Ballston Quarter

Last updated
Ballston Quarter
Ballston Commons.JPG
The former Ballston Common Mall from N. Glebe Road
Ballston Quarter
Opening date1951 (as Parkington Shopping Center)
1986 (as Ballston Common)
2019 (as Ballston Quarter)
Management Brookfield Properties
No. of anchor tenants 1
Total retail floor area 580,000 square feet (54,000 m2)
No. of floors4
Parking3,000 spaces
Public transit access WMATA Orange.svg WMATA Silver.svg at Ballston–MU (Washington Metro)
Website ballstonquarter.com

Ballston Quarter, formerly known as Ballston Common Mall, originally opened as Parkington Shopping Center, is one of the first major suburban shopping centers in the Washington, D.C., area. It opened in 1951 and was the nation's first shopping center built around a multi-story parking garage. [1] It is located at the intersection of Glebe Road and Wilson Boulevard in the Ballston neighborhood of Arlington County, Virginia, two blocks from Ballston–MU station on the Washington Metro's Orange and Silver lines.

Contents

The Ballston Common Mall opened October 20, 1986, as a $40 million replacement for Parkington Shopping Center. The 530,000-square-foot (49,000 m2) center was developed in limited partnership with May Centers, a subsidiary of The May Department Stores Company which, at the time, also owned one of the anchors, Hecht's. [2] On May 31, 2016, most businesses closed so the mall could be redeveloped into Ballston Quarter. It reopened officially in November 2018. [3] Currently, Macy's, Regal Cinemas, and a gym are the major anchors. [4]

On January 18, 2024, it was announced that Macy's would be closing as part of a plan to close 5 stores nationwide, which will leave the mall without any traditional anchors. [5]

History

The $6.5 million Hecht's store opened in the Parkington Shopping Center on November 2, 1951. [6] [7] At its opening, the five story, 300,000-square-foot (28,000 m2) store was the largest suburban department store on the East Coast. [8] A man was electrocuted during the construction of the store. [9] Over the years, the $15 million Parkington Shopping Center expanded to 30 stores including Giant Food, McCrory Stores, W. T. Grant, Brentano's Books, Casual Corner, and others. [10] [11] In May 1974, JCPenney opened a 36,327-square-foot (3,374.9 m2) soft line merchandise and catalog store. [12]

By 1982, the 30-year-old Parkington Shopping Center was in need of a facelift. [13] Beginning that year, Arlington County and the May Centers embarked on a $100 million renovation project and expansion of the shopping center. Part of the project was a contest among Arlington residents to name the new mall. That contest was how "Ballston Common" came to be the mall's name. [14] After some complications, the renovated and expanded shopping center opened in the fall of 1986. In the early 2000s, the mall became home to the MedStar Capitals Iceplex, the headquarters and practice facility for the National Hockey League's Washington Capitals, and the ComedySportz improvisational theatre organization. [15]

Redevelopment

The owner of the mall started planning its redevelopment in 2013. [16] In September 2013, Forest City Washington purchased the Macy's Furniture Store as part of that plan. [17] The mall's final day of operation was May 31, 2016. A number of stores stayed open during the renovation.

Shooting

On September 14, 2019, the Arlington County Police Department was dispatched to the mall due to reports of a mass shooter. After the mall was searched, it was revealed that there was no shooter. It was suspected to be a prank, but it was later found out that someone misinterpreted the line "Pennywise has sharpshooter activated," while they were watching the movie It Chapter Two at the theatre. The report summoned a massive police presence with police helicopters from Washington, D.C., and neighboring Fairfax County. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fashion Centre at Pentagon City</span> Shopping mall in Virginia, United States

Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, also known as Pentagon City Mall, is a shopping mall in the Pentagon City neighborhood of Arlington, Virginia, near Interstate 395 and Hayes Street. Its Metro level is directly connected to the Pentagon City station on the Blue and Yellow Lines of the Washington Metro. The mall features Macy's and Nordstrom, and also houses the Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City hotel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballston, Virginia</span> Neighborhood in Arlington, Virginia

Ballston is a neighborhood in Arlington County, Virginia. Ballston is located at the western end of the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor. It is a major transportation hub and boasts one of the nation's highest concentrations of scientific research institutes and research and development agencies including the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency-DARPA, the Office of Naval Research, the Advanced Research Institute of Virginia Tech, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and associated engineering, management, and public sector consulting firms. Ballston also contains a section known as Virginia Square and sometimes the area is collectively known as Ballston-Virginia Square.

Hecht's, also known as Hecht Brothers, Hecht Bros. and The Hecht Company, was a large chain of department stores that operated mainly in the mid-Atlantic and southern region of the United States. The firm originated in Baltimore, Maryland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lloyd Center</span> Shopping mall in Portland, Oregon, United States

Lloyd Center is a shopping mall in the Lloyd District of Portland, Oregon, United States, just northeast of downtown. It is owned by Arrow Retail of Dallas. The mall features three floors of shopping, with the third level serving mostly as professional office spaces, a food court, and U.S. Education Corporation's Carrington College. Lloyd Center also includes the Lloyd Center Ice Skating Rink, which has become the main draw for the mall. There are currently no anchors in the mall. There are vacant anchor spaces left by Macy's, Marshalls, Nordstrom, and Sears. Junior anchors include Barnes & Noble and Ross Dress for Less.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Marsh Mall</span> Shopping mall in White Marsh, Maryland

White Marsh Mall is a regional shopping mall in the unincorporated and planned community of White Marsh, Maryland. It is one of the largest regional malls in the Baltimore metropolitan area, with 6 anchor stores and 134 specialty shops in 1,200,000 square feet (110,000 m2). The mall is anchored by Macy's, Macy's Home Store, Boscov's, JCPenney and Dave & Buster's. White Marsh Mall is the fourth largest mall in the Baltimore area, behind Towson Town Center, Arundel Mills Mall and Annapolis Mall. It is adjacent to an IKEA store and The Avenue at White Marsh shopping center.

The Mall at Prince George's, formerly known as Prince George's Plaza, is an enclosed regional shopping mall located in Hyattsville, Maryland, at the intersection of Belcrest Road and East-West Highway. It is served by a Washington Metro station, Hyattsville Crossing. This station is on the Green Line. Located across Belcrest Road from the Mall is the University Town Center mixed-use development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castleton Square</span> Shopping mall in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.

Castleton Square is an enclosed shopping mall in the Castleton neighborhood on the northeastern side of Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Built by Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation and Homart Development Company in 1972, it is owned and managed by Simon Property Group. It is the largest mall in the state of Indiana, and has remained so since its construction. The center's original anchor stores were JCPenney, Sears, Lazarus, and Woolworth. Expansions in 1990 and 1998 added to the total number of anchor and inline stores, while also adding a food court. The anchor stores are JCPenney, Forever 21, H&M, AMC Theatres, Dick's Sporting Goods, Macy's, and Von Maur; the former location of Sears has been vacant since 2018. Overall, Castleton Square consists of over 130 inline stores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Mall in Columbia</span> Shopping mall in Columbia, Maryland, U.S.

The Mall in Columbia, also known as the Columbia Mall, is the central shopping mall for the planned community of Columbia, Maryland, United States. It has over 200 specialty stores and the anchor stores are AMC Theatres, Lidl, Main Event Entertainment, Barnes & Noble, JCPenney, Macy's, and Nordstrom. Restaurants include PF Chang's, Maggiano's Little Italy and The Cheesecake Factory. It is located in the Town Center area of the city and attracts shoppers from surrounding counties in Maryland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fair Oaks Mall</span> Shopping mall in Fairfax County, Virginia

Fair Oaks Mall is a shopping mall in the Fair Oaks census-designated place (CDP) of unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, just northwest of the independent city of Fairfax. It is located at the intersection of Interstate 66 and U.S. Route 50. The mall has a gross leasable area (GLA) of 1,557,000 sq ft (144,700 m2). The mall features the traditional retailers Macy's, Macy's Furniture Gallery, JCPenney, Dick's Sporting Goods and Dave & Buster's. The mall also features prominent specialty retailers such as Apple, MAC Cosmetics, Ardene, Pottery Barn, Miniso, Windsor, Sephora, and Williams Sonoma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westfield Montgomery</span> Shopping mall in Bethesda, Maryland

Westfield Montgomery is a shopping mall in Bethesda, Maryland. Major tenants include Macy's, Macy's Home, and Nordstrom, as well as specialty brands like Fabletics, Madewell, Vineyard Vines, and Untuckit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stonestown Galleria</span> Shopping mall in San Francisco, California

Stonestown Galleria is a shopping mall in San Francisco, California, United States. It is located immediately north of San Francisco State University and near the former campus of Mercy High School which closed in 2020 and Lowell High School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valley Mall (Hagerstown)</span> Shopping mall in Halfway, Maryland

Valley Mall is a super-regional shopping mall serving Hagerstown, Western Maryland and nearby communities in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. Valley Mall is the only indoor mall in the Hagerstown Metropolitan Area since the other closed, Martinsburg Mall. Anchor stores include Belk, Dick's Sporting Goods, JCPenney, Onelife Fitness, and Tilt Studio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rivergate Mall</span> Shopping mall in Tennessee, United States

Rivergate Mall is a super-regional shopping mall located in Goodlettsville, United States, just outside of Nashville, the state capital of Tennessee. Opened in October 1971, the mall features 1,129,035 square feet (104,890.8 m2) of gross leasable area, with approximately 80 stores and restaurants, as well as a food court. Rivergate Mall has two anchor stores: Dillard's and JCPenney. There are two vacant anchor stores that were formerly Macy's and Sears. Its original anchor stores were Cain-Sloan, Castner Knott, and JCPenney. The mall sits in the core of a shopping district that is shared by the city of Goodlettsville and the Nashville neighborhood of Madison. This area is colloquially referred to by locals as "Rivergate," after the mall. Rivergate Mall is managed by Hendon Properties.

Laurel Mall was a shopping mall located on the west side of U.S. Route 1 in Laurel, Maryland. The mall opened on October 11, 1979 and connected two pre-existing structures – the freestanding Montgomery Ward on its south side and Laurel Shopping Center to the north. The mall closed permanently on May 1, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westfield Wheaton</span> Shopping mall in Maryland, United States

Westfield Wheaton, formerly known as Wheaton Plaza, is a 1.7 million square-foot, two-level indoor shopping mall in Wheaton, Maryland, north of Washington, D.C. It is owned by Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield and Its anchor stores include Macy’s, Target, JCPenney, Dick's Sporting Goods, and Costco.

The Centre at Salisbury is an 862,000-square-foot (80,082 m2) super regional mall in Salisbury, Maryland. The mall is the only regional shopping mall in a 60-mile (97 km) radius. The mall's anchor stores include Boscov's, Burlington, and Dick's Sporting Goods. It also features a 16 screen cinema stadium-style Regal Cinemas movie theater. The Centre at Salisbury is the largest shopping mall on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Landmark Mall</span> Shopping mall in Alexandria, Virginia

Landmark Mall was an American shopping mall. Located in a triangle formed by Duke Street, Interstate 395, and Van Dorn Street in Alexandria, Virginia, the mall opened in 1965 and closed on January 31, 2017. The mall was anchored by Sears, Lord & Taylor and Macy's.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellsworth Place</span> Shopping mall in Maryland, U.S.

Ellsworth Place is a 350,000-square-foot (33,000 m2), six-story, enclosed vertical power center in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland. It opened as City Place Mall on April 2, 1992, and is located at the intersection of Fenton Street and Colesville Road. Dave and Buster's opened in November 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kann's</span>

S. Kann Sons Co., or more commonly Kann's was a department store based in Washington, D.C. It was the city's second department store and pioneered the one-price policy and "the customer is always right" concept in retailing on the Washington, D.C. retail scene. The stores allowed consumers to return goods for cash.

St. Charles Towne Center is a two-level, enclosed shopping mall in the planned community of St. Charles in Waldorf, Maryland. Built in the late 1980s, it covers an area of 980,418 sq ft (91,083.8 m2), and is currently the only regional mall in Southern Maryland. In addition to Waldorf and St. Charles, the mall also serves the southern suburbs of Washington, D.C., and has a trade area population of 338,502. Anchor stores are Dick's Sporting Goods, J. C. Penney, Kohl's, Macy's, and Macy's Home Store.

References

  1. ↑ Eno Transportation Foundation, "Parkington Shopping Center Design," Transportation Quarterly (1952, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 440–456.).
  2. ↑ "Commercial Realty," The Washington Post Aug 4, 1986, p. WB38.
  3. ↑ "Everything You Need to Know About Ballston's Huge New Food Hall". July 24, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Directory", Ballston Quarter web site. Retrieved November 6, 2022
  5. ↑ "Macy's to Cut About 2,350 Jobs, Close Five Stores". Wall Street Journal. January 18, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Hecht Parkington Store Opens to 60,000 Shoppers," The Washington Post, Nov 3, 1951, p. 1.
  7. ↑ "Hecht's New Virginia Shop Opens Today," The Washington Post, Nov 2, 1951, p. B1.
  8. ↑ Display Ad for Hecht Company Parkington, The Washington Post and Times-Herald, Jun 27, 1955, p. 40.
  9. ↑ "Man Is Electrocuted, 2 Hurt, On Arlington Building Job," The Washington Post, Sep 15, 1951, p. B1.
  10. ↑ "McCrory's to Be Fifth Store To Open Branch in Parkington," The Washington Post, Jun 19, 1952, p. 19.
  11. ↑ Three New Stores Will Open On Thursday at Parkington, The Washington Post, Aug 6, 1952, p. 19.
  12. ↑ Capital Commerce, by William H. Jones, The Washington Post, May 2, 1974, p. H12.
  13. ↑ "Parkington Renewal Plan Unveiled," by Nancy Scannell, The Washington Post, Feb 18, 1982, p. B1.
  14. ↑ "New Paint, More Space for Area Malls," by Alison O'Neill, The Washington Post, p. W1.
  15. ↑ "'Limited Dreamer' Making BIG Impact", NOVA BIGS Online, Dec, 2004
  16. ↑ "Forest City Washington planning Ballston Common mall redevelopment – Washington Business Journal". Washington Business Journal. 20 February 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  17. ↑ "Ballston Mall Redevelopment Moves Forward". arlnow.com. 18 September 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  18. ↑ "JUST IN: Video Game Reference Shouted During Movie Led to Ballston Active Shooter Panic". 9 October 2019.

38°52′45.6″N77°6′39.6″W / 38.879333°N 77.111000°W / 38.879333; -77.111000

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.