Northern Lights first opened as a "strip center" in 1956. On March 22, 1979 it re-opened as an indoor mall. Since then, it has returned to it's original strip mall design.
 

The following three photos are courtesy of the North Syracuse Historian and were taken in the late 1950s to early 1960s. The first photo shows the view looking north, where Northern Lights would soon be on the right hand side. The stop light is the point where Brewerton Road in Mattydale divides into Route 11 and South Bay Road. This picture was also taken before Route 81 (or the "Penn-Can Highway", as it had been originally referred to) had been built. The second photo shows almost the same view a couple of years later, and includes Route 81. Northern Lights Plaza would also have been built by this time, it would just be slightly out of camera range on the right side of the picture. The third picture shows Northern Lights parking lot, looking north. Howard Johnson's restaurant is in the background.