Walden Galleria Redevelopment

Adapting an anchor tenant into an open-air “main street” experience

Originally opened in 1989, this 1.6-million SF mall located in Buffalo, NY, is the largest in its region. Amid discussions of renovation and expansion, the departure of its Bon-Ton anchor created an opportunity to improve the center with a mall expansion and open-air “main street” component. The development brought upscale retail stores and popular restaurants. These tenants’ outdoor dining patios and the 16-screen Regal Cinema add activity and life along the boulevard, making Walden Galleria a diverse shopping, entertainment, and dining destination. The expansion extends to Galleria Drive and gives the mall its own bustling frontage on an already busy thoroughfare.

A major portion of the existing mall needed to remain operational throughout demolition and construction. This required complex phasing to maintain egress, adequate parking, and traffic flow.

An underground creek running directly beneath the proposed Main Street site posed its own challenge to the mall’s expansion. Demolition of the old buildings was handled with extreme care. Bowen designed the new buildings upon caissons and existing foundations to avoid disturbing the stream and existing landfill.