Eastern Hills Mall
Retailer / private label
UnclaimedA shopping mall on Transit Road in Clarence, New York, serving the Buffalo metropolitan area.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Eastern Hills Mall is a shopping center in Clarence, Erie County, New York, approximately 11 miles northeast of Buffalo. It occupies a prominent position on Transit Road, New York State Route 78, near the route’s junction with New York State Route 5 and Main Street. The mall forms part of a large commercial corridor extending along Transit Road and is named for the low eastern hills associated with the Onondaga Escarpment and the area’s slightly higher elevation compared with adjacent land. The property was developed by the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation. Construction began in 1969, and the mall opened on November 8, 1971. It was initially planned under the name Buffalo Mall, but Clarence officials requested the Eastern Hills name. At opening, the center had a broad department-store anchor lineup that included AM&A’s, JCPenney, Sears, Jenss, Woolworth, and Hengerer’s. General Cinema added a two-screen cinema complex, Eastern Hills Cinema I-II, in May 1972. Architecturally, the mall consists of two elongated north-south wings connected by a shorter east-west section, creating a double-L-shaped plan. Department stores historically occupied the ends of the major wings. A food court was added during a substantial 1987 overhaul, while the center concourse and food-court areas received a primarily cosmetic renovation in 2005. The latter project introduced new floor tile, seating, imitation fireplaces, and small flat-screen televisions. The longer mall corridors retained much of their earlier appearance. Eastern Hills was once the largest mall in the Buffalo area, but it lost that distinction after the opening and growth of Walden Galleria in 1989. Over subsequent decades, its anchor roster changed repeatedly. Hengerer’s became Sibley’s in 1981 and Kaufmann’s in 1990; Kaufmann’s was converted to Macy’s in 2006. AM&A’s became The Bon-Ton in 1994. Jenss closed in 1997, with Burlington Coat Factory taking over that space in 1998. Macy’s announced a closure in 2016, after which the former anchor was occupied by Niagara Emporium. The Bon-Ton closed in 2018 following the chain’s bankruptcy, and Raymour & Flanigan subsequently occupied the space. Sears announced its closure in December 2018. Niagara Emporium closed in October 2023. The mall has also served functions beyond ordinary retail. Following the October 2006 storm, its parking lot became a staging and dispatch area for utility companies and a storage location for materials used in regional power restoration. In 2012, television station WBBZ-TV established broadcast studios at the property, adding a media and community-use dimension to the complex. By the late 2010s, the owners were pursuing a substantial redevelopment rather than relying solely on conventional enclosed-mall retail. In March 2018, Uniland Development agreed to acquire an equity stake alongside Mountain Development Corporation. The proposed transformation, described as a lifestyle shopping center or mixed-use campus, envisioned residential apartments alongside retail, dining, offices, medical uses, entertainment, recreation, and civic facilities. Clarence’s town board approved plans in August 2018, and the ownership group engaged Gensler in January 2019. Revised concepts were presented in 2020 and a further proposal was filed with town officials in 2021. The transition became more immediate in January 2024, when interior tenants without exterior entrances received eviction notices and were instructed to vacate by January 14. Partial demolition was planned as part of the new mixed-use campus. In June 2025, the Clarence Town Board reportedly approved a major redevelopment plan covering more than one million square feet and incorporating approximately 1,400 residential units, together with storefronts, restaurants, entertainment venues, offices, and other community-oriented uses. Eastern Hills Mall therefore represents a long-running suburban shopping property moving from a traditional enclosed-mall model toward a larger, mixed-use town-center concept.
History
Eastern Hills Mall was conceived during the expansion of suburban retail around Buffalo and was developed by the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation. Construction began in 1969. The project was initially expected to be called Buffalo Mall, but the Town of Clarence requested a different name, leading to the adoption of Eastern Hills Mall. The center opened on November 8, 1971, with AM&A’s, JCPenney, Sears, Jenss, Woolworth, and Hengerer’s as its principal anchors. A two-screen General Cinema complex opened approximately six months later, on May 24, 1972. The mall’s physical layout comprises two long north-south wings and a shorter connecting wing running east-west. The arrangement forms a double-L-shaped plan, with major department stores historically located at the ends of the wings. In 1987, the property received a major overhaul that included the addition of a food court. Eastern Hills was then the largest shopping mall in the Buffalo region, but Walden Galleria surpassed it in 1989. Anchor changes became a defining feature of the mall’s later history. Hengerer’s was converted to Sibley’s in 1981 and then to Kaufmann’s in 1990. Federated Department Stores converted local Kaufmann’s stores to Macy’s in 2006. AM&A’s became The Bon-Ton in 1994. Jenss closed in 1997, and Burlington Coat Factory moved into the former Jenss location in 1998. Macy’s announced the closure of its store in April 2016; the space later became Niagara Emporium. The Bon-Ton closed in April 2018 after the chain went out of business, and Raymour & Flanigan subsequently took over the anchor space. Sears announced the closure of its store in December 2018. Niagara Emporium closed in October 2023. A smaller renovation took place in 2005, concentrating on the east-west center concourse and food court. The work was largely cosmetic and included new floor tile, seating, imitation fireplaces, and small flat-screen televisions. The longer north-south corridors were not similarly renovated, leaving a visible interruption in the mall’s earlier pink zig-zag floor pattern. In later years, the food court became closed and barricaded, reflecting the center’s changing commercial condition. The property also played a temporary infrastructure role after the October 2006 storm. Its large parking area was used by utility companies as an overnight vehicle staging area and daytime dispatch point, while portions of the lot stored equipment and materials needed for power restoration. In 2012, WBBZ-TV established broadcast studios at the mall. From 2018 onward, ownership focused on redevelopment. Uniland Development agreed in March 2018 to share ownership equity with Mountain Development Corporation. Their concept called for a lifestyle shopping center with residential apartments and a wider mix of retail, dining, office, medical, entertainment, recreational, and civic functions. The Clarence Town Board approved the plans in August 2018. Gensler was retained in January 2019, initial updates were shown in March 2020, and a proposal was submitted to Clarence officials in June 2021. The redevelopment process accelerated in January 2024, when interior-only tenants received eviction notices and were directed to leave within days. Partial demolition was planned to make way for a mixed-use campus. In June 2025, the Clarence Town Board approved a larger redevelopment plan described as involving more than one million square feet and approximately 1,400 housing units. The proposed Eastern Hills Town Center would combine residential uses with storefronts, restaurants, entertainment, offices, and other services. The mall’s history thus spans the rise of the enclosed suburban shopping center, decades of department-store succession, and an ongoing transition toward a denser mixed-use district.
- 2025
Major Eastern Hills Town Center plan receives approval
[1]The Clarence Town Board approves a redevelopment plan involving more than one million square feet and about 1,400 residential units.
- 2024
Interior tenants are cleared for redevelopment
[1]Interior tenants without exterior entrances receive eviction notices as partial demolition and mixed-use redevelopment preparations proceed.
- 2023
Niagara Emporium closes
[1]Niagara Emporium closes its location in October.
- 2019
Gensler engaged for redevelopment planning
[1]The ownership group hires Gensler to assist with the mall’s transformation.
- 2018
Mixed-use redevelopment partnership begins
[1]Uniland Development takes an equity position alongside Mountain Development Corporation, and the Clarence Town Board approves redevelopment plans.
- 2018
The Bon-Ton closes
[1]The Bon-Ton chain shuts down; Raymour & Flanigan later takes over the former anchor space.
- 2018
Sears announces closure
[1]Sears announces that its Eastern Hills Mall anchor will close.
- 2016
Macy’s closes
[1]Macy’s announces the closure of its Eastern Hills Mall anchor, later replaced by Niagara Emporium.
- 2012
WBBZ-TV establishes mall studios
[1]WBBZ-TV sets up broadcast studios at the mall.
- 2006
Kaufmann’s stores become Macy’s
[1]Federated Department Stores converts local Kaufmann’s stores, including the Eastern Hills location, to Macy’s.
Products and positioning
A regional suburban shopping center serving Clarence and the greater Buffalo area, increasingly positioned for conversion into a mixed-use lifestyle and town-center development.
Department store
JCPenney
JCPenney is one of the mall’s current principal anchors. Its department-store format provides apparel, footwear, accessories, home merchandise, and related general retail categories, while also preserving a traditional anchor-store function within the property’s changing tenant mix.
Home furnishings · 2018
Raymour & Flanigan
Raymour & Flanigan occupies the former Bon-Ton anchor space. The retailer specializes in furniture and home furnishings, giving Eastern Hills Mall a large-format home category alongside its remaining apparel, specialty, and general merchandise tenants.
Outdoor and lifestyle retail
Orvis
Orvis is identified as one of the mall’s current anchors. Its assortment is associated with outdoor clothing, sporting goods, equipment, and lifestyle merchandise, broadening the property’s offer beyond conventional department-store retail.
Food service · 1987
Food court
A food court was added during the 1987 mall overhaul and renovated cosmetically in 2005. The food-court area is described as closed and barricaded in the mall’s later condition, so its current operating status is uncertain.
Mixed-use redevelopment
Eastern Hills Town Center
The proposed Eastern Hills Town Center is a redevelopment concept rather than an operating product line. It is intended to combine residential apartments with storefronts, restaurants, entertainment, offices, medical uses, recreation, and civic functions, shifting the property toward a mixed-use district.
Brand decisions
2025
Advance the Eastern Hills Town Center planStrategyBackground
The ownership group sought municipal approval for a large-scale redevelopment to replace or supplement the traditional enclosed-mall format.
Action taken
The Clarence Town Board approved a plan involving more than one million square feet of redevelopment and approximately 1,400 residential units, alongside retail, dining, entertainment, and office uses.
Aftermath
The project establishes the proposed Eastern Hills Town Center as the intended long-term direction for the property, although the final construction and operating timetable is not specified in the available material.
2024
Clear interior tenants for partial demolitionStrategyBackground
The redevelopment strategy required changes to the existing enclosed-mall structure and its tenant configuration.
Action taken
On January 10, interior tenants without exterior entrances were given eviction notices and told to leave by January 14.
Aftermath
Partial demolition was planned as part of a mixed-use campus containing residential, commercial, medical, office, recreational, and civic components.
2018
Pursue a mixed-use lifestyle shopping centerStrategyBackground
Declining department-store occupancy and changing suburban retail patterns prompted the ownership group to consider a broader use for the mall property.
Action taken
Uniland Development joined Mountain Development Corporation as an equity partner and advanced plans for residential apartments, retail, dining, offices, and other uses. Clarence approved the plans in August.
Aftermath
Gensler was retained in 2019, updated concepts appeared in 2020, and a further proposal was filed in 2021.
1987
Add a food court during mall overhaulOtherBackground
The mall pursued an extensive physical overhaul during a period when enclosed shopping centers were expanding their dining and social amenities.
Action taken
A food court was added to the property.
Aftermath
The food-court area later received cosmetic improvements in 2005 but was subsequently reported as closed and barricaded.
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