Latham Circle Mall was once as it stands today: an open air mall. When it first opened in 1957, it was very much like we now know the "Shoppes at Latham Circle" to be until it was enclosed in 1977. That's what many of us remember and grew up with until its demise in 2013. But, how cool would it be to go back and remember what once was?
As I was taking pictures for my story about JC Penney closing at their Latham Circle Mall location, I saw this boat in the parking lot, closer to what used to be an entrance to the mall.
Some say it was sad to see it go. Others think it was high time. The iconic Latham Circle Mall has become a victim of the wrecking ball, and it has special meaning to some of us here at 'GNA.
The Latham Circle Mall has become a piece of local culture ever since it started it's spiral of decline and became an infamous 'dead mall' - well, now it's really dead - gone. Many people who work here hold a special love for this unfortunate mall, as our studios were once located on the upper level. Actually there were a lot of things that used to be there, like stores, people, you know - stuff.
This past August, developers proposed a plan for a new open air mall in the spot where Latham Circle Mall currently resides. This past Tuesday, the Colonie Town Board approved the idea.