In the last few years, the Rotterdam Square Mall has lost some big-name realtors, among them Macy's and Sears. The new owners, Via Entertainment, purchased the facility in 2015 for a little more than $9 million, giving the mall a new name, Via Port Rotterdam, and opening a space called Via Entertainment, that includes a bar, restaurant and games.
"We did the entertainment center first, to get it up and running, so we could have people coming in to start seeing, yes, there are changes being made," said General Manager Stanford Behrens.
Thursday, members of the media were given a tour to see the companies next step at the facility, called Via Aquarium.
"When via bought the mall over a year ago, they were thinking about what they can do to bring people back to the mall," said Via Aquarium Director David Gross.
This 25,000-square foot space will be home to more than 30 aquariums and 37 exhibits, featuring 2,500 fish and water wildlife with a total of 250 different species from around the world. Mall officials say it will be interactive.
"I want people to develop a connection with water," said Gross. "Water is a very important resource on the planet, and we don't take care of it all that well."
Via Aquarium was expected to be completed earlier this summer, but mall officials say they ran into construction delays specifically with installing many of the large aquariums.
"It's been a tremendous challenge, and things always take longer than you expect," said Gross.
Once open, they hope to also bring back those big names businesses, with hopes to make Via Port Rotterdam a place to see.
"We want to make this a destination for Rotterdam and Schenectady," said Behrens.
Mall officials say they hope to have the aquarium open by September.