The story of The Mall at Greece Ridge is the story of two shopping malls that were combined into one to create the biggest mall in the Rochester region.
It started with Greece Towne Mall, the area’s first indoor suburban mall. It opened on West Ridge Road on May 1, 1967, just five years after Midtown Plaza opened in downtown Rochester as the nation’s first urban shopping mall.
At that time, the town of Greece was experiencing explosive growth. Fueled by Eastman Kodak’s expansion, the town’s population swelled from around 48,000 in 1960 to more than 75,000 in 1970, Alan Morrell reported for the Democrat and Chronicle in 2015.
The idea for the mall was hatched by the owners of Sibley, Lindsay & Curr Co.
When it opened, Greece Towne Mall measured more than 365,000 square feet and had 14 stores, including Sibley’s, National Clothing Co., Thom McAn Shoes and Paine’s Rexall Drug Store.
Fortunately, no one was hurt when a hot-air balloon launch that was part of the grand opening went awry. The plan was for ceremonial ribbons tethering the balloon to the ground to be cut, gently releasing the aircraft and kicking off the celebration. But the balloon broke free prematurely and, with ribbons trailing, sailed for about 15 minutes before making a rough landing in a farm field just south of Lake Ontario, the Democrat and Chronicle reported.
By the end of ’67, all of the mall’s 46 shops were filled.
One of its most intriguing original features (later removed) was the WonderFall, which the Democrat and Chronicle called “an innovation of the Space Age.” Stretching from floor to ceiling and measuring 37 feet around, it was a cylinder created from 1,440 stretched vertical strands of nylon monofilament. Droplets of oil would flow along the strands, and at any given moment more than 400,000 of them were descending, giving “the appearance that the entire column is ‘alive,’” the newspaper said. The visual effects were further enhanced by the use of multicolored floodlights.
Long Ridge Mall, founded by Sibley’s rival McCurdy & Co., opened in 1971. Located just west of Greece Towne, the $20 million development (originally known has Long Ridge Plaza) had 800,000 square feet of retail space. Tenants included anchors McCurdy’s, B. Forman Co., Sears and J.B. Hunter, as well as more than 50 smaller stores.
However, Greece Towne continued to do well, positioning itself as a community center and hosting events.
Like Greece Towne and its WonderFall, Long Ridge had art pieces, most notably the Electric Ball Circus. The audio-kinetic sculpture by George Rhoads featured colored balls that dropped into baskets, hit drums, set hammers in motion and moved through ramps, spirals and tunnels. Rhoads’ creation now is part of the collection at ArtisanWorks in Rochester.
An early-1980s expansion bumped Greece Towne Mall’s size to nearly 500,000 square feet. But by the late ’80s, talks started about linking Greece Towne and Long Ridge to create one mammoth mall.
A retail official said the move would “breathe some life” into the Greece malls, which at that point had lost some steam because of the success of the newer Marketplace Mall in Henrietta. The opening of Irondequoit Mall in 1990 and Eastview Mall expansion plans gave the idea additional momentum.
Officials from Wilmorite, which by then owned both Greece malls, spent a reported $50 million to $70 million to link Greece Towne and Long Ridge. An atrium skylight, a food court with a carousel, a TGI Fridays restaurant and dozens of new stores were added. And once finished, The Mall at Greece Ridge covered more than 1.6 million square feet. (The work also included adding a lane to West Ridge Road between Long Pond and Fetzner roads to alleviate traffic concerns.)
The Fridays closed in 2023. Currently, the mall features more than 100 businesses, including a new Apple Cinemas movie theater, which took the place of a Regal.
The mall also lost its Macy’s store. But this fall, it will welcome a significant new-to-the-market tenant, Boscov’s department store.
At 175,000 square feet, it will be the largest department store in the region, a Wilmorite representative said.
Based in Reading, Pennsylvania, Boscov’s prides itself on offering goods in a broad range of categories — apparel, housewares, furniture and beauty, to name a few — at competitive prices.
It even has an old-fashioned candy counter where fudge is made on-site daily.
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Reporter Marcia Greenwood covers general assignments and has an interest in retail news. Send story tips to mgreenwo@rocheste.gannett.com. Follow her on X @MarciaGreenwood.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Greece Ridge mall in photos: A look back at Rochester’s largest mall
Reporting by Marcia Greenwood, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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