The Shops at Atlas Park
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail (shopping mall) |
| Founded | April 2006 |
| Founder | ATCO Properties |
| Headquarters | Glendale, Queens, New York City , United States |
Area served | Glendale, Queens, New York City |
| Products | Retail stores, restaurants, entertainment (cinema) |
| Owner | Ben Ashkenazy (as of 2025) |
The Shops at Atlas Park is an outdoor shopping mall situated at the intersection of Cooper Avenue and 80th Street in Glendale, Queens, New York City.
Launched in April 2006 by ATCO Properties, this retail complex occupies the former Atlas Terminals industrial site, which was named in honor of Charles Atlas, a notable bodybuilder and resident of Middle Village.
History
The area originally consisted of farmland located between Cooper Avenue and Dry Harbor Road (currently known as 80th Street). In 1902, American Grass Products Company developed the site by constructing a brick factory alongside a power plant. By 1922, Henry Hemmerdinger of the ATCO Properties family purchased a warehouse on the premises, which eventually expanded into what became known as Atlas Terminals. During the 1950s, the industrial complex hosted prominent corporations such as General Electric, Kraft Foods, Westinghouse, and New York Telephone. Freight services were facilitated by the Long Island Rail Road’s Montauk Branch located at the southern edge of the park. After experiencing difficulties attracting tenants in subsequent decades, plans for redevelopment were initiated in the early 2000s.
As part of this transformation, four buildings ranging from 13,000 to 93,000 square feet were refurbished for retail purposes. Meanwhile, sixteen other structures near Cooper Avenue and 80th Street were demolished to make way for a landscaped park area.
The Shops at Atlas Park officially opened in late April 2006, featuring key retailers such as Regal Cinemas, TJ Maxx, ULTA Beauty, Foot Locker, California Pizza Kitchen, Chili's, Johnny Rockets, White House Black Market, and New York Sports Club. In February 2009, the property entered foreclosure and ownership transferred to French financial institutions Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank (Calyon Bank) and Société Générale. Subsequently, The Macerich Company purchased the mall in February 2011 for $54 million. In 2025, developer Ben Ashkenazy acquired The Shops at Atlas Park for $72 million.
Transportation
Public transit options serving the mall include bus routes Q29, Q47, and Q54. The rerouting of the Q54 and the former Q45 (now integrated into the Q47) in 2007 and 2008 to provide service to the mall generated controversy due to MTA Chairman H. Dale Hemmerdinger also holding the position of president at ATCO Properties, the mall’s owner.
The closest New York City Subway station is Middle Village–Metropolitan Avenue on the M train line, located roughly 1.3 miles from the shopping center.