Camillus Plaza

Camillus Plaza was a shopping center in the town of Camillus, New York, whose retail history extended from a 1964 strip-mall opening to a later enclosed-mall format and, ultimately, redevelopment as Camillus Commons. The complex was built on the site of a former Kallet drive-in theater and initially served the surrounding Syracuse-area community with a mixture of supermarkets, department stores, specialty retailers, furniture, apparel, pharmacy, and food-service tenants. The original plaza opened with several notable local and regional businesses, including A&P, P&C, E.W. Edwards, Witherill's, W. T. Grant, Goldberg's Furniture, and Anderson Little. As the tenant mix changed, JCPenney replaced E.W. Edwards, while Hills succeeded Price Chopper in the former supermarket space. In 1981, a new enclosed section was added. This expansion introduced a two-screen cinema and a Kmart store while leaving substantial portions of the original strip-mall layout intact. The cinema subsequently operated under several names, including CinemaNational, USA Cinemas, Loews, and Hoyts. A larger enclosure project followed in 1984, and the property was renamed Camillus Mall. The conversion brought former exterior-facing stores into a more conventional enclosed retail environment and added or reconfigured several tenants. P&C moved to a freestanding building at the edge of the property, with a pharmacy attached to it; the pharmacy later operated under the Carl's Drugs, Fay's Drugs, Eckerd, and Rite Aid names. JCPenney received an additional mall entrance, while Witherill's was replaced by Hess's. Silo also expanded and gained an interior entrance. The cinema eventually grew into a ten-screen Hoyts facility. At its height, Camillus Mall had five anchor stores and a broad roster of smaller retailers and restaurants. Its tenants included Arby's, Bill Gray's, Burger King, CVS Pharmacy, Reeds Jewelers, RadioShack, Fanny Farmer, Lane Bryant, Doc's Pizzeria, and Afterthoughts. The property nevertheless began to weaken in the 1990s. The opening of the substantially larger Carousel Center, now Destiny USA, roughly seven miles away increased competitive pressure. The mall also had limited convenience for many customers because it was not directly accessible from the area's major highways, while demographic changes affected the local retail market. Anchor closures accelerated during the following decade. Hess's became Chappell's in 1994 and later Bon-Ton, while Silo, Kmart, Hills, Sears, and JCPenney eventually departed. By 2001, only a small number of stores and the Hoyts cinema remained. In 2003, most of the mall was demolished. Bon-Ton, a newer Applebee's building, the P&C supermarket, the attached pharmacy, and a vacant former Kmart structure were among the principal elements left standing. The former Kmart building was sold to the West Genesee School District and later used for transportation and bus operations. Redevelopment began in late 2004 under the Camillus Commons name. Lowe's opened in January 2006, followed by a new Walmart Supercenter in June of that year. Other uses included a Bank of America branch, Verizon Wireless, restaurants, and later medical offices. After Bon-Ton closed in 2018, its former building was repurposed for healthcare-related occupants, including St. Joseph's Health in 2019 and Empire Dermatology in 2022. Camillus Plaza therefore survives primarily as a predecessor in the site's retail and commercial history rather than as an operating mall under its original name.

Camillus Plaza began in 1964 as a strip shopping center built on the former site of a Kallet drive-in theater in Camillus, New York. Its early tenant base combined supermarkets, department stores, apparel, furniture, and local retail businesses. A&P and P&C provided grocery service, while E.W. Edwards, W. T. Grant, Witherill's, Anderson Little, and Goldberg's Furniture supplied general merchandise and specialty shopping. The center's tenant roster changed as national and regional retailers entered and departed. JCPenney replaced E.W. Edwards, and Hills later occupied the former Price Chopper space. The property took its first major step toward a conventional mall format in 1981, when an enclosed section opened at one end of the original plaza. The addition included a two-screen cinema and a new Kmart store. The cinema passed through several operating identities, eventually becoming part of the Hoyts chain. The original strip-mall buildings remained important, so the site combined enclosed and open-air retail rather than immediately becoming a fully enclosed mall. In 1984, most of the remaining strip mall was enclosed. The project also produced a formal name change to Camillus Mall and involved extensive tenant relocation and building modification. Witherill's was replaced by Hess's, P&C moved to a freestanding store at the edge of the property, and a pharmacy was attached to the supermarket building. That pharmacy subsequently operated as Carl's Drugs, Fay's Drugs, Eckerd, and Rite Aid. JCPenney received an entrance accessible from the interior mall, and Silo expanded with an indoor entrance. Additional cinema screens were built, eventually allowing Hoyts to operate a ten-screen facility. During its strongest period, the enclosed mall had five anchor stores and a varied collection of smaller retailers and restaurants. Its commercial offer included apparel, jewelry, pharmacy, books and electronics-related retail, food service, and entertainment. Named tenants included Arby's, Bill Gray's, Burger King, CVS Pharmacy, Reeds Jewelers, RadioShack, Fanny Farmer, Lane Bryant, Doc's Pizzeria, and Afterthoughts. The mall's decline became apparent around 1990. Carousel Center, now known as Destiny USA, opened approximately seven miles away and offered a larger competitive environment. Camillus Mall also suffered from limited proximity to major highways and changing area demographics. The departure of anchors and smaller tenants continued through the 1990s and early 2000s. Hess's closed in 1994 and was succeeded by Chappell's, later Bon-Ton. Silo, Kmart, and Hills subsequently left, followed by Sears and JCPenney. By 2001, the property had been reduced to a small number of operating stores and the Hoyts cinema. In 2003, most of the mall was demolished. Bon-Ton, a newer Applebee's building, the P&C supermarket, the attached pharmacy, and the vacant former Kmart structure were among the elements left in place. The former Kmart building was sold to the West Genesee School District and ultimately used for school transportation and bus operations. A new plaza called Camillus Commons was developed on the site, with construction beginning in late 2004. Lowe's opened in January 2006, and Walmart moved from Fairmount Fair to a newly built Supercenter next to Lowe's in June of that year. Bank of America, Verizon Wireless, restaurants, and other service businesses also occupied the redeveloped property. Wendy's opened behind Denny's in late 2014. Bon-Ton closed in 2018. Its former building was subsequently adapted for medical and professional uses, including St. Joseph's Health in 2019 and Empire Dermatology in 2022. The original Camillus Plaza and Camillus Mall identities are therefore defunct, while the broader property continues as a more fragmented commercial and service center known as Camillus Commons.

• 2018

  Bon-Ton closes

  [1]Camillus Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  The Bon-Ton store occupying a retained mall building shuts during the summer.

• 2006

  Major Camillus Commons stores open

  [1]Camillus Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  Lowe's opens in January and Walmart opens a new Supercenter in June as redevelopment proceeds.

• 2003

  Mall largely demolished

  [1]Camillus Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  Most of the former mall is removed, with selected standalone and anchor buildings retained.

• 2001

  Only limited operations remain

  [1]Camillus Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  After multiple anchor departures, only a small number of stores and the Hoyts cinema remain.

• 1990

  Decline begins

  [1]Camillus Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  The opening of nearby Carousel Center increases competition as local market conditions also change.

• 1987

  Sears joins the anchor lineup

  [1]Camillus Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  Sears relocates to a new large-format store at the mall, while Silo and the cinema expand.

• 1984

  Camillus Mall conversion

  [1]Camillus Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  Most of the original strip mall is enclosed and the complex is renamed Camillus Mall.

• 1981

  First enclosed section added

  [1]Camillus Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  The property adds an enclosed retail section, a two-screen cinema, and a Kmart anchor.

• 1964

  Camillus Plaza opens

  [1]Camillus Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  A strip shopping center opens on the former Kallet drive-in theater site.

A community-oriented suburban shopping center that evolved from a strip mall into an enclosed mall before being replaced by a big-box and service-oriented retail plaza.

• Shopping center · 1964

  Camillus Plaza strip-mall retail

  The original format provided open-air retail space for groceries, department stores, apparel, furniture, pharmacy-related goods, and local specialty businesses. Its tenant mix included A&P, P&C, E.W. Edwards, Witherill's, W. T. Grant, Goldberg's Furniture, and Anderson Little.

• Enclosed shopping mall · 1984

  Camillus Mall enclosed center

  The enclosed mall format added interior pedestrian circulation, department-store anchors, specialty shops, restaurants, and a multistage cinema operation. At its peak, the center had five anchors and a ten-screen Hoyts cinema.

• Redeveloped retail plaza · 2004

  Camillus Commons

  The post-mall redevelopment replaced the enclosed retail model with a larger-format and service-oriented plaza. Lowe's and Walmart became principal retail components, joined by banking, telecommunications, restaurants, and medical offices.

• 2003

  Replace the failing mall with a new commercial plazaStrategy

  Background

  After anchor and specialty-store departures left the mall largely vacant, the enclosed format was no longer sustainable.

  Action taken

  Most of the mall was demolished and the site was prepared for redevelopment as Camillus Commons.

  Aftermath

  The property shifted from an enclosed multi-tenant mall to a big-box, restaurant, banking, telecommunications, and medical-services-oriented commercial site.

  Source

• 1984

  Convert most of the property into an enclosed mallStrategy

  Background

  The center expanded its enclosed retail area after the initial 1981 addition.

  Action taken

  Most of the remaining strip mall was enclosed and the complex was renamed Camillus Mall.

  Aftermath

  The center gained a more conventional mall identity and accommodated additional interior entrances, relocated stores, and cinema expansion.

  Source

• 1981

  Add an enclosed mall sectionGeneration change

  Background

  The original open-air plaza sought to broaden its retail and entertainment offer while retaining much of its existing strip-mall footprint.

  Action taken

  An enclosed section, a two-screen cinema, and a Kmart store were added.

  Aftermath

  The property moved toward a hybrid strip-mall and enclosed-mall format, setting up the larger enclosure completed in 1984.

  Source

1. 1Camillus Plazaen.wikipedia.org