The Tale of Two Malls Becoming One

At a time when most malls are struggling to survive, this mall somehow managed to combine two separate falling behind malls and make them into a massive shopping complex that is wildly successful. Yes, you read the correctly. This complex was once two separate malls that literally built right next to each other. 

The original portion of the mall the 1967 built Greece Towne Mall was such as a success that another seperate mall was needed. At the time, Greece Towne Mall was anchored by Sibley's (ultimately ended up being sold to Bon Ton due to McCurdy's already having store here) and Loblaws. An expansion in the 80s on the south end brought a Gold Circle dept store, which later became Hills, followed by Caldor. It is currently now a Regal cinema after having razed the former stores for a Hoyts movie theatre.

Long Ridge Mall, the second mall opened just four years after Greece Towne. Its original anchors included Sears, Woolworth, JB Hunter, B Forman and McCurdy's. McCurdy's already had a store here as part of a shopping plaza and it became incorporated into the mall. Both B Forman and McCurdy's became Kaufman's stores which in turn became Macy's. JB Hunter became JCPenney.

Once two malls formed their connection via a 1990s construction project, the mall became known as what it is today, The Mall at Greece Ridge. A food court and a newly built relocated JCPenney were part of the construction. JCPenney's former space became Burlington Coat Factory on the second level and a Lechmore on the first floor. Burlington later relocated to the first level after Lechmore closed and the second story has remained vacant since.

Existing storefronts in both former mall spaces have been turned into various big box stores such as Barnes and Nobles, Dick's Sporting Goods, Marshalls, Bed, Bath & Beyond and Michaels. However, Micheals does not have mall access. Bon Ton pulled out of the Rochester market in 2014 and its space has been converted into additional shops for the mall. This area has been dubbed the 'State Street Shops.' At the same time, the former Bon Ton wing underwent a massive renovation and turned this portion of the mall into an art gallery showcasing various landmarks and/or recreational sites around the entire state of New York.

More information, including some historical photographs, can be found here.

A map of the mall.
The red circle is the Greece Towne Mall portion.
The yellow circle is the Long Ridge Mall portion.
The blue circle is the 1990s connector area.

Now we move to the pictures I took from a September 2015 visit: (Exterior photos first)

This the second Macy's store, originally B Forman, which serves as a home store.

One of the many mall entrances.

One of the mall's signs.

While Target is not connected to the mall, therefore it was not mentioned earlier, it does sit relatively close. It opened in the early 2000s. 

This Sears is a 50% REIT store, so it could shrink in the future.

We start our journey by the food court and we will conclude their as well. The order the photos were taken starts by turning right in the connection area and going into the old Long Ridge portion. We come back and go into Greece Towne and turn to the right toward the movie theater. We then move on to the State Street Shops wing after making a quick look down a mall access entrance hallway.

The lower ceilings ahead are from Long Ridge Mall.

Back into the connection area:

Transitioning into Greece Towne:

So there you go. A story of how two malls became one.