PALISADES CENTER
Routes 59 and 303
Rockland County (Town of Clarkstown), New York

Plans for a lower Hudson Valley shopping mall were first envisaged in 1982. 3 years later, Syracuse's Pyramid Companies announced plans for an upscale shopping center which was to comprise 875,000 leasable square feet. 


This would be developed on a 130-acre plot, located 23 miles north of New York City's Times Square. The prospective mall site was a wetland area with a printing plant, bowling alley, diner, cemetery, several car dealerships and two landfills. It was situated in an unincorporated section of Rockland County's Town of Clarkstown known as West Nyack.

Getting approval to build PALISADES CENTER was a difficult and time-consuming process. An initial plan, sanctioned by the local government in 1990, was met with a tidal wave of community opposition. Several years of litigation followed.

All legal challenges had been overcome by 1995. By this time, the size of the prospective shopping center had grown to 1.8 million leasable square feet. Moreover, the original plan for an upscale retail venue had evolved into one for a more middle-market "power mall."

This would house traditional department stores and several big box tenants. It would be an East Coast version of Minnesota's MALL OF AMERICA and feature an indoor roller coaster, similar to one at Canada's WEST EDMONTON MALL.

PALISADES CENTER was designed by Dal Pos Associates, of Syracuse. The complex would encompass 5 levels, with the first housing a subterranean parking deck. Anchoring the mall would be a 3-level (204,000 square foot) Boston-based Filene's, 3-level (156,000 square foot) J.C. Penney and 2-level (120,000 square foot) Lord & Taylor.

A vertically-stacked structure on the west end of the complex would house three stores. On the first floor would be a 1-level (140,000 square foot) B.J.'s Wholesale Club. The second and third floors would contain a 1 level (135,000 square foot) Home Depot. A 1-level (134,000 square foot) Target would fill the fourth floor. This would be the only west end store with an interior shopping concourse connection.

Junior anchor spaces on various floors of the facility would accommodate Bed Bath & Beyond, Old Navy, Sports Authority, 
Barnes & Noble, CompUSA, Staples, Jo-Ann Fabrics, a J.C. Penney Home Store and Dave & Buster's. 

The Third Floor would feature a 13-bay Food Court, one of the largest in the nation. It would include a ferris wheel and 1907-vintage carousel. On the Fourth Floor would be the Loews Palisades Center 21 megaplex, IMAX Theatre Palisades Center, The Rink At Palisades Center (an indoor ice skating venue) and a Lucky Strike Lanes bowling alley. The movie megaplex and IMAX showed their first features on April 3, 1998.

TheEATery, which adjoined the two cinematic venues, was comprised of thirteen casual dining restaurants. These included Bravo! Cucina Italiana, Qdoba Mexican Grill, Outback Steakhouse, Chili's Grill & Bar, T.G.I. Fridays and Chevy's Fresh Mex.

A mall-wide preview took place at PALISADES CENTER on March 4, 1998, when tenants -such as J.C. Penney and the J.C. Penney Home Store- threw open their doors. An 
official grand opening was held April 15, 1998. Target welcomed first shoppers on July 26th.

Charter inline tenants included The Great Train Store, Rainforest Cafe, Catskill Corners Store, Laura's Hallmark, Ann Taylor, Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, 9 West, J. Crew, The Disney Store and Restoration Hardware. The original plan for an inside roller coaster had been abandoned.

PALISADES CENTER had but one retail rival in its immediate vicinity, NANUET MALL (1969) {2.7 miles southwest, in Rockland County}. This center began a downward spiral soon after the completion of "PALISADES MALL."

Other shopping facilities in the PALISADES CENTER trade area included CROSS COUNTY CENTER (1954) {12.7 miles southeast, in Yonkers}, PARAMUS PARK (1974) {11.2 miles southwest, in Paramus, New Jersey}, WESTFIELD SHOPPINGTOWN GARDEN STATE PLAZA (1957) {13.6 miles southwest, also in Paramus, New Jersey} and BERGEN MALL (1957) {13.5 miles southwest, in Paramus and Maywood, New Jersey}.

Although PALISADES CENTER comprised nearly as much physical space as Minnesota's MALL OF AMERICA, the area that it was permitted to lease was restricted by local statute. This required the passage of a voter referendum before any unused sections could be utilized. The mall's original gross leasable area was expanded to over 2.2 million square feet with the passage of a referendum in November 2002. 

A few nameplate conversions have taken place since the mall's 1998 dedication. The 
Loews Palisades Center 21 was rebranded, as the AMC-Loews Palisades Center 21, in January 2006. Filene's became a Macy's on September 9 of the same year. 

Krazy City, an indoor theme park, was installed on the mall's Third Level. The family fun center was in operation between May 2007 and August 2010. Following its closing, the space became part of a 2-level Dick's Sporting Goods. This store opened for business on September 19, 2012.

PALISADES CENTER was given an interior face lift between May and December 2013. Surfaces were painted, with new ceiling treatments and soft seating areas installed. ThEATery was given new tile flooring and lighting fixtures. Center Court was also refurbished. 

In 2015, the main (21-screen) cinema complex was renovated. A separate IMAX auditorium relocated into the 21-plex, with the combined venue being renamed the AMC Palisades 21 & IMAXThe Sports Authority chain went bust in August 2016. Its space at PALISADES CENTER was taken by the Autobahn Indoor Speedway, which opened for business on March 4, 2019. 

2016 was the most recent year that PALISADES CENTER was fully-leased. An anchor exodus commenced with the shuttering of J.C. Penney, on July 31, 2017. Lord & Taylor went dark on January 29, 2020, with Bath & Beyond throwing in the proverbial towel in June of the same year.

Sources:

The New York Times 
The Journal News (White Plains, New York)
http://www.malletin.com
http://www.movietheatre.org / Mike Rivest
http://www.worldlingo.com
http://www.palisadescenter.com
http://www.pyramidmg.com / Pyramid Companies
"Palisades Center" article on Wikipedia