In 1952, Ben Miller (father and grandfather of the present owners) purchased a piece of land of about eight acres on Wilmot Road; the land was partially in New Rochelle and partially in Scarsdale. It had previously been a privately owned racetrack that was no longer in use.
The property was developed in multiple phases. The first section was completed in January 1956, and it was designed to house four small stores (see picture below). That original building was demolished in 2016 and CVS now occupies that location today.
The next significant addition was constructed in 1958 which included the stores between Italian Village and Seasons Supermarket. Prior to Seasons Supermarket, Gristedes occupied that space from 1958 through 2015.
In the early 1960’s, the Post Office needed a larger facility in Heathcote than the small building they were occupying on Weaver Street. An addition was finished in 1963 to make space for the Post Office.
In 1984, the balance of the shopping center in New Rochelle was built. The Scarsdale portion of the land was developed in 1989 (starting from what is now Vanilla Sky and continuing to the end). In 1999 the shopping center had a major facelift. The new facade was designed to fit in with the Tudor type architecture in the Village of Scarsdale.
In 2017 we completed the most recent addition to the property, the CVS building and the Chopt/Starbucks building.
Some people probably wonder why the shopping center was, and still is called, “The Golden Horseshoe.” Horseshoes are supposed to represent good luck. The land had once been a racetrack for horses, and Mr. Miller’s original plan was for the shopping center one day to be in the shape of a horseshoe. For a number of reasons it has not ended up that way. However, for us it has been a lucky name. There is a sentimental attachment to it, and so it continues to keep the name, “The Golden Horseshoe”.
