Crossgates Commons facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Crossgates Commons

Inside of Walmart at Crossgates Commons, the largest Walmart in the United States
Location	Albany, New York, United States
Coordinates	42°41′49″N 73°50′51″W / 42.69694°N 73.84750°W / 42.69694; -73.84750
Opening date	1994
Developer	The Pyramid Companies
Management	The Pyramid Companies
No. of stores and services	15

Crossgates Commons is a large shopping plaza in Albany, New York. You can find it along Washington Avenue Extension. This shopping center is owned and managed by Pyramid Management Group, Inc.. They also own and manage the Crossgates Mall nearby.

History of Crossgates Commons

Crossgates Commons was built in an area called the Albany Pine Bush. This is a special kind of forest with many pine trees. It is one of the largest "pine barrens" in the world. Long ago, in the early 1600s, Native American groups like the Mohawk nation and the Mahican people used this area. They hunted there and gathered wood. Today, a large part of the Pine Bush is a protected area. It is called the Pine Bush Preserve and is located across the street from the shopping center.

The shopping center first opened its doors in 1994. Some of the first stores included Walmart, Sam's Club, Home Depot, Media Play, Old Navy, and MJ Designs.

In 2008, the Walmart at Crossgates Commons became very special. It grew into a huge Walmart Supercenter. This made it the largest Walmart in the United States. It is also the largest Walmart outside of China. This giant store covers 260,000 square feet (24,000 m²) and has two floors!

What Crossgates Commons is Like

This shopping center has a unique design. It has two levels of stores. You can reach the stores on the upper level from the front of the building. The stores on the lower level are reached from the back.

Crossgates Commons opened in 1994. It has a total of 1,300,000 square feet (120,000 m²) of space for stores. Even though it's not super old, it has already been expanded. Also, some stores have changed locations or closed over the years.

Stores You Can Find There

Here are some of the stores at Crossgates Commons, listed from left to right.

Upper Level Stores

• The Home Depot
• At Home
• Kitchen 216 (a separate building)
• McDonald's (a separate building)
• Skechers Outlet
• T.J. Maxx (part of this store is now American Freight)
• American Freight
• Panera Bread
• Party City
• Walmart—2nd Floor (this is the department store part)

Lower Level Stores

• Walmart—1st Floor (this is the supermarket part)
• Urban Air Trampoline & Adventure Park
• PetSmart
• Albany Ninja Lab
• My Hot Tub
• Planet Fitness
• Michaels
• Mattress Xpress

Past Stores of Interest

Over the years, many stores have come and gone at Crossgates Commons. Here are a few notable ones:

• Media Play (one of the first stores, closed in 1997)
• MJ Designs (another original store, closed in 1999 and is now Michaels)
• Sam's Club (an original store, closed in 2006 and is now part of the Walmart Supercenter)
• Old Navy (an original store, closed in 2008)
• Circuit City (closed in 2009 when the whole chain shut down)

How Big Are the Stores?

Here are the sizes of some of the biggest stores at Crossgates Commons:

• The Home Depot (103,000 sq ft (9,600 m²))
• Michael's (35,000 sq ft (3,300 m²))
• At Home (90,000 sq ft (8,400 m²))
• Walmart (260,000 sq ft (24,000 m²))
• T.J. Maxx (34,000 sq ft (3,200 m²))