Walt Whitman Mall
Encyclopedia
Walt Whitman Shops is a shopping mall
located in Huntington Station, New York
on Walt Whitman Road
(Route 110) and Jericho Turnpike (Route 25). It has many stores including main anchors Bloomingdale's
, Lord & Taylor
, Macy's
and Saks Fifth Avenue
. The mall is owned and managed by Melvin Simon and Associates, one of the largest developers of shopping malls in the United States and owner of Long Island
's largest mall, Roosevelt Field in Garden City
. Suffolk County Transit, MTA
Long Island Bus and Huntington Area Rapid Transit all have bus routes that service the mall.
Walt Whitman Shops is the first enclosed mall located on Long Island
.
The mall is named for the poet Walt Whitman
due to the close proximity to his birthplace, a National Historic site located just down the road from the mall on Walt Whitman Road (Route 110). Quotations from Whitman's "Leaves of Grass
" are engraved in the exterior facade of the mall.
, California Pizza Kitchen
, Panera Bread
, and The Cheesecake Factory
can be found at Walt Whitman Shops. Although it does not have a food court, the mall does contain a McDonald's
and a Sbarro
at the south end. A T.G.I. Friday's
can also be found less than a block north of the mall, and an IHOP is situated across the street from the mall. There is also an Applebee's
restaurant one block south of the mall at an adjacent shopping center.
40.822318°N 73.409754°W
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
located in Huntington Station, New York
Huntington Station, New York
Huntington Station is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 29,910 at the 2000 census....
on Walt Whitman Road
New York State Route 110
New York State Route 110 is a major north–south state highway along the western border of Suffolk County, New York. It runs between the Village of Amityville in the Town of Babylon and Halesite in the Town of Huntington...
(Route 110) and Jericho Turnpike (Route 25). It has many stores including main anchors Bloomingdale's
Bloomingdale's
Bloomingdale's is an American department store owned by Macy's, Inc. .Bloomingdale's started in 1861 when brothers Joseph and Lyman G. Bloomingdale started selling hoop-skirts in their Ladies Notions' Shop on Manhattan's Lower East Side...
, 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...
, 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...
and Saks Fifth Avenue
Saks Fifth Avenue
Saks Fifth Avenue is a luxury American specialty store owned and operated by Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises , a subsidiary of Saks Incorporated. It competes in the high-end specialty store market in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, i.e. 'the 3 B's' Bergdorf, Barneys, Bloomingdale's and Lord & Taylor...
. The mall is owned and managed by Melvin Simon and Associates, one of the largest developers of shopping malls in the United States and owner of Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
's largest mall, Roosevelt Field in Garden City
Garden City, New York
Garden City is a village in the town of Hempstead in central Nassau County, New York, in the United States. It was founded by multi-millionaire Alexander Turney Stewart in 1869, and is located on Long Island, to the east of New York City, from mid-town Manhattan, and just south of the town of...
. Suffolk County Transit, MTA
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the U.S...
Long Island Bus and Huntington Area Rapid Transit all have bus routes that service the mall.
Walt Whitman Shops is the first enclosed mall located on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
.
The mall is named for the poet Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman
Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse...
due to the close proximity to his birthplace, a National Historic site located just down the road from the mall on Walt Whitman Road (Route 110). Quotations from Whitman's "Leaves of Grass
Leaves of Grass
Leaves of Grass is a poetry collection by the American poet Walt Whitman . Though the first edition was published in 1855, Whitman spent his entire life writing Leaves of Grass, revising it in several editions until his death...
" are engraved in the exterior facade of the mall.
Anchors
- Bloomingdale'sBloomingdale'sBloomingdale's is an American department store owned by Macy's, Inc. .Bloomingdale's started in 1861 when brothers Joseph and Lyman G. Bloomingdale started selling hoop-skirts in their Ladies Notions' Shop on Manhattan's Lower East Side...
(233,000 sq ft., 2 Floors Above Ground, 1 Floor Below Ground) Opened 1962 as Macy*s, closed for renovation in 1998 and converted to Bloomingdale's. Macy*s had opened in the much larger vacant A&S building in 1995, resulting in two Macy*s in the same mall for over two years. - 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...
(120,000 sq ft., 2 Floors Above Ground) Opened 1998 in Mall Expansion. - 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...
(302,278 sq ft., 3 Floors Above Ground, 1 Floor Below Ground) Opened 1962 as Abraham & Straus, closed 1995, reopened as Macy*s. - Saks Fifth AvenueSaks Fifth AvenueSaks Fifth Avenue is a luxury American specialty store owned and operated by Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises , a subsidiary of Saks Incorporated. It competes in the high-end specialty store market in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, i.e. 'the 3 B's' Bergdorf, Barneys, Bloomingdale's and Lord & Taylor...
(100,000 sq ft., 2 Floors Above Ground) Opened 1999 in Mall Expansion off former McCrory Store.
Previous anchors
- Abraham & StrausAbraham & StrausAbraham & Straus was a major New York City department store, based in Brooklyn. Founded in 1865, in 1929 it became part of Federated Department Stores, which eliminated the A&S brand shortly after its 1994 acquisition of R.H. Macy & Company...
, A&S was located in the store which is currently occupied by Macy's. - McCrory StoresMcCrory StoresJ.G. McCrory's or McCrory Stores was a chain of five and dime stores in the United States based in York, Pennsylvania. The stores typically sold shoes, clothing, housewares, fabrics, penny candy, toys, cosmetics, and often included a lunch counter or snack bar...
(converted to Mall Space which connects Saks Fifth Avenue in 1999), It was here that a fire was started in May 1991 which burned through the middle section of the mall.
Food
Restaurants such as Legal Sea FoodsLegal Sea Foods
Legal Sea Foods is a Boston-based seafood restaurant group, with locations along the Eastern Seaboard. Besides Massachusetts, there are also locations in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Washington, DC, as well as in Warwick, RI, Boca Raton, FL and Atlanta, GA.-History:It was...
, California Pizza Kitchen
California Pizza Kitchen
California Pizza Kitchen , known within the food industry as CPK, is a casual dining restaurant chain that specializes in California-style pizza...
, Panera Bread
Panera Bread
Panera 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...
, and The Cheesecake Factory
The Cheesecake Factory
The Cheesecake Factory, Inc. is a restaurant company in the United States. The company operates 165 upscale, casual, full-service dining restaurants: 151 under The Cheesecake Factory mark, 13 under the Grand Lux Cafe mark and one under the RockSugar Pan Asian Kitchen mark...
can be found at Walt Whitman Shops. Although it does not have a food court, the mall does contain a McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
and a Sbarro
Sbarro
Sbarro is a bankrupt chain of pizza restaurants that specializes in traditional Italian cuisine, including its most popular menu item "pizza by the slice." Its headquarters is located in Melville, Huntington, New York.- History :...
at the south end. A T.G.I. Friday's
T.G.I. Friday's
T.G.I. Friday's is an American restaurant chain focusing on casual dining. The company is a unit of the Carlson Companies. Its name is taken from the expression TGIF...
can also be found less than a block north of the mall, and an IHOP is situated across the street from the mall. There is also an Applebee's
Applebee's
Applebee’s International, Inc., is an American company which develops, franchises, and operates the Applebee's Neighborhood Grill and Bar restaurant chain. As of September 2011, there were 2,010 restaurants operating system-wide in the United States, one U.S. territory and 14 other countries...
restaurant one block south of the mall at an adjacent shopping center.
Fires
- 1984: A fire destroyed seven stores and damaged 25 others in the 76-store mall.
- 1993: In 1993 a McCrory's worker plead guilty to tossing a lit cigarette into a display of silk flowers set on a block of Styrofoam, killing two of his coworkers aged 20 and 27.
External links
40.822318°N 73.409754°W