large (somewhere around 700,000 square feet) Latham Circle Mall was at the time holding its own. Six years can change a lot, however, and on my visit this past week I was sad to find it’s now somewhat dingy and troubled, pockmarked with vacancies. It’s a shame because Latham Circle is a real doozy, and one of the more curious malls in the northeast.

Latham Circle Mall in Latham, NYLatham Circle is one of the oldest malls in the Albany area, originally opening as a 1950s-vintage outdoor shopping center with WT Grant’s, Woolworth’s, and Grand Union as anchor stores. The mall was enclosed sometime in the 1960s or 1970s (I’m not able to pin down an exact date) and added Caldor and The Boston Store (not the midwestern one!) as anchors, while WT Grant became a JCPenney. In the 1980s, the mall was expanded, with JCPenney moving to a new space outside their old one, and converting their old space into a cavernous mall area with a Regal Cinemas stowed on the second level, cantilevered above the mall.

Latham Circle Mall began to experience some uncertainty in the late 1990s. Woolworth closed their store when the chain shuttered, and they were replaced by a Stein Mart that lasted only until 2001. Similarly, the mall’s large Caldor store shut with the chain in 1999. The Caldor, along with much of the wing leading to it, was demolished in 2003 to make room for a Lowe’s Home Improvement store that, perhaps not unexpectedly, does not open into the mall.

What really makes Latham Circle Mall interesting, however, is its exceedingly strange layout and decor. The mall abounds with architectural “treats:” hallways that don’t match other parts of the mall, unusually high ceilings, mysterious second levels that sprout and don’t lead anyplace. I’ve attempted to provide a rough sketch of the floorplan of the mall as it existed in 2000, upon my first visit (and before the demolition of the Caldor and most of the rest of its wing took some of the personality out of the place):

Latham Circle Mall (circa 2000) satellite view and floorplan
There are basically four vastly different portions of the mall (there used to be five). From north to south:

  • The newest JCPenney/Regal Cinemas area, with its extremely high ceilings and white walls.
  • The main corridor, with a pitched roof and “elephant earring” light fixtures (as Prangeway would say). This also includes a special wing for the food court; at the back of the food court is an abandoned and derelict second level (which I included one shot of; I wanted more but two ladies kept eyeing me strangely, perhaps with good reason) that is visibly stuck in the early 1970s, and I have no idea what it was even used for.
  • The center court area, around Burlington Coat Factory
  • The former Stein Mart/Woolworth wing, which has two vastly different ceiling heights running straight down the center of the mall
  • And the fifth, deceased wing is the Caldor wing, which used to be a two-level area with a second level of offices looking down into the mall. Most of this wing is gone, but I included a few pictures that grab some small bits of it for posterity. If you want to know what it looked like pre-2003, check out DeadMalls set of photos, which includes one amazingly awesome shot of the former Caldor frontage as I remember it.

Latham Circle Mall in Latham, NY

Why is Latham Circle dying? The Capital Region of New York, with a population of about 800,000, was at one point home to no less than 11 enclosed malls, several of which have already shut. The catalyst for the change, however, was the 1984 opening of the behemoth Crossgates Mall, the area’s true powerhouse center. Even though the area is overmalled, Latham Circle stands a chance: but it will need to act fast to clean itself up and attract some new tenants to fill its vacancies. Enjoy the photos, all taken this past weekend.

(Also, visit Jack Thomas’ page on the mall too–he has some photos of his own!)

EDIT 5/20/07: Latham Circle Mall to Explore New Lifestyle

The aging Latham Circle Mall is going to be extensively renovated beginning this summer. While the mall will not be fully disenclosed, much of the focus will be turned back outside, including the addition of an outdoor courtyard in the center of the existing mall, which will feature al fresco dining. The existing food court will also become a new anchor store.

Latham Circle Mall in Latham, NY Latham Circle Mall in Latham, NY Latham Circle Mall in Latham, NY

Latham Circle Mall in Latham, NY Latham Circle Mall in Latham, NY Latham Circle Mall in Latham, NY

Latham Circle Mall in Latham, NY Latham Circle Mall in Latham, NY Latham Circle Mall in Latham, NY Latham Circle Mall in Latham, NY

Latham Circle Mall in Latham, NY Latham Circle Mall in Latham, NY Latham Circle Mall in Latham, NY Latham Circle Mall in Latham, NY

Latham Circle Mall in Latham, NY Latham Circle Mall in Latham, NY Latham Circle Mall in Latham, NY Latham Circle Mall in Latham, NY

Latham Circle Mall in Latham, NY Latham Circle Mall in Latham, NY Latham Circle Mall in Latham, NY Latham Circle Mall in Latham, NY

Author: Caldor

Jason Damas is a search engine marketing analyst and consultant, and a freelance journalist. Jason graduated magna cum laude from Northeastern University in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism and a minor in Music Industry. He has regularly contributed to The Boston Globe, PopMatters.com, Amplifier Magazine, All Music Guide, and 168 Magazine. In addition, he was a manager for a record store for over two years. Currently, he focuses on helping companies optimize their web sites to maximize search engine visibility, and is responsible for website conversion analysis, which aims to improve conversion rates by making e-commerce websites more user-friendly. He lives in suburban Boston.

154 thoughts on “Latham Circle Mall; Latham, New York”

  1. woah..you are right..this mall has a lot ceiling changes throughout! This mall is actually unique & kinda feels like it has a lot of substance. But…im getting a feeling that the mall used to be used for some other purpose due to the different ceiling changes. or maybe the architect wasn’t okay & that’s what was the fad back then.

  2. this mall is almost not needed. I do not consider it a real mall. I mean the colonie centre and crossgates mall are like a billion times better than this. before I went here a year ago my friends at the plymouth state university from albany warned me about how awful this mall is. and they are right! the mall had a funny smell and layout.

  3. Wow, this mall’s layout and design are very bizarre. Extremely erratic, nothing consistent at all, very strange. Funny how theres two JCPenney logos, one that’s illuminated and one that seems to be painted on part of the ceiling towards the skylight. Why is it called Latham Circle Mall when it doesn’t even come close to being shaped like a circle. If you look at the aerial view its more L shaped than anything.

  4. It’s located at the Latham Traffic Circle (look at the satellite view, you’ll see it) hence its name.

  5. The mall is certainly suffering from identity crisis today. Looks like it’s from some disjointed dream held together with a bevy of cheap decals and questionably incomplete decor from scattered eras. This has got to be one of the most unusual layout malls I’ve ever seen though because of those random staircases to “upper levels”. Looks like those upper levels are just empty rooms (especially that one over the bathrooms). That Caldor interior entrance must’ve been the coolest one yet. Which photo shows where it was before they demo’d it?

    I would have a field day photographing here… also looks like there’s plenty of blind areas to avoid possible security run-ins. Too bad they painted over the Caldor mural…

  6. The photo below is what’s left of the old Caldor wing. The photo on deadmalls would’ve been taken from somewhere right around the point where it ends currently–it was a reasonably long side hallway.

  7. Yeah, it’s actually kinda sad the condition the place is in. A couple of historical things I can fill in. The main mall was enclosed in 1977 from the original JCPenney (an original anchor, and I believe the Albany suburbs’ first) on to the exit by Woolworths. You can still see beams extending from Burlingtons on out where the builders must have kept the low ceilings going from where the plaza’s roof overhang was. The second level above the dead Caldor wing is pretty impressive as it leads to a full scale college. Also Woolworths closed about 1993 and was replaced by Klein’s All Sports, which later moved when SteinMart opened. Outside of Klien’s I remmber was a small portion of the original plaza remaining. However, no real new info has come from the owners (An independent company) on what they plan to do with the site. I haven’t heard the words big box or anything. But something has to be done soon, the mall now is devoid of almost all chain stores and has primarily local tenants who probably sign on for short term leases. Last time I was there Radio Shack, Waldenbooks, CVS, KB, GNC, and the dollar store had all closed.

  8. Hey Caldor, thanks for linking my site. This is one of my favorite dying malls. One of the few dying malls left in the area to be honest. I hope this mall stays, and most likely it will, for the owner of the mall owns the Malt River restaurant inside the mall. It was a shame the Caldor mural was painted over, and that the Caldor wing was demolished as it was(I actually had the pleasure of seeing it in person, but I did not own a camera at the time). A sad story for a great mall.

  9. I’d bet big bucks this mall will be gone in a few years. They haven’t put anything into the design, colors, layout, floor, or much at all. It’s really sad when its this apparent they don’t give a darn. Lowes is probably what this mall will grow to be more like. A power center… like any other in North America.
    Scott

  10. I am trying to find some pictures of the Latham Corners Shopping Center (that’s what the mall was called back when it was a good place to go).I have been unsuccessful as of yet. If anyone could help, I can be reached at cjhanley2003@yahoo.com Thanks.

  11. Finding historic images is tough but usually helps if you get to your local libraries. I need to do some of that soon myself but it could become very time-consuming trying to find what you need.

  12. it has come to my attention recently that they will be tearing down latham mall quite soon in favor of a technically advanced strip mall type thing but nothing is CERTAIN yet and it would be sad because i still go there every now and then (not in like 2 months) to buy stuff for my guitar and buy jewlry for the woman at the rodgers store that was there last time i was

  13. We participated in a car show at this mall recently and although being light in the store department, it was great. Certainly one of the most friendly venues we could ever go to.

    I hate to see it go the way of Mohawk Commons or Clifton Park Center. This is the Northeast. We need indoor shopping centers and who wants to deal with the enormity of Crossgates or parking nightmare at Colonie Center?

  14. Thanks for writing this article about the Latham Circle Mall, Caldor. I actually grew up just a few miles from here during the 70s and 80s. I remember all of the anchor stores from when I was a child, and how it change in the late 80s & 90s. I remember the Boston store, and Woolworth. I want to say that one of these two stores had a candy counter that my mother bought me those swedish fish from occassionally. I also remember when they built Caldor too. We used to shop at the Grand Union there all the time.

    This mall’s heyday was definitely back then. My father still lives in the area, and every once in a while I visit the mall. Each time I am more and more disappointed about how it looks.

    I would be disappointed if the mall closed. It was part of my childhood, and would hate to see it go. I honestly don’t think anyone will sink the money into it to update it, especially with Crossgates and Colonie Mall nearby. I suspect that eventually it will be torn down and then built up with businesses similar to what you would find in the Latham Commons.

    My parents moved to Latham in the early 70s. My mother’s father remembered traveling through Latham in the 40s and 50s. Somewhere we have a picture of the actual circle from the 40s.

  15. I went to this mall last weekend and I must say it was a surreal experience. I felt like I had gone through a wormhole and ended up back in 1983. I hope this mall sticks around for a while in case I ever want to have another time travel adventure.

  16. I worked at this mall till about February of this year, when F.Y.E. closed in this mall. I used to come here as a kid and loved it. The mall used to be packed with stores and there was alot to do there. The FYE and Borders Books both closed earlier this year and left the mall with maybe 7 stores remaining. The people who own/run the mall do nothing to save it.

    No one wants to move into the mall because the owners take no care of the mall. There are 2 security guards, 1 janitor and 1 receptionist “running” the entire mall.Theft is huge, and often due to the lack of security and vast amounts of “escape routes” for thieves. Major leaks in the roof, and a big mouse problem.

    This mall could really have a comeback if it really wanted to, but it would require a major overhaul of the exterior and interior of the mall. Part of what I love about the mall was the very retro look in some parts, makes me real nostalgic to when the mall was great and filled. Now if there were 30 people in the mall at once I’d be surprised.

  17. Thanks to everyone at this blog and at DeadMalls for all the info and memories! I remember the outdoor mall very well, as we went there a lot when I was little. My mom’s best friend and her family lived in Latham and we used to go to the mall a lot. We used to go to the enclosed mall, too, up until the mid-80s. I’m still living in the area but haven’t been inside this mall in a solid 10 or more years. I only go mall shopping a few times a year (when my husban’ds relatives visit from England) and we usually go to Crossgates. More razzle-dazzle for the British tourists and all of that. I’ll hate to see this mall go, but it seems pretty much inevitable at this point. And I can’t really complain, because I didn’t support it.

  18. It looks sooooo empty! It’s kinda weird looking too.. especially the funny ceiling heights

  19. I’m looking forward to making this a destination in a few days but am concerned about the batillions of one-way mirrors. Seeing as my objective is photography, I’m hoping there aren’t many people in there hoping to tag a suspicious folk or two. I hope this place is as dead as it presumes… I really want to explore that weird stairways to what looks to be an absent room!

  20. Here’s some concept imagery of Latham Circle Mall’s redevelopment. You know, it actually looks like it will finally be… complete. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it here as I recently wanted but I hope to make it here in the next week or two before they begin.

  21. Since it mentions Lowe’s and “major redevelopment”, Lowe’s just might open into the mall. Oddly, it mentions Burlington Coat Factory as an anchor and not Belk. When did this happen?

  22. Where did you get Belk from? This mall never had a Belk. Burlington used to be… oh, something.

    And no, according to the proposed site plan, Lowe’s won’t open out to the mall.

  23. I have mixed feelings about the redevelopment. Looks great. But if I ruled the mall, I’d keep everything enclosed, and make Lowe’s have an interior entrance.

  24. (reads redevelopment plan)

    Not bad, not bad. Personally, I’d let Chico’s and Lowe’s have an interior entrance, enclose the courttard with a high, arching roof, and move Micheal’s and Circuit City to outparcel spots. What is Micheals, Namco, and “Krazy City”?

  25. Michaels is a craft store. Namco is an arcade/family fun center, and Krazy City is… I dunno, probably another of the same.

  26. Does anyone have a map of the mall today, with the dead ends and sights of the random 2nd levels?

    In fact, the redevelopment plan only shows a larger box for the second level and one shot with escalators, an elevator, and a sign that reads “Cinema Village”.

    Does anyone have a list of the current stores?

  27. I can’t find a current map of the mall unfortunately.

  28. I don’t think its gonna work. First of all, no work seems to have been started yet, and secondly the tenant mix is really really weird!

    There’s a tiny mall, from the street it will have typical big boxes…Lowe’s, Circuit City, Micheals, then suddenly goes upscale, with Chico’s, Bonefish Grill, Ann Taylor Loft, Bath & Body Works, and a few other shops.

  29. If I was to decide another layout for this mall, I’d work out a slightly different plan. I would add a second level to the mall, adding in grander skylights, letting both BCF and JCPenney have second-floor entrances. Next, I would open an interior entrance to Lowe’s. On the upper level, instead of Lowe’s, it would lead to Krazy City. Old Navy would take an upper level spot, and Circuit City and Micheals would move to next to Lowe’s, disconnected from the mall. The food court is retenanted. Then, the mall is retenanted with a mixture of local and national shops.

  30. I just moved back to the area and was surprised to see the state that Latham Circle Mall has fallen into, I was quite shocked to learn that Burlington Coat Factory AND the CVS were gone, they were the only two stores I frequented at LCM.

    I hope I’m not repeating information, but what makes this mall even QUIRKIER is the fact that it once housed a radio station cluster (until 2005 or so) and currently houses a school. The offices in the upper part of the mall are quite interesting.

  31. I apologize, I assumed that Latham Circle Mall had lost Burlington Coat Factory as it is now open in Crossgates. My apologies.

  32. More news bits and pieces:

    http://albany.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2007/11/26/daily33.html

    This one explains another plan has been submitted to Albany, since it was from November. It also mentions the name change, the owner’s toying with various names. I say the name will be something like “Latham Town Center”.

    http://albany.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2007/12/10/daily15.html

    This one has announced Texas Roadhouse will move in. The one here in Texas (naturally) is packed, hopefully Latham’s will be the same.

  33. My girlfriend and I worked at this mall from 2001 to 2004 and there were many store closings happening around that time. I worked at the Gateway computer store while she worked at several locations, including the now closed Carlton Cards, Joyce Leslies and JC Penney. There used to be two arcades, one in the food court and another in the wing that used to lead to Caldor. The food court also had a Chinese stand and also an Arbys. There also used to be a Papa Ginos, GNC, KB Toys, McDonalds, FYE, a pet store, a candy shop and several others that I recall from my employment there and from when I was younger.

    Also, does anyone have anything on Northway Mall? I can remember that mall vividly, including how it had a small chapel next to Montgomery Wards. If anyone has pictures, please post them and if anyone is interested in the stores that were there, let me know.

  34. Is there any more information on the mall’s renovation, or better yet, its early days as an outdoor mall?

  35. Coulda sworn there was a Rex here (I think it was in the Retail Stories blog pictures)…it seems to have closed (as per their website)

  36. I am a past resident of troy which was a short trip from latham circle and I used to love going there as a kid when it used to have tons of stores it is a part of a capital regions history hens if you are from the cities or towns surrounding latham circle I wish they don’t close it down some 80’s highschool movies I watch kida make me think of the mall back when the place was booming and a nice place to buy toys or a card from the dollar store.also is there any new news on this as I am nolonger living in the capital district but 3 hours away 5 minutes next to another 5 years dead mall soon to be

  37. Maybe Latham Circle can still survive with a bit of love. OK, first, force Lowe’s to open into the mall. Then, paint the outside of the mall, add a big box bookstore, maybe a grocery store, and another discount store (maybe a new concept!)

    Obviously, the hard part is doing a cheap renovation without looking too cheap.

  38. Salvatore,

    I would be interested in anything you had on Northway Mall. I do not have any pictures, however I remember it quite vivdly. I used to get dragged there a lot as a kid due to it being home to one of the first Kids ‘R Us stores. I remember it was pretty small, and at least through the eyes of a kid, pretty boring. I remember it was roughly L-shaped with Marshalls, Woolworth, and Montgomery Ward anchoring the main mall and Silo, Chuck E Cheeses. JoAnn Fabrics, SO Fro Fabrics, Lechmere, and BJ’s had locations on the mall property. Other stores that I recall included a dollar store, Famous Footwear, Time Out Arcade, CVS, Friar Tuck Bookstore, Afterthoughts, Shoe Works, a short-lived Sam Goody, S&K, and Dress Barn. This would make a good write-up. it had been a strip center anchored by a Target for about 8 years now.

  39. Its funny that the busiest place in this mall seems to be the Old Country Buffet.

  40. Latham Circle Mall does have something going for it, though…cheapest rents in town! The owner of store My Wicks rented a 1600 sq. ft. store front for the same price as a 6-foot long push cart at CLIFTON PARK CENTER. Imagine what Crossgates would’ve charged!

  41. loveminuszero ,

    I will post all the info I have on Northway Mall in the NWM page of the site very soon, please keep an eye out for it.

  42. I went to Latham Circle recently and was happy to find that the 25-cent kiddie rides still work. It was a blast.

  43. The ceiling height differences resulted when the “mall” was added to the “shopping center.” Formerly, it was shaped like a big Z in reverse. Where the outdoor sidewalks were became half of the mall hallway.

    Original anchors are Grand Union out front(furtherest on the left/south), Boston Store (now Burlington Coat Factory–or at least it was still open last I knew ) in the corner in the back, WT Grant (that then became Denby’s then later the food court when Denby’s went) and JCPenney, which at the time was the farthest store on the right/north. Woolworth was on the plane facing north, between the front section and Boston Store. I want to say it was around 1977-78 that the changed Latham Corners Shopping Center into Latham Circle Mall. Caldor was added after that, around 1982 or 1983. Also around that time, a new Grand Union was built (which became the Gold’s Gym, which is now gone for Lowe’s). I remember going to Barnet’s Toys and Donnely Shoes, plus the Boston Store, when I was growing up.

  44. The mall was recently foreclosed on. Eugene Weiss, who had owned the mall since 1972 and was planning a renovation of the center, is no longer the mall’s owner:

    http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2009/01/12/daily68.html

    I’m sure this means there’ll be a change in plans to the redevelopment, and it may increase the chances that the entire mall will be disenclosed. Either way, the original redevelopment plan is likely dead.

  45. Not to mention the redevelopment included Circuit City…

    I hope the mall isn’t disenclosed. A less haphazard/ugly decor would be nice but hard to do…and opening Lowe’s into the mall is a dream impossible.

  46. The food court is now completely vacant.

  47. @Jonah Norason, http://www.deadmalls.com/malls/latham_circle_mall.html second to last picture, rex was to the left, there was an entrance to the store from the mall, and then that entrance was covered in glass with another entrance to the store, exit to the parking lot…I LOVED THAT STORE BRO..lol

  48. @loveminuszero, what about silo?? LOL the building that silo occupied still stands int he parking lot of The “new” Northway Mall, it’s now occupied by david’s bridal…there was also a silo in latham too; directly accross from LCM..

  49. @Caldor, with regards to the food court..the reason why it’s split-level is because before it was a food court it was Denby’s or Flah’s (before that it was Grant’s, I think..this is coming from my mom) then after the Penney’s remod the anchor went out and in came an arcade (I remember the arcade)..and on the second level (above the arcade) the mall stored all of their holiday decor. I worked in the mall in the late 90’s as a retail manager for Limited Inc. I closed down failing structure and express stores..in that time I had the luxury of going into the abandoned (we stored massive amounts of consolidated sale merchandise in the space) space which is a very odd way of access..three options of access, through the arcade, there is a stairwell which only mall mgmt had keys to, so that option was rare, through the radio station mezzanine which had two route to the space. No one could ever tell me why the mall was constructed this way, other than the mezzanine (which could have been a boat-load of retail space itself) provided ample support after the enclosure of 77. Also, this mezzanine area does not truly show up appropriately on the mall plans which can be accessed at the town of Colonie, building mantainence office in loudonville NY. In addition the anchor (grants, Denby’s/Flah’s) does NOT exist on the plans either

  50. The Old Country Buffet is now closed.

  51. That’s sad to hear about the food court. Even when it was just Elias and Hot Dog Charlies it was good. Does anyone know if the dollar store is still around?

  52. The Jiu-Jitsu place in the mall sent me an e-mail. They closed suddenly this past weekend due to extensive water damage. I couldn’t help myself… I had to go and snoop around. There is water leaking into the mall everywhere, and in many places there isn’t even a bucket or anything to catch it. The food court is now completely blocked off, including the bathroom. The place reeks of mold and mildew all throughout. Total condemnation of the center hallway can’t be far behind…

  53. its a damn shame what happen to this mall this was my favorite to go to when i was 6 or 7 years old and heared that a company from mass brought the mall hopefuly they chould bring it back

  54. its a damn shame what happen to this mall this was my favorite mall to go to when i was 6 or 7 years old and i heared that a company from mass brought the mall hopefuly they chould bring it back

  55. I was in this mall about a week ago, and wow I must say It definitly feels real old-school mall like Clifton country mall used to be like. It smeels like mold/mildew but it definitly adds to the pure retro 80s modeled malls. I goto burlington coat factory, they have some decent clothes. There is a rim store and a weird like knive and indian styled store, all of which are nearby burlington coat factory. It is for sure this mall will be condemned in coming months as there are several water leaks and has what seems like almost no maintenance whatsoever. Hope it gets re-developed, I would like to see that texas roadhouse go in also…

  56. I visited this mall on 6/21/10 for the first time….the mall was mostly empty, save a handful of mom and pops and the anchors (JC Penney, Burlington Coat Factory). The mall was dingy and smelled musty and moldy. There were a lot of leaks in the ceilings, some were even damaging old storefronts and labelscars. I also found a curious sign in one of the closed storefronts indicating the store had moved temporarily due to flooding (I took a pic). Lots of inconsistent architecture, but I thought it was cool! The changes in architecture reminded me a little bit of Greece Ridge Mall (two different architecture types connected in the middle)

    Pics are at http://community.webshots.com/album/578023274arqDdA

  57. Visited latham circle about a month ago by myself and today with my brother and friend…the place is so interesting, so eerie. smells horrible. weird to think of going there as a young kid.

    as of now the shops open are:
    -the movie theater
    -JC Penney
    -some photo studio
    -Deb
    -Avenue
    -some store that sells I Love Grandma type of t-shirts, retro posters, t-shirts with cats on them, etc.

    then there’s the whole walk of nothing, then

    burlington coat factory
    some store that sells yankees baseball stuff
    the wheels store
    the knife store
    the hair studio

    then in that little hallway is the driving school and the insurance company

    sounds like a lot of businesses but here’s the thing. when i went back by myself for the first time in like 7 years, basically none of these stores were open for “shoppers”. when i went back today, a lot weren’t open like the last time but some different ones were. so these places are barely making a profit. i know it.

    we went upstairs to where the old offices/mildred elley were…soooooooo creepy…be careful if you go up there.

    also creepy – the food court.

    when i went by myself there were no mall employees. when i went today there was 1 security guard who wasn’t really at his desk, and 1 cleaner.

    i guess when i went today (monday) at 1:30 it was Latham Circle’s most poppin time. a total of 20 “shoppers” there the whole time we were there.

    needless to say, the mall couldn’t be more dead, but go check it out. it’s very interesting.

  58. Went there yesterday, and it was kinda nostalgic. It felt like a mall I grew up in. Got pictures behind the subway and Elias pizza counters, as well as many other pics.

  59. The name comes from the LARGE traffic circle out front. Mystery solved!

  60. Update: I live right around the “corner” from this mall and the only thing left really is JCPenney. Everything else appears to be shuttered. The Lowes isn’t ever really busy and even 24 hr CVS that was located there (moved to a new location right up the road next to Lowes) isn’t 24 hrs anymore since the economic troubles. Now the outdoor strip malls right up the road are having trouble too. Crossgates is going down hill and the closing of Borders has left another huge hole in the behemoth (I grew up in this area and remember Crossgates from it’s original opening day, 1st decline, and now this decline). Colonie Center remodeled and is now pretty popular but thats because of Barnes n Noble, Christmas Tree Shops, and Macy’s. But, even with their remodel and everything, keep an eye on it because it’s got this aura about it that it has a not too distant future as a dead mall

  61. I’ve been here a few times this year but not really recently. Floor coming apart in back of food court, and now also at the seam between regal building and the rest of main hallway. Danceland is “officially” opening on Sept 24 I saw (open now) across from food court. The entrance near ex steinbach Is now completely closed.

    Near Burlington is a hair dresser, two gift shops, and a candy store. Under regal is just AVENUE. The jc penny mall entrance is closed, the regal escalator is not running, and regal second floor parking deck looks near collapse. I agree with the nostalgic value of this mall, but I just don’t feel It’s a safe building anymore. Not the center part, anyway.

    Then there’s the ghost stores: filled but seemingly never open. A store (khp?) with strange statues, dark, and the glass doors are always closed. A guy is always inside doing something on his mac but i never have the nerve to ask what’s up. A gift shop and a biker gift shop. Insurance place, auto driving school, etc. all clearly renting out a space in this mall, but not open.

    I keep going there cause I keep finding new things. The glass windows above the ex caldor wing. The WGNA logo across from Burlington. The old arcade designs in the food court. This mall has charm, something newer malls do not. Neither do mega shopping complexes like latham farms. I agree that LCM is saveable, the problem is the previous owner, and the current one, just do not care!

    Even a lifestyle complex would be better than NOTHING! I propose keeping the theater building and the wing from Burlington south to lowes. Open lowes to the mall (theres clearly a hallway built for this purpose if you look on the outside). Open penny’s to the mall. It’d be a good idea to make it a 2 floor penny’s, because it really is too small. Rebuild parking deck, or just fill it in with dirt and pave that. Connect regal second floor to a pennys second floor. Demolish from Burlington to regal and make a nice strip mall, with fountains and gardens out front.

    I live near exit 12 so my only option for mall shopping is Wilton mall. Aviation mall in queensbury, colonie and crossgates in Albany are all farther than I’d like to go. And clifton park center is barely a mall, the mall portion of it left over is dark, depressing, and STILL dying! In conclusion it’d be nice to have LCM as another alternative.

  62. Oooh, I found a gem tonight, and I can’t think of a better place to post it.

    http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_AcUdTl7Aq-s/S3xDiWiCpvI/AAAAAAAARII/hMw4RSIDaBI/s1600/02_Latham%2BCorners%2Bgrand%2Bopening%2B-%2BCopy.jpg

    Here’s Latham Corners On october 23 1957, opening day. If I didn’t know better I’d say those pillars in the middle of the complex are the same pillars that are still standing today, in the middle of the easternmost hallway. Even if they aren’t the original pillars, much of this building still exists today. So happy birthday latham circle mall, you are now 52 years old! And showing your age…

    Here’s the full article(s):
    http://mall-hall-of-fame.blogspot.com/search/label/Albany%20Malls

  63. I grew up with Latham Circle Mall and have to say I cannot believe how much this mall has gone downhill.

    I stopped at Latham Circle Mall briefly back in March (it was only a brief visit for reasons I will later explain).

    Anyways, when I was at the mall, I was quite shocked at its current conditions.
    The hallways appeared dirty and dingy. Only one mall entrance was open (the entrance near the food court), which seemed very awkward.
    The food court itself was 100% empty, yet the vacant eateries remain there, covered with white tarps…a very ugly appearance.
    The hallways were deserted with only a few temproary mom & pop shops. The majority of the hallways consisted of empty storefronts.
    JC Penney, Burlington Coat Factory, the CINEMA and an exterior Lowes is all that remains.

    When I was there, I saw that the interior mall entrance to JC Penney was closed off. You can only access JC Penney from the outside now.
    The escalator to the CINEMA was closed off too, you can only access the CINEMA from the second floor.

    I decided to take some photos of the mall, when this security guard followed me and told me I am not allowed to take photos. This security guard was more of an old man janitor, who was wearing a security jacket. He said no photos are allowed. I thought that was weird, I mean an almost completely empty mall and no photos are allowed.
    I have heard from others they have the same problem, they take photos and are stopped by this security guard, one claimed the security guard told them “How would you like it if I took photos of the inside of your house”…thats like apples and oranges folks.

    Anyways, I decided that would be the best time to leave. I told the guard I did not know photos were not allowed (after all there are no signs up saying so) and left.

    But anyways, I felt the inside of Latham Circle Mall was dingy and almost eerie. Even the outside of the mall is an eyesore.
    I remember going here as a kid and this mall very active…after all Wildwood, Mildred Elley and WGNA all used to have their offices here.

    Latham is a booming area, mostly do to Latham Farms, a major outdoor shopping center on Rt. 2, across from the mall.
    Therefore, I definitely think something needs to be done at this mall.

    Unfortunately, it seems hopeless for any improvements, so I think the only solution would be to tear down most of the mall.
    They should convert Penneys, Burlington Coats and Lowes into individual buildings and tear down the remaining section of the mall.
    In its place they should put in a Shop Rite (a new grocery store chain opening up in the Capital District) and a few small outdoor stores/ restaurants (such as Famous Footwear, TGIF, Eastern Mountain Sports, etc.)

  64. @Patrick, Can you please upload that picture if you can find it? The circle needs an redesign as well. Absolutely cannot handle the amount of traffic that comes through latham nowadays. If I do need to go through there, I do everything possible to avoid it, I would rather cut through latham farms (car madness) or the mall parking lot (no cars but awful to navigate). That says how much I hate driving in that circle. Plus, it’s ugly and dirty looking.

  65. I have been walking through LCM on cold days after work as it’s on my way home. Avenue has started its long overdue going out of business sale with 60% off everything. There were still no people in there. This was the last always-open store with a mall entrance in the entire stretch from Burlington to Regal. It was also the last non-anchor chain store. I predict the Regal will soon follow. If Regal values their name at all, they will do it ASAP or at least by the end of 2012. They can’t possibly be turning anything close to a profit.

    Interestingly, a new gift shop has opened in the Pioneer Savings Bank vacancy ( http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6JOCpADOJWg/Rnc0icQCwaI/AAAAAAAAAsU/ElCDnWM5lpk/s1600/DSC08258.JPG ) with a rather extensive selection. Normal gift shop stuff, but also gold-buying, VHS and CD’s, sports cards, and many other unusual things. But just a month after opening there’s a sign on the door: “Closed until January 2nd”. Not a good sign. I had planned on going in, too.

    Rent is so cheap that stores can just pop up like this, and die off equally quick. But that also means this mall is like a black hole for money. SOMEONE is paying for this so I don’t understand why nothing is ever done? LCM is to the point where it’s essentially an abandoned building. You can see ceiling tiles falling down and walls peeling off everywhere. And the floors keep cracking up more and more in the food court and on the inclined floor leading into the Regal area. Trees drop things onto the floor and no one bothers to clean it.

    A year ago, I wanted to believe it could be saved. But it’s falling apart so fast with no effort to fix it. Please demolish everything except Lowe’s and JCPenny. Actually, you know what, rebuild the JCPenny as well. That is the most dark, claustrophobic, and depressing store I’ve ever been in.

  66. Not sure why I keep posting here. Doubt anyone reads it. I went for my usual walk around the perimeter of the mall today. I notice the mold is getting worse to the point where it irritates my eyes. The ramp between the regal building and the rest of the mall has a crack almost all the way across it (with yellow caution tape over it). The floor in the back of the food court is coming up at least 6 inches now in multiple places. The CVS door is open all the time now with an extension cord running into it. Not sure what that’s about. A store across from danceland has the same deal. It looks like a speaker. I’m puzzled.

    The candy store across from Burlington is finally gone. I rarely see a security guard anymore not at the food court nor the caldor hallway. so tempted to go up those stairs and exploring the mall offices but if the guard is in fact in there somewhere, possibly upstairs It’s not worth getting arrested over.

    The steinbach wing ( http://www.labelscar.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/latham-circle-mall-08.jpg ) leaks so bad in places when it rains, It’s not a leak, It’s a STREAM. Today we had an ice storm followed by heavy rain. the floor is covered with water and they have the entire wing blocked off with caution tape. Doubt they will ever remove the tape. It’s ok, that entrance has been completely locked for months. I predict the regal 1st floor, and food court entrances will be locked too once Avenue goes out.

  67. @E, We actually read every comment that gets posted 🙂 Also, the entire function of this site is that these articles about malls are supposed to “keep living,” it’s just become a bit daunting to update all of the original posts. The comments are a big help and you’d be surprised how many people keep contributing to older posts.

  68. @Caldor: Really? I remember posting something about how Labelscar was no longer the wonderful place I remembered it to be, and how much the retail landscape had changed since I started reading it and was a bit surprised to see it was gone soon after. That explains it. But I do wonder: it used to be that a bunch of people would comment, in fairly short succession (this happened “one mall at a time” how great the mall used to be: Pekin Mall, Blue Ridge Mall, Metcalf South Shopping Center…) but I haven’t seen it recently (even though, say, Metrocenter has been posted, which was a great mall).

  69. @Caldor, I did assemble a partial list of updates that’s happened to some of these malls since they’ve been posted. I’ll email them soon after I create more.

  70. @Pseudo3D, I still have the list you sent awhile ago, actually… planning on going through and updating some of these, but we just haven’t had the time (as you’ve seen, we’ve barely had the time for new content…)

  71. @Pseudo3D, yes, we do read every comment and scarcely delete any unless they’re utterly ridiculous (which does happen from time to time. nearly always it’s because they’re viciously racist though).

    *NEW* posters have to wait in a queue, which may mean its a few hours or even a few days before we get around to approving it, but from then on that poster’s comments go live immediately.

    Sadly, traffic to the site is down from where it was, to about 50% of what it was originally. This is due in part to us just not posting enough (our own issue, but our lives have gotten dramatically busier) but actually most of the loss is due to less interest in the whole “dead mall” thing and less and less traffic from search engines. Some of it, too, is that “blogs” as a thing are on the decline. People just don’t comment like they used to, they’d rather use Facebook and Twitter.

  72. @Caldor, I know. It was a different time. I think Facebook groups have definitely caused some of the problem. The acid test, I think, was the whole Dixie Square documentary, which went down along with the whole “Paw Filmworks”, leaving little trace as to whether it was even there.

    In many ways Labelscar even follows the whole retail thing. In a declining industry, how many renames and re-hashes can you go through before you collapse?

  73. @Pseudo3D, Labelscar definitely should update with the times (get Facebook and Twitter and post link to blog updates from there). I was disappointed to see they are now pages down on Google results. But I know how it feels to be busy and just have no time. I used to have a blog I updated daily and now It’s maybe 3 times a year.

    What documentary are you talking about? I watched Dead Malls R Us last year… Very interesting stuff.
    http://icarusfilms.com/new2009/mall.html
    But it certainly didn’t garner much attention. I’m looking forward to the “green” mega-mall currently being built in Canada. Forget exactly where but It’s in that film (produced in 2008 released in 09/10).

  74. @E, they were going to make a documentary on Dixie Square Mall in Harvey, Illinois. And the “green” mega-mall you refer to is probably Destiny USA in Syracuse, New York.

  75. An update to my previous post – I had visited Latham Circle Mall in March 2011, and was told not to take photos by a security guard (see my Nov. 1, 2011 post).

    Anyways, I stopped at Latham Circle Mall again, this past January 2012. Of course, this time I did not bring a camera, for I did not want any more problems with any security guards.

    I entered the mall through the entrance opposite the food court, first walking through the wing towards JC Penney. That entire wing (between the Food Court and JC Penney) is 100% empty, except for the Avenue store, which was going out of business.
    The interior entrance to JC Penney was still closed off. The only access to JC Penney is through its outside entrances.
    The escalator to the CINEMA was also still closed off. The only access to the CINEMA is from the outside entrances on the 2nd floor parking level.

    I then made my way to the food court, which was of course 100% empty. The vacant eateries were still covered over with cheap white plastic tarps. You would think, they’d at least sheetrock and paint over the vacant eateries, to it look decent.

    I finally headed down towards Burlington Coat Factory, which was still open with shoppers. Near Burlington Coat Factory, there was a sports card store (which was closed at the time), a hair salon, driving school office and insurance office, along with about half a dozen mom & pop shops.

    There were also a few mall workers who were sitting on one of the benches and eating an 8 cut pizza from Domino’s pizza, which they had brought in.
    Its obvious why, they brought their own pizza in, there are zero places to eat at Latham Circle Mall.

    As I left the mall and walked outside, I walked by the exterior entrance of the former “Old Country Buffet.” At its exterior entrance, a sheet of paper was taped to the window, which read “Old Country Buffet is now closed – effective November 9, 2009.”
    You’d think that after more than 2 years, they would at least take that old sheet of paper off the window.

    Bottom line, this mall is hopeless and needs to be torn down.
    Demolish everything, except for Lowes, Burlington Coat Factory and JC Penney. Also, tear down the CINEMA, it is bound the close soon anyways. Either leave Burlington Coat Factory and JC Penney as stand alone buildings or rebuild them completely. Convert the mall into a shopping plaza (rename it something like Latham Commons) and have it with all outside stores and restaurants.

    Since I live in Ballston Spa (near Northway Exit 12) and work in Downtown Albany, I go by Latham Circle Mall everyday. I actually do a park & ride at Latham Farms with CDTA. I drive from my house down the Northway to Latham Farms, where I park my car. Then I ride the CDTA bus south on Rt. 9, from Latham Farms to Downtown Albany. So I go by this mall on the bus everyday, to and from work, and it has become a real eyesore.
    It would be nice to revitalize its occupancy area.

  76. The escalator is not CLOSED OFF, its just not running. However, within the past two weeks the elevator broke and will never be repaired. Also, avenue is in rotterdam square mall now. Not much else to say. Not much ever changes at this mall. Just more things breaking and more stores closing (and occasionally stores opening near Burlington, though I don’t understand why. that store is almost as deserted as the mall. So is jc penny. So is regal. but lowes seems to do decent business.)

    I live in ballston spa too! You ever go to Malta mall? (before last years hannaford redevelopment started). What a strange little place. People used to throw around the term “mini-mall” before strip malls really took off. That’s what it was. It was actually just some indoor businesses/restaurants sprouting off from grand union, originally.

  77. I didn’t plan on going back, ever, but due to a really cold and windy day I wanted a place to walk. My thoughts during my walk:

    The wind was pulling the doors open and closed, as well as ceiling hatches. Regal escalator is off, regal is always deserted, parking deck has giant potholes and is sinking from pooling water. Avenue is moved to nearby Rotterdam Square Mall (They quite literally ripped the sign off, there’s cords coming out). That weird KHP place is still there, its a photography studio, but doors are closed, and people never go in or out.

    Elevator closed, ramp into the old section of mall cracked up, back of food court cracked up, danceland (always-empty dance floor), albany aikido (they actually have a pipe system along the cieling in order to catch the leaks). Three crummy gift shops, haircut place, computer repair place, Finally, the always-closed: adoption center, auction place, insurance place and driving school. The southeast entrance is still closed. There is just never a security guard/janitor anymore.

    But why did I come here to post? “This store is closing.” It’s so common here, I did not notice at first. But it’s BURLINGTON COAT FACTORY. Oh boy, we all knew it would come one day, but I did not know it would be this particular day. The only in-mall anchor is leaving.

    I got a cool painting and flask for $27 total. The store was packed. It makes me think that this store must have been awesome back in the day. People ripping things off shelves and it was actually hard to walk at times. Security guard by the front door giving me stare-down. Not a LCM security guard, but a legit one with a uniform.

    Anyway, I heard from an unconfirmed source that Burlington will be out by May. The small stores in that hallway should follow by the end of 2012, then I predict the entire mall will be locked, save for maybe regal who somehow must be doing decent business. I’ve never seen it.

    But you know what, I went to this theater twice last year, and it was cool to imagine that I owned my own movie theater. I was the only one in the theater.

    I will be back on the next bad-weather day, or at the latest, in May to see if Burlington is gone by then. I’ll definitely snap some new pictures of the things I’ve mentioned once Burlington is gone, if the janitor isn’t there. It will likely be the last chance to take pictures.

    Predicted complete death of LCM between May 2012 and May 2013 (I hope closer to the former). Will they just continue to leave the building open once EVERY active tenant is gone?

    One more note – the latest redevelopment plan, from May 2011 calls for saving JCPenny, burlington coat, and somehow redeveloping the Regal building as two floors of retail. Time to chuck that out the window again. While it would be cool to save the original BOSTON STORE building, it’s in just as bad shape as the rest of the mall, walls peeling off, ceiling leaking, etc.

    I think that while it would be cool to have a combination inside-outside mall (not like Clifton Park, but like Colonie), the best move is to just demolish everything between Lowe’s and JCP and make a straight strip of stores. My idea would be to make it more “green”, have some gardens and fountains and grass along the sidewalk. And finally, tear up and re-pave the entire parking lot, and re-design the entrances. Possibly one directly off the circle?

  78. @E, Nah never go to Matla Mall…I just stick to WIlton Mall, but lately I have going to Aviation Mall because they now have more than Wilton Mall.
    I can still eat at Arby’s, if I go to Aviation Mall (I really miss the Arby’s at WIlton Mall). Also Aviation Mall still has a pet store (the one at Wilton Mall closed last summer).
    Finally, when it comes to anchor stores, Aviation Mall is the best mix of everything… They have Sears, TJ Maxx, The Bon-ton, Target, Dick’s Sporting Goods and JC Penney ,all inside the mall…gives me many choices….
    Plus the drive up there is not too bad…I just get on the Northway at Exit 12, drive north for 30 minutes, get off the Northway at Exit 19 and I am there.

  79. @Big Mike, assume you mean Latham Farms. I like the covered walkway around the perimeter of that complex, but I hate not being able to walk from one section to another without being run over. Am I the only one left in the world who likes to walk along and windows browse, and only go into a store if something catches my eye? Like I’ve said, I hope there’s a nice path to walk on when they Redevelop LCM. Why not make it look nice with fountains and gardens? That would also attract more attention from the road – another issue I have with LF – can’t see what’s there without going in and fighting traffic.

  80. @Big Mike, Agree about Arby’s. But I work near Albany and I go to one (out of two!) Arby’s on wolf road regularly. However, you should check out the NY Grill at Wilton. I would not have tried it if Arby’s hadn’t left. They have great fresh cooked food, and a large variety such as breakfast items, greek foods (gyros and felafel), hamburgers, smoothies and ice cream, etc.

    I disagree about Aviation. I went there a few months ago, there just really wasn’t much unique that interested me. The only reason to go is to see the old Caldor greenhouse entrance. If I really want to go to a pet shop, I’ll go to the one in Colonie Center which sells exotic pets such as sugar gliders, reptiles and spiders.

    Wilton has really evolved to include a lot more practical stores than most malls, such as the DMV, Lenscrafters, Haircuts, and the large Shoe Department Encore. Within 2 months it will have a quite large Planet Fitness in the old JC Penny building with two interior and two exterior entrances. If I do want to go to Target, there is one in walking distance of Wilton. There’s a path across from sears over to ex-Saratoga Mall. I do have to cross two roads but it’s nowhere near the type of traffic at Latham Farms.

    But to bring this back on topic – We are seeing more nontraditional anchors taking a chance by moving into malls in an age of decline i.e. Planet Fitness and Target. (Shoe Department Encore is arguably an anchor, due to the outdoor entrance at Rotterdam Square). I am getting fed up with the lack of anchors in this whole region – Sears, JC Penny, Bon Ton, Macy’s and Boscovs. That’s it. So it’s nice to see others stepping in.

    We’ve seen how these stores help malls such as Aviation, WIlton and Rotterdam. Which brings me to Lowe’s at LCM. I cannot count is as an anchor store due to not having a mall entrance. It’s just a store that happens to touch the mall. If Lowe’s had just built a door into the mall, I am confident LCM would still be thriving today. It would have helped Lowes’s business as well, from passer-bys in the mall wandering in. Now, Lowe’s is suffering a hit due to being next to a creepy abandoned mall. They shot themselves in the foot. A real missed opportunity back in 2003.

  81. I don’t think this was posted. The redevelopment brochure handed out to potential businesses. Made last year. Does not include Regal on the detail map, but does include keeping the aging parking deck. I assume Burlington will be demolished now as well. But this is interesting stuff, all of the factors that go into determining where is good to build a store. And this really is a prime location.

    http://www.cbre-ne.com/cbre/grossman_retailadvisors/properties/ny/800_New_Loudon_Road_Latham_Brochure.pdf

  82. @E, Well the thing is, I prefer the north country over Albany…more scenic and a nicer class of people.
    I do work in Albany and that is the only time I go to Albany.
    In my spare time, I prefer to head north, so that’s why I favor Wilton and Aviation Malls. To be honest, I never go to Colonie Center or Crossgates, too busy with traffic, and I like to avoid Wolf Rd for the same reason.

    I especially do not like Central Ave, it is so busy with traffic, buildings, etc. Plus the road is totally straight – you get the same view on the entire road between Schenectady and Albany (just look at a map and you will see how straight the road is). I prefer roads that twist and turn, giving you a change of view.
    If I had to rate the most UN-SCENIC roads in the Capital District, I would say Central Ave is #1.

    But back to the mall topic, yeah it is convenient that Wilton Mall has the Target, Home Depot, Petsmart, etc., behind it..an easy 5 minute walk from the mall.
    There is also a pizza place near Target, called Caputo’s Pizza, real good pizza, and only $4.82 for two cheese slices and a fountain soda..Lately, I have been going there and getting the pizza to go, then eating the pizza in the WIlton Mall food court, so I can at least feel like I am still eating at the mall.

    And regarding the Lowe’s at LCM, I agree with you..they should have either connected Lowe’s to the inside of the mall, or had the former Caldor mall wing exit the mall outside. It is horrible, that the mall wing just ends against a plain white wall.

    Bottom line, I wish Latham Circle Mall was still an option for me..It used to be a nice mall, WGNA, Wildwood School and Mildred Elley all started off here.
    The location was convenient and the mall layout was good.

    Now it seems when you want to go to a mall, you either have to go to Albany (go to Crossgates or Colonie Center), or head north (go to Wilton Mall or Aviation Mall). I prefer to head north, any day.

    These are the only options since Clifton Park Center was ruined during the 2006 renovations and Latham Circle Mall is a very dead mall.

  83. @E, The main reason why Latham Farms has so much traffic is because people always use the main road (Erin St – which connects between Rts. 2 & 9) to avoid driving thru the Latham Circle.
    I agree with you on the horrendous traffic.

  84. I went to LCM yesterday to take one last round of photos before the mall closes(if that’s soon anyway). I ran into that same security guard that Big Mike encountered. Luckily, it was at the end of my walk through, but he was rude and obnoxious about the whole thing. While I said I understood and would stop taking pictures, he kept saying “No pictures here” and was getting in my face the whole time. He mentioned he’d call the police after I said there were no signs pointing out not to take pictures, and that him being in my face was grounds for harrassment. Regardless, I decided to leave, but he continued to follow me out the door making rude remarks in the process.

  85. @Jack Thomas, please post the pictures here, or a link to them! I plan on taking photos just after Burlington closes (probably soon before a complete mall shuttering). There’s often not a guard there around 6pm. I’ll be checking the food court and office by the insurance co. before I do so, especially after reading this. Also, you should report that guard to someone for harassment. Who? Not sure. Great point about no signs saying no photos.

  86. @Jack Thomas, thanks. I was not aware deadmalls was still operating, I didn’t see posts on the site for so long that I gave up. Keep up the good work!

  87. @E, Thanks! Yeah, unfortunately at this point Brian is the only one who is able to post updates, as I am not able to get onto the drive for the site, and with work and other life stresses, it’s hard for him to make time for it. We’re trying to work on that though, and I try to keep an active presence on the facebook page.

  88. Likely my last visit to Latham Circle Mall unless I catch wind of an official closing date / last day of operation. Burlington Coat Factory is fairly empty. The small shops nearby (Three gift shops and a hair salon) are all having going out of business sales. Gift Den is moving to central avenue inside a Gun Shop. The Hair Salon is moving to route 9 i believe. So the only actively open store will be Regal Cinemas (There are still a few ghost stores such as KHP, Danceland, Albany Aikido, Animal Shelter, Auto School, Auction, Insurance).

    I said “I’m sorry this mall is finally going” and the Gift Den owner has clearly moved on. “Yeah they might as well build a Mosque here for all I care.” Also, he’s creatively rearranged his sign (see photos below).

    It rained today, and it’s amazing just how bad the leaks are. The worst is the CVS wing – the hallway is practically a puddle and the wing is blocked by caution tape. More and more doors continue to be covered in caution tape all over the mall.

    No security guard – the lights in the office are on, but no one’s home. Still I don’t want to risk going upstairs in case he’s up there. That’s an experience I don’t want to have, based on previous posts here.

    See my last few photos, mainly things I’ve missed in the past such as the small fountain/garden area, and Regal.
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/bradye21/

    It truly is the end. Closure will happen easily by August. Destruction SHOULD happen by the end of the year, but based on past events certainly wont. I’ve heard completely unfounded rumors about Wegmans. Other than that, who knows? I’ve heard there will be an official announcement by the end of the month, with some tenants, and hopefully a sketch of the redevelopment, and a closing date.

    The old rumors about Whole Foods are completely debunked – Whole Foods will be partnering with Sears to take over their entire 1st floor at Colonie Center! It will be fantastic to finally be able to grocery shop in a mall.

    Who else is looking to a bright future at Latham Circle Mall!? I think it would be neat if they changed the name back to Latham Corners.

  89. Speaking of demolition..I noticed that across the street from Latham Circle Mall, the former Dakota Restaurant on Rt. 2, was recently demolished.
    Last year, Dakota suddenly closed without warning, they didn’t even bother telling their employees. The employees showed up for work the next morning to find out at the door, that it was closed and they were out of a job.
    Anyways, a few weeks ago, they demolished the vacant Dakota Restaurant.
    I am not sure what they plan to do with the space.
    Although from one source, I heard they want to open up a Joe’s Crab Shack, where Dakota used to be.

    Latham is a very busy area and booming with business.
    I am sure at some point in the near future, they will knock down what’s left of the dead Latham Circle Mall, and put in more outdoor stores and restaurants in its place.

    There are several stores and restaurants I can think of off-hand such as Famous Footwear, TGIF, Eastern Mountain Sports, Five Guys, Office Max, etc.

  90. The stores which I mentioned would fit perfectly into the former Latham Circle Mall, after the mall was demolished and converted into an outdoor shopping center.

  91. Do not go upstairs to the office level. Why are you now thinking about it? DO NOT GO UPSTAIRS.

    So here’s some backstory first… it was an incredibly hot and sunny day, until severe storms and heavy rain came. I decided to check out LCM for one last time, and its also a good place to walk when there’s bad weather.

    First I noticed there was a loud sound coming from the food court. Sure enough, it was coming from inside the Arcade. It sounded like there was a full-blown stream and waterfall back there. That explains why the floor rose a good 6 inches in the back of the food court. It’s probably layers upon layers of mold back there and in the arcade.

    Burlington is now empty. They tell you to visit the Crossgates Mall store (honestly, a pretty nice store, even though it’s one level). In fact, the only places open within the mall today were Regal Cinemas and the Haircut place. There were about 10 stores not empty, but closed. Gift den (now called “The enD”) has a sign “Zombies are not allowed”. Nice.

    Yesterday I stumbled across this video, which was filmed and posted yesterday. http://youtu.be/FawcoEEoxhs

    That is likely the last and most complete video of the mall. At about 1-2 minutes in, they walk up to the office level. There’s some nice artwork by the steps, such as the painting of the Adirondacks. It compliments the murals of Albany and Troy, by JCPenny. They show all four directions, but go no further.

    I wanted to go further. I went upstairs and my heart was absolutely racing. This was not just nerves due to the security guard possibly coming up and yelling at me… this was some higher power telling me that I could die if I went up there.

    I took a few steps, but there is NO ventilation up there. As soon as I got away from the cool breeze coming up the steps, I felt like I was going to pass out. Due to the heat today, the upstairs was easily 110 degrees or more. If you leave your car in the parking lot all day with your windows closed – that’s what it’s like, except an entire floor of a building!

    I’ve said “this is like hell on earth” many times before. But I will never say it again. The office floor of Latham Circle Mall is hell. I know the office halls extend at least to across from Burlington, and possibly the whole way to the second floor of the food court. But the halls are so confusing, if I had gotten lost in there I could have gotten heatstroke and passed out, and no one would have ever found me.

    I doubt I will attempt that again. If you really are intrigued now, make sure it’s a cool day and bring your video camera (smartphone, etc). I would love to see it, but I’m not going back up there. In reality it’s just some old rotting hallways which have not been used for 10+ years. Tear this m*therf*cker down.

  92. I was literally the only person walking here today. Every store except for Aikido, Danceland, and Regal have a sign that say they’re moving on July 1. Most of which are moving to close locations, such as Central Ave, or even the other side of the Latham Circle. Even the ghost stores such as Insurance and KHP are cleaning out. Aikido, Danceland, and Regal were actually all open with a few people inside.

    The entire CVS and Caldor wings are blocked off with caution tape. So is half the food court. I have a feeling the mall could be shuttered July 1. Well, it SHOULD be. Based on past history, it wont. It will just continue to limp along, moaning “BRAAAAAINS”. With the aforementioned three stors.

  93. @Scott,

    You are correct..the other day, I saw the sign in front of the former Dakota which reads “Coming soon, Joe’s Crab Shack.”
    They have also started building the frame for the Joe’s Crab Shack restaurant.

  94. Check this out, Wegmans food market wants to open a store in Latham.
    And guess where their proposed store would be located? At Latham Circle Mall….
    If this plan goes through, Latham Circle Mall could finally meet its demise..the mall would be torn down and the Wegman’s Store would be built in its place.
    If the plan succeeds, I imagine they would keep the Lows (after all Lowes does not connect to the inside of the mall) and they would build the Wegmans next to Lowes (where the former Burlington Coat Factory and the empty food court are located).
    But anything’s possible.

    http://alloveralbany.com/mt/mt-search.fcgi?blog_id=1&tag=Latham%20Circle%20Mall&limit=500

  95. Check out these links

    http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/news/2012/10/24/latham-circle-mall-redevelopment-gets.html

    http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/news/2012/10/24/latham-circle-mall-redevelopment-gets.html

    According to these news articles, new developers will being demolishing Latham Circle Mall in December 2012.
    So for those who were predicting when the complete death of LCM would take place, it will be December 2012 – February 2013 as the demolitions take place.

    Now I heard from a friend of mine that you cannot even get into the inside mall anymore. They have now locked all the mall entrances, only allowing people to enter JCPenney (which is only accessible from the outside now), Lowes and the theater.

    I have not gone myself to see if the mall is locked, the last time I was there was back in January 2012 (see my earlier posts).

  96. For a basic one-level mall (minus the little space as a second level for the theaters), this *used to be* a nice mall when I’d visit as a kid with my parents and later as a teen/young adult.

    I vividly recall the *early* stores of this place. At the front entrance, there was (around 1980/81) a Baskin Robbins, one of the few, or only?, in the area. It didn’t last too terribly long, though. In that same wing, there was a Great Expectations hair cutting place. At the end of the hall where Great Expectations was used to be a Sterling Optical. I could be wrong, but I think a photo place took over the BR shop when it folded.

    Across from the photo shop/BR location was a place I still miss: Papa Gino’s Pizzeria. My family and I loved the place. It did great business for a time. (At the end of the mall’s life, that space would be redesigned and Klein’s All Sports would take the spot – until that also went under.) Papa Gino’s is now not even in the NY region. There was also a small store in the now gone Saratoga Mall and another standalone store near the Aviation Mall in Queensbury, also gone. It’s now only in Massachusetts/Connecticut or whatever.

    Still, yeah, this mall used to be filled with great stores. Waldenbooks (which was gone by the early to mid ’90s, I think), Deb (with a very shiny mirrored entrance, no less; it moved elsewhere in the mall as the tides changed), an arcade, CVS. On the CVS wing way back in the ’80s was a portrait studio called Royal Color. It was at the time near Hilton’s (which took the spot once Kay-Bee moved near McDonald’s) and also did not last long. Woolworth’s was also in the far end of the wing. Much later across from it came a Gateway Computer store, where I bought a system or two, before that left. The Woolworth’s would eventually morph into a Stein-Mart before it would close again. Woolworth’s left around ’97; Stein-Mart only lasted until maybe 2001 or so. And with Gateway also gone, the wing got desolate quickly. I did read that Gold’s Gym took the spot for a time, but I can’t be sure as I had stopped visiting the mall by the mid 2000s.

    I do also recall that where Burlington Coat Factory was, there was The Boston Store. A fire had occurred there, and TBS had claimed to want to rebuild but never did, and BCF took the spot eventually. And before Just A Buck occupied the wing to its left, Hickory Farms was there in the early ’80s; also in that wing was Endicott Johnson, Thom McAnn, and a Schatz Stationery Store as well as Record Town (which would later become FYE). There was also a Hallmark Store next to the McDonald’s, with Jonathan Reid right across. Jonathan Reid would close and just sit empty, rotting away. I don’t recall any other store ever taking the space. Maybe it was a sign of the future. But right near there, Old Country Buffet would open and prosper for a time years later, with Malt River Brewery next to that. Before it was Malt River Brewery, it was a place called Facades, a nightclub.

    The smallish food court was added late in the game but had good selection once upon a time with Taco Bell, Hot Dog Charlie’s, Arlo Pizza, and there *used to be* a Nathan’s at the corner on one side. There was also, I think, a Chinese place and a Gyro stand or something. It also used to be sort of two-levelish. There was a round raised area which made the surrounding tables below the steps look like a “pit” area, but it was eventually redone, the circle taken out, and became just one long level.

    Of course, way past the McDonald’s and Old Country Buffet and Malt River Brewery in the main corridor was some poster type shop, I think a County Seat, and JCP.

    Radio Shack ended its life in this wing but began much closer towards CVS in the early ’80s. I also recall a Chess King near the first mirrored Deb location, as well, through maybe the late ’80s. Gap WAS in the mall, but I am blanking as to exactly where that was. And a Stride Rite shoe store. Next to that shoe store to its left was a cookie place, to its right right next door, it was many things. I recall at one point, it was some tie-dye shop. Another incarnation was called Daydreams which sold knick knacks and T-shirts and such.

    I also remember the long wing headed to Caldor at the time had some local shops along with a toy store and a pet shop with a tuxedo place as you’d turn to walk the corridor to Caldor. Across from said tux shop was a REX appliance store.

    Of course, the end of this corridor went buh bye to build Loews, as did a Ground Round outparcel, which I still miss. An adjacent Grand Union turned Gold’s Gym (which, as mentioned, later apparently moved into the mall) was also razed.

    Now, there is *literally* nothing, and it’s sad. And from the looks of YouTube videos and pictures I’ve seen, spooky.

    It’s sad, but I think it’s time for the place to go now.

  97. @E, Thinking about Latham Corners Shopping Center tonight, I decided to get on the computer and look things up. Thank you for this article! It was so nice to go back in time! I haven’t lived in the capital district for 30 years but I think of it all the time. I didn’t see any mention of Rockwell’s restaurant that used to be somewhere in the Latham mall in the late ’70’s I want to say.

  98. I was just coming to post about the demolition. It’s time, sad though it may be. The owners really did a number on that mall.

    I just hope the next incarnation is a success. The article I read said that the hope is construction will be complete in time for holiday shopping this year.

  99. @Wendy, I’ve been meaning to go see a movie lately just to see if they’ve started demolition. I can’t bring myself to go though. Maybe I’ll just wait until summer to see how the construction is coming.

  100. @E, I’d guess it hasn’t yet as there has been nothing on the local news as of yet. (Yeah, I still live in the area.)

    Since the article about demolition mentioned having to remove asbestos, I’m guessing that will take some time, then the rest will come down. I’m interested in how they plan to keep the theater since it is on an upper level of the mall. Wall off that very small area of the mall and fix that elevator and escalator? I know the theater and JCP are supposed to be kept, but JCP has a big mold smell issue. I hope it is addressed.

    I’m also curious about the tenants for the new stores. I really do hope this is a success. There have been so many proposals that have never amounted to anything that I was a bit shocked that this one actually seems to be going somewhere.

  101. @Wendy, I’m also curious what they plan to do with the mall portion under the Theater. I thought there was no way they could keep that section, theater, and parking deck open, but it sounds like that’s the plan. If they do keep that section, it would be neat if they didn’t paint over the giant “Welcome to Latham Circle Mall” as sort of a memorial. Doesn’t hurt to hope.

  102. Well, another question now looms about the new project since, in today’s paper here, it was announced that Regal Cinema was closing its theaters in Wilton Mall and Latham Circle Mall for good.

    (Apparently, Clifton Park has shiny upgraded theaters, etc., not to mention Crossgates Mall has a bunch.)

    The original intent was to keep the theaters, JCP, and Lowe’s, but now the theaters are no longer in the equation. Let’s hope the developers had a Plan B here.

  103. The names of the new Shoppes at Latham Circle have yet to be revealed. But Regal will not be one of them.
    http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Two-longtime-theaters-to-close-4254354.php

    I plan on going to LCM Regal on Friday to re-live my childhood one last time. I may film the current state of LCM – as far as I know they haven’t started tearing down the mall, but the Regal portion of the mall will remain open during reconstruction, JCP may even reopen their doors.

    But here is the latest floor plan of the yet-unnamed stores – could the large one in the center be Wegmans??? Or perhaps Dicks or Walmart moving across the street?
    http://www.grossmanre.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/latham.pdf

  104. @E, I misspoke. The Regal portion will remain open until mid-February, then probably be closed to be renovated. But I don’t think it will be demolished. Neither will the parking deck if you can believe that!

  105. Yesterday, while riding by LCM, I saw a bulldozer near the mall’s main entrance.
    Looks to me like they are preparing to demolish the mall.

  106. They are beginning to demolish LCM….as I rode by LCM today on the bus (on my way home from work), I saw a bulldozer knocking down part of the roof, near Lowes..It almost looks like they were going to tear down the mall’s second floor offices first…I cannot confirm if that is accurate though.
    But anyways a small section of the roof near Lowes was being torn down.

  107. Wow. Well, I guess with the ensuing demolition, the end of the “Latham Circle Mall” area is complete.

    While necessary, it still makes me a bit sad…and nostalgic for my youth. 🙂

    On the other hand, I grow more curious in terms of what new tenants will be parts of the Shops (excuse me, Shoppes – how pretentious!) at Latham Circle.

  108. Its official….today March 12, 2013….marks the date that they officially began demolishing Latham Circle Mall…

    About a month ago, I first saw bulldozers on the LCM property and a bulldozer knocked down part of the roof near Lowes…but that was the extent of it…
    Since then, no further demolitions took place, until today (do not know why the long delay, but they are now for sure knocking down LCM).

    Everything except Lowes and JC Penney will be demolished….

    http://wnyt.com/article/stories/S2960986.shtml?cat=300

    http://www.dailygazette.com/weblogs/your-business/2013/mar/12/0311_lathamcircle/

  109. Fare thee well, LCM. You were once a childhood staple and will be missed! (But the current neglect made it clear it’s your time to go.)

    Sayonara!

  110. There was a photo of the mall in today’s paper. The main middle entrance is now demolished and you can see the remnants from inside the place, like a huge hole. Apparently, the recently-vacated Regal theater portion will still be kept along with JCP and Lowe’s since the development company is hoping to get new theater operators in.

    First, I hope they clean up the water damage in that part of the building or nobody will come in, guaranteed.

    But the construction crew is obviously making fast work of the mall.

  111. Yup….demolition is well underway at Latham Circle Mall….they have already torn down the mid-section of the mall, between the main entrance and CINEMA area….that section of the mall is a huge pile of ruble….the section of the mall between the main entrance and Lowes has not been demolished yet..but soon will be…….
    So everything between the CINEMA and Lowes will be no more….

    Here are some more links on the demolition

    http://www.timesunion.com/business/article/Mall-is-set-to-go-full-circle-4349460.php
    http://hudsonvalley.ynn.com/content/top_stories/647718/demolition-underway-at-latham-circle-mall/?ap=1&MP4

  112. @Wendy, Yup just like Mohawk Mall in Niskayuna, (which became just as bad as the current LCM), it will be just a memory that future people moving to the Capital District, will never know existed….

    Just like many newer Capital District residents have no idea that Mohawk Commons used to be the site of the famous Mohawk Mall or even how Clifton Park Center used to be an entirely indoor mall, with JCPenney connecting to the inside mall.

  113. @Big Mike, yep, I know all about Mohawk Mall and Clifton Country Mall (now Clifton Park Center). Shopped at both when I was a kid, and remember Mohawk Mall being…very dark.

    And now, LCM joins it in obliteration. CPC still stands but from reports, it still seems to be struggling, too. The only malls that still seem to be doing well if not outright thriving are Colonie Center and Crossgates.

  114. @Wendy, Well Clifton Park Center is actually doing quite well, mostly because of the new CINEMA and of course Boscov’s and even Buffalo Wild Wings..its more of a downtown than a mall…I guess you could say…

    And with thriving malls, theres also Wilton Mall and Aviation Mall, those malls do well, mostly cuz they are far enough away from the Albany malls….they are there for the people in Saratoga and Warren Counties.
    Now I live in Ballston Spa, so I usually just go to Wilton Mall cuz its closest to me and they have all the stores I need…

  115. Just wanted to update you all on the demolitions of Latham Circle Mall…as of last week (late May 2013)….ALL of the mall has been completely demolished, between Lowes and the former Regal cinema.
    It is now a large open space between Lowes and the former Regal cinema/JCPenney.

    Its official, Latham Circle Mall is gone, just a memory of the past.
    I imagine that very soon from now, they will begin construction of the new outdoor shopping area.

  116. Drove by the (completely still messed up, mired in construction paraphernalia) Latham Circle last Friday, and yep, the only buildings still standing, as promised, are JCPenney, Lowe’s, and the now vacant theater building. Guess the company is still trying to get a new theater chain in.

    Otherwise, I can’t imagine what that building will be used for. Seems a waste to let it stand if it stays vacant.

    Still seems a bit surreal that the mall is now just a memory. Hope the new venture is a success, but I don’t know.

  117. @Wendy, Hi there. the news of Penney’s closure shouldn’t be a shock at all since there finantials over the past few years have been nothing short of terrible. Sears is right behind them. There’s a page on J C Penney on this site, and there’s discussions as well as articles posted there on that issue.

  118. @SEAN, hi! I knew about JCPenney’s difficulties. Just that this particular store always managed to beat the odds, be it with the company issues or surviving the dead mall that was Latham Circle Mall. So it’ll be sad to see it go, anyway.

    However, I was unaware of Sears’ issues. I know they bought KMart, and I know *that* is in a world of hurt…

    Soon, there will be nothing left but Wal-Mart and Target.

  119. @E, wow! That’s so cool! Thanks for those pictures! I was born in ’72, so that’s before my time, but I love the glimpse into the past, myself. And as I was but a little kid when the original JCP at the mall was demolished, I’m not 100% positive, but I THINK that is when the new JCP was built next to that space and the theater portion of the mall came into existence.

    @SEAN, I KNOW I responded to you, but for whatever reason, it never showed up. I knew JCP has had issues, and I know KMart (which Sears now owns) is following suit, but I didn’t know Sears was having difficulties, too. Sad. Soon, it’ll be just Walmart and Target.

  120. Its official JCPenney has closed its doors as of January 4, 2014….Now there are only four remaining JCPenney stores in the Capital District (Crossgates Mall, Clifton Park Center, Wilton Mall and Aviation Mall).

    http://albany.twcnews.com/content/news/capital_region/711278/jc-penney-closing-it-s-doors-in-latham/

    Now that JCPenney had closed and stands as a vacant building, I am waiting to see if they will tear it down…I don’t see any reason for them to keep it up.

    And speaking of the demolitions, nothing has changed since June. The demolitions began last March of 2013 and were completed three months later in, June of 2013, with the entire mall torn down, between Lowes and the vacant CINEMA.
    However, since then there has been no progress whatsoever, on the construction of the new mall’s stores. Makes me wonder if the closing of JCPenney altered or delayed the developers development plans.

  121. Finally The Shoppes at Latham Circle has broken ground. The first major step is the demolition of the only remaining part of the mall. I am glad to see the parking platform go, it was a safety hazard. But I’m curious how it changes the vision of this plaza. Before it was going to have a unique aspect, a small indoor portion. Now it will be just another big box center. I am also curious how it will affect Latham Farms. It already has some vacancies and now Wal-Mart and possibly Dicks will move across the street.
    http://www.timesunion.com/business/article/Walmart-helps-Latham-Circle-Shoppes-take-shape-5544534.php

  122. @Bobby, Boston Store formerly.

  123. @E, I think (but am not totally sure) that they built the new(er) JC Penney building then once they had moved in removed the older one to build the section that held the theaters. Only since the old store was only 1 level and as seen in the photos it was set back (basically would have been “behind” the hallway in the mall, had said hallway gone that far). So they would have had to make major changes to it anyway (2nd floor and added on to the front) to make what wound up there.

  124. Update Latham Circle Mall is now demolished for a lifestyle center with new big box anchor stores including Walmart Dicks Sporting Goods and Micheals Plans also were to include JCPenney but they closed in January 2014 I think its now called Latham Circle Commons

  125. UPDATE

    They have begun demolishing the former JCPenney, movie theater and old parking deck.
    The final remnants of Latham Circle Mall are soon to be gone. Construction is well underway for the new Walmart Supercenter, which looks close to completion.
    Dick’s Sporting Goods will not be moving into the new Shoppes of Latham. Instead, the developer plans to construct a series of smaller stores, rather than a larger box store, next to the Walmart.

    http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/news/2015/04/02/changes-in-store-at-latham-circle-mall.html?page=all

  126. @Big Mike, Maybe Dick’s will decide to take part of the old Walmart instead? I think Kohl’s was also mentioned in there.

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