DEAD MALL - FINGERLAKES MALL - Auburn, NY

#mall #deadmall #newyork #fingerlakes #retail

The Fingerlakes Mall, located along Route 5 in Aurelius (just west of Auburn, New York), opened on April 9, 1980. Developed by Syracuse-based real estate firm The Pyramid Companies, the single-level, ~400,000-square-foot indoor shopping center was built to serve Cayuga County as its primary retail hub.
Development and Golden Era (1980s)
Designed by architect Alfred H. Dal Pos, the interior featured classic Pyramid hallmarks of the era: skylights, natural brick planters, a prominent central "Cafe Square" food court, and local entertainment options.
Original Anchors: JCPenney (1980), Kmart (May 1980), regional department store Chappell's (1981), and Sears (1982).
Entertainment & Local Culture: The mall housed the Track Cinema and Interskate 90, a popular upper-level roller rink that famously featured a 1940 DeSoto automobile converted into a DJ sound booth.
Peak Occupancy: Throughout the 1980s, the center maintained over 65 inline stores and restaurants.
Shift and Decline (1990s–2000s)
By the 1990s, regional retail dynamics in Central New York shifted significantly.
1. Competition: The 1990 opening of Pyramid’s mega-mall, Carousel Center (now Destiny USA) in nearby Syracuse, drew away significant regional foot traffic and major national inline retailers.
2. Anchor Turnover: Chappell's closed its location in 1993, and Kmart shuttered its space in the late 1990s.
3. Bass Pro Shops Arrival (2004): In an effort to reposition the property, management secured New York State's first Bass Pro Shops location. Sears moved into the former Kmart footprint to clear room for the 85,500-square-foot outdoor superstore. While Bass Pro drew destination shoppers, it functioned mostly independently of the inline mall corridor.
Recent History and Current State
The remaining original anchor stores phased out during the 2010s national retail contraction, with Sears closing in 2015 followed later by JCPenney.
In September 2022, Vachi Fingerlakes, LLC acquired the 55-acre property. The ownership secured a long-term lease extension with Bass Pro Shops through at least 2037 while transitioning remaining vacant spaces toward local independent businesses, regional services, and community event use.

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