Hudson Valley Mall
Encyclopedia
Hudson Valley Mall is a shopping mall
located in Kingston, New York
, in the area known as the Town of Ulster. It is the lone mall in Ulster County
and is the only mall located between Poughkeepsie
and Albany
. Owned and managed by CBL & Associates Properties, the mall opened in 1981 and has an area of 765000 square feet (71,070.8 m²) on one level with over 70 shops and restaurant
s as well as a 12-screen Regal Cinema
theater
. Adjacent to the mall is Hudson Valley Plaza, a two-tiered complex of "big-box" stores
on a west-facing hill, consisting mostly of a Walmart, Petsmart
and ToysRUs, as well as a few other shops.
Hudson Valley Mall has been notable for its resurgence from near-death after the original owner The Pyramid Company
remodeled and rejuvenated the mall in the late-1990s, as well as being the site of a shooting in 2005 and a murder in 2006 at one of the mall's restaurants.
, J.C. Penney
, Hess's
, and a Hoyt's six-screen theater (later expanded to 12 screens and renamed under the Regal
name), with an addition coming in 1989, adding Sears
, a food court and about 15 other stores. In 1994, the mall quickly hit a decline when both Hess's (which folded) and Kmart (which moved to a location south of the mall on U.S. Route 9W
) left the mall within months of one another (later this new K-mart location also went out of business and was to be replaced by a Kohl's department store). Though the Hess's space was filled the next year by Filene's
, the Kmart space stayed vacant, and the north end of the mall suffered in response. During this time, The Pyramid Company
, owner of many malls in New York state including this one, began to plan a drastic renovation process.
As the 21st century started, Pyramid began investing in the mall by doing a complete renovation of the mall's interior as well as using their clout to attract new tenants. The former Kmart space was carved into a Best Buy
(opened 2000) and a Dick's Sporting Goods
(opened 2001), with Target
building a new location adjacent to the space (also opening in 2001). (The Target pad was originally slated to be Lord & Taylor
.) On September 9, 2006, the region gained its first Macy's
when that chain took over Filene's.
Other recent additions to the mall include Hollister, Against All Odds (which closed a few months after it opened), Charlotte Russe, Children's Place, Hot Topic, Justice!, Foot Locker, Buffalo Wild Wings (in the former Ground Round location), a relocated GameStop and a renovated New York and Company. In July 2010, the mall was sold to CBL & Associates Properties.
, entered the mall with a Hesse-47 and began firing his weapon inside the Best Buy
located at the mall. Bonelli, age 24, caused a panic as employees and shoppers began to flee the mall. Bonelli moved into the mall corridor and continued firing his weapon until he ran out of ammunition. After running out of bullets, he dropped his gun. At that point one mall worker grabbed his gun, and another tackled Bonelli. The mall was evacuated and Bonelli was taken into custody. Amazingly, no one was killed in the shooting and only two people (a National Guard
recruiter and a 56 year old man) were wounded with one making a full recovery and the other still facing limitations today.
In the wake of the incident, Ulster County investigators searched Bonelli's room at the home he shared with his father, and found what Ulster County District Attorney Donald Williams described as "Columbine memorabilia". Officials described the young man as being fascinated by the Columbine High School massacre
. Additional searches were conducted by police after videos seized at Bonelli's residence showed him exploding home-made pipe bombs with Kenneth Stine and another individual. Both individuals were later arrested and charged with violating federal explosives laws.
Bonelli was taken to the Ulster County jail; on March 15, 2006, Bonelli pleaded guilty and on May 20, 2006 was sentenced to 32 years in the state prison (the maximum allowed under the guilty plea). He will be eligible for parole in 26 years.
restaurant in the Hudson Valley mall and stabbed a 42-year-old employee approximately 33 times. Sharon Inger, night manager at the restaurant, was found early Sunday morning when another employee arrived to open the restaurant. $4000 is still missing, according to night receipts. Within the area another woman's body was found around the same time. On September 21, 2006, police named a suspect as the killer of Sharon Inger. The individual had begun employment with the Ground Round just a couple of weeks earlier. Investigators believe he went to the restaurant to steal his personnel file, after giving a false name to police during a traffic stop earlier on the night of the murder, around 11:00 PM. Police believe he snapped when confronted by Inger, grabbed a knife in the kitchen, and stabbed the victim 33 times around 12:45 AM. The police have offered as evidence three circumstantial items: The fact that there was no employee file for him in the employee file cabinet, that $4000 is still missing, and a bite on Inger's body that supposedly matches his impression. The murder weapon was not recovered and there are two photographs taken (one from a cell phone and one from a digital camera) with time stamps within minutes of 1:30 AM, showing his holding his traffic stop ticket... with his hair, hands, and clothes clean - and dry. There has been no mention of DNA matches from either the bite nor vehicles available to him. Two weeks later, the individual died from impacted head trauma. Police concluded he jumped, while intoxicated, from a vehicle driven by a woman he was staying with, who was also intoxicated. Again, stories from witnesses were not consistent and all theories are still under investigation as there are many unanswered questions. Friends and family are working diligently to defend his innocence. Individual's name removed to prevent slander to an unconvicted name.
41.966734°N 73.983822°W
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
located in Kingston, New York
Kingston, New York
Kingston is a city in and the county seat of Ulster County, New York, USA. It is north of New York City and south of Albany. It became New York's first capital in 1777, and was burned by the British Oct. 16, 1777, after the Battles of Saratoga...
, in the area known as the Town of Ulster. It is the lone mall in Ulster County
Ulster County, New York
Ulster County is a county located in the state of New York, USA. It sits in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 182,493. Recent population estimates completed by the United States Census Bureau for the 12-month period ending July 1 are at...
and is the only mall located between Poughkeepsie
Poughkeepsie (town), New York
Poughkeepsie is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 42,777 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from the native term, "Uppu-qui-ipis-in," which means "reed-covered hut by the water."...
and Albany
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
. Owned and managed by CBL & Associates Properties, the mall opened in 1981 and has an area of 765000 square feet (71,070.8 m²) on one level with over 70 shops and restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
s as well as a 12-screen Regal Cinema
Regal Entertainment Group
Regal Entertainment Group also known as REG is a movie theater chain headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee. Regal operates the largest and most geographically diverse theater circuit in the United States, consisting of 6,775 screens in 548 locations in 39 states and the District of Columbia as of...
theater
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
. Adjacent to the mall is Hudson Valley Plaza, a two-tiered complex of "big-box" stores
Big-box store
A big-box store is a physically large retail establishment, usually part of a chain. The term sometimes also refers, by extension, to the company that operates the store...
on a west-facing hill, consisting mostly of a Walmart, Petsmart
PetSmart
PetSmart, Inc. is a retail chain doing business in the United States and Canada engaged in the sale of specialty pet supplies and services such as grooming and dog training, PetSmart PetsHotel dog and cat boarding facilities and Doggie Day Care.- History :...
and ToysRUs, as well as a few other shops.
Hudson Valley Mall has been notable for its resurgence from near-death after the original owner The Pyramid Company
The Pyramid Company
The Pyramid Companies, also known as Pyramid Management Group, were formed in 1970 in Syracuse, New York by Robert J. Congel. Its first three malls, or the company's "pioneer malls", were Pyramid Mall Ithaca , Pyramid Mall Plattsburgh, and Pyramid Mall Saratoga...
remodeled and rejuvenated the mall in the late-1990s, as well as being the site of a shooting in 2005 and a murder in 2006 at one of the mall's restaurants.
Anchors
- Macy'sMacy'sMacy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
- opened 1995 as Filene's - in former Hess's location (120,000 sq ft.) - JCPenney - opened 1981 (67,578 sq ft.)
- SearsSears Holdings CorporationSears Holdings Corporation is a retail conglomerate formed in 2005 by the merger of Sears, Roebuck and Co., of Hoffman Estates, Illinois, with Kmart Holdings Corporation, of Troy, Michigan...
- opened 1989 in mall expansion. (110,862 sq ft.) - Best BuyBest BuyBest Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
- opened 2000 - half of former Kmart store. - Dick's Sporting GoodsDick's Sporting GoodsDick's Sporting Goods, Inc. , or Dick's, is a Fortune 500 American corporation in the sporting goods and retail industries.The company's headquarters are on the grounds of Pittsburgh International Airport in Findlay Township near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dick's has 451 stores in 42 states as of...
- opened 2001 - half of former Kmart store. - TargetTarget CorporationTarget Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
- opened 2001 - built onto the north end of former Kmart store. (124,000 sq ft.)
Former anchors
- Hess'sHess'sHess's was a department store chain based in Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania in the United States.- History :The department store known as Hess Brothers was founded on February 19, 1897, by Charles and Max Hess. Max Hess came to Allentown in 1896 on a business trip and envisioned a...
- closed 1994, replaced by Filene'sFilene'sFilene's was a Boston-based department store owned by Federated Department Stores , and May Department Stores . It operated throughout New England and in New York.-Early years:...
in 1995 - KmartKmartKmart, sometimes styled as "K-Mart," is a chain of discount department stores. The chain acquired Sears in 2005, forming a new corporation under the name Sears Holdings Corporation. The company was founded in 1962 and is the third largest discount store chain in the world, behind Wal-Mart and...
- closed 1995 after moving to new location, replaced by Best BuyBest BuyBest Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
and Dick's Sporting GoodsDick's Sporting GoodsDick's Sporting Goods, Inc. , or Dick's, is a Fortune 500 American corporation in the sporting goods and retail industries.The company's headquarters are on the grounds of Pittsburgh International Airport in Findlay Township near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dick's has 451 stores in 42 states as of... - Filene'sFilene'sFilene's was a Boston-based department store owned by Federated Department Stores , and May Department Stores . It operated throughout New England and in New York.-Early years:...
- converted to Macy's in 2006
History
The Hudson Valley Mall opened in 1981 with KmartKmart
Kmart, sometimes styled as "K-Mart," is a chain of discount department stores. The chain acquired Sears in 2005, forming a new corporation under the name Sears Holdings Corporation. The company was founded in 1962 and is the third largest discount store chain in the world, behind Wal-Mart and...
, J.C. Penney
J.C. Penney
J. C. Penney Company, Inc. is a chain of American mid-range department stores based in Plano, Texas, a suburb north of Dallas. The company operates 1,107 department stores in all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. JCPenney also operates catalog sales merchant offices nationwide in many...
, Hess's
Hess's
Hess's was a department store chain based in Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania in the United States.- History :The department store known as Hess Brothers was founded on February 19, 1897, by Charles and Max Hess. Max Hess came to Allentown in 1896 on a business trip and envisioned a...
, and a Hoyt's six-screen theater (later expanded to 12 screens and renamed under the Regal
Regal Entertainment Group
Regal Entertainment Group also known as REG is a movie theater chain headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee. Regal operates the largest and most geographically diverse theater circuit in the United States, consisting of 6,775 screens in 548 locations in 39 states and the District of Columbia as of...
name), with an addition coming in 1989, adding Sears
Sears Holdings Corporation
Sears Holdings Corporation is a retail conglomerate formed in 2005 by the merger of Sears, Roebuck and Co., of Hoffman Estates, Illinois, with Kmart Holdings Corporation, of Troy, Michigan...
, a food court and about 15 other stores. In 1994, the mall quickly hit a decline when both Hess's (which folded) and Kmart (which moved to a location south of the mall on U.S. Route 9W
U.S. Route 9W
U.S. Route 9W is a north–south U.S. Highway in the states of New Jersey and New York. It begins on Fletcher Avenue in Fort Lee, New Jersey as it crosses the US 1 & 9, US 46, and the Interstate 95 approaches to the George Washington Bridge, where it heads north up the west...
) left the mall within months of one another (later this new K-mart location also went out of business and was to be replaced by a Kohl's department store). Though the Hess's space was filled the next year by Filene's
Filene's
Filene's was a Boston-based department store owned by Federated Department Stores , and May Department Stores . It operated throughout New England and in New York.-Early years:...
, the Kmart space stayed vacant, and the north end of the mall suffered in response. During this time, The Pyramid Company
The Pyramid Company
The Pyramid Companies, also known as Pyramid Management Group, were formed in 1970 in Syracuse, New York by Robert J. Congel. Its first three malls, or the company's "pioneer malls", were Pyramid Mall Ithaca , Pyramid Mall Plattsburgh, and Pyramid Mall Saratoga...
, owner of many malls in New York state including this one, began to plan a drastic renovation process.
As the 21st century started, Pyramid began investing in the mall by doing a complete renovation of the mall's interior as well as using their clout to attract new tenants. The former Kmart space was carved into a Best Buy
Best Buy
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
(opened 2000) and a Dick's Sporting Goods
Dick's Sporting Goods
Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. , or Dick's, is a Fortune 500 American corporation in the sporting goods and retail industries.The company's headquarters are on the grounds of Pittsburgh International Airport in Findlay Township near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dick's has 451 stores in 42 states as of...
(opened 2001), with Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
building a new location adjacent to the space (also opening in 2001). (The Target pad was originally slated to be Lord & Taylor
Lord & Taylor
Lord & Taylor, colloquially known as L&T, or LT, based in New York City, is the oldest upscale, specialty-retail department store chain in the United States. Concentrated in the eastern U.S., the retailer operated independently for nearly a century prior to joining American Dry Goods...
.) On September 9, 2006, the region gained its first Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
when that chain took over Filene's.
Other recent additions to the mall include Hollister, Against All Odds (which closed a few months after it opened), Charlotte Russe, Children's Place, Hot Topic, Justice!, Foot Locker, Buffalo Wild Wings (in the former Ground Round location), a relocated GameStop and a renovated New York and Company. In July 2010, the mall was sold to CBL & Associates Properties.
2005 mall shooting
On February 13, 2005, Robert Bonelli Jr. of Glasco, New YorkGlasco, New York
Glasco is a hamlet in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 1,692 at the 2000 census.Glasco is a community in the Town of Saugerties east of U.S. Route 9W...
, entered the mall with a Hesse-47 and began firing his weapon inside the Best Buy
Best Buy
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
located at the mall. Bonelli, age 24, caused a panic as employees and shoppers began to flee the mall. Bonelli moved into the mall corridor and continued firing his weapon until he ran out of ammunition. After running out of bullets, he dropped his gun. At that point one mall worker grabbed his gun, and another tackled Bonelli. The mall was evacuated and Bonelli was taken into custody. Amazingly, no one was killed in the shooting and only two people (a National Guard
United States National Guard
The National Guard of the United States is a reserve military force composed of state National Guard militia members or units under federally recognized active or inactive armed force service for the United States. Militia members are citizen soldiers, meaning they work part time for the National...
recruiter and a 56 year old man) were wounded with one making a full recovery and the other still facing limitations today.
In the wake of the incident, Ulster County investigators searched Bonelli's room at the home he shared with his father, and found what Ulster County District Attorney Donald Williams described as "Columbine memorabilia". Officials described the young man as being fascinated by the Columbine High School massacre
Columbine High School massacre
The Columbine High School massacre occurred on Tuesday, April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine, an unincorporated area of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States, near Denver and Littleton. Two senior students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, embarked on a massacre, killing 12...
. Additional searches were conducted by police after videos seized at Bonelli's residence showed him exploding home-made pipe bombs with Kenneth Stine and another individual. Both individuals were later arrested and charged with violating federal explosives laws.
Bonelli was taken to the Ulster County jail; on March 15, 2006, Bonelli pleaded guilty and on May 20, 2006 was sentenced to 32 years in the state prison (the maximum allowed under the guilty plea). He will be eligible for parole in 26 years.
Murder in the mall
Some time between closing time at the Ground Round on Saturday, June 3 and the morning of Sunday around 9 AM, June 4, 2006, a suspect entered The Ground RoundGround Round
Ground Round Grill & Bar, an American casual dining restaurant, was founded in 1969 by Howard Johnson's. As of January 17, 2010 Ground Round is owned by Independent Owners Cooperative, LLC, a group of 30 franchisee owners. Independent Owners Cooperative, LLC is located in Freeport, Maine...
restaurant in the Hudson Valley mall and stabbed a 42-year-old employee approximately 33 times. Sharon Inger, night manager at the restaurant, was found early Sunday morning when another employee arrived to open the restaurant. $4000 is still missing, according to night receipts. Within the area another woman's body was found around the same time. On September 21, 2006, police named a suspect as the killer of Sharon Inger. The individual had begun employment with the Ground Round just a couple of weeks earlier. Investigators believe he went to the restaurant to steal his personnel file, after giving a false name to police during a traffic stop earlier on the night of the murder, around 11:00 PM. Police believe he snapped when confronted by Inger, grabbed a knife in the kitchen, and stabbed the victim 33 times around 12:45 AM. The police have offered as evidence three circumstantial items: The fact that there was no employee file for him in the employee file cabinet, that $4000 is still missing, and a bite on Inger's body that supposedly matches his impression. The murder weapon was not recovered and there are two photographs taken (one from a cell phone and one from a digital camera) with time stamps within minutes of 1:30 AM, showing his holding his traffic stop ticket... with his hair, hands, and clothes clean - and dry. There has been no mention of DNA matches from either the bite nor vehicles available to him. Two weeks later, the individual died from impacted head trauma. Police concluded he jumped, while intoxicated, from a vehicle driven by a woman he was staying with, who was also intoxicated. Again, stories from witnesses were not consistent and all theories are still under investigation as there are many unanswered questions. Friends and family are working diligently to defend his innocence. Individual's name removed to prevent slander to an unconvicted name.
External links
41.966734°N 73.983822°W