Carousel Center
Encyclopedia
Carousel Center is a 1500000 sq ft (139,354.6 m²), seven-story super-regional shopping and entertainment complex on the shore of Onondaga Lake
in Syracuse, New York
. It has eight anchor store slots - currently filled with Best Buy
, Bon Ton, Forever 21
(under construction), JCPenney, Macy's
, Lord & Taylor
, and Sports Authority
. A 1300000 sq ft (120,774 m²) addition is in the final phases of construction and is expected to officially open in 2012 (see Destiny USA below).
industrial neighborhood. In 1987 The Pyramid Companies began studying redevelopment of the neighborhood and that July announced plans for a 1000000 sq ft (92,903 m²) shopping center at the scrap yard site. The plan was not without controversy. A smaller mall (The Galleries of Syracuse) had recently finished construction in Downtown Syracuse
and there was concern that the mall at Oil City would put an end to downtown retail.
Two of the biggest opponents to the project were the competing mall developers in the area, Wilmorite Corp. and Eagan Real Estate Inc, which both operated several malls in Syracuse's suburbs. Wilmorite, which was constructing the Great Northern Mall
in nearby Clay
, was accused by the Syracuse city government of using associates in Connecticut to form the "Citizen's League for an Environmentally Acceptable Northeast," which lobbied against construction of a mall at Oil City. Eagan meanwhile filed criticism of the mall, claiming that a 25 percent drop in downtown retail sales would occur if the mall was built. It proposed an additional downtown mall with a "Walt Disney-like attraction."
During construction, the mall faced several delays, primarily around environmental cleanup, before opening on October 15, 1990.
The top two floors, referred to as the Skydeck, were rented out to events and organizations from 1990-2001. They are now used for offices related to the construction of Destiny USA
.
The fourth floor is primarily mall offices, although much of its physical space is taken up by movie theaters, which are accessed from the third floor. The first and second floors span the length of the mall and house the various shops, vendors, restaurants and entertainment venues, with the major food court and namesake carousel being located on the second floor. The underground "Commons" floor houses medium-sized stores, a chapel, some kiosks, and the two underground parking garages, one of which also houses Best Buy's installation center.
The mall has outside parking surrounding the mall on nearly all sides, as well as one above ground and two underground parking garages. The mall is served by CENTRO
buses. There are main entrances on nearly all sides, as well as access through the anchor stores and from the underground parking.
project, which upon completion of its first phase is expected to house 2400000 sq ft (222,967.3 m²) of retail space (rank six among largest shopping malls in the United States). After years of legal disputes, the first sections and stores of a 1.3 million square-foot expansion opened to the public in November 2011, with an official opening scheduled for spring 2012. Pyramid estimates the expansion will house 100 businesses. 21 retailers and restaurants have committed to the project.
Onondaga Lake
Onondaga Lake is a lake in Central New York located northwest of Syracuse, New York. The southeastern end of the lake and the southwestern shore abut industrial areas and expressways; the northeastern shore and northwestern end border a series of parks and museums. Although it is near the Finger...
in Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
. It has eight anchor store slots - currently filled with Best Buy
Best Buy
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
, Bon Ton, Forever 21
Forever 21
Forever 21 is an American chain of clothing retailers with branches in major cities in The United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East that offers fashion and accessories for young women and men....
(under construction), JCPenney, Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
, Lord & Taylor
Lord & Taylor
Lord & Taylor, colloquially known as L&T, or LT, based in New York City, is the oldest upscale, specialty-retail department store chain in the United States. Concentrated in the eastern U.S., the retailer operated independently for nearly a century prior to joining American Dry Goods...
, and Sports Authority
Sports Authority
The Sports Authority, Inc. is one of the largest sporting goods retailers in the United States. It is headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, and operates more than 460 stores in 45 U.S...
. A 1300000 sq ft (120,774 m²) addition is in the final phases of construction and is expected to officially open in 2012 (see Destiny USA below).
History
The site of Carousel Center was originally a landfill named Marley Scrap Yard, surrounded by several square blocks of oil tanks, collectively named "Oil City". South of these oil tanks sat the Franklin SquareFranklin Square, Syracuse
Franklin Square is a former industrial neighborhood, turned residential and commercial, in Syracuse New York. Officially it is part of the larger Lakefront neighborhood, which in turn is one of Syracuse's 26 officially recognized neighborhoods.-History:...
industrial neighborhood. In 1987 The Pyramid Companies began studying redevelopment of the neighborhood and that July announced plans for a 1000000 sq ft (92,903 m²) shopping center at the scrap yard site. The plan was not without controversy. A smaller mall (The Galleries of Syracuse) had recently finished construction in Downtown Syracuse
Downtown Syracuse
Downtown Syracuse is the economic center of Syracuse, New York, and Central New York, employing over 30,000 people, and housing over 2,000. It is also one of the 26 officially recognized neighborhoods of Syracuse.- History :...
and there was concern that the mall at Oil City would put an end to downtown retail.
Two of the biggest opponents to the project were the competing mall developers in the area, Wilmorite Corp. and Eagan Real Estate Inc, which both operated several malls in Syracuse's suburbs. Wilmorite, which was constructing the Great Northern Mall
Great Northern Mall
The Great Northern Mall is a regional shopping mall located in the Syracuse suburb of Clay, New York.In addition to its 80 stores, a food court, and a 10-screen Regal Cinemas multiplex, the mall is the pre-eminent shopping center for Syracuse's northern suburbs and Oswego County...
in nearby Clay
Clay, New York
Clay is a town in Onondaga County, New York, USA. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 58,805, making it Syracuse's largest suburb. The town was named after Henry Clay, statesman....
, was accused by the Syracuse city government of using associates in Connecticut to form the "Citizen's League for an Environmentally Acceptable Northeast," which lobbied against construction of a mall at Oil City. Eagan meanwhile filed criticism of the mall, claiming that a 25 percent drop in downtown retail sales would occur if the mall was built. It proposed an additional downtown mall with a "Walt Disney-like attraction."
During construction, the mall faced several delays, primarily around environmental cleanup, before opening on October 15, 1990.
Layout
The mall has six above ground floors and one underground floor.The top two floors, referred to as the Skydeck, were rented out to events and organizations from 1990-2001. They are now used for offices related to the construction of Destiny USA
Destiny USA
Destiny USA is a retail and entertainment complex under construction in Syracuse, New York, United States. The project's developer, The Pyramid Companies, predicts that Destiny USA will become a major tourist destination and will have an economic impact throughout the Central New York region...
.
The fourth floor is primarily mall offices, although much of its physical space is taken up by movie theaters, which are accessed from the third floor. The first and second floors span the length of the mall and house the various shops, vendors, restaurants and entertainment venues, with the major food court and namesake carousel being located on the second floor. The underground "Commons" floor houses medium-sized stores, a chapel, some kiosks, and the two underground parking garages, one of which also houses Best Buy's installation center.
The mall has outside parking surrounding the mall on nearly all sides, as well as one above ground and two underground parking garages. The mall is served by CENTRO
CentrO
CentrO is part of a large commercial development in Oberhausen, Germany, called the "Neue Mitte" or "new center". A large steel production plant used to occupy the site until the late 1980s. Besides the CentrO shopping mall the area today houses attractions such as a children's theme park and a...
buses. There are main entrances on nearly all sides, as well as access through the anchor stores and from the underground parking.
Anchors
- Best BuyBest BuyBest Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
- The Bon-TonThe Bon-TonThe Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. is a regional department store company based in York, Pennsylvania, chiefly operating 275 stores, including 11 furniture galleries, in 23 states throughout the northern United States. Stores carrying its namesake nameplate serve the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions of...
- Forever 21Forever 21Forever 21 is an American chain of clothing retailers with branches in major cities in The United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East that offers fashion and accessories for young women and men....
(opening early 2012) - JCPenny
- Lord & TaylorLord & TaylorLord & Taylor, colloquially known as L&T, or LT, based in New York City, is the oldest upscale, specialty-retail department store chain in the United States. Concentrated in the eastern U.S., the retailer operated independently for nearly a century prior to joining American Dry Goods...
- Macy'sMacy'sMacy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
- Sports AuthoritySports AuthorityThe Sports Authority, Inc. is one of the largest sporting goods retailers in the United States. It is headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, and operates more than 460 stores in 45 U.S...
Major stores
- Against All OddsAgainst All OddsAgainst All Odds is a neo-noir 1984 film, a remake of Out of the Past. The movie was directed by Taylor Hackford and features Rachel Ward, Jeff Bridges, and James Woods...
- DSWDSWDSW may refer to:*DSW, the SAME code for a Dust Storm Warning*Deep South Wrestling, a professional wrestling promotion that was a developmental territory of World Wrestling Entertainment...
- H&MH&MH & M Hennes & Mauritz AB is a Swedish retail-clothing company, known for its fast-fashion clothing offerings for women, men, teenagers and children....
- Finish Line
- Old NavyOld NavyOld Navy is an American clothing brand as well as a chain of stores owned by Gap, Inc., with corporate operations in San Francisco and San Bruno, California. It is one of the first major corporations to house headquarters in the new Mission Bay district of San Francisco.Gap, Inc. was run by...
- Play The Game Read The Story
Dining and entertainment
- 16 food court-style restaurants
- 1909 carousel
- Johnny RocketsJohnny RocketsJohnny Rockets is an American restaurant franchise whose concept is to create a classic American restaurant atmosphere. The theme is the diner-style restaurant that had become a common sight by the 1950s...
- Koto Japanese Steakhouse
- Panera BreadPanera BreadPanera Bread is a chain of bakery–café quick casual restaurants in the United States and Canada that sells breads, sandwiches, soups, salads, and other bakery items. Its headquarters are in Sunset Hills, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis.-Corporate history:In 1993, Au Bon Pain Co...
- Regal CinemasRegal CinemasRegal Cinemas is a UK-based cinema chain since the early days of the cinema. In 1928, Regal Cinemas became part of Associated British Cinemas but has retained the name 'Regal Cinemas'....
- Ruby Tuesday
- Uno Chicago GrillUno Chicago GrillUno Chicago Grill, or more informally as Unos, is the title for a franchised pizzeria restaurant chain under the parent company Uno Restaurant Holdings Corporation...
Services
Carousel Center has its own post office and zip code. The post office operates as a postal store and is open mall hours. Bally Total Fitness has a gym near Best Buy and the mall has a chapel in the commons level (The Franciscan Place).Former anchors
- Ames: Opened 1999 after purchasing the Hills chain, closed when chain was liquidated in 2002. A portion is of this space is now used for Sports Authority, the rest remains vacant.
- Bonwit TellerBonwit TellerBonwit Teller was a department store in New York City founded by Paul Bonwit in 1895 at Sixth Avenue and 18th Street. In 1897 Edmund D. Teller was admitted to the partnership and the store moved to 23rd Street, East of Sixth Avenue...
: The last location of this New York-based department store which was operated at the time by Pyramid. This store closed in 2000, became an H&M, and is presently being converted into a 60000 sq ft (5,574.2 m²) Forever 21. - Chappell'sChappell'sChappell's was a family-owned department store chain. Based in Syracuse, New York, it first opened in 1893 and remained in business in the area until 1992. Many of the stores were converted to The Bon-Ton.-External links:...
: Syracuse-based dept. store that opened with the mall in 1990 and was converted to The Bon-Ton in 1995. - Circuit City: 34,000 sq ft (3,200 m²). Opened November 2004, closed 2009 after the chain's bankruptcy.
- CompUSACompUSACompUSA is a retailer and reseller of consumer electronics, technology products and computer services. Its headquarters are in Miami, Florida.Until its reorganization, CompUSA, Inc. was a wholly owned subsidiary of U.S. Commercial Corp S.A.B...
: Closed 2006 when the chain announced the closure of many of its stores. - Hills Department StoresHills Department StoresHills Department Store was a Canton, Massachusetts, based discount department store chain. It was founded in 1957 in Youngstown, Ohio, and existed until 1999 when it was acquired by Ames. Most stores were located in Ohio, Indiana, New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, though the company had...
: Discount retailer located on the first floor below Bon Ton, became Ames in 1999. - Kaufmann'sKaufmann'sKaufmann's was a department store that originated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was owned in the early 20th century by Edgar J. Kaufmann, patron of 'Fallingwater' and the Kaufmann's Desert House. In the post-war years the store became a regional chain in the eastern United States, and was last...
: Original anchor, converted to Macy's in 2006. - LechmereLechmereLechmere was a retail store chain in New England, which closed in 1997.-History:Lechmere Inc. was a retailer of electronics, appliances, and other goods, with 24 stores located throughout New England and New York. The company was founded in the early twentieth century and expanded during the...
: Original tenant, Opened August 31, 1991, closed October 1997. - Nobody Beats the WizNobody Beats The WizThe Wiz was a chain of electronic stores in the northeastern United States, located primarily in New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Some locations were in Canada as well. The chain was founded by four brothers, Douglas, Lawrence, Marvin, and Stephan Jemal, in New York City in 1977...
: New York City based electronics retailer which operated briefly on the commons level, opening in the summer of 1996 and closing by the end of 1997 due to the chain's financial troubles. - SteinbachSteinbach (store)Steinbach was a department store chain based in Asbury Park, New Jersey.- History :Steinbach was founded in Asbury Park, New Jersey, and maintained branch stores along the New Jersey shore, and in the central part of New Jersey. The company was at one time affiliated with the Kresge-Newark...
: Originally located on upper level above Lechmere. Closed in 1996. - Steve & Barry'sSteve & Barry'sSteve & Barry's was an American retail clothing chain, featuring casual apparel. By mid-2008, the chain operated 276 stores in 39 states. The company was headquartered in Port Washington, New York. The company liquidated all of its stores throughout 2008....
: Opened 2005 in former Kahunaville, closed after the 2008 holiday season due to bankruptcy. - Ultimate ElectronicsUltimate ElectronicsUltimate Electronics was a chain of consumer electronics stores in Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Texas, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Wisconsin. It is incorporated in the state of Delaware and...
: This competitor of Best Buy opened in the former Circuit City space in August 2010 and closed in April 2011.
Destiny USA
The Carousel Center is part of the planned Destiny USADestiny USA
Destiny USA is a retail and entertainment complex under construction in Syracuse, New York, United States. The project's developer, The Pyramid Companies, predicts that Destiny USA will become a major tourist destination and will have an economic impact throughout the Central New York region...
project, which upon completion of its first phase is expected to house 2400000 sq ft (222,967.3 m²) of retail space (rank six among largest shopping malls in the United States). After years of legal disputes, the first sections and stores of a 1.3 million square-foot expansion opened to the public in November 2011, with an official opening scheduled for spring 2012. Pyramid estimates the expansion will house 100 businesses. 21 retailers and restaurants have committed to the project.