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Cross County Shopping Center facts for kids

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Cross County Shopping Center
Cross County Shopping Center Macerich.jpg
Location Yonkers, New York, United States
Coordinates 40°55′38″N 73°51′17″W / 40.927286°N 73.854711°W / 40.927286; -73.854711
Opening date 1954
Management Marx Realty
Owner Brooks Shopping Center LLC
No. of stores and services 100+
No. of anchor tenants 2 (1 open, 1 vacant)
Total retail floor area 1,000,000 square feet (93,000 m2)
No. of floors 1 (2 in Gap and Marshalls/HomeGoods, 2 and basement storage space in Forever 21, 3 in Westchester Community College, 3 and a penthouse in former Sears, 4 in Macy's)

The Cross County Shopping Center, also known as Cross County Center, is a big outdoor shopping area in Yonkers, New York, United States. It has more than 100 stores and places to eat, including a large Macy's department store. It's managed by a company called Marx Realty. Right next to it, there's also a smaller shopping area called The Mall at Cross County.

A Look Back: How Cross County Shopping Center Started

The Cross County Shopping Center first opened in 1954. It was the very first shopping mall in the state of New York! A man named Sol Atlas helped build it.

When it first opened, the mall was quite unique. It even had a hospital right in the middle of the shopping area, complete with a place for helicopters to land on the roof! This hospital closed in the early 1980s.

The first big stores were Gimbels (which later became Stern's and then Macy's), John Wanamaker (which later became Sears), and F. W. Woolworth Company. Woolworth had two stores here. One became regular mall space, and the other became Odd-Job Trading before turning into Old Navy.

Big Changes and Upgrades

From 2007 to 2012, the Cross County Shopping Center got a big makeover. The company The Macerich Company helped with these changes. The huge building that now holds Macy's was made even bigger. It also got a new covered parking lot.

Many of the buildings with stores were updated and now look different. Some smaller stores were taken down to make space for new things.

In 2010, a Red Lobster restaurant opened. Later, in 2015, Olive Garden and Longhorn Steakhouse restaurants also opened here.

New Businesses and What's Next

In October 2014, work began to turn the old Cross County Hospital into a Hyatt Place Hotel. This hotel has eight floors and 155 guest rooms. It opened in early 2015.

On June 6, 2019, it was announced that Sears would be closing its store. Sears had been at the mall for 35 years. Its last day was July 28, 2019.

The mall has been owned by Brooks Shopping Center LLC for a long time. This company is owned by Marx Realty and Benenson Capital Partners. On January 17, 2020, Marx Realty took over managing the mall. They are now working on updating the old Sears space.

On October 12, 2020, it was announced that Target would be opening a new store in the former Sears spot in 2021.

What's in a Name?

The Cross County Shopping Center was first called "Cross County Center." You can still see this shorter name on some older signs around the area. However, newer signs and the mall's official website now use the longer name, "Cross County Shopping Center." There are plans to replace the two very old neon signs on Central Avenue and Kimball Avenue with new ones.

The Mall at Cross County

Right next to the Cross County Shopping Center, there's another indoor mall called The Mall at Cross County. It's located at 750 Central Park Avenue. This mall has air conditioning and a large covered parking garage.

It has many different stores and restaurants. Some of the stores you can find there include National Wholesale Liquidators, Marshalls, T.J. Maxx, Micro Center, HomeGoods, LensCrafters, and Sleepy's. There are also places like Powerhouse Gym, GNC, JD Hair Salon, Kid City, Ideal Jewelers, Pizza In The Square, Subway, Pretzel Time, and TCBY.

Newer stores that have opened include Century 21 and Michaels. Some stores, like Sports Authority and Payless ShoeSource, closed in 2016 and 2019. On September 10, 2020, it was announced that Century 21 would be closing all its stores, including the one at The Mall at Cross County.

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