By Michael Morton
“I think it's beautiful,” said Margaret Murphy, 49, who lives near the Elmhurst mall at Queens and Woodhaven boulevards.
The $275 million redevelopment project began in the summer of 2002 as the owner of the mall, the Macerich Co., sought to bring the amenities of a suburban mall to an urban space.
During the project the original section of the 27-year-old shopping center was renovated with lighter colors and a skylight to replace the ceiling of the main atrium.
The mall also expanded into an adjacent site at 59th Avenue and 92nd Street, enlarging its square footage from 620,000 to 1 million.
The project will increase the number of merchants from 69 to 175 with newscomers such as Express, The Body Shop and Benetton, said Macerich executives.
Queens leaders said they hoped the center would be transformed from a neighborhood shopping center to a one-stop regional mall.
“You can shop right here in Elmhurst and get the same quality merchandise as you can in those other places,” said state Sen. John Sabini (D-Jackson Heights), referring to malls in Long Island as he spoke at a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the mall's new food court Saturday.
“Another star has been added to the crown of Queens,” Borough President Helen Marshall said. She said the mall was already the highest grossing of any in the country, with 2.1 million customers within a 5-mile radius, and cited increased tax revenues and the creation of retail jobs, expected to climb from 1,700 to 3,000.
Even before the redevelopment, the mall earned an average of $900 per square foot, well above the national average of $300 to $325, the Macerich Co. reported. On the day of the unveiling, several shoppers agreed that the renovation and expansion project would bring in still more business.
“It was a nice mall before,” said Erica Perez, 39, of Corona, who has visited the center for 11 years. “They just made it better. I see a more diverse crowd now.” Perez said people were already placing the mall on the same level as the one at Roosevelt Field, just across the border in Nassau County.
Other customers noted the diversity of the additional stores and said they no longer needed to travel all over the borough or into Manhattan and Long Island to find what they wanted.
“You save time,” said Nelsy Muniz, 64, a Richmond Hill resident shopping with her granddaughter.
In addition to a skylight ceiling, the new section of the mall features a beige and cream color scheme, with chrome handrails along the atrium. During the redevelopment, the old section of the mall was kept open, although the two flagship stores underwent construction. JCPenney moved into a new location in the expanded section and enlarged its retail space, while Macy's, the other cornerstone, stayed put but added a floor.
The last phase of the mall will be unveiled this fall with new retail shops in the old JCPenney site.
The two mall sections now look similar and are connected by a pedestrian walkway over 92nd Street.
“The natural light has changed everyone's spirits totally,” said Cody Hanu Hutchins, a poet and writer who used to manage a jeans store in the center and is one of the Queens residents Macerich is using in adverting campaigns.
But even before the change, Hutchins said the mall had a better vibe than others in the region. “The best energy, the best volume of people – that same spirit made all this.”
Now those involved with the project hope that spirit pays off. Said Borough President Marshall: “Open the doors, ring up the cash registers and shop till you drop.”
Reach reporter Michael Morton by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by calling 718-299-0300, Ext. 154.
