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Walt Whitman Shops

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Coordinates: 40°49′20″N 73°24′35″W / 40.8223°N 73.4097°W / 40.8223; -73.4097
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Walt Whitman Shops
The Walt Whitman statue in front of Walt Whitman Shops
Map
LocationHuntington Station, New York
Coordinates40°49′20″N 73°24′35″W / 40.8223°N 73.4097°W / 40.8223; -73.4097
Opening dateNovember 23, 1962; 61 years ago (1962-11-23)
OwnerSimon Property Group
ArchitectWelton Becket
No. of stores and services105
No. of anchor tenants3
Total retail floor area1,089,350 sq ft (101,204 m2)
No. of floors1 (2 in Saks Fifth Avenue, 3 in Bloomingdale's, 4 in Macy's)
Parking5,043 spaces
Public transit accessBus transport Suffolk County Transit: 1, 3, 6
Bus transport Huntington Area Rapid Transit: H20, H30, H40
Bus transport Nassau Inter-County Express: n79, n79x
Websitesimon.com/mall/walt-whitman-shops

Walt Whitman Shops (formerly known as Walt Whitman Mall) is a shopping mall in Huntington Station, New York, on Long Island.[1][2] The mall features the traditional retailers Macy's, Bloomingdale's, and Saks Fifth Avenue. The mall is named for the poet Walt Whitman due to the close proximity to his birthplace, a US National Historic Site, located near the mall.[3]

The mall is owned and managed by Simon Property Group, one of the largest developers of shopping malls in the US.

History

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Walt Whitman Shopping Center

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Built as New York's first indoor shopping mall, the facility cost $20 million at included 75 stores. It opened around anchors R.H. Macy & Company and Abraham & Straus in November 1962. It was the first time both companies directly competed with each other in the same location.[4]

The Walt Whitman Shopping Center, as it was called then, was built by the Winston-Muss Corporation and featured a Japanese garden, aviary, and sculpted mobile based on the poetry of Walt Whitman.[5][6] By January 1963, the facility was fully rented.[7] In May, a single-screen movie theater opened, operated by Century.[8]

Walt Whitman Mall

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By the early 1970s, the location was being referred to as the Walt Whitman Mall.[9] Winston-Muss sold the mall to N.K. Winston, Inc. in 1973, who sold it to Corporate Property Investors three years later.[10]

On November 13, 1984, a fire destroyed seven stores, damaged 25 others, and collapsed part of the roof.[11] It took seven fire companies four hours to get the blaze under control; 13 people were treated for minor injuries.[12][13] Two thirds of the stores were able to reopen soon after, while the rest were sealed off for repair.[14]

On May 16, 1991, a fire killed two people and injured 36 others. It was the fourth fire at the McCrory's location in six months.[15][16] In 1993, a McCrory's worker pleaded guilty to tossing a lit cigarette into a display of silk flowers set on a block of styrofoam, causing significant damage to the store and killing two of his coworkers, aged 20 and 27. The store never reopened.[17][18]

By 1995, CPI was planning a massive, $50 million expansion project that would grow the mall 30% by adding a second floor, 80 stores, food court, multiscreen cinema, and two new garages. However, the plan faced significant protest from local homeowners.[19][20] When Federated Department Stores merged A&S into Macy's, the Walt Whitman Mall became the first location in the country to have two Macy's storefronts. However, Bloomingdale's was soon brought in to serve as a new anchor store.[4]

In February 1998, Simon DeBartolo Group purchased CPI and took control of the mall.[21] Simon completed a $85 million renovation in March 1999, adding 32 stores, marble floor tiles, vaulted ceilings, skylights, and a glass domed center court to expand the mall to one million square feet.[22] Programmable advertising displays and traffic monitoring features were also installed. Walt Whitman's poem "Leaves of Grass" was etched onto the outside of the building. Saks Fifth Avenue opened in March 1999, joining new tenants Williams Sonoma, L'Occitane, Sephora, and Brooks Brothers.[23] By June 2000, sales had increased by 18%, putting it ahead of the national sales average.[10] In July, Legal Seafoods opened a standalone location next to the mall.[24] The Whitman Theater closed in 2002.[25] In May 2003, an Apple Store opened at the mall.[26]

Walt Whitman Shops

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In February 2012, Simon received approval for another expansion project that would add 72,000 square feet to the upper and lower levels of the mall and 30 new storefronts.[27][28] Indoor renovations were completed in summer 2013 and the Walt Whitman Shops, as it was now called, was unveiled in November.[29][30] The walls featuring quotes from "Leaves of Grass" were removed and replaced by a bronze statue of Walt Whitman at the Mall's new main entrance.[31][28]

In August 2013, an Urban Outfitters opened.[32] On February 22, 2014, a carbon monoxide leak at Legal Seafoods killed one person and sickened 28 others. All three restaurants in the complex (Legal Sea Foods, The Cheesecake Factory, and Panera Bread) were evacuated.[33] The leak was blamed on a faulty water heater pipe.[34] The restaurant permanently closed at the end of the year.[35] On March 2, 2016, 10 people were hospitalized after Panera Bread suffered another carbon monoxide leak that originated from the construction site where Legal Seafoods used to be.[36][37]

On March 19, 2020, the Walt Whitman Shops closed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and didn't reopen until July 10.[38][39] On August 27, 2020, it was announced that Lord & Taylor would shutter its traditional brick-and-mortar format as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[40] The previous Lord & Taylor outpost is in the approval stages to become reconstructed for a vibrant modern office use concept.[41]

References

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  1. ^ "About", Walt Whitman Shops official website
  2. ^ "About Walt Whitman Shops". Simon Property Group. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  3. ^ Rumsey, Spencer; Twarowski, Christopher (September 10, 2013). "Walt Whitman's Long Island Roots". www.longislandpress.com. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Lisicky, Michael J. (2017). Abraham and Straus: It's Worth a Trip From Anywhere. Charleston, South Carolina: The History Press. pp. 74–75, 128. ISBN 9781625858870.
  5. ^ Porterfield, Byron (November 24, 1962). "Big Garden-Like Mall Dedicated At Huntington Shopping Center". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  6. ^ "David Muss, 74, a Real-Estate Developer". The New York Times. November 1, 1988. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  7. ^ "Whitman S.C. 100% Rented". The Observer. Vol. 39. January 3, 1963. p. 14. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  8. ^ "Century Whitman Theatre opening". Newsday (Suffolk Edition). May 28, 1963. p. 94. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  9. ^ Andelman, David A. (January 5, 1973). "G.I. BUS COMPANY SEEKS RUN TO CITY". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  10. ^ a b "An expensive facelift pays off | Long Island Business News". Long Island Business News. June 9, 2000. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  11. ^ "L.I. MALL STILL ASSESSING FIRE LOSSES". The New York Times. November 23, 1984. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  12. ^ McQuiston, John T. (November 14, 1984). "13 ARE INJURED AS STORES BURN IN HUNTINGTON". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  13. ^ Mitchell, Ellen (November 18, 1984). "MALL FIRE DIMS HOLIDAY HOPES". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  14. ^ Upi (November 15, 1984). "THE REGION; 16 Stores Reopen After Fire at Mall". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  15. ^ Logeman, Henry G. (May 17, 1991). "Two killed in spectacular Long Island mall blaze". UPI. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  16. ^ Lyall, Sarah (May 18, 1991). "Fatal Fire Is 4th in 6 Months at Store in Long Island Mall". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  17. ^ Wasserman, Elizabeth (February 3, 1993). "Guilty Plea in Deadly Mall Fire Ex-guard set blaze at McCrory's". Newsday. p. 25. Archived from the original on May 20, 2008. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
  18. ^ Lyall, Sarah (September 28, 1991). "Store Detective Held in Blaze At Suffolk Mall". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  19. ^ Ain, Stewart (October 29, 1995). "With Eye on Roosevelt Field, Walt Whitman Mall Plans Expansion". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  20. ^ Kellerman, Vivien (August 20, 1995). "Huntington Projects Draw Fire". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  21. ^ Bagli, Charles V. (February 20, 1998). "Simon DeBartolo Wins Fight For a Prime Group of Malls". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  22. ^ Ain, Stewart (January 9, 2000). "Retailers Got What They Wanted". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  23. ^ Madore, James T. (March 11, 1999). "New Saks Marks A Rebirth at Mall / Walt Whitman stays on an upscale course". ProQuest. Newsday. pp. A.55. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  24. ^ Staff, LIBN (May 26, 2000). "Seafood chain drops anchor on the Island | Long Island Business News". Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  25. ^ Everitt, David (October 12, 2003). "Old Movie Palaces: Can They Be Saved?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  26. ^ Sellers, Dennis (May 7, 2003). "Apple stores open Sat. in Bellevue, Wa., Long Island". Macworld. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  27. ^ Morris, Keiko (February 16, 2012). "Walt Whitman mall gets OK for expansion". Newsday. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  28. ^ a b Robinson, Pam (November 21, 2013). "Whitman Shops Celebrates Its New Look". Huntington, NY Patch. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  29. ^ Robinson, Pam (April 7, 2013). "Whitman Mall Renovations to Be Done by November". Commack, NY Patch. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  30. ^ "Walt Whitman Shops, formally the Walt Whitman Mall, reveals renovation with live entertainment, giveaways". News 12. November 21, 2013. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  31. ^ Robinson, Pam (November 27, 2013). "Mall Plans New 9/11 Tribute". Huntington, NY Patch. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  32. ^ Robinson, Pam (June 24, 2013). "Urban Outfitters to Open at Whitman Mall". Huntington, NY Patch. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  33. ^ "1 Dead, 28 Others Exposed to Carbon Monoxide at NY Mall". NBC News. February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
  34. ^ "Water Heater Pipe Blamed In Deadly L.I. Mall Carbon Monoxide Leak". www.cbsnews.com. February 23, 2014. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  35. ^ Genn, Adina (December 29, 2014). "Legal Sea Foods in Huntington Station Closes". Huntington, NY Patch. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  36. ^ Paige, McAtee (March 2, 2016). "Carbon Monoxide Incident at Panera in Walt Whitman Mall Sends 7 to Hospital". Huntington, NY Patch. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  37. ^ Tanner, Jeremy (March 2, 2016). "LI Panera Bread workers hospitalized after carbon monoxide leak". PIX11.
  38. ^ "5 Long Island malls to close today amid coronavirus outbreak". bronx.news12.com. March 19, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  39. ^ DeSantis, Michael (July 10, 2020). "2 Suffolk Malls To Reopen". Smithtown, NY Patch. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  40. ^ Parrish, Tory N. (August 20, 2020). "Lord & Taylor to close store at Walt Whitman Shops". Newsday. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  41. ^ Robinson, Pam (March 10, 2023). "Medical Office Use Planned for Former Lord & Taylor Store at Mall". Huntington Now. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
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