Brass Mill Mall and Brass Mills Commons

[Marc82]

I didn't see a topic for the Brass Mill Mall and Brass Mill Commons in Waterbury, Connecticut, so I thought I'd start one.

The Brass Mill Mall and Brass Mill Commons are located right off I-84 Exits 23 and 22 in Waterbury, CT. They were built on the site of an old Brass Mill (hence the name). It's official address is 495 Union Street, but it fronts Hamilton Avenue (Route 69), I-84, and East Main Street.

Opened in the late 90s the mall is owned by GGP (General Growth Properties) and currently features the following anchors: Sears, JcPenney, Macys,  Burlington Coat Factory, and on the 3rd Floor Regal Cinemas. (That's all the 3rd floor is. Built just for the cinema. Regal was originally a Hoyts until Hoyts sold all their theaters). Other major stores found in the mall include: Old Navy, Olympia Sports, and H&M. One oddity I've found with this mall is while Burlington Coat Factory has 2 levels, they are not connected, unlike H&M. Currently the largest empty store in the mall is the 50,000 Square Foot former Steve & Barry's store. The mall has a lot of the typical stores you'd find in any mall, but some that are not including: Brass Mill Mall Dentistry, an Olive Garden Restaurant, and Bertuccis. Those are 2 of the 3 sit-down restaurants, the 3rd being Ruby Tuesdays.

 During the planning stages of this mall Lechemere was supposed to be part of the mall, but they went under before the mall was built, so the Lechemere space was never built until Steve & Barry's came along.

As for the Brass Mill Commons it is an adjacent shopping plaza. It currently houses: Hometown Buffet, Michael's Arts and Crafts, ToysRus (relocated from a plaza on Route 69), Office Max, Barnes and Nobel (relocated from a plaza on Route 69), and a 55,000 Square foot vacant spot that housed Shaw's Supermarket until 2007. Out parcel tenants on the property include: Chili's TGI Fridays, McDonald's, and The Timexpo Museum. (A museum of Timex watches housed in a former mill building that was on the property back in the day).

The Brass Mill Mall is my second favorite mall after The Meriden Square. (I refuse to call Meriden Square WESTFIELD: Meriden).

http://www.brassmillcenter.com/
http://www.timexpo.com/

[BillyGr]

Originally posted by Marc82
and on the 3rd Floor Regal Cinemas. (That's all the 3rd floor is. Built just for the cinema. Regal was originally a Hoyts until Hoyts sold all their theaters).

Crossgates Mall in Albany (Guilderland) NY was built the same way, with a small 3rd floor just for the theaters, and they too were Hoyts at that time.

Those theaters are now closed, since they built a newer 18 screen one in a different (newer) part of the mall.

Maybe this was a common idea for Hoyts?

[ynkeesfn82]

Update: Ruby Tuesdays closed earlier in 2010. Went there yesterday with my friend Jeff. There are lots of vacancies. 5-7-9 was in the final days of its Going out of Business Sale. (Not sure how many are left because a bunch closed down years ago). There's also one vacancy in the Food Court now. And the mall was pretty quiet for a Friday Afternoon.

[ynkeesfn82]

2011 Update: An I-Hop Restaurant has opened in the former Ruby Tuesday's and Save-A-Lot took over part of the old Shaw's in The Brass Mill Commons. I didn't go into the mall or to Save-A-Lot when I went to Barnes & Noble and Hometown Buffet back in May. Shame on me.

[ynkeesfn82]

2014 Update:

Buffalo Wild Wings opened in the former Hometown Buffet in The Brass Mill Commons in 2012.

A big junk store called Shopper's World opened in the old Steve & Barry's Spot in the mall.

Petco and TJ Maxx opened in the remaining space of the old Shaw's Supermarket in May 2014. Both relocated here from Wolcott Street like Toys R Us and Barnes & Noble Did more than 15 years earlier.

According to the mall's Facebook page a place called Villa Italian Kitchen is opening in The Brass Mill Mall Food Court soon.

[ynkeesfn82]

The TIMEX Museum in the Brass Mill Commons Plaza in Waterbury, Connecticut is closing at the end of September 2015.

http://www.courant.com/business/hc-ap-timex-museum-closing-0423-20150422-story.html

[giantsfan2016]

Ulta Beauty and Five Below took part of the former Office Max space in the Commons building. Not sure how much space they took as GGP's website still shows the entire space as vacant.

[JJBers]

Well, my mom really didn't like the area the mall was in, so she rushed me to run around the mall, but I managed to catch some snaps:
Macy's

Macy's (Brass Mill Center) by JJBers, on Flickr
Sears

Sears (Brass Mill Center) by JJBers, on Flickr
JCPenney

JCPenney (Brass Mill Center) by JJBers, on Flickr

[giantsfan2016]

Well, my mom really didn't like the area the mall was in, so she rushed me to run around the mall, but I managed to catch some snaps:

Well I guess you'll have to wait until you get your own car when you turn 18 and get some more pictures.

[JJBers]

Well, my mom really didn't like the area the mall was in, so she rushed me to run around the mall, but I managed to catch some snaps:

Well I guess you'll have to wait until you get your own car when you turn 18 and get some more pictures.

*16/17
Anyways, most of the stores were closed, since it was 11 am.

[Brammy]

Sears closed in this mall in 2018. Dick's opened in the former Toys R Us in the Brass Mills Commons. Five Below and Ulta Beauty share the old Office Max space.

[Brammy]

I went to the Brass Mill Mall today and all I can say is what a dump. There was literally just one directory for the mall and that was by the main entrance near Olive Garden and I-Hop. Lots of vacant spaces plus an empty Sears. I went to the mall to buy a hat at Lids and of course they were sold out of size 8. I guess I'm just going to have to buy a hat online.

[danfifepsu]

How well is this mall doing?

[Everything Community]

The massive Brass Mill Center mall and the neighboring Brass City Commons shopping complex have sold to a New York investor for a combined $44.9 million.

The mall had been failing in recent years, losing anchor tenants including Sears and Macy's and seeing dwindling foot traffic. The Commons performed significantly better in terms of shopping traffic, with anchor stores including Dick's Sporting Goods, T.J. Maxx and Michaels. Although considerably smaller, the Commons sold for millions more than the mall.

https://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/waterbury-mall-and-neighboring-shopping-center-sells-for-449m

[Brammy]

The new owner is Kohan. They're notorious slumlords like Namdar (Enfield and Meriden) and Moon Beam.