Kings Plaza
 Kings Plaza, looking from the corner of Flatbush Avenue and Avenue U, as it appeared in 2008. Best Buy has since opened on the right of the picture. |
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| Address | 5100 Kings Plaza (2509 Flatbush Avenue) Brooklyn, NY 11234 |
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| Opening date | 1970 |
| Developer | Alexander's |
| Management | Macerich |
| Owner | Macerich |
| No. of stores and services | 120+ |
| No. of anchor tenants | 5 |
| No. of floors | 2 |
| Website | Kings Plaza Online |
Kings Plaza is a shopping center that opened in 1970, within the Marine Park/Mill Basin section of Brooklyn, east of Flatbush Avenue. The mall was originally owned by a joint venture between RH Macy's and Alexander's and is currently owned and managed by Aryanna Jackson. Kings Plaza originally hosted the now-defunct Alexander's, as well as Macy's department store chains. It began to operate a branch of Sears in 1997 where the Alexander's was previously, and underwent extensive renovations in 2001. Alexander's Inc., a real estate firm controlled and managed by Vornado Realty Trust and successor to the department store, previously owned the mall, with its parent Vornado responsible for management. It was announced in May 2012 that Alexander's/Vornado planned to sell the mall with the rest of the Vornado enclosed mall portfolio,[1] and in October 2012 Macerich announced it was buying the mall in a deal that closed at the end of 2012[2] .
The mall is anchored by Sears, Macy's, Best Buy, H&M, and Old Navy.
With approximately 4,200 jobs in retail services and over 120 individual stores, Kings Plaza is the largest such shopping center within the borough of Brooklyn.
It is home to the world's first Sbarro pizza outlet.
Unlike traditional malls in the United States, shoppers visiting Kings Plaza (as well as most other malls within New York City) have to pay for parking their cars on mall premises in the parking garage The parking fee is currently $3 per vehicle. Kings Plaza previously had an outdoor lot before a Lowe's opened there.
The mall acts as a terminal for the bus routes in the area. The B2, B9, B41, B46 utilize a dedicated bus terminal on the Flatbush Avenue side of the mall, the B3 and Q35 serve the mall at intermediate stops, and the B47 terminates at the Avenue U entrance to the mall.
Reputation
In its opening years, Kings Plaza was regarded as Brooklyn's mall of choice. For the 1970s and 1980s, Kings Plaza was considered to be an ideal family place with a carousel for children as well as offering many name brand stores. The mall's reputation swiftly declined in the 1990s and has been noted by many customers as the worst mall in Brooklyn. Over the years, although massive renovations have taken place to improve the mall, patrons still criticize the selection of stores offered, the "unfriendly" employees, maintenance, and the surrounding area that has been becoming more dangerous over the years. Another common complaint is the removal of the bookstore and the parking fee of $3.00.
References
- ^ Nadja Brandt,Bloomberg. "Vornado To Hold Quarterly Calls, Sell Some Retail Centers." April 13, 2012. Retrieved July 13, 2012.
- ^ Ilaina Jonas, Reuters. "Macerich to buy two malls from Vornado and Vornado affiliate." October 22, 2012. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
External links
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Coordinates: 40°36′36″N 73°55′12″W / 40.61000°N 73.92000°W
