The Summit, formerly Summit Park Mall, was an enclosed shopping mall in Wheatfield, New York. Opened in 1972, the mall became largely vacant by the late 1990s. It underwent renovations in 2004 and 2005 which added new

anchor store In retail, an "anchor tenant", sometimes called an "anchor store", "draw tenant", or "key tenant", is a considerably larger tenant in a shopping mall, often a department store or retail chain. They are typically located at the ends of malls. Wit ...

s and tenants, but after the mall's developers filed for

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

protection in 2009, the complex was closed except for three

s: Sears, The Bon-Ton and Save-A-Lot, with two more vacant anchors last occupied by

Steve & Barry's Steve & Barry's was an American retail clothing chain, featuring casual clothing, footwear and accessories. By mid-2008, the chain operated 276 stores in 39 states. The company was headquartered in Port Washington, New York. The company liquidate ...

and a Macy's closeout store. As of September 2017, Save-A-Lot has closed permanently, leaving only Sears and The Bon-Ton still open in the mall. On April 18, 2018, it was announced that The Bon-Ton would be closing in August 2018. as it is going out of business leaving Sears as the only tenant left. On May 7, 2018, Sears announced that would also be closing in August 2018. In December 2019, within Sears' old location, The Niagara International Sports & Entertainment facility opened. In 2020, a plan was proposed to revitalize the location, converting part of the mall into mixed use spaces, as well as offering lodging for visitors. Developers plan to expand the project to eventually include ice rinks, shops, and eateries. The Summit was located on Williams Road, south of US 62 (Niagara Falls Boulevard) and north of

NY 265 New York State Route 265 (NY 265) is a long state highway located in the western part of New York in the United States. NY 265 is a north–south route that roughly parallels the western parts of the Niagara River in Erie Cou ...

and

NY 384 New York State Route 384 (NY 384) is a state highway in Western New York in the United States. It is a north–south route extending from the city of Buffalo, Erie County to the city of Niagara Falls, Niagara County, and is one of sever ...

(River Road).

History

The original

s of Summit Park Mall were Sears and three local department stores:

AM&A's Adam, Meldrum & Anderson Company (AM&A's) was a chain of department stores based in Buffalo, New York. It was an institution to generations of shoppers in the Buffalo area. The company remained family owned until its sale to The Bon-Ton in 1995. ...

(bought out by The Bon-Ton in 1995),

Hens & Kelly Hens and Kelly, established in 1892 by Mathias J. Hens and Patrick J. Kelly, was a chain of department stores based in Buffalo, New York. They were early adopters of S&H Green Stamps as a promotional incentive for repeat customers. The downtown st ...

, and

Jenss Jenss was a small chain of department stores in Western New York State. The company was founded in 1887 by the Jenss brothers in Lockport, New York. In 1951, Harold Dautch bought the company. In 1962, the company opened its flagship department s ...

, with other major tenants including

Child World Child World was an American toy retailer founded in 1962. It grew to 182 sites and revenues of $830 million before failing in 1992. It was known for the distinctive stylised castle store exterior adopted after its 1977 purchase of the Children's ...

and McCrory. Hens & Kelly moved out in 1982, and remained vacant until October 1992, when Macy's opened its first closeout store in the space. Also in 1992, Child World closed its store, which was converted to a Toys "R" Us by year's end. The Macy's closeout store closed in 1995 and was never replaced by another anchor. By the late 1990s, the mall was 40% vacant, and its owners had expressed interest in converting portions of it to office space. Jenss closed in 1998. In 2004, a local developer purchased the mall for $5 million, with plans to rename the complex Destination Niagara USA. At that point, the mall was 65% vacant. The mall was then renamed The Summit, and new tenants were added, including a

, which opened in 2005 in the former Jenss space, a children's play center in the former McCrory and the

Niagara Aerospace Museum The Niagara Aerospace Museum is an aviation museum located in Niagara Falls, New York, in the old terminal building of the Niagara Falls International Airport. The museum has been located in a number of places in the Niagara Falls/Buffalo area ...

, although this institution later moved to the former Niagara Falls International Airport's old terminal on Niagara Falls Boulevard. The mall's sales increased by 18% in 2007. Toys "R" Us closed its store in early 2006 as part of the chain's reorganization plan. Two years later, a Save-A-Lot grocery store opened in half of the Toys "R" Us building. Steve & Barry's closed in 2008. In May 2009, the mall's owners, Oberlin Plaza One, announced that the mall would close on June 6 following the company's filing for

protection. At the time, twenty-five stores operated within the mall. The mall was allowed to stay open beyond this date after the U.S. Bankruptcy Court decided to extend the deadline for closure, although many of the twenty-five remaining tenants relocated. By August 2009, the mall's last three inline tenants moved out, leaving only Sears, The Bon-Ton and Save-A-Lot operational until its closure. In January 2013, the mall building was flooded with up to six inches of water from a pipe, in what was believed by Niagara County police to be an act of vandalism. In March 2014 Zoran Cocov purchased the mall for 4.2 million dollars. Cocov revealed plans in late 2014 to revive the space adding stores, museums, a sportsplex, wine tasting center, and a business incubator. Cocov also received tax breaks for 700,000 dollars for five years for renovations to revive the space. In 2016, it was announced that a brewery project was to be added to the current mall project. In 2018 both the Sears and Bon-Ton anchor locations at the mall began liquidation sales due to declining sales locally and nationally. This represented the final ceasing of the mall as an operating retail complex pending other plans. The Niagara International Sports and Entertainment Center project was estimated to finish by the fourth quarter of 2018. However, recent site revision complications, such as the anchor store closings, have delayed or potentially altered some of these plans.

References

External links

Summit Park Mall at deadmalls.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Summit Abandoned shopping malls in the United States Shopping malls established in 1972 Shopping malls in New York (state)