The Summit

The Summit, formerly Summit Park Mall was a one-level shopping mall 20.9 miles (33.7 km) northwest of downtown Buffalo, New York, between Williams Road, Lancelot Drive, Plaza Drive and Sawyer Drive in Wheatfield, a suburb of Buffalo. The mall had five anchor tenants which once housed Sears, Bon-Ton, Steve & Barry's, Save-A-Lot and Macy's Closeout Store.
== Mall History ==
In 1972, Summit Park Mall opened with six anchor tenants which were Sears, AM&A's, Hens & Kelly, Jenss, Child World and McCrory. In 1982, Hens & Kelly moved out of the mall and was vacant for ten years until October, 1992 when Macy's Closeout Store opened in the space. In 1992, Child World closed its store and the space was converted into Toys R Us in December, 1992. Macy's Closeout Store closed in 1995 and was never replaced by another anchor. In 1995, AM&A's was converted into Bon-Ton. In 1998, Jenss closed down.
== Decline ==
By the late 1990s, the mall was about 40% vacant, and its owners had expressed interest in converting portions of it to office space. In 2004, a local developer purchased the mall for $5 million, with plans to rename the complex Destination Niagara USA. At that point, the mall was 65% vacant. The mall was then renamed to The Summit, and new tenants were added, including a Steve & Barry's, which opened in 2005 in the former Jenss space, a children's play center in the former McCrory, and the Niagara Aerospace Museum, although this institution later moved to the former Niagara Falls International Airport's old terminal on Niagara Falls Boulevard in Niagara Falls. In early 2006, Toys R Us closed down. The mall's sales increased by 18% in 2007. In 2008, Save-A-Lot opened in half of the old Toys R Us space. In 2008, Steve & Barry's closed down. In May 2009, the mall's owners, Oberlin Plaza One, announced that the mall would close on June 6th following a company's filing for bankruptcy protection. At the time, twenty-five stores operated within the mall. The mall was allowed to stay open beyond this date after the U.S. Bankruptcy Court decided to extend the deadline for closure, although many of the twenty-five remaining tenants relocated. By August 2009, the mall's last three inline tenants moved out, leaving only Sears and Bon-Ton. In January 2013, the mall building was flooded with up to six inches of water from a pipe, in what was believed by Niagara County Police to be an act of vandalism.
== Redevelopment ==
In March 2014, Zoran Cocov purchased the mall for 4.2 million dollars. Cocov revealed plans in late 2014 to revive the space adding stores, museums, a sportplex, wine tasting center, and a business incubator. Cocov also received tax breaks for 700,000 dollars for five years for renovations to revive the space. In 2016, it was announced that a brewery project was to be added to the current mall project. In 2018, both the Sears and Bon-Ton began liquidations and closed down permanently. In December 2019, The Niagara International Sports & Entertainment opened in the former Sears space.
Category:Malls in the United States
Category:Malls in New York
Category:Buffalo Area Malls
Category:Niagara County, New York
Category:Dead Malls
Category:Defunct malls
Category:Former Macy's-anchored Malls
Category:Former AM&A's-anchored Malls
Category:Former Sears-anchored Malls
Category:Former Bon-Ton-anchored Malls
Category:Former Child World-anchored Malls
Category:Former Toys "R" Us-anchored Malls
Category:Former Save-A-Lot-anchored Malls
Category:Former Hens & Kelly-anchored Malls
Category:Former Jenss-anchored Malls
Category:Former McCrory-anchored Malls
Category:Malls that opened in 1972
Category:Forest City Enterprises
Category:Former Malls