A Plan on the Edge of Two Towns
In October 1965, Macy's announced it would develop a new shopping complex in Lake Grove called the Nesconset Shopping Center, with construction designed by Copeland, Novak, & Israel.
The site overlapped the towns of Smithtown and Brookhaven. This detail later shaped the name Smith Haven Mall, which formally entered public use in the late 1960s.
On March 10, 1969, a preview event was held, with Robert Moses in attendance, followed two days later by the official opening, anchored by Macy's and Abraham & Straus.
The original anchors gave the one-story, 800,000-square-foot center its foundation. Abraham & Straus would later transition into Stern's before its space became part of a lifestyle center decades later.
Soon after opening, Martin's arrived with a 68,000-square-foot store, which later became Steinbach, and then JCPenney.
Sears also opened, giving the mall four early anchors. Century Theatres added a cinema in May 1969, bringing entertainment to the site alongside its retail offerings.
The mall drew shoppers from across Long Island, including those from the Hamptons and North Fork.
Its placement between two towns meant it also fell under the boundaries of Smithtown and Middle Country Central School Districts.
Even in its first year, the development stood out for its scale and mix of uses. For residents, it quickly became part of the local fabric and one of the central things to do in Lake Grove, NY.
Art and Identity Inside a Suburban Mall
From its first year, Smith Haven Mall stood out for more than stores and anchors.
Developer Leonard Holzer allocated $350,000 from the construction budget toward public art, attracting artists such as Alexander Calder, Larry Rivers, Jim Dine, and Robert Grosvenor.
Calder created one of his final mobiles, Janey Waney, specifically for the mall's debut in March 1969.
Meanwhile, Rivers installed a mural called "40 Feet of Fashion," built from oversized Plexiglas objects, including clocks, lips, bathing suits, and women's legs.
The scale of the pieces gave a different layer to a retail setting, transforming walkways into a gallery for shoppers.
When Holzer sold his interest, the installations began to disappear.
Calder's mobile was removed in 1972 but returned after a refurbishment in 1987, when it was placed above the newly built food court.
The court took on the name Calder Court to honor the sculptor, though it was later renamed Saturn Court after a local dealership sponsored the space.
The other centerpiece, Rivers' mural, was broken apart when the artwork was removed from the property.
The giant legs became a landmark in front of his home for decades before being auctioned off in 2021.
Calder's mobile left Long Island altogether, selling for $1.7 million in 2002 before being displayed in Gramercy Park and later exhibited across Europe.
In each case, what started as mall decoration ended up scattered across different settings, carrying traces of the mall's early ambitions.
Growth, Screens, and Shifts
By the late 1980s, the mall was adjusting its entertainment lineup.
In 1989, Cineplex Odeon converted the lone single-screen theater into a four-screen cinema, providing moviegoers with more choices without requiring them to leave the property.
Less than ten years later, in 1998, the chain added eight more auditoriums, bringing the total to twelve.
It was the first major attempt to make the mall a destination for leisure as much as for shopping.
The new theater changed the rhythm of the place.
National chains had already filled much of the concourse, and the big department stores were steady anchors. But the cinema pulled its own crowds.
Friday nights saw groups heading straight to the box office, with families and teenagers filling the lobby even if they never stepped into a store.
The momentum didn't last. In May 2002, after more than thirty years in operation, the theater closed.
Its disappearance ended the routine of matinees and late shows that had run alongside retail for more than a decade.
Lifestyle Wing and National Chains
By 2006, the property faced its largest overhaul since opening.
A multimillion-dollar project converted the former Stern's site and part of the parking lot into an open-air lifestyle wing.
This redevelopment brought in Barnes & Noble, Dick's Sporting Goods, and California Pizza Kitchen, altering the way visitors navigated between indoor corridors and the new outdoor plaza.
The transformation also set the stage for new national tenants. On September 9, 2006, Apple opened a store in the new section, one of the first in Suffolk County.
Just weeks later, on November 16, The Cheesecake Factory began service with a full restaurant.
Both arrivals broadened the draw of the complex beyond traditional department store anchors.
The lineup continued to evolve in the following years. In February 2008, Abercrombie & Fitch introduced its Gilly Hicks brand, a women's underwear line.
That summer, in July 2008, Bobby's Burger Palace launched its first location at Smith Haven Mall, adding a fast-casual dining option tied to a celebrity chef.
By 2013, Uniqlo opened its first Long Island store at the property, followed in December by a P.F. Chang's restaurant.
These additions introduced fresh retail and dining formats, creating a redeveloped wing that featured a diverse mix of technology, books, apparel, and food, marking a new phase in the mall's timeline.
Closures, Adjustments, and New Arrivals
By 2017, Smith Haven Mall was adding tenants that expanded its reach.
On June 23 of that year, L.L.Bean opened its first Long Island location, located inside the property, bringing outdoor gear and clothing to the mix of anchors and specialty stores.
Two years later, in February 2019, JCPenney announced its Lake Grove store would close on July 15.
The departure came as part of a nationwide reduction that resulted in the closure of 18 stores from the chain.
In November 2019, a Lego Store opened in the mall, introducing a new specialty retailer even as a long-standing anchor left.
The changes continued into 2020. On February 12, Sears confirmed that it would close its store at the property, marking the end of its decades-long tenure as one of the mall's original anchors.
Only weeks later, on March 19, the mall shut down entirely in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It remained closed until July, reopening with a reduced roster of tenants. Bobby's Burger Palace permanently shut during the same stretch.
By December 2021, the mall filled another gap with a new restaurant.
Ruth's Chris Steak House opened in the complex, marking the start of a new wave of arrivals that balanced the string of closures in the years preceding it.
Medicine, Fashion, and Food
In July 2023, the long-empty Sears box reopened in a different role.
Stony Brook Medicine relocated into the 170,000-square-foot anchor, featuring an outpatient facility, marking one of the first large-scale medical conversions of a department store on Long Island.
The shift replaced a shuttered retailer with a steady stream of patients and staff, restoring daily traffic to a corner of the property that had been dark since 2020.
Retail followed on its heels. In September, Warby Parker opened a shop inside the mall, adding prescription eyewear to the national-brand lineup.
A month later, Primark was announced as the successor to JCPenney, with an opening date in November.
The fast-fashion chain filled one of the largest vacancies left by earlier closures, giving the center another anchor-sized draw.
Dining rounded out the changes. In May 2024, New York Fries began serving inside the mall, one of the chain's first local footholds.
That November, Ford's Garage launched its first New York location at Smith Haven.
The 5,100-square-foot restaurant, styled with automotive décor and a menu featuring a heavy emphasis on burgers and beer, has added a sit-down option to the property's mix.
Reinvention and Transformation
On February 10, 2025, Simon Property Group detailed a new redevelopment plan for Smith Haven Mall.
The announcement called for a multimillion-dollar investment that would include an outdoor plaza with seating and landscaping, update the flooring and fixtures inside the concourse, and renovate Center Court, as well as the food court.
The plan also highlighted new tenants, with Zara scheduled to open in 2026, Sur La Table set for fall 2025, and Golf Lounge 18 opened in March 2025.
Tenant turnover continued in the same month. On February 28, Forever 21 was reported to be closing later in the year, one of several fashion brands exiting the mall.
By May 15, Bahama Breeze confirmed it would shut its Lake Grove restaurant, part of a wider round of closures that involved 14 locations across the United States.
These changes underlined the shift in the mall's mix of dining and retail.
Ownership also changed during this period. On June 26, 2025, Simon acquired full control of the property.
They confirmed that the former Sears space, which is already partially occupied by Stony Brook Medicine, would be fully redeveloped into a 170,000-square-foot medical hub.
In August 2025, the mall gained another newcomer when Dream Pairs opened its first Long Island store, marking the latest in a cycle of exits and arrivals closely tied to the broader renovation.