AMSTERDAM: An aquarium being built at Rotterdam Square Mall is expected to open in February — a critical part of the turnaround strategy for the struggling shopping center in Schenectady County, New York.
Via Properties, a Turkish firm that bought the mall over the summer for $9.25 million, believes the 25,000-square-foot aquarium and a 29,000-square-foot sports bar/arcade will generate the foot traffic needed to lure back national retailers.
Of the 585,000 square feet of leasable space, 35 percent is empty. The mall feels barren with shuttered stores and minimal visitors on a weekday.
The aquarium will be unique in the Albany-Saratoga region, with sharks and deep-sea fish from around the world. Families, school groups, day-trippers and birthday parties are expected to draw upward of 500,000 visitors annually.
