Landmark Mall
.jpg) Mall interior, 2015 | |
 | |
| Location | Alexandria, Virginia |
|---|---|
| Address | Duke St., Shirley Hi-way and Van Dorn St. |
| Opening date | 4 August 1965 |
| Owner | General Growth Properties |
| No. of stores and services | 20+ |
| No. of anchor tenants | 2 |
| Total retail floor area | 675,000 square feet (62,700 m2) |
| No. of floors | 3 |
| Website | plazacentralofarlington.com |
The Landmark Mall (or Landmark Regional Shopping Center) is an American shopping mall. It is located in a triangle formed by Duke Street (Virginia State Route 236), Shirley Highway (I-395), and Van Dorn Street (Virginia State Route 401) in Alexandria, Virginia.
History
The mall opened on 4 August 1965, with Virginia Lt. Gov. Mills E. Godwin, Jr. cutting the ceremonial ribbon.[1] It was the first mall in the Washington D.C. area to feature three anchor department stores; the Hecht Company (now Macy's) (163,000 sq ft), Sears and Roebuck (236,000 sq ft), and Woodward & Lothrop (later JCPenney, then Lord & Taylor, now vacant) (151,000 sq ft).[2] By that time of its opening, it had 32 stores in the 675,000-square-foot (62,700 m2) center including Bond Clothes, Casual Corner, People's Drug Store, Raleigh Haberdasher, Thom McAn, and Waldenbooks.[3] The center also included the second location of S&W Cafeteria in the Washington D.C. suburbs.
Originally an outdoor mall, it was enclosed in 1990.[4][5]
In 2006 the mall's owner, General Growth Properties, announced its plan to convert the mall to an open-air "town center" shopping center.[6][4] The plans were not realised.
Howard Hughes Corporation became the new owner in 2009.[4] Lord & Taylor announced in May the same year that it would be closing its store at the mall.[7]
The Howard Hughes Corporation showed it plan to transform the site into an 'urban town' in 2013. The plan would turn the mall into an outdoor center with retail and residential facilities.[4][8]
By October 2015, the two anchors stores in the mall were Sears and Macy's. The mall had numerous hair salons and furniture stores. The old Lord & Taylor also remained unoccupied. Unused by customers, the Lord & Taylor & J.C. Penney parking garage was leased out to car dealerships for storing new cars.
In June 2013, Alexandria City Council approved the plans to redevelop the mall.[5]
References
- ^ "Sears, Hecht Stores Open in Alexandria Almidst Music, Bargains, Traffic Jams," by Ruth Wagner and Larry Weckley, The Washington Post, Times Herald, 5 August 1965, p. F1
- ^ "New Area Center to Get 3 Major Stores," by S. Oliver Goodman, The Washington Post, Times Herald, 22 September 1963, p. E8
- ^ "Sears, Hecht Open New Stores Today," The Washington Post, Times Herald, 4 August 1965, p. E8
- ^ a b c d http://patch.com/virginia/westendalexandria/landmark-mall-redevelopment-residents-hopeful
- ^ a b http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2013/jun/27/winds-change-landmark/
- ^ "Moving a Landmark Into a New Era: Plans to Convert the Historic Mall Into an Open-Air Center Are Getting Revived," by Daniela Deane, 24 January 2008, p. VA12
- ^ V. Dion Haynes, "Lord & Taylor to Leave Troubled Mall," The Washington Post, 30 May 2009
- ^ "Landmark Mall Redevelopment". City of Alexandria. 4 September 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2014.