Stuyvesant Plaza

Stuyvesant Plaza is a shopping plaza and office complex located in the Albany suburb of Guilderland, on Western Avenue (US 20), near the south end of the Adirondack Northway. The shopping portion in its current incarnation features shops like West Elm, Lilly Pulitzer, and White House Black Market. The complex includes a number of high and low rise office buildings near the shopping center. The shopping plaza opened in 1959,[1] making it the third oldest in the Capital Region, after Latham Corners Shopping Center in 1957.

Stuyvesant Plaza
LocationGuilderland, New York
Opening date1959
DeveloperLewis A. Swyer
OwnerThe Swyer Companies
No. of stores and services65
No. of anchor tenants0
Total retail floor area240,000 sq ft (22,000 m2)
No. of floors1

Development

The plaza was built by Lewis A. Swyer and opened in 1959.[2] Initially, it had 18 stores, was 170,000 square feet (16,000 m2),[3] and was L-shaped. By 1960, it had 35 stores and was U shaped, as it is today.[4] Stuyvesant Plaza is on a 28-acre (11 ha) parcel.[3]

Opening

Stuyvesant Plaza opened on November 4, 1959 with ceremonies beginning at 10am.[3]

Ownership

Stuyvesant Plaza and Executive Park office suites are owned by the Swyer Companies.[5]

Size

As of 1987, the plaza consisted of 240,000 square feet (22,000 m2).[6]

Facelifts

By 1981, Stuyvesant Plaza as a shopping center was performing poorly. It was an average strip mall with no serious distinction.[7] Consultants suggested the complex focus on discount retailers. However, the complex ended up focusing on small, non-chain retailers. It was predicted that this would lead to ruin for the plaza.[7] The gamble paid off and a facelift was completed by the mid 1980s.[8] The facelift caused the strip mall to be one of the top performers along the East Coast.[7] By early 1987, there were 62 specialty retail stores at the plaza.[7] By May 2015, the center had received what one source referred to as an "upscale evolution".[9]

Sources
  1. Brown, Cailin (1990-03-06), "B. Foreman store shutters door at Stuyvesant Plaza", Times Union, The (Albany), p. B11
  2. Borsellino, Robert (1990-06-27), "Plaza's Studio Theatre to be renamed for Swyer", Times Union, The (Albany), p. B1
  3. "Looking Back", Times Union, The (Albany), p. CL46, 2000-02-27
  4. "The malling of the Capital Region", Times Union, The (Albany), p. A3, 1999-08-15
  5. Gottlieb, Jane (1991-07-25), "Swyer Company names McEwan to No. 2 position", Times Union, The (Albany), p. B17
  6. Hass, Nancy (1987-09-14), "Image-builders consultants help shopping centers look good to tenants", Times Union, The (Albany), p. D1
  7. Hass, Nancy (1987-02-08), "Upscale plaza a 'clairvoyant decision decision in a tough market'", Times Union, The (Albany), p. E1
  8. Hass, Nancy (1986-04-16), "Strip Malls Back in Style", Times Union, The (Albany), p. 4B
  9. Michael, Jordan J. (May 15, 2015). "The upscale evolution of Stuyvesant Plaza". The Altamont Enterprise. Retrieved April 8, 2017.

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