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*A multi-level parking ramp near the Bon-Ton store will be demolished to make way for a boulevard-like design along the mall's western edge. Also to be constructed is a five-story, 1,200-vehicle parking ramp to replace the spaces affected by the expansion.
*A multi-level parking ramp near the Bon-Ton store will be demolished to make way for a boulevard-like design along the mall's western edge. Also to be constructed is a five-story, 1,200-vehicle parking ramp to replace the spaces affected by the expansion.
*Two restaurant parcels are also slated that likely will house a national steakhouse and an English pub. Plans are in the works for the mall to house a national comedy club chain and a [[Lucky Strike Restaurant]], which features bowling lanes.
*Two restaurant parcels are also slated that likely will house a national steakhouse and an English pub. Plans are in the works for the mall to house a national comedy club chain and a [[Lucky Strike Restaurant]], which features bowling lanes.
*Mall officials are also considering adding a valet parking to help shoppers ease a parking crunch. Popular with upscale malls, Walden Galleria would be only the second mall (after Palisades Center) to offer such a service.
*Mall officials are also considering adding a valet parking to help shoppers ease a parking crunch. Popular with upscale malls, Walden Galleria would be only the second mall (after Palisades Center) to offer such a service. {{fact}} <!-- Something's wrong with this wording. Second mall among what set of malls? Eastview Mall in Victor has valet parking, so it's at best the third as worded. -->
*Alongside the expansion will come new non-anchor tenants including [[Coach]], [[Urban Outfitters]], [[bebe stores|bebe]], and [[Lucky Brand Jeans]] in an attempt to make parts of the mall more upscale.
*Alongside the expansion will come new non-anchor tenants including [[Coach]], [[Urban Outfitters]], [[bebe stores|bebe]], and [[Lucky Brand Jeans]] in an attempt to make parts of the mall more upscale.
*A [[Barnes & Noble]] superstore will be at the former [[Regal Cinemas]] site.
*A [[Barnes & Noble]] superstore will be at the former [[Regal Cinemas]] site.

Revision as of 19:34, 9 September 2006

Walden Galleria
Map
LocationCheektowaga, New York, USA
Opening date1989
DeveloperThe Pyramid Companies (EklecCo)
OwnerThe Pyramid Companies (EklecCo)
No. of anchor tenants10
Total retail floor area1.6 million square feet (230,400 m²)
No. of floors2
Websitewww.waldengalleria.com

The Walden Galleria is a shopping mall located in the Buffalo, New York suburb of Cheektowaga and is the largest mall in the Buffalo-Niagara Falls area with 1.6 million square feet (230,400 m²) of retail space. Walden Galleria opened in 1989 and is located adjacent to Exit 52 of the New York State Thruway at Exit 52 and has undergone expansion projects since then including one that is in progress. The in-progress expansion includes a new 5-story parking ramp, two outparcels, and an additional parking expansion. In total, 300,000 square feet of the mall will be overhauled by mid-2007.

The mall was built and is operated by The Pyramid Companies which operates several large malls throught the northeast incuding Carousel Center (Syracuse), Crossgates Mall (Albany), and Palisades Center (Rockland County).

Anchors

Current

File:Twenty.jpg
One of the mall's current anchors, Dick's Sporting Goods.

Future

Former

2006-2007 Expansion

The costs of this expansion will total $60 million with work beginning on June 1, 2006. Since that date, Pyramid has filed permits for $20 million of that work while details on the balance have not yet been released. The $20 million that has been released will go the following work.

  • Demolition of the recently vacated The Bon-Ton department store to make way for the new home of a 16-screen Regal Cinemas movie complex on the upper level and a Clarks store on the lower level.
  • An upscale food court will be also be constructed in and around the former Bon-Ton site. Among the tenants will be the region's first Cheesecake Factory outlet. The Cheesecake Factory will have a 400-person seating capacity, according to town documents.
  • A multi-level parking ramp near the Bon-Ton store will be demolished to make way for a boulevard-like design along the mall's western edge. Also to be constructed is a five-story, 1,200-vehicle parking ramp to replace the spaces affected by the expansion.
  • Two restaurant parcels are also slated that likely will house a national steakhouse and an English pub. Plans are in the works for the mall to house a national comedy club chain and a Lucky Strike Restaurant, which features bowling lanes.
  • Mall officials are also considering adding a valet parking to help shoppers ease a parking crunch. Popular with upscale malls, Walden Galleria would be only the second mall (after Palisades Center) to offer such a service. [citation needed]
  • Alongside the expansion will come new non-anchor tenants including Coach, Urban Outfitters, bebe, and Lucky Brand Jeans in an attempt to make parts of the mall more upscale.
  • A Barnes & Noble superstore will be at the former Regal Cinemas site.

Controversy

  • In December 1995, 17-year-old Cynthia Wiggins of Buffalo was killed by a dump truck while trying to get to her first day of work in the mall's food court from a NFTA Metro bus stop on Walden Avenue. The incident sparked allegations from Buffalo's African-American community that Pyramid did not want people from Buffalo proper to have easy access to the mall. The bus stop was soon moved to a point inside the mall. [1]
  • In 2005, Walden Galleria became one of five Pyramid malls to introduce the MB-18 parental escort policy which bars those under 18 from going into the mall without a parent or guardian after 4:00 PM on Friday and Saturday evenings. This was met with protest from area civil liberity leaders and (naturally) teenagers.

Trivia

  • With 19 million shoppers annually, the Galleria is the busiest mall in Western New York. Much of this success can be attributed with its popularity with shoppers from southern Ontario and Canada which come for the often better deals across the border plus international visitors in spring and summer months because of the peak tourist season in Niagara Falls.
  • The interior is modeled in part on two sister malls, Crossgates Mall in Albany and Poughkeepsie Galleria in Poughkeepsie (from which Walden Galleria was named after).
  • The roof of the mall was created by local company Birdair and is near-identical to that on the sister Poughkeepsie Galleria (built two years prior). Since the Galleria was constructed, Birdair has constructed notable roofs such as the Millennium Dome in London and the Denver International Airport.
  • Since its opening, rumors that the mall is sinking due to being built on swampland have circulated. Similar rumors have circulated about sister mall Palisades Center as well.
  • The mall is located about a mile away from the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. When planes pass over the mall, the roar of the engines can be heard inside and planes can be easily identified from the parking lot.
  • The mall lies in both the Maryvale and Cheektowaga Central School Districts. The current 2006 expansions will take place in the Maryvale district.
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