Shopping malls across the United States have been a place to go for shopping, take in a movie or to just pass time. Over the years, with online shopping taking off, American malls have looked to comedy clubs, music venues and arcades to help keep you coming back.

One Upstate New York mall has something that, I'm pretty certain, no other mall has. This Capital Region mall has a cemetery! This is not a gimmick, this is a real cemetery and it's right next to one of the entrances but why is it there?

Welcome to 93 West Campbell Road in Schenectady home of Via Port Rotterdam, formerly the Rotterdam Square Mall. Today you will find the Via Aquarium, T Mobile, the Ninety Nine restaurant, Zurich Cinemas and the Vedder Family Cemetery.

You may not have noticed the cemetery in the past because there were 2 big trees that have since been removed. To see the cemetery in person, park your vehicle near the northwest entrance to Via Port Rotterdam. Just to the left of the entrance you will see a short brick wall and iron fence protecting the grave stones.

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How does a cemetery end up at a mall? It's actually the other way around. According to Atlas Obscura, the family plots had been at this location for more than 150 years. When construction of the Rotterdam Square Mall was proposed in 1977 many residents were opposed to the project and they used the cemetery as one main reason not to build.

As a compromise, developers built the wall and gate that surround the cemetery today and agreed to maintain the grave site and that is why there is a cemetery at a mall in Schenectady. Let's take a closer look.

This Capital Region Mall Has A Cemetery?

Have you ever noticed the cemetery at this mall in Schenectady?

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