Carousel Center is a 1.5 million square foot (140,000 m²), seven-story super-regional shopping and entertainment complex on the shore of Onondaga Lake in Syracuse, New York. It has eight anchor store slots - currently filled with Best Buy, Bon Ton, H&M, JC Penney, Macy's, Lord & Taylor, and Sports Authority. Other large stores include Borders, DSW Shoe Warehouse, Old Navy, and Against All Odds. In addition, there is a seventeen-screen Regal Cinemas movie complex, a Bally Total Fitness, and around 150 other retail stores. It opened on October 15, 1990.
Layout
Of the six above ground and one underground floor, the top two floors are devoted to rentable event space, Destiny USA, and scenic overlook of the Syracuse area. The top floor, referred to as the Skydeck, has held a number of events over the years such as concerts, private parties, and city events.
The fourth floor is primarily mall offices, although much of its physical space is taken up by movie theaters, which are accessed from the third floor. The first and second floors span the length of the mall and house the various shops, vendors, restaurants and entertainment venues, with the major food court and namesake carousel being located on the second floor. The underground "Commons" floor houses six medium-sized stores, a chapel, some kiosks, and the two underground parking garages, one of which also houses Best Buy's installation center. The food court, on the second floor, has many eateries and several sit-down restaurants. Ruby Tuesday is located on the first floor below the food court and Uno Chicago Grill is located on the second level. This is also an indoor mini-golf and Play The Game Read the Story.
The mall has ample outside parking surrounding the mall on all sides, as well as one above ground and two underground parking garages. The mall is served by CENTRO buses. There are main entrances on all sides, as well as access through the anchor stores and from the underground parking.
Quick Facts
- The Carousel Center was home to the last-built and last-existing Bonwit Teller store. Pyramid had purchased the struggling chain in 1990 when Bonwit's bankruptcy threatened to leave the then-under construction Carousel Center without its most upscale anchor store. It closed in 2000, and was replaced by H&M. Until the recent addition, "Arendi" was built, some of its glamor could still be noted, such as elegant railings and a covered drive-up.
- The 1997 movie Blowin' Smoke, originally titled Freak Talks About Sex, contains many scenes filmed at the mall. The mall is also mentioned in the 2000 movie Snow Day.
- The Carousel Center has its own zip code, 13290, and post office. This post office operates as a "postal store", and is thus open regular mall hours, including Sundays and holidays.
- In the mid-to-late 1990s the Center saw four suicides, at least one from its observation deck level. The deck level closed for nearly 12 years after the suicides. The latest suicide took place on August 18, 2008.
- The name of the center is derived from a fully-operational and hand-restored 1909 carousel situated prominently in the mall. Originally known as Carousel No. 18, and built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company, this attraction provides the shopping center with its unique name and is only one of the reasons that the mall attracted more than 17 million visitors in 2001. The carousel was purchased from its former home, Roseland Park in Canandaigua, New York, when the park ceased operations in 1985.
Businesses
| Anchor Stores | ||
|---|---|---|
| Best Buy | The Bon Ton | H&M |
| JCPenney | Lord & Taylor | Macy's |
| Ultimate Electronics | ||
| Stores | ||
| 579 | 77kids | 99¢ City |
| Abercrombie & Fitch | Aerie | Aeropostale |
| Against All Odds | Aldo | All Star Sports Cards |
| American Eagle Outfitters | Ann Taylor | Apple |
| Around The World | AT&T | |
| Baby Alpaca | Banana Republic | Bare Escentuals |
| Bath & Body Works | bebe | Best Buy |
| BestFit Men's Wear | Body by Pagoda | Borders Books & Music |
| Brookstone | Build-A-Bear Workshop | Cache |
| Carousel News Stand | Cell Ace | Champs Sports |
| Charlotte Russe | Claire's | Clarks |
| Coach | Cooperstown Connection | Crabtree & Evelyn |
| Cyberstation | D & D Kitchen & Bath | Dakota Watch Company |
| Deb Shop | DSW | Eastern Mountain Sports |
| Express | F.Y.E | Famous Footwear |
| Famous Labels | Finish Line | FootAction USA |
| Footlocker | Forever 21 | Game Craze |
| GameStop | GAP | GAPKids |
| GNC | Guitar Outlet | Gymboree |
| H&M | Hallmark | Hannoush Jewelers |
| Henry Wilson Jewelers | Hollister Co. | Hot Coco's Beauty Supply |
| Hot Topic | J.Crew | J.Jill |
| JB Robinson Jewelers | Journeys | Journeys Kidz |
| Justice | Kay Jewelers | Kids Foot Locker |
| Lane Bryant | Lids | Littman Jewelers |
| Loft | Motherhood Maternity | New York & Company |
| Nextel/Sprint-Intouch Wireless | Oakley | Old Navy |
| PACSUN | Pagoda Plus | Pandora |
| Payless ShoeSource | Perfumania | Play The Game Read The Story |
| Pottery Barn | Pottery Barn Kids | Radio Shack |
| Regal Cinemas 17 | Select Comfort | Soha's Leather |
| Spencer Gifts | Sporting Goods and Fashions | Sports Authority |
| Sprint/Nexgen Wireless | Steve Madden | StreetGames |
| Stride Rite | Sunglass Hut | Swarovski |
| Syracuse Gift Company | The Children's Place | The Disney Store |
| The Limited | The Mobile Solution | The Vault |
| Things Remembered | T-Mobile | Toyland |
| Toys“R”Us Express | Trade Secret | Ultimate Electronics |
| Verizon Wireless | Victoria's Secret | Vitamin World |
| Wet Seal | Williams-Sonoma | Yankee Candle Company |
| Zales | Zumiez | |
| Restaurants | ||
| Arby's | Auntie Anne's Pretzels | Borders Espresso Cafe |
| Cajun Cafe | Caramel Corn Shoppe | Chicken Now |
| China Max | Coldstone Creamery | Dunkin' Donuts |
| Gelato d'Italia | Gertrude Hawk Chocolates | Japan Cafe Grill |
| Johnny Rockets | Lindt Chocolate | Mr. Smoothie |
| Ruby Tuesday | Sbarro- The Italian Eatery | Starbucks |
| Subway | Taco Bell | Teavana |
| UNO Chicago Grill | Wendy's | |
| Services | ||
| ATM AmeriCu | ATM AmeriCU | ATM Bank of America |
| ATM HSBC | ATM Syracuse Federal Credit Union | ATM- M&T Bank |
| ATM: AmeriCU | Bally Total Fitness | Beauty Plus |
| BestFit Men's Wear | BV Nails Salon & Spa | The Franciscan Place |
| JCPenney Catalog Pick-Up | JCPenney Hair Salon | JCPenney Optical Center |
| JCPenney Photo Studio | LensCrafters | Liberty Travel |
| MasterCuts | Modern Tailor | Nail Trix |
| Regis Salon | Sprint/Nexgen Wireless | Things Remembered |
| Trade Secret | U.S. Postal Store | |
