Eastern Hills Mall is a shopping mall located 11 miles northeast of Buffalo, New York in Clarence, New York, United States. It lies on Transit Road (New York State Route 78, a 73.49-mile (118.27 km) state highway), which in the vicinity of the mall, divides Clarence, New York from the town of Amherst, New York. The mall is north of the junction of NY-78 with NY-5, and Main Street. The name "Eastern Hills" refers to the very low hills that contribute to a slightly higher elevation than the bordering areas along the Onondaga Escarpment. Eastern Hills Mall is part of a long commercial strip on Transit Road. It consists of two long wings running north and south and one short wing running east and west, which connects the north-south wings in a "double L-shaped" formation. A major department store is at the end of each wing. A food court is located adjacent to the end of the long south wing.
A three-screen movie theater showing mainly independent films is also located in the mall, as well as a small New York State Department of Motor Vehicles office. Surrounding the mall is a large, but generally unkept, parking lot. The ratio of the mall is so large, it provides the highest parking ratio of any Buffalo area mall. Much of the parking lot space is leased to area car dealerships to store overstock vehicles due to the low volume of shoppers at the mall. Eastern Hills Mall is currently at approximately 70% occupancy, with many vacant stores throughout the mall and popular anchor store Dave & Busters shuttering its doors in 2015 to move to the nearby Walden Galleria. Eastern Hills is considered by many area residents to be a "dead mall" and is listed on the website Deadmalls.com.
The mall was anchored by JCPenney, Niagara Emporium, Orvis, and Rocky's Games and Sports Bar before it’s closing.
History[]
Former Sears
The Eastern Hills Mall, developed by the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation, underwent various changes since its construction in 1969. Originally intended to be named "Buffalo Mall," the town of Clarence requested a change to Eastern Hills Mall. Construction commenced in 1969, and by November 8, 1971, fourteen stores were open. The mall was fully completed in 1972.
Upon its original opening, the six anchors were AM&A's, JCPenney, Sears, Jenss, Woolworth, and Hengerer's. In 1981, Hengerer's became Sibley's. An extensive overhaul in 1987 added a food court, and although there were plans for a Lechmere store next to JCPenney, it never materialized. Despite initially being the largest mall in the Buffalo, NY area, it lost that status to the Walden Galleria in 1989.
In 1990, Sibley's became Kaufmann's, and in 1994, AM&A's became The Bon-Ton. The mall experienced a decline in the 1990s, losing many national tenants. Woolworth closed in 1997, followed by Jenss later that year. Burlington Coat Factory moved into the former Jenss location in 1998 but closed in 2005.
A cosmetic renovation in 2005 focused on the east-west center concourse and food court, introducing new floor tile, imitation fireplaces, small flat-screen televisions, and seating. Federated Department Stores acquired May Company in 2006, converting local Kaufmann's stores to Macy's. The mall saw a minor revival in foot traffic, with some storefronts remaining empty or replaced by smaller businesses.
WBBZ-TV established its broadcast studios at the mall in 2012. However, the Eastern Hills Mall, like many others across the nation, faced challenges during the retail apocalypse. Macy's closed in April 2016, and in April 2017, Sears closed its Auto Center. Niagara Emporium opened in the former Macy's space in June 2017.
The Bon-Ton went out of business in 2018, closing in August. Raymour & Flanigan opened in the former Bon-Ton space in 2019. Sears sold its location back to developers in September 2018 and closed in December 2018. As of 2019, JCPenney remains the final remaining original mall tenant.
On January 14th, 2024 the mall officially closed its doors. They moved tenants out slowly and closed the mall in sections after having a big sale.
Kaufmann's
Non-commercial activity[]
Bison Billards
After the October Storm of 2006, which devastated much of the surrounding area, the parking lot of Eastern Hills served as a focal point for clean up and restoration of services. Many utility companies used the parking lot as a ramada for parking vehicles at night and a dispatch point by day. In addition, part of the lot was used for storing materials used to restore power to the area.
Future[]
In March 2018, Uniland Development, a local commercial development company, agreed to purchase a stake in the mall's equity, sharing co-ownership with current owners Mountain Development Corporation. Uniland's long-term plans for the mall are to convert some of the mall's space to residential apartments and create a mixed-use development that it dubbed a "lifestyle center." The Clarence Town Board approved plans for the lifestyle center in August 2018.
Uniland and Mountain Development attained the services of Gensler in January 2019. Similar projects they have worked include The Domain, Legacy West, and River Oaks Shopping Center.
Gallery[]
Videos[]
See also[]
- Eastgate Plaza (Clarence, New York)