Montreign Casino Brings Hope to Struggling Monticello

The entire Apollo Mall stands in crumbling ruin, its retail signs and parking lot spaces all that remains of its previous success.

Brick and asphalt remnants spell “Tova!” inside the fenced-off area of the Apollo Plaza Mall. The meaning is unknown but it is presumed to have been made by trespassers.

The former entrance signs of the Apollo still stand despite their rusted appearance. Though every year a new Apollo restoration/rebuilding plan is proposed, each one grander than the last, the mall still sits, slowly collapsing on itself.

An abandoned Rite Aid sits on Broadway in Monticello. Like many other businesses in the village, it struggled to stay open with few customers to serve outside of the village’s residents.

The Shoprite Plaza in Monticello is home to only a few remaining open stores such as a Subway, GameStop and jewelers.

The Monticello High School is one of the few bright spots in the county and Monticello as a whole.

Just across the highway from the Apollo, the casino “Montreign at Adelaar” is under construction after Monticello won a New York State bid for a new casino. Construction is expected to finish in 2018.

The top of the Montreign casino can be seen over the trees from both Route 17 and the streets of Monticello. It is a symbol of hope for residents, who expect the casino to restore tourism and increase commerce.

Enthusiasm for the new casino is apparent in the village as new buildings, such as a completely re-done Mobil station and the Taco Bell just past it, have sprung up in recent months.