Irondequoit Town Supervisor Dave Seeley at the Skyview on the Ridge Community Center Groundbreaking. Photo Credit: Dave Seeley
On January 22, our design team joined state and local officials to celebrate the groundbreaking of the new Skyview on the Ridge Community Center in Irondequoit, NY.
Skyview on the Ridge originally opened as Irondequoit Mall in 1990 and was Rochester’s largest mall at the time. However, the mall’s popularity faded over time, leading retailers to abandon the property. For years, town officials have been working to re-purpose the very large and empty property, seen as an eyesore by many residents, into a public community space.
In July of 2019, town residents voted to approve a $9.5 million new community center to occupy 42,000 SF of the former mall and SWBR was selected to design the renovation. The project involves transforming the area’s northern main entrance of the former mall into a community center, which will house the Town’s recreation programming, including a fitness center and communal space for residents of all ages. Once complete, the new center will be the only town-operated community center in Irondequoit.
“For too many years, this large albatross between 104 and Ridge Road was a cloud, a dark cloud blocking everything that was good about this town,” said Irondequoit Town Supervisor Dave Seeley. “We’re now at a point where the transformation of this facility is now visible, and the transformation of the former Irondequoit Mall into Skyview on the Ridge has truly commenced.”
The new center is expected to open in late 2020.