Americana Manhasset

Americana Manhasset (also known as Americana Mall, Americana Center, or simply as The Americana) is an upscale, open-air shopping mall located in the

The land on which the Americana Manhasset now sits was purchased in the 1950s by Gerace & Castagna, Incorporated – now Castagna Realty – which was founded in 1922 by Ferdinand Castagna as a firm specializing in masonry contracting.[4]^[7][8] The shopping center opened on the site in 1956, known at the time as The Fifth Avenue of Long Island.^[7][8][9] At the time of its opening, the Fifth Avenue of Long Island included a movie theater, a drugstore, a supermarket, and other businesses – many of which were small.^{[5][8][9][10]} The Fifth Avenue of Long Island would be renamed "The Americana" by Castagna shortly thereafter.^[5] It was constructed during a period of massive population explosion on Long Island, and when many of the large, Gold Coast-era estates in the area were giving way to upscale, suburban housing developments.^[5]

The shopping center was also built adjacent to New York City-based department store B. Altman and Company's Manhasset branch, which opened in 1947 as one of the company's first branch store locations.^[7][11]

In 1971, B. Altman became one of the Americana Manhasset's major anchor tenants, and The Americana soon started its transformation into a lifestyle- and fashion-oriented shopping mall.^[4][5][8] Two years later, in 1973, England-based Jaeger opened a store at the mall; this was the first time that a luxury-brand retailer opened a retail store at the Americana Manhasset, and many more luxury- and name-brand retailers subsequently opened up locations at the mall in the years following.^[5][8]

Modern-day Americana: 1980s – present

In the 1980s, the Americana Manhasset underwent an extensive transformation and overhaul.^[12] Castagna hired architect Peter Marino to serve as the mall's master architect; Marino, who has served in this capacity ever since, was subsequently tasked with the redesign of the shopping mall in the 1980s.^{[13][14][15][16]}

Through the overhaul project, The Americana's exteriors were altered to make the structures more luxurious, with storefront designs similar to those found along Madison Avenue or Rodeo Drive.^[5] This included the extensive utilization of limestone for the building façades. The walkways at the mall were redesigned to be surrounded by gardens; the walkways and the landscaping surrounding them were designed by Oheme, van Sweden, and Associates in 1986.^{[2][17][18][19]}

In 1989, the B. Altman department store closed, following the bankruptcy of the company.^{[7][20][21][22]} Following its closure, the former store was sold, and it was rebuilt in the 1990s as a new, separately-owned shopping center located adjacent – and attached – to the Americana Manhasset.^[23][24][25]

In addition to B. Altman, other major stores which were located at the Americana Manhasset in the past include

In the early 2000s, the Waldbaum's at the eastern end of the Americana Manhasset closed, upon the end of its lease.[5]^[15] The roughly 29,000-square-foot (2,700 m²) space formerly occupied by the supermarket was subsequently subdivided into nine smaller retail spaces.^[4][7][15] This new retail space was completed and officially opened in 2003, and it contains numerous stores – including Dior, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci.^[4][7][15]

In 2019, the Americana Manhasset was connected to the Great Neck Water Pollution Control District's sanitary sewer system, eliminating the mall's reliance on septic systems on-site.^[29][30][31] The project, which was fully funded by Castagna Realty, saw the eastward extension of an existing district sewer force main underneath Northern Boulevard by approximately 0.8 miles (1.3 km).^[31] At the eastern end of the extended main on Northern Boulevard in front of the Americana Manhasset, a new, smaller sanitary sewer line was constructed, leading from the main under Northern Boulevard; the line travels south and east from the main, underneath the mall's parking lot, extending south and east towards the eastern end of its parking lot, where it terminates.^[31]

In 2023, the first

The Americana Manhasset includes approximately 60 stores.

A large number of the retail tenants at the mall are luxury brands, and the mall offers complimentary personal shoppers and a concierge.[5]^[6][34]

Furthermore, as of 2023, the mall also contains multiple restaurants, and some stores – such as Hirshleifers and Ralph Lauren – also feature in-store dining options of their own.^{[6][32][34][35]}

Transportation

The Americana Manhasset is served by the following bus routes – all of which are operated by Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE): ^[36][37]

• n20H (Great Neck LIRR – Hicksville LIRR
  )
• n21 (Great Neck LIRR – Glen Cove
  )
• Mineola Intermodal Center – Manorhaven
  )

All three bus routes serve the mall with stops along Northern Boulevard.[36]^[37]

In popular culture

The shopping mall is referenced in the book Manhasset Stories, by Suzanne McLain Rosenwasser.^[38]

See also

• Wheatley Plaza – Another Castagna-owned shopping mall in North Hempstead, located in nearby Greenvale.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Americana Manhasset.

• Official website