Locals and invited guests line up outside the Jamaica Coliseum Mall for a service honoring the closing of the building. Eagle photo by Noah Powelson
By Noah Powelson
It’s the end of an era for the historic Jamaica Coliseum Mall, which officially closed at the beginning of the month.
Queens elected officials and community members gathered inside the halls of the now-closed Coliseum building on Saturday to pay respect to a Jamaica cultural landmark while surrounded by its shuttered stores. While a mall closing down is nothing new in the modern age, the shuttering of Jamaica Coliseum Mall hit hard for many after it established itself as a center of commerce, community and music over the four decades its doors were open.
To honor its legacy, Queens State Senator Leroy Comrie hosted a private ceremony reflecting on the mall’s long history, and how the earliest memories for many Jamaica locals happened inside the Coliseum. Several business owners who had shops inside the Coliseum were also given certificates in recognition of the role they played in shaping the neighborhood.
Comrie said Jamaica Coliseum wasn’t just another shopping center, it was a community ground that uplifted the residents of Jamaica and brought tourists and shoppers from all over to vitalize the local economy.
The senator also said that the mall had a close place in his heart as a graduate of Jamaica High School. He remembered making some of his first purchases there with his own money as a young man.
“The mall was the place for connection. The mall was the place to see people you hadn’t seen in a while,” Comrie said. “And sometimes you came to the mall and you saw people from all over the country…The Coliseum was a place for connection.”
“But the main thing that happened here was that it showed urban talent, it showed the entire county that there was an opportunity for minorities to have businesses, successful businesses,” Comrie added. “And we want to find a way to continue that one way or another.”
The building was originally opened as a Macy’s in 1947, but closed down in 1977. The Coliseum was founded in 1984 during a time where businesses in Southeast Queens struggled to stay afloat. It hosted over 120 merchants and small businesses inside its walls at a time, and the open streets outside were a prime spot for other merchants to peddle their goods.
The Coliseum was also a cultural landmark for New Yorkers, especially for the budding hip-hop scene in Queens.
LL Cool J and the Wu Tang Clan both featured the Coliseum in their music videos, and the building has also been referenced in the music of Run-DMC, Jam Master J, Jay-Z, 50 Cent and other hip-hop artists.
The Colosseum officially closed its doors to the public on Jan. 31, six months after the owners listed the building for sale.
The building’s closure also comes after the City Council approved the Jamaica Neighborhood Plan, a rezoning initiative that covers over 230 blocks in Jamaica. The effort is expected to result in 12,000 new housing units in the area.
While the building’s future remains uncertain, Queens elected officials said they wanted to work with the developers to maintain the Colosseum’s cultural importance.
Queen State Assemblymember Alicia Hyndman, whose parents are Caribbean, said the shop owners and vendors at the Colosseum were critical in providing affordable clothes and jobs for immigrant families like hers. The Colosseum was unique for a mall, Hyndman said, not just because of its location but because it was brought up by local independent entrepreneurs.
“This wasn’t a chain spot, everybody had their own business, and we lose some of that when places like these close down,” Hyndman said.
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards echoed the words of the other speakers, and said that he wanted to ensure the community the Coliseum helped build stays strong even as the building moves into a new era.
“One of the things we don’t want this transition to be is Downtown Brooklyn,” Richards said. “And we’re going to fight like hell to make sure it doesn’t become that, and that the people who paved the way can remain in this community and be centered.”
