The Pyramid Company

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The Pyramid Company was formed in 1970 in Syracuse, New York by Robert J. Congel. Its first three malls, or the company's "pioneer malls", were Pyramid Mall at Saratoga, Pyramid Mall at Ithaca, and Pyramid Mall at Plattsburgh. All three malls opened in 1975 and marked the beginning of a 30 plus year advance in shopping center construction and ownership. Currently, it is the largest privately owned developer of shopping malls in the country. The company has since grown to own 20 properties throughout New York and Massachusetts.

Contents

1 List of properties

1.1 Current Malls
1.2 Past malls
1.3 Power Centers

2 ThEATery
3 Controversies
4 Trivia
5 External Links

List of properties

Current Malls

Aviation Mall - Glens Falls, New York - Opened 1976
Berkshire Mall - Pittsfield, Massachusetts - Opened 1988
Carousel Center - Syracuse, New York - Opened 1990
Champlain Centres-North - Plattsburgh, New York - Opened 1987
Crossgates Mall - Albany, New York - Opened 1984
Galleria at Crystal Run - Middletown, New York - Opened 1992
Hampshire Mall - Hadley, Massachusetts - Opened 1976
Holyoke Mall - Springfield, Massachusetts - Opened 1979
Hudson Valley Mall - Kingston, New York - Opened 1981
Independence Mall - Kingston, Massachusetts - Opened 1989
Palisades Center - West Nyack, New York - Opened 1998
Poughkeepsie Galleria - Poughkeepsie, New York - Opened 1987
Pyramid Mall at Ithaca - Ithaca, New York - Opened 1975 - Only original Pyramid Mall left in existence.
Salmon Run Mall - Watertown, New York - Opened 1988
Sangertown Square - Utica, New York - Opened 1976
Walden Galleria - Buffalo, New York - Opened 1989

Past malls

The following is a list of malls that were either closed by Pyramid, or sold to another company.

Pyramid Mall at Plattsburgh - Plattsburgh, New York - Opened 1975 - Later named Champlain Centres-South. Closed 1995. Demolished 1999 and revamped into a power center.
Pyramid Mall at Saratoga - Saratoga Springs, New York - Opened 1975 - Later named Saratoga Mall after being sold. Closed in 1997. Demolished in 1999. Now called Wilton Square Plaza.
Emerald Square - North Attleborough, Massachusetts - Opened 1989. Sold to the Simon Property Group.
Fingerlakes Mall - Auburn, New York - Opened 1976 - Sold to another company in 1996. (Currently owned by Jones Lang LaSalle)
Riverside Mall - Utica, New York - Opened 1978 - Sold, closed, and demolished in 1998. Now a power center. A small portion of original indoor hallway still exists by the Regal Cinemas.

Power Centers

The Pyramid Company owns the following shopping plazas:

Crossgates Commons - Albany, New York - Opened 1996 - Across the street from Crossgates Mall.
Hudson Valley Plaza - Kingston, New York - Opened 1996/1997 - Next to Hudson Valley Mall.
Plaza at Crystal Run - Middletown, New York - Opened 1994 - Next to Galleria at Crystal Run.
Shops at West Seneca - West Seneca, New York - Opened 1998 - On the site of former Seneca Mall.

ThEATery

The "ThEATery" concept was developed by the Pyramid Company in conjunction with the opening of Palisades Center in 1998. It mixes movie theaters and upscale restaurants together for a combination of a movie/dinner experience. Currently, Palisades holds the only ThEATery concept, but others are being planned for Sangertown Square, Poughkeepsie Galleria, and Pyramid Mall at Ithaca.

Controversies

The Pyramid Company holds a reputation for not following through on expansion projects to its properties. In 1998 alone, there were projects planned, but cancelled for 10 of the company's malls. Another controversy is the planned DestiNY USA project that will turn Pyramid's hometown mall Carousel Center into a nationwide tourist attraction. The project has been in the planning stages since the summer of 2000. As of April 2006, nothing has been done yet. Even with all of these blunders, the company has come to expand or rejuvenate some of its properties.

Aviation Mall - Expanded 1985,2005
Carousel Center - Pending expansion 2006 - 2010
Crossgates Mall - Expanded 1994. Cancelled expansion 1998
Galleria at Crystal Run - Cancelled expansion 1998. Small expansion 2002
Holyoke Mall - Expanded 1986
Hudson Valley Mall -Expanded 1986, 1999
Poughkeepsie Galleria - Expanded 1990. Cancelled expansion 1998
Sangertown Square - Cancelled expansion 1998
Walden Galleria - Cancelled expansion 1998. Expansion 2006.

Other controversies include the implementation of a Parental Escort policy at select malls throughout the company. The policy states that between 4 p.m. and closing, on Friday and Saturdays, all children younger than 18 must be accompanied by an adult 21 years or older. This policy is already in effect at Carousel Center, Crossgates Mall, Galleria at Crystal Run, Walden Galleria, Holyoke Mall at Ingleside, and the Poughkeepsie Galleria. It is unknown if the policy will be effective at the company's other malls at this time.

Trivia

At Hampshire Mall, Sangertown Square, Pyramid Mall at Ithaca, and former company owned Fingerlakes Mall, the food court is designed the exact same way in each property, with a fountain in the middle, and mezzanine level for extra seating(Sangertown Square had the fountain removed in a recent remodel). With the exception of Pyramid Mall at Ithaca, that was built in 1975, the others mentioned here were built in 1976, so it is obvious to assume that this was a successful, but ultimately dropped design in the company's properties. Other malls that have similar food courts in the company (1987-1992 properties) are: Berkshire Mall, Champlain Centres-North, Carousel Center, Galleria at Crystal Run, Poughkeepsie Galleria, Salmon Run Mall, and Walden Galleria.

Several Pyramid malls have been dogged by persistent rumors that they are "sinking". This claim comes from the fact that the malls were built on swamps. The most recent and most notable set of rumors surrounds the Palisades Center in West Nyack, New York and were even discussed on the Rosie O'Donnell show. Despite the persistent rumors there has never been a structural failure at any Pyramid mall due to inadequate foundations. The company's position is that these rumors are an urban legend started by opponents of the mall (either competitors or hostile local residents).

Interesting fact to note, is that some of the malls were built on what we now know as sacred Native American Lands, which the Onondaga Nation is currently fighting for in the case of the Carousel Center expansion.

Walden Galleria was built in close proximity to the Buffalo Niagara International Airport, and you can periodically hear the roar of airplanes' engines as they pass over the mall.

External Links

[Deadmalls.com] — Website showcasing dead and struggling malls. Features come Pyramid owned malls, both existent and non-existent
[Pyramid Company website]

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