Nanuet Mall: Nanuet, New York on DeadMalls.com

NANUET MALL: NANUET, NY

Ken Allan's Commentary

Posted March 10, 2008 (user submitted)

The SIMON Group announced that its Nanuet Mall will be demolished and an upscale Lifestyle Center will be built in its place.

The Nanuet Mall opned in 1969 in its namesake town, which is just north of New Jersey, in New York's Rockland County. Rockland County is a largely affluent area that is home to tens of thousands of commuters who work in the greater New York City metropolitan area. This sounds like an ideal area for a Mall, but things have gone wrong.

The Nanuet Mall opened with Bamberger's, and Sears as anchors. Although The RH Macy Co., usually placed its Bamberger's stores in NJ, and Macy's within NY, Nanuet was a logical place for a Bamberger's since the mall is just north of NJ, and Rockland County, wich sits west of the Hudson River mirrors the demographics of NJ's northern suburbs. As the only mall in the area Nanuet Mall was a hit from the start, and though the sales tax rate and policies in nearby NJ have always been more favorable, residents of the Rockland County area appreciated having a major mall close by. During the 70's and 80's about the only major change of note to the popular mall was the renaming of Bamberger's to Macy's, in 1986. Initially this Macy's continued to be part of the chain based in Newark, NJ, but by 1988, the Macy's New Jersey stores (as the post Bamberger's division was called), simply became part of Macy's East, based in NYC.

In the mid-1990's the mall was expanded, sprouting a new wing and a 3rd anchor, Abraham and Straus, this store soon became a Stern's, as the A&S name was consolidated with Macy's, who was laready in the mall. This expansion was done to prepare Nanuet from competition that was coming in the form of a mega mall in nearby Nyack, to be called Pallisades Center. It appeared that for awhile both malls could co-exist, Pallisades Center has the unique feature of a Filene's as one of its anchors, but in 2001, Nanuet shed its dowdy Stern's anchor, and gained the more unique Boscov's.

However, by the mid-point of the 2000's, Nanuet was losing tenants, and for whatever reason fell out of favor with local shoppers. During the 2007 Christmas shopping season, rumors circulated that Boscov's was going to close in 2008, and when 2008 arrived SIMON announced that in part due to the high vacancy rate, mall hours were going to be cut. Finally SIMON announced that it was buying out Boscov's lease, and that the mall and Boscov's building will be demolished and a new lifestyle center will be built around the existing Macy's and Sears buildings.

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Submitted by Kristen Miller (posted May 29th, 2008)

Sam Tilden Godfrey’s Commentary:

User submitted in 2023

Need more photos! I'll ask around. I remember visiting my friend who lived close by. We'd walk along the railroad tracks behind the mall. We were there goofing around in 1974, the day before 15-year-old Lisa Thomas was brutally murdered there. I called the Police, but didn't have any helpful information. Her killer still has not been identified. There is a memorial website about her.

Scott’s Commentary:

User submitted Jan 2012

According to Simon Property Group, They expect all demolition of the mall to be complete by June 2012 and to begin construction of the new outdoor shopping center. The Macy's and Sears stores will remain in their current buildings and the entire mall section will be demolished. Simon envisions the new shopping center to open by the end of 2013.

Michael Paulmeno’s Commentary:

User submitted May 2011

There seems to be some concrete action regarding the demolition of the Nanuet Mall according to this article: http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011104260384 and this article: http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011104270370. The whole lifestyle center idea has been dropped apparently. No explanation has been given for what will replace the mall. Personally I think they should build a multi-modal transportation center since the Pascack Vally rail line runs along the edge of the property and the existing station is in an out of the way area plus several bus lines run nearby. A mixed use development with shops and apartment buildings might work too since that area
is very heavily developed.

Ken Allan's Commentary

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Sam Tilden Godfrey’s Commentary:

Kate McGuinness Wright’s Commentary:

Scott’s Commentary:

Michael Paulmeno’s Commentary:

Andrew Morse’s Commentary: