Jump to content

Owings Mills Mall

Add links
Coordinates: 39°24′27″N 76°47′23″W / 39.40750°N 76.78972°W / 39.40750; -76.78972
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the shopping center. For the adjacent transport development, see Metro Centre at Owings Mills.

Owings Mills Mall
Owings Mills Mall logo
Main entrance (June 2012)
Map
LocationOwings Mills, Maryland, U.S.
Coordinates39°24′27″N 76°47′23″W / 39.40750°N 76.78972°W / 39.40750; -76.78972
Address10300 Mill Run Circle, 21117
OpenedJuly 30, 1986; 39 years ago (July 30, 1986)
Renovated1998
Closed
  • September 23, 2015; 10 years ago (September 23, 2015) (mall interior)
  • April 8, 2016; 10 years ago (April 8, 2016) (final tenant JCPenney)
DemolishedAugust 2016–March 2017
Previous names
  • Owings Mills Town Center (1981–1986)
  • Owings Mills Fashion Mall (1986–1998)
DeveloperThe Rouse Company
OwnerKimco Realty Corporation
ArchitectRTKL Associates[1]
Stores155 (at peak)
4 (at peak)
Floors2
ParkingParking lot
Websitewww.owingsmillsmall.com (2014 archive)
Building details
Interior view (June 2012)
General information
StatusDemolished
Construction started
1984; 42 years ago (1984)
Completed1986

Owings Mills Mall was a shopping mall in Owings Mills, Maryland, United States, that hosted 155 stores and eateries, in the Baltimore County, Maryland, community of Owings Mills.[2] It was owned and managed by General Growth Properties (GGP). While its main entrance was off Red Run Boulevard between Painters Mill Road and Owings Mills Boulevard, the mall was also accessible from the exit ramps of I-795. It was originally known as Owings Mills Town Center during planning. It was also known as Owings Mills Fashion Mall when it opened, but the "Fashion" part was eventually dropped. The mall was completely demolished in 2017, and redeveloped in 2019 as Mill Station.

The mall's final anchor store was JCPenney, which closed its doors on April 8, 2016. Previous anchors were Bambergers,[3] Hecht's,[4] Macy's,[5] Boscov's,[6] Lord & Taylor,[7] Saks Fifth Avenue,[8] and Sears.[9] IFL (International Furniture Liquidators) was temporarily located in the space vacated by Lord & Taylor. Sticks 'N' Stuff, a furniture retailer, was temporarily located in the Sears building before it was demolished in 2004. The mall experienced the closures of several national stores, leaving multiple vacancies.[10]

History

[edit]
The parking lot at Owings Mills Mall

Despite the term "Mills" in its name, it is not nearby, or affiliated with Arundel Mills, and it was not part of the Landmark Mills portfolio of malls developed by The Mills Corporation. This mall was named after the Baltimore suburb it was built in, which is Owings Mills, and was developed by The Rouse Company.

1981–1986: Development and opening

[edit]

The mall was announced as early as March 1981, with vague plans that compared it to the White Marsh Mall in size.[11] By late 1983, a summer 1986 opening had been announced, and the mall was to feature three department store anchors with plans for two more.[12] Anchors Saks Fifth Avenue, Bambergers, and Hecht's were announced in 1984.[13] The area was identified as a primary growth center in 1979 by Baltimore County and originally intended to be built around a 100-acre (40 ha) lake, with $2 million invested in the project.[14] The Rouse Company planned to develop the mall and surrounding area as Owings Mills Town Center, similar to its town center project in Columbia, Maryland.[15] Environmental regulations changed during the time between the development of Columbia and Owings Mills, and the Army Corps of Engineers concluded the lake would have a negative environmental impact.[16] The area does not include the waterfront focal point initially planned, which is why the "Owings Mills Town Center" name was never used when the mall opened. The mall had its grand opening celebration on July 30, 1986 as Owings Mills Fashion Mall, with the mall 95% leased and 80% of stores open.[17]

1987–1992: Owings Mills Metro Subway Station

[edit]

The Owings Mills Metro Subway Station was opened by the Baltimore Metro Subway one year after Owings Mills Mall opened. Shuttle bus service with a 10 minute round trip was provided between the mall and the station. This shuttle bus service was discontinued in June 1992, leaving a less frequent bus service that provided this link only every 30 to 60 minutes.[18]

1990s–2017: Decline, closure, and demolition

[edit]

Owings Mills Mall received growing competition as other local malls have expanded. Towson Town Center added Nordstrom in October 1991, and that was the final blow to Owings Mills Mall's upscale status.[19] Saks Fifth Avenue began liquidation sales in early November 1995 (with a projected closure date of January 6, 1996), and was replaced with JCPenney.[20][21]

In 1997, bus service between the two locations was improved. The ease of public transportation allowed visitors from inner city urban areas to get to and from this mall much more easily than other suburban malls in the Baltimore metropolitan area. In 1998, following The Rouse Company's acquisition of Towson Town Center, the developer expanded Owings Mills Mall and dropped "Fashion" from the mall's name, due Rouse's strategical repositioning of the mall to serve as a general "middle-market" shopping center rather than a "fashion" destination. This was part of Rouse's plans to make its malls in Maryland more competitive to modern malls, such as the then-under-construction Arundel Mills, and to avoid cannibalization.[22] The 1998 renovation and expansion added Sears and Lord & Taylor, but they closed in 2001 and 2002, respectively.[9][7] Stix n' Stuff, a short-lived furniture retailer moved into the Sears building, but closed in 2004, and the building was subsequently demolished to make way for an adjacent residential development. IFL (International Furniture Liquidators) moved into the Lord & Taylor building, but was short-lived and closed soon after. The building remained vacant until demolition.

The Rouse Company, and subsequently General Growth Properties after a 2004 acquisition of Rouse's assets, have continued to promote Towson Town Center and The Mall in Columbia as premier malls, while leaving Owings Mills Mall stuck in the middle.

Former Lord & Taylor store, June 2012

Federated Department Stores would acquire Hecht's in February 2006, with Macy's moving into the former Hecht's building following the conversion of every Hecht's location to Macy's, and Boscov's would move into the original Macy's building. However, Boscov's announced in August 2008 that this location would close as part of a plan to close 10 locations nationwide due to the company filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.[23] This left JCPenney and Macy's as the remaining anchors.

An October 2010 story on the mall in the Baltimore Sun stated that the mall was 22.6% vacant.[10] WBAL-TV reported on November 10, 2011, that Owings Mills Mall would be demolished in 2013, with a new "outdoor style" mall similar to the revamped Hunt Valley Towne Centre to be completed by 2014.[24] An October 2014 story in the Baltimore Business Journal stated that the mall was "about half vacant."[25]

In late September 2015, the interior of the mall was quietly closed, leaving only Macy's, JCPenney, out-parcel restaurants and the adjacent movie theater in operation.[26] Macy's closed in November 2015, and JCPenney announced on January 13, 2016, that it would close its Owings Mills location in the spring.

Fixtures from the mall were auctioned in March 2016.[27] Demolition of the mall commenced in August 2016, and was completed in March 2017.[28]

Redevelopment as Mill Station

[edit]
A rendering of the proposed redevelopment
After demolition (July 2017) with BECO Towers Owings Mills in the background

As of March 2017, Owings Mills Mall was completely demolished, and readied for redevelopment.[29]

On December 5, 2017, it was announced that the property would be redeveloped as a lifestyle shopping center called Mill Station. The $108 million project will be 575,000 square feet (53,400 m2) and anchored by Costco, Lowe's, and Dick's Sporting Goods. There will be at least 30 total tenants. Construction began in late December 2017 and was completed in early 2019.

The Costco at Mill Station shortly after its grand opening (October 2018)

Costco, however, opened in October 2018. The existing 17-screen AMC Theatres, originally a General Cinema opened in 1998,[30] was also fully remodeled.[31]

Peripheral properties

[edit]

Owings Mills Restaurant Park opened next to the mall in 1998; it is a collection of five sit-down restaurants such as Red Lobster and the Olive Garden, which has since closed.[32] A mixed-use, transit-oriented development first called Owings Mills Metro Centre (now Metro Centre at Owings Mills), exists alongside Mill Station.

BECO Towers, formerly the Owings Mills Corporate Center until January 2013, is an office complex adjacent to Owings Mills Mall/Mill Station. Firms operated there include CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield and Truist (formerly BB&T until they merged with SunTrust).[33]

Notable incidents

[edit]

Christina Brown murder

[edit]

At 2:18 p.m. EDT on September 25, 1992, Christina Marie Brown was found dead from a gunshot wound to the back of the head along the vegetation lined portion of the path between the mall and the Metro station. She was found ten minutes after leaving work as an employee of a cleaning company under contract to Saks Fifth Avenue at the mall, and was believed to have been traveling to the Metro station, en route to her home in Baltimore City. Brown was shot after she resisted a robbery attempt, and her purse, containing about $120, was taken.[34] The pathway was closed on November 25, 1992, in response to Brown's murder.[35] The murder received heavy local media attention, which led to a long-standing perception that Owings Mills Mall was unsafe. After the closure of the trail, a walk between the mall and metro became impractical for most, thereby requiring the use of regular bus service.

[edit]
  • The inside of Owings Mills Mall in 2007
    The inside of Owings Mills Mall in 2007
  • Wet Seal at Owings Mills Mall. Closed due to bankruptcy and liquidation[36][37]
    Wet Seal at Owings Mills Mall. Closed due to bankruptcy and liquidation[36][37]
  • Former food court
    Former food court

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Mall may outdo them all Owners of Towson Town Center create grand place to shop". Baltimore Sun. July 28, 1991. Retrieved December 20, 2025.
  2. ^ Schwartz, Nelson D. (January 3, 2015). "The Economics (and Nostalgia) of Dead Malls". The New York Times. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  3. ^ Uzelac, Ellen (September 4, 1986). "Bambergers Destroyed". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  4. ^ "Hecht's stores to vanish after nearly 150 years". July 29, 2005.
  5. ^ Sherman, Natalie (September 23, 2015). "Macy's in Owings Mills will close in November".
  6. ^ Zumer, Bryna (August 6, 2008). "Owings Mills' Boscov's store will close". Owings Mills Times. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
  7. ^ a b Sentementes, Gus G (February 23, 2002). "Store quits Owings Mills mall". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  8. ^ Bowie, Liz (April 19, 1997). "Rouse plans to expand Owings Mills mall Move anticipates arrival of 75,000 new residents". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Mirabella, Lorraine (January 14, 2001). "Sears calls it quits at Owings Mills". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Walker, Andrea (October 17, 2010). "Owings Mills Mall trying to find its identity". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  11. ^ McCord, Joel (March 8, 1981). "Baltimore county's era of mall building fades". The Sunday Sun. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  12. ^ "The hot retail market will get even hotter". The Evening Sun. December 28, 1983. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  13. ^ "Saks makes pledge to open store in Owings Mills mall". The Sun. May 26, 1984. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  14. ^ Carson, Larry (May 14, 1992). "Proposed 100-acre lake for Owings Mills finally given the heave-ho Baltimore County had put $2 million into the project". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  15. ^ baltimoreinnerspace.blogspot.com (October 1, 2008). "Owings Mills". Retrieved May 25, 2010.
  16. ^ Deal-Zimmerman, Michelle (May 18, 2008). "It's nice, even without a lake". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  17. ^ "Rouse Co.'s Owings Mills mall debuts this week". The Sun. July 27, 1986. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  18. ^ "Mall shuttle may resume in aftermath of slaying". The Baltimore Sun. September 30, 1992. p. 4B. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  19. ^ McGowan, Phillip (February 20, 2005). "Killing in Towson puts new spotlight on security at mall". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  20. ^ Klein, Alec Matthew (November 3, 1995). "Owings Mills Mall loses fashion plate Upscale Saks says sales were weak". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  21. ^ Schumin, Ben (September 11, 2015), JCPenney at Owings Mills Mall, retrieved March 29, 2024
  22. ^ "Living On The Edge". Baltimore Magazine. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
  23. ^ "Boscov's closing three Baltimore-area stores - Baltimore Business Journal". Archived from the original on August 8, 2008.
  24. ^ "Decades-Old Mall To Be Demolished". WBAL-TV. November 10, 2011. Retrieved November 10, 2011.[dead link]
  25. ^ "There's still no plan for the Owings Mills Mall, but Kimco isn't selling". Baltimore Business Journal. October 16, 2014. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  26. ^ "Owings Mills Mall closes the doors on its interior". Baltimore Sun. September 25, 2015. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  27. ^ "Owings Mills Mall remnants — from escalators to flag poles — head to auction - Baltimore Business Journal". Baltimore Business Journal. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  28. ^ Dan Bell / Film It (August 8, 2016), Demolition Time : The End of the Owings Mills Mall, archived from the original on December 21, 2021, retrieved August 22, 2016
  29. ^ "AERIALS: Demolished Owings Mills Mall Set for Redevelopment". Fox 45 Baltimore. February 6, 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
  30. ^ De Marco, Donna (June 5, 1998). "New cinema concept may hit Owings Mills". Baltimore Business Journal. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
  31. ^ "Mill Station To Come To Owings Mills". Cecil Whig - Bargaineer - Harford County. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
  32. ^ Harrison, David (June 19, 1998). "Restaurants sign on for Rouse Co. center". Baltimore Business Journal. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
  33. ^ "Owings Mills Corporate Center sells to BECO Management". Baltimore Business Journal. January 2, 2013. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  34. ^ Small, Glenn (January 8, 1993). "Jury resumes today in Owings Mills Mall slaying trial BALTIMORE COUNTY". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  35. ^ Brandt, Ed (November 24, 1992). "Owings Mills to close pathway to the mall". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  36. ^ "Retailer Wet Seal Files for Chapter 11 to Stay Afloat - Fox Business". Fox Business. January 16, 2015. Archived from the original on June 16, 2015. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
  37. ^ "Wet Seal Chapter 11 Voluntary Petition" (PDF). PacerMonitor. Retrieved May 16, 2016.

See also

[edit]
[edit]
  • Wikimedia Commons logo Media related to Mill Station at Wikimedia Commons
  • DEAD MALL SERIES: Owings Mills Mall **DEMOLISHED** by This Is Dan Bell
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Owings_Mills_Mall&oldid=1356468346"