User:Yx7791/Sandbox/Mohawk Mall

Mohawk Mall was an enclosed shopping mall in the town of Niskayuna, on a 50-acre parcel located at the corner of State Street and Balltown Road. The mall was first opened in 1970 and mostly demolished in 2000, with its last remaining section demolished in 2002. The property has been redeveloped into Mohawk Commons, a big box retail center.

Development
The mall cost $25 million to build. It was constructed by Stanford Associates and designed by Evantash-Friedman Associates of Philadelphia. The parking lot had space for 4,000 vehicles. Local leasing was handled by Frank J. Nigro Realty of Albany, NY.

According to Lewis M. Stone of Pan American Development Corp., it was the first mall in the nation to have the "mini-mall" concept, setting aside 9,000 square feet for approximately fifteen to twenty boutiques representing major metropolitan areas. It would also cater to small businesses. This section was included in the southwest portion of the mall.

Opening Day
The mall opened its doors on October 5, 1970. It opened with three anchor department stores and seventy additional stores. The temperature was set at 72 degrees. On opening day, there were authentic Native American dances and ceremonies and 10,000 free toys and balloons. An invocation was scheduled to be given by the Rev. Darwin Kirbv of St. George's Episcopal Church.

Initial Tenants
Tenants that signed leases prior to the opening of the mall included anchor stores Montgomery Ward, Boston Store, and J.M. Fields as well as smaller stores such as Midland Records, John J. Romero's Musicland, Thom McAn Shoes, Hickory Farms, Nusbaum of Niskayuna, Fabric Fair, Schatz Stationary, Fanny Farmer Candles, and Schenectady Savings Bank as well as Woolworth's (30,000 square feet) and Flah's of Albany (18,000 square feet with a 20-year lease).

The Montgomery Ward's store opened on August 26, 1970, consisting of 160,000 square feet.

The Boston Store opened in the mall on October 5, 1970. The 80,000 square foot space used by this store was the only two-story space in the mall. At the time, it had fifty departments and expected to employ 200 people with an annual payroll of one million dollars.

Later Tenants
Life Uniforms opened on March 18, 1976. In the first half of 1976, Golub Corp. acquired the lease for the former Pantry Pride store which closed in May, 1976. Golub Corp. opened a Price Chopper grocery store in the mall. In September, 1990, Addis and Dey's purchased the Mohawk Mall Boston Store. Rex TV & Appliance signed a lease in 1995.

Ownership
In 1972, the (Troy) Times Record referred to Stanford Associates as the owner of the "middle of the mall". In 1988, the The Syracuse Post Standard indicated that the mall was owned by Wilmorite. In 1998, The Albany Business Journal listed Wilmorite as the owner of the center of the mall in a division called Mohawk Mall Associates, while indicating the space formerly housing Montgomery Wards was owned by a Chicago real estate company and the space housing the former Bradlees store was owned by American Real Estate Holdings Ltd. Partners.

Decline
In May, 1996, former anchor Bradlees announced its store would be closing. Bradlees' closing was completed in November, 1996. Montgomery Wards closed its store at the end of 1997. The movie theatres, operated at that point by Loew's Theatres and having seven screens, closed in July, 1999.

Tax Challenges
In 1972, Stanford Associates (owners of the center portion of the mall), sued the Town of Niskayuna to lower the assessment of their portion of the mall. Stanford Associates asked that their portion be returned to the old assessment of $670,000. The South Colonie School Board decided to order a complete appraisal of the property at a school board meeting on October 3, 1972.

In the 1990s, then owner Wilmorite had a four-year legal dispute with the Town of Niskayuna over the mall's assessment. In February 1999, a court ruled in favor of Wilmorite, requiring the town to pay back $104,205. The South Colonie School District was required to refund $481,237.

Redevelopment
The property was purchased from Wilmorite in June, 2000, by Myron M. Hunt and Benderson Development Co. from Buffalo, NY. At the time, the remaining tenants were Marshall's, Media Play, and Rex's TV and Appliances.