Rainbow Centre Factory Outlet
A former enclosed shopping mall and outlet center in downtown Niagara Falls, New York, that closed in 2000 and was later partly converted for educational and hospitality uses.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Rainbow Centre Factory Outlet was a retail complex in downtown Niagara Falls, New York, originally opened in 1982 as Rainbow Centre Mall. The property was developed by the Baltimore-based Cordish Company as part of a broad urban-renewal effort intended to restore the commercial importance of central Niagara Falls. Its design drew on the festival-marketplace model associated with successful waterfront and downtown projects such as Harborplace in Baltimore. The mall occupied the first two levels of a parking-ramp structure beside the Niagara Falls Wintergarden, an indoor botanical garden that opened in 1977. Rainbow Centre Mall formally opened on July 2, 1982, with more than 60 storefronts, a food court, and a mix of national and local tenants. Its principal anchor was Beir's Department Store, a long-established Niagara Falls retailer that had operated under the Beir name since the late nineteenth century. Other tenants included The Gap, Casual Corner, RadioShack, and GNC. Food-service operators included Häagen-Dazs, Chez Chocolat, Palis Hamburg, and It's Greek To Me. The mall also served as a venue for community programming and seasonal events, including celebrations associated with the Winter Festival of Lights. The center struggled financially for much of its existence. Its location inside a parking structure produced an awkward layout in which shops and restaurants were not readily visible or accessible from the surrounding streets. The mall also faced difficult regional conditions: downtown Niagara Falls was competing with suburban retail, tourism patterns were changing, and the property had difficulty attracting residents from both Buffalo and Niagara Falls, Ontario. Beir's closure in 1986 removed its original anchor and further weakened the complex. In February 1990, Cordish repositioned the property as an outlet center under the Rainbow Centre Factory Outlet name. The former Beir's space was occupied by Burlington Coat Factory, and a Western Regional Off-Track Betting lounge was added. The conversion was intended to improve competitiveness, but the property continued to face pressure from the nearby Niagara Factory Outlet Mall, now known as Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls. Saks Off 5th was also added, but the competing outlet center remained the stronger regional destination. Prime Retail acquired the competing Niagara outlet property in December 1997 for $89 million, intensifying the competitive environment. Burlington Coat Factory closed in 1999. Cordish announced that Rainbow Centre Factory Outlet would close at the end of September 2000, while initially retaining the off-track betting operation. The company also considered converting the site into an entertainment district, consistent with its broader shift toward entertainment-oriented downtown developments. That redevelopment did not occur. The OTB lounge closed in October 2005, after which the former mall was left largely abandoned. In October 2010, David S. Cordish sold the property to Niagara County Community College for educational and culinary uses. A portion of the former complex reopened in September 2012 as the Niagara Falls Culinary Institute, together with a Barnes & Noble bookstore. The culinary institute occupied approximately 90,000 square feet and was developed at a reported cost of $26 million, according to the cited reference material. The rest of the former mall was gutted, remained unused for years, and deteriorated through vandalism and neglect. A proposed indoor water park and hotel project, Water Falls Resort, was announced in 2014 through a partnership involving New York State and Uniland Development Company. The proposed $150 million project was canceled in December 2019 after an assessment determined that it was not economically feasible. In 2021, Empire State Development and its USA Niagara subsidiary advanced a new redevelopment effort for the remaining approximately 200,000-square-foot portion of the complex. Marvel Architects was selected to develop plans for a mixed-use project incorporating retail, restaurants, and improvements intended to strengthen tourism and downtown walkability. The former outlet center therefore became a redevelopment site rather than an operating retail brand.
History
Rainbow Centre Factory Outlet originated in a downtown redevelopment program created after Niagara Falls suffered prolonged economic decline. In November 1967, the Niagara Falls Urban Renewal Agency established the Rainbow Center Project No. 1 Urban Renewal Plan. The plan covered a large section of downtown bounded by Niagara Street, Third Street, Rainbow Boulevard, and Prospect Street. It proposed demolishing deteriorated industrial buildings, reorganizing streets and alleys, expanding parking, and creating landscaped pedestrian spaces. Although much of the original master plan was never completed, it supported major civic projects, including the Niagara Falls Convention and Civic Center, which opened in 1974, and the Niagara Falls Wintergarden, completed in 1977. In 1979, The Cordish Company of Baltimore was selected to develop the final major component under a 75-year leasehold arrangement. The company built a parking ramp, completed in 1981, next to the Wintergarden. The first two floors of the structure were adapted into an enclosed shopping mall modeled on the festival-marketplace concept. Cordish's reference point was Harborplace in Baltimore, a successful downtown project developed by The Rouse Company. The resulting Rainbow Centre Mall opened formally on July 2, 1982. The mall contained more than 60 traditional retail storefronts and a food court known as Bon Appetit. Its anchor was Beir's Department Store, a local institution whose history in Niagara Falls extended back to the establishment of Beir Bros. by Edwin Beir around 1891. National tenants included The Gap, Casual Corner, RadioShack, and GNC. The mall also hosted public events and benefited from seasonal tourism, particularly holiday programming connected with the Winter Festival of Lights. Despite these attractions, the center did not perform consistently well. The core problem was partly architectural. Because the mall was inserted into a parking garage, many stores and restaurants were recessed or difficult to see from the public realm. The property consequently lacked the natural pedestrian flow associated with a conventional street-front shopping center. It also competed with suburban retail and struggled to attract sufficient customers from Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Ontario, and the surrounding tourist market. Beir's closure in 1986 removed the original anchor and made the center's commercial position still more fragile. Cordish attempted a major repositioning in February 1990 by converting Rainbow Centre Mall into Rainbow Centre Factory Outlet. The former Beir's space became a Burlington Coat Factory, and a Western Regional Off-Track Betting lounge was introduced. The outlet concept was intended to draw value-conscious shoppers and compete more directly with the Niagara Factory Outlet Mall, later renamed Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls. The strategy did not resolve the center's underlying access and competition problems. Saks Off 5th was added, but the rival outlet destination remained more successful. The competitive pressure increased after Prime Retail acquired the rival property in December 1997 for $89 million. Burlington closed in 1999. Cordish subsequently announced that the outlet center would close on September 30, 2000, requiring most tenants to leave while the OTB operation continued temporarily. Cordish considered reusing the site as an entertainment district, reflecting the company's growing interest in entertainment-led urban developments such as Power Plant Live! in Baltimore. A notice at the property described the closure as being for renovations, but the proposed transformation never took place. The OTB operation finally closed in October 2005, leaving the former mall entirely abandoned. In October 2010, David S. Cordish personally sold the abandoned property to Niagara County Community College. The college planned to use the site for a culinary institute, a student-operated restaurant, and a bookstore. Those plans produced the Niagara Falls Culinary Institute and a Barnes & Noble location, which opened in September 2012. The culinary institute occupied roughly 90,000 square feet and the redevelopment was reported to have cost $26 million. Later plans continued to change. In 2014, New York State and Buffalo-area developer Uniland Development Company proposed Water Falls Resort, a $150 million indoor water park and hotel complex. That plan was canceled in December 2019 after economic-feasibility concerns. Large portions of the former mall were stripped of their interiors and remained vacant, allowing disrepair and vandalism to accumulate. In 2021, Empire State Development, acting through USA Niagara Development Corporation, solicited proposals for a new redevelopment of approximately 200,000 square feet. Marvel Architects was selected to advance a mixed-use concept involving retail, restaurants, tourism uses, and improvements to downtown pedestrian connectivity. The property's history thus shifted from mall development to outlet repositioning, abandonment, partial institutional reuse, and long-term mixed-use redevelopment.
- 2021
Mixed-use redevelopment planning advances
[1]Empire State Development and USA Niagara selected Marvel Architects to plan a mixed-use redevelopment of the remaining vacant space.
- 2019
Water Falls Resort proposal canceled
[1]The proposed indoor water park and hotel project was abandoned because of economic-feasibility concerns.
- 2012
Culinary institute and bookstore open
[1]The Niagara Falls Culinary Institute and a Barnes & Noble bookstore opened in part of the former mall.
- 2010
Property sold to Niagara County Community College
[1]The abandoned property was transferred by Cordish for educational and culinary redevelopment.
- 2005
OTB lounge closes
[1]The remaining off-track betting operation closed, leaving the former mall fully abandoned.
- 2000
Rainbow Centre Factory Outlet closes
[1]The center closed permanently on September 30 after failing to compete effectively in the regional outlet market.
- 1997
Competing outlet center is acquired by Prime Retail
[1]Prime Retail acquired the rival Niagara Factory Outlet Mall for $89 million, increasing competitive pressure on Rainbow Centre.
- 1990
Mall converted into an outlet center
[1]Cordish relaunched the property as Rainbow Centre Factory Outlet, adding Burlington Coat Factory and a regional off-track betting lounge.
- 1986
Beir's Department Store closes
[1]The historic local department-store anchor permanently shut down.
- 1982
Rainbow Centre Mall opens
[1]The mall held its formal grand opening on July 2 with more than 60 stores and Beir's Department Store as its anchor.
Products and positioning
Originally positioned as a downtown festival marketplace and later repositioned as an outlet center serving Niagara Falls tourism and regional shoppers.
Enclosed shopping mall · 1982
Rainbow Centre Mall
The original retail format opened in 1982 as a downtown festival marketplace. It contained more than 60 stores, a food court, and a range of national and local tenants, including The Gap, Casual Corner, RadioShack, GNC, and Beir's Department Store. Its retail space was integrated into the lower levels of a parking ramp next to the Wintergarden.
Outlet center · 1990
Rainbow Centre Factory Outlet
The outlet format launched in 1990 as an attempt to address the mall's weak financial performance and compete with the nearby Niagara Factory Outlet Mall. Burlington Coat Factory occupied the former Beir's anchor space, while Saks Off 5th and other value-oriented retail uses were part of the later tenant mix.
Culinary education and hospitality facility · 2012
Niagara Falls Culinary Institute
Opened in 2012 in a portion of the former mall after the property was acquired by Niagara County Community College. The facility provided culinary-education space and included a student-run restaurant concept, giving the abandoned retail structure a new institutional and tourism-oriented use.
Bookstore · 2012
Barnes & Noble bookstore
A Barnes & Noble location opened alongside the Niagara Falls Culinary Institute in September 2012, occupying part of the reused former shopping-center space.
Marketing campaigns
- 2010Educational and culinary reuse
Niagara Falls, New York
After the mall had been abandoned, Niagara County Community College acquired the site and planned a culinary institute, student restaurant, and bookstore.
Outcome. The Niagara Falls Culinary Institute and Barnes & Noble opened in 2012 in part of the former complex.
- 1990Factory-outlet repositioning
United States
Cordish changed the mall's format and name to Rainbow Centre Factory Outlet, adding value-oriented retail and an off-track betting lounge in an effort to compete with the nearby Niagara outlet center.
Outcome. The repositioning did not produce a sustainable recovery, and the center closed in 2000.
- 1982Grand-opening and festival-marketplace launch
Niagara Falls, New York · Regional tourism market
The opening positioned Rainbow Centre as a downtown attraction modeled on the festival-marketplace concept, combining retail, dining, public events, and proximity to the Wintergarden.
Outcome. The center attracted visitors and hosted community and holiday events, but its unusual parking-ramp layout contributed to long-term commercial underperformance.
Brand decisions
2021
Advance a mixed-use redevelopment planStrategyBackground
Most of the former mall remained vacant and deteriorated after the educational reuse of only part of the site.
Action taken
Empire State Development and USA Niagara selected Marvel Architects to plan a mixed-use complex with retail, restaurants, and improved downtown connections.
Aftermath
The project was presented as a way to support tourism and improve walkability; a completed redevelopment outcome is not established in the available material.
2014
Propose Water Falls ResortStrategyBackground
State and local redevelopment efforts sought a tourism-oriented use for the former mall property.
Action taken
New York State partnered with Uniland Development Company on a proposed indoor water park and hotel project.
Aftermath
The proposal was canceled in December 2019 after economic-feasibility concerns.
Proposed project cost. (2014 proposal)
2000
Close the outlet center and consider entertainment reuseStrategyBackground
The center continued to lose commercial relevance, and Burlington Coat Factory had closed in 1999.
Action taken
Cordish closed the mall to regular tenants and considered converting it into an entertainment district.
Aftermath
The entertainment-district plan never materialized, and the property remained abandoned until its 2010 sale.
1990
Convert the enclosed mall into an outlet centerStrategyBackground
Rainbow Centre had struggled because of weak profitability, an inconvenient layout within a parking garage, and competition from other retail locations.
Action taken
Cordish relaunched the property as Rainbow Centre Factory Outlet, converted the former Beir's space to Burlington Coat Factory, and added an OTB lounge.
Aftermath
The outlet strategy failed to overcome regional competition, and the property closed permanently in 2000.
- Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls — The competing outlet center remained the more popular regional destination.
Sources1 sources
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