Laurel Mall (Maryland)
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Laurel Mall is a shopping mall located on the west side of U.S. Route 1 in Laurel, Maryland. The mall was opened in 1979[1] and connected two pre-existing structures – the freestanding Montgomery Ward on its south side and Laurel Shopping Center to the north.[2]
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[edit] History
The mall was first named Laurel Centre Mall and included two anchor stores, Montgomery Ward and JCPenney, with a third anchor, Hecht's, added in 1981. The 167,000-square-foot (15,500 m2) Montgomery Ward store opened for business on April 16, 1969.[3] The 83,000-square-foot (7,700 m2) JCPenney store opened in 1979, with the 265,000-square-foot (24,600 m2) Laurel Centre expansion. The Hecht Company moved its store from its previous location in the Laurel Shopping Center. In 1991, the 662,000-square-foot (61,500 m2) mall received a $2 million face lift and update.[4] Though small in comparison with most malls today, Laurel Mall has two levels and, when it opened, had modern innovations such as a rotating circular platform with four small stores in the center, and a glass-sided walkway over a roadway and parking lot between JCPenney and the Laurel Shopping Center.
In recent years, the Mall has been in decline. In 2001, anchor store Montgomery Ward went out of business, and JC Penney vacated the mall in 2002. Around the same time, the expansion and renovation of the nearby Mall in Columbia added restaurants and movie theaters to its mix. Big-box stores at U.S. Route 1 and Maryland Route 198 opened and expanded offerings over the decade. As a result, business at the Laurel mall has dwindled. Today, a Burlington Coat Factory occupies most of the former Montgomery Ward space, and Macy's replaced Hecht's in 2006. On two occasions, sections of the aging parking decks have crumbled and fallen onto the parking lots below, resulting in their closure.[5][6]
In January 2012, Macy's announced it will close 5 underperforming stores with final clearance sales beginning January 8, and will run on through early spring, including the Laurel Mall location,[7] leaving Burlington Coat Factory its last remaining anchor store.
[edit] Redevelopment
In 1991, the mall removed its wood-finished floors and store fascias, and updated with modern pastel colored Formica panels. The floor was redone with a cream colored marble, and the revolving center shops were replaced with a blue painted steel stairway and security desk. [8]
In 2006, the mall fell into receivership and was sold to Somera Capital Management, which owns and operates many malls across the nation, for $31 million. Somera hired General Growth Properties, which owns and operates nearby Columbia Mall to redevelop the space. Renovation plans were unveiled to the public on January 30, 2007, at Laurel City Hall. The plans included a new 80,000-square-foot (7,400 m2) anchor, a 16-screen Regal Theaters with stadium seating, a two-story bookstore, a new food court, restaurants with sidewalk dining (including Mimi's Cafe), new national and regional shops, a new parking deck, a redesigned exterior of bricks and stones, and a new interior. The redesigned mall was to be renamed "Laurel Commons," and was to have been accompanied by luxury apartments and a grocery store on the mall property. The first phase of the project was scheduled to begin construction in 2009. General Growth Properties fell into bankruptcy protection[9], and construction never started, to the dismay of the City Council and Mayor, who threatened to withdraw the $16 million tax break.
Greenberg Gibbons Commercial (GGC) took partial ownership and began managing the mall on March 1, 2011. GGC also unveiled new plans for the redevelopment of the mall, which includes demolition of most of the existing mall with the exception of Macy's and the rear parking structure. The new plans call for an open air multi-use shopping center which will include a movie theater, health club, restaurants, and a residential area. The mall will also receive a new name, "Laurel Town Center." Construction is scheduled to begin in approximately 18 months from the time that the new plans were announced in March.
[edit] Anchors
[edit] Current
- Macy's (the former Hecht's) (scheduled to close in Spring 2012[7])
- Burlington Coat Factory (since 2001, replaced Wards)[1]
[edit] Former
- Hecht's (became Macy's in 2006)
- JCPenney (space occupied by International Furniture)
- Montgomery Ward (replaced by Burlington Coat Factory)
- International Furniture (closed 2008)
[edit] Further reading
- Glenn, Gwendolyn (March 3, 2011). "New name, new plans revealed for Laurel Mall". The Laurel Leader. http://www.explorehoward.com/news/80521/new-name-new-plans-revealed-laurel-mall/.
- Mui, Ylan Q. (March 5, 2007). "'Mall Repair' in Laurel - Foundering Shopping Center To Get an Extreme Makeover". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/04/AR2007030401209.html.
- "'Mall Repair' in Laurel - Foundering Shopping Center To Get an Extreme Makeover". Associated Press. February 15, 2006. http://www.wtopnews.com/?nid=25&sid=699652.
[edit] External links
- Laurel Commons (new website)
- Laurel Mall
- Laurel Commons (GGP site)
- Somera Capital Management - Laurel Mall
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Crown America to manage Maryland regional mall". Retail Traffic (Penton Media, Inc.). 2001-11-01. http://retailtrafficmag.com/news/retail_crown_american_manage/. Retrieved 2008-07-09.
- ^ "Laurel Centre Expansion Under Way," The Washington Post, June 30, 1978, p. F1.
- ^ "Ward to Open Fifth Area Store in Laurel," The Washington Post, Times Herald April 13, 1969, p. 138.
- ^ "Laurel Centre Gets Makeover," The Washington Post, March 21, 1991, p. MD1C.
- ^ "Mall Repair in Laurel Foundering Shopping Center To Get an Extreme Makeover". The Washington Post. March 5, 2007.
- ^ Klein, Allison (2005-07-02). "Walkway Collapse Shuts Laurel Mall". Washington Post (The Washington Post Company). http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/01/AR2005070102089.html. Retrieved 2008-07-09.
- ^ a b Rector, Kevin (January 5, 2012). "Macy's in Laurel Mall to close by early spring". The Laurel Leader. http://www.baltimoresun.com/explore/howard/publications/laurel-leader/ph-ll-macys-closing-20120105,0,6878700.story. Retrieved January 24, 2012.
- ^ "In The News". The Washington Post. March 21, 1991.
- ^ Panchuk, Kerri (April 23, 2010), "Simon Property Group sweetens General Growth deal", Charlotte Business Journal, http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2010/04/19/daily46.html
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Coordinates: 39°5′38.21″N 76°51′27.22″W / 39.0939472°N 76.8575611°W
