Rotterdam Square

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Rotterdam Square is a shopping mall located in Rotterdam, New York, located on West Campbell Road (Route 337) just off exit 2a of Interstate I-890 which connects I-90 (the New York State Thruway) at Amsterdam, New York to I-87 (the Adirondack Northway) near Colonie.

Owned and managed by The Macerich Company (which also owns Wilton Mall in Wilton), the mall has an area of 900,000 feet² on one level with over 80 shops, a 450 seat food court as well as restaurants and a 6 screen Sony-Loews Cineplex, now operated by AMC Theaters.

View of the Food Court Entrance

Entrance off West Campbell Road

1 History
2 The Carousel
3 The Graveyard
4 Anchors
5 Former Anchors
6 External links

[edit] History

The Mall is situated on the site once owned by the Vedder Family. Harman Albertse Vedder of Schenectady bought the land in 1672 and built a home on it.In 1832 Harmens' Great Grandson Johannes sold it to Colonel Daniel David Schermerhorn Campbell, who constructed a 26-bedroom mansion on the site. (see memorial plate image below)

Great Flats entrance, the Mall entrance can just be seen in the right hand background

The Mall was dogged with controversy when it was first proposed^{[citation needed]}. The area was at the time a nature preserve and environmental groups were concerned that the building of the mall would endanger wildlife and pollute the wet lands on the opposite side of Route 337, now the Great Flats Nature Trail and Preserve.

[edit] The Carousel

The Carousel in the Food Court

The Mall was until January 2007 unique in that it had a full size Italian Carousel operating in the food court. The management sold the Carousel in late 2006 and in January 2007; it was dismantled and removed.

[edit] The Graveyard

The Mall is also unique in having a graveyard within the complex. This graveyard is located in a corner between the food court entrance and the front side entrance. The graveyard is the family cemetery of the Vedder Family dating back to around 1715.