Poughkeepsie Galleria Mall on Route 9
In the early 1980s, plans took shape for a two-level mall on U.S. 9 in the Town of Poughkeepsie, developers aimed to attract national chains and expand retail in Dutchess County.
The Pyramid Companies led the project through the mid-1980s. On August 1, 1987, Poughkeepsie Galleria opened with two floors and 1.1 million square feet of retail space.
At opening, anchors were G. Fox & Co., Jordan Marsh, Lechmere, Filene's, and JCPenney. Two levels of concourses linked the stores, with escalators between floors and a Regal Cinemas with 16 screens and stadium seating.
Set on U.S. 9 in the Town of Poughkeepsie, the center sits just north of Wappingers Falls.
The property is owned and managed by The Pyramid Companies, the developer behind several regional centers, including Palisades Center in West Nyack.
Today, the complex is the largest shopping center in Dutchess County, with over 120 shops and restaurants.
Retailers on site include Macy's, Dick's Sporting Goods, Best Buy, Target, American Eagle, Sephora, H&M, Hollister, Foot Locker, Build-A-Bear, and many others.
Poughkeepsie Galleria
Anchor Shifts in the Late Eighties
In 1989, the first major change came when Filene's left Poughkeepsie Galleria after less than two years.
The store shut its location, and that same year, Steinbach relocated from South Hills Mall into the space.
The move filled the gap quickly and gave the Galleria a department store brand that had been operating nearby for years.
At the same time, Sears announced it would leave South Hills Plaza and move into Poughkeepsie Galleria.
The company planned a new large-format store inside the center, preparing to close its older site in favor of the newer development.
Construction and fit-out followed, and the project positioned Sears as part of the Galleria lineup moving into the next decade.
By the end of the 1980s, the anchor floorplan no longer matched the original opening set. One chain had departed, another had arrived, and a third was preparing to open.
These changes marked the start of a sequence of replacements and relocations that continued into the early 1990s, setting the pattern for how the mall would handle anchor spaces in the years ahead.
New Arrivals and Departures in the Nineties
In the early 1990s, Montgomery Ward became the sixth anchor at Poughkeepsie Galleria, adding another large-format store to the mix.
The company entered as other anchors were shifting, filling space that expanded the center's department store roster during a period of fast changes.
By 1993, Filene's returned to the Galleria under different circumstances.
The chain took over the former G. Fox location after that brand disappeared, giving the mall a familiar nameplate once again.
This marked the second appearance of Filene's at the property, after its earlier closure just four years before.
In 1995, Steinbach closed its Galleria store. That same year, the large space was divided between Dick's Sporting Goods and DSW Shoe Warehouse.
Around the same time, Jordan Marsh left the mall, and Sears moved into the vacated anchor spot.
These 1990s changes produced a new configuration of department stores and specialty anchors, reshaping the Galleria's lineup as it moved into its second decade.
Expansions, Big Box Entries, and Policies
In 2004, the Poughkeepsie Galleria saw its anchor spaces reshaped.
Dick's Sporting Goods and DSW Shoe Warehouse both moved into the former Montgomery Ward location, turning one large store into two.
At the same time, developers split and renovated the former Filene's and Lechmere building, bringing in Best Buy and Target.
These changes added national chains that operated in large, single-level boxes, adjusting the balance of space inside the center.
The following year, management announced the MB-18 policy after an incident in front of Filene's in January 2005 brought police to the scene and ended in arrests.
Beginning in September, the policy required anyone under 18 to be accompanied by an adult during evening hours.
Pyramid Companies applied this rule to all of its properties, and the Galleria became one of the malls where it was enforced.
In 2006, the Filene's store was converted into Macy's as part of a corporate merger.
The switch gave the Galleria another national department store name, replacing the brand that had returned to the property in 1993.
Closures in a Changing Market
On February 8, 2020, Sears announced it would close its Poughkeepsie Galleria store as part of a broader plan to reduce its brick-and-mortar presence.
The closure ended nearly three decades of Sears operating inside the mall after relocating there from South Hills Plaza in the late 1980s.
Just a few months later, on June 23, 2020, JCPenney confirmed it would also close its Galleria location.
This move came during a period of restructuring for the chain, which included store shutdowns across the country.
The loss of JCPenney removed another original 1987 anchor, leaving behind another large box at the center.
In 2021, the former JCPenney space was temporarily repurposed as a vaccine distribution site.
The wide floor plan and existing access points allowed health officials to set up a large-scale operation inside the vacant anchor.
For months, residents entered the same concourses once lined with apparel racks; this time, they moved through partitions and waiting areas designed for community health services.
The use tied the space to an entirely different purpose while the mall adjusted to a reduced department store presence.
Fresh Openings and Community Events
In October 2022, Poughkeepsie Galleria unveiled a new group of tenants that shifted the property toward dining and fashion.
110 Grill opened with a sit-down restaurant, The Village Pancake Factory moved in with a breakfast menu, and Windsor filled the space with women's apparel.
In January 2025, the Galleria played host to two different gatherings.
On the 21st, a blood drive was held in partnership with the New York Blood Center, using open floor space to handle donors during a shortage.
The next day, the 18th annual "King of the Wings" contest took over the food court, drawing local restaurants to compete for bragging rights inside the mall.
March brought a new retail name. IT'SUGAR opened on March 7, setting up a 2,400-square-foot candy shop with bright displays and bulk bins.
In April, the Easter Bunny returned for seasonal visits, giving families a familiar holiday tradition in a mall already leaning on community programming.
By mid-May, Mediterranean X-Press moved into a larger food court location, expanding its footprint from a smaller unit into a bigger kitchen and dining space.
Summer rolled in with more activity. Regal's Summer Movie Express kicked off on June 6, offering discounted family films every Tuesday and Wednesday for nine weeks.
Tykes Tuesday returned the same month with free children's programming.
By July 7, Modern Nail Bar and Lash opened near Target, adding a service tenant.
The season closed with Kong Dog opening in August in the food court, followed by a new 14,500-square-foot JD Sports, filling the lower level with athletic gear.