The Mall in Columbia

Last updated
The Mall in Columbia
Logo of The Mall in Columbia.png
The Mall in Columbia
Location10300 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, Maryland, U.S.
Coordinates 39°12′54″N76°51′40″W / 39.215°N 76.861°W / 39.215; -76.861
Opening date1971
Developer The Rouse Company
Management Brookfield Properties
Owner Brookfield Properties
No. of stores and services202
No. of anchor tenants 6
Total retail floor area 1,400,000 sq ft (130,000 m2)
No. of floors2 (3 in Macy's)
Parking7,200 spaces, including 3 parking garages
Public transit accessAiga bus trans.svg RTA Central Maryland bus: 401, 404, 405, 406, 407, 408, 501, 503
Website themallincolumbia.com
The Mall In Columbia The Mall In Columbia 2015.jpg
The Mall In Columbia
The Mall in Columbia, interior view, original section, first floor, c. 1979 Le10-004.jpg
The Mall in Columbia, interior view, original section, first floor, c. 1979

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.

Contents

History

The Mall in Columbia, interior view, original section, second floor Mall of Columbia-interiorclock.png
The Mall in Columbia, interior view, original section, second floor

Architect Frank Gehry designed The Rouse Company Columbia exhibit building, and was initially selected to design the neighboring mall centerpiece. Gehry was later rejected by Rouse for lack of experience, and the firm of Cope, Linder, & Walmsley was contracted for the project. [1]

The Mall opened in 1971 with two major anchor stores: Hochschild Kohn's (which was replaced by Hecht's in the mid-1970s) and Woodward & Lothrop (a.k.a. Woodies, which closed in late 1995 and was replaced by JCPenney in July 1996 [2] ), as well as a McCrory's and Lerner's, which were minor anchors.[ citation needed ] Howard Research and Development was probed shortly after opening for purchasing bulk energy contracts on electricity while charging market rates to tenants. [3]

Of the original 102 stores, those still in operation at the mall as of January 2020 include: Edward Arthur Jeweler and GNC. [4] [5]

The Mall has undergone several major expansions since its opening, with the Sears wing opening in 1981, along with an expansion of approximately 370,000 square feet (34,000 m2) and about 55 specialty stores. [6]

In 1997, the Hecht's store (now Macy's) added a third level. The Lord & Taylor wing opened in November 1998 (along with two new parking garages); the Nordstrom wing opened in September 1999. Also at this time, 20 to 30 stores opened in a new 60,000-square-foot (5,600 m2) wing near Hecht's. The interior was renovated by replacing the floors, lighting, skylights and air conditioning units by the end of 1998. [7]

A Cheesecake Factory restaurant opened on The Mall property near the movie theaters in late 2005. The Mall's Hecht's store became Macy's on September 9, 2006. [8]

The Mall was sold to General Growth Properties by The Rouse Company in 2004. [9]

Poinsettia Tree c. 1979 Le10-005.jpg
Poinsettia Tree c. 1979

A December 2007 decision by local General Growth Properties managers to abandon The Mall's traditional "Poinsettia Tree" Christmas display sparked a grassroots movement by several hundred Columbia residents for the return of the display which had come to be viewed as a local tradition. The story was picked up by The Washington Post , [9] and the publicity led mall managers to reverse their decision and return the popular display in 2008. [10] Part of what makes the "tree" unique is its watering system and plant specifications. [11] In 2017, the large water fountain within which the "tree" had been installed each year, was replaced with at-grade flooring. [12]

In early 2013, construction began on an addition to the outdoor "Plaza at The Mall in Columbia" to replace the L.L. Bean store (which closed in May 2013) with additional stores and restaurants.[ citation needed ] The first phase of the outdoor expansion opened in November 2013. On April 28, 2015, Howard County Police announced an increased presence at village centers and malls following protests and riots [13] the day before that affected General Growth's Mondawmin Mall in Baltimore.

In May 2018, a 50,000-square-foot (4,600 m2) Main Event Entertainment facility opened on the south side of the mall, featuring 22 bowling lanes and over a hundred virtual reality video games. [14]

The dawn of the 2020s saw several storied traditional department store retailers update their traditional brick-and-mortar formats after being encroached upon to a degree by several digital retailers in recent years.

In October 2018, it was also announced the Sears store would shutter as part of an ongoing decision to phase out of their traditional brick-and-mortar format and would become German supermarket chain Lidl. [15] [16]

In August 2020, it was announced that upscale department store retailer Lord & Taylor would shutter its traditional brick and mortar format as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. [17] Several potential replacement tenants are reportedly in the midst of early on discussions.[ citation needed ]

By 2023, The Mall in Columbia announced several additions, among them Warby Parker, Under Armour, and Showcase. [18] [19]

Key dates

Current anchors

Former anchors

Incidents

2014 shooting

On January 25, 2014, at around 11:15 a.m., 19-year-old Darion Marcus Aguilar entered the Zumiez store on the second floor of the mall, armed with a Mossberg 500 12-gauge shotgun with a pistol grip, and fired six to nine shots, killing two employees—21-year-old Brianna Benlolo and 25-year-old Tyler Johnson—and shot another person before committing suicide. Four others were injured unrelated to the shooting. Police arrived within two minutes to find an extensive amount of ammunition and crude explosive devices next to Aguilar's body, which were disabled safely. All of the injured were treated and later discharged from the Howard County General Hospital. [25] [26] [27] [28]

2015 shooting

Former Jessup correctional officer Hong Young was arrested on March 2, 2015, on suspicion of shooting at the Columbia AMC theater building and gunfire incidents at the National Security Agency, Arundel Mills Costco, Inter-county Connector and Laurel Walmart. [29] [30]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aventura Mall</span> Shopping mall in Aventura, Florida, US

Aventura Mall is a shopping mall located in Aventura, Florida. It is the 3rd largest mall in the United States by total square feet of retail space and the largest mall in Florida. The mall features JCPenney, Macy's, Nordstrom, and Bloomingdale's, in addition to a 24-screen AMC Theatres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King of Prussia (shopping mall)</span> Shopping mall in Pennsylvania, U.S.

King of Prussia is a shopping mall located in the community of King of Prussia in Upper Merion Township, Pennsylvania. It is the largest shopping mall in Pennsylvania and the fifth-largest shopping mall in the United States in terms of gross leasable area. It is an upscale mall with 450 retailers. The mall features the traditional retailers Primark, Dick's Sporting Goods, Wayfair, Macy's, Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, and Neiman Marcus. The mall features prominent specialty retailers such as Allbirds, Everlane, Savage X Fenty, Psycho Bunny, Tory Burch, Saint Laurent, Hermès, and BVLGARI.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tysons Corner Center</span> Shopping mall in Virginia, United States

Tysons Corner Center is a shopping mall in the unincorporated area of Tysons in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. It opened to the public in 1968, becoming one of the first fully enclosed, climate-controlled shopping malls in the Washington metropolitan area. The mall's features the traditional retailers Macy's, Nordstrom, and Bloomingdale's. The mall also features prominent specialty retailers including Everlane, Fabletics, Untuckit, Oak + Fort, Intimissimi, Aesop, and Warby Parker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Staten Island Mall</span> Shopping mall in Staten Island, New York

Staten Island Mall is a shopping mall in New Springville, Staten Island, New York City, opened in 1973. It is the only indoor shopping mall in the borough. It is the largest retail center on the island and is the site of the island's third-largest public transit hub after the St. George Terminal and Eltingville Transit Center, with numerous bus routes that connect to the periphery of the mall area. It is the second largest shopping center in NYC. The mall features the traditional retailers Primark, JCPenney, and Macy's, in addition to an 11-screen dine-in AMC Theatres. The mall features prominent specialty retailers such as Adore Me, Armani Exchange, Miniso, Steve Madden, The Apple Store, White House Black Market, and Zara.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Florida Mall</span> Shopping mall in Orlando, Florida, United States

The Florida Mall is a super regional enclosed shopping mall located south of Orlando in unincorporated Orange County, Florida, United States, on the southeast corner of Orange Blossom Trail and Sand Lake Road; it opened in 1986. The mall features JCPenney, Dillard's, Macy's, Dick's Sporting Goods, and Sears, in addition to the Crayola Experience.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WestShore Plaza</span> Shopping mall in Florida, United States

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Towson Town Center</span> Shopping mall in Maryland, United States

Towson Town Center is a large indoor shopping mall located in Towson, Maryland. It was the largest indoor shopping mall in Maryland prior to the completion of Arundel Mills in late 2000 in Hanover and the 2007 expansion of Westfield Annapolis.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dulles Town Center</span> Shopping mall in Dulles, Virginia

Dulles Town Center is a two-level enclosed shopping mall in Sterling in Loudoun County, Virginia. It is located five miles (8.0 km) north of Washington Dulles International Airport. It is part of the Dulles Town Center census-designated place for population statistical purposes. The mall features the traditional retailers Macy's, Dick's Sporting Goods, JCPenney, and Books-A-Million. It features prominent specialty retailers such as American Eagle, Pink, Aeropostale, PacSun, Hollister, H&M, and Ann Taylor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freehold Raceway Mall</span> Shopping mall in Freehold, New Jersey

Freehold Raceway Mall is a super-regional high-end shopping mall located in Freehold Township, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of 2020, it was the largest shopping mall in Central Jersey and the state's third largest shopping mall, behind Garden State Plaza in Paramus, and American Dream Meadowlands in East Rutherford. It is located off of U.S. Route 9, Route 33 Business, and County Route 537, opposite the Freehold Raceway.

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

Westfield Annapolis is a shopping mall, owned by Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield and is located near the junction of U.S. Route 50 and Interstate 97 in Parole, near Annapolis, Maryland. As of 2022, the mall features the traditional tenants Macy's and JCPenney, and prominent specialty stores Free People, Intimissimi, Janie & Jack, and Crate & Barrel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawthorn Mall</span> Shopping mall in Vernon Hills, Illinois

Hawthorn Mall, formerly Westfield Hawthorn, is a shopping mall in Vernon Hills, Illinois. It was developed by Urban Investment and Development Co, and anchor stores Sears and Marshall Field & Company as part of New Century Town, a community with 5,000 condominiums and townhomes planned at the time. The mall features JCPenney, and Macy's, in addition to a Dave & Buster's and a 12-screen AMC Theatres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quaker Bridge Mall</span> Shopping mall in Lawrence Township, New Jersey

Quaker Bridge Mall is a two-level super-regional mall located in the Clarksville section of Lawrence Township, New Jersey. As of 2022, the mall features the traditional tenants Macy's and JCPenney. The mall currently features prominent specialty stores Coach New York, White House Black Market, and Ann Taylor.

<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">Christiana Mall</span> Shopping mall in Delaware, United States

The Christiana Mall is a super-regional shopping mall located between the cities of Newark and Wilmington, Delaware, United States. The mall is situated at the intersection of Interstate 95 and Delaware Route 1/Delaware Route 7 near the community of Christiana, close to the center of the Northeast megalopolis.

<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">Security Square Mall</span> Shopping mall in Maryland, U.S.

Security Square Mall is a mall in Woodlawn, Baltimore County, Maryland, a suburb of Baltimore, in the United States. The mall features over 100 stores and restaurants, as well as a food court. One section of the mall, Grand Village Plaza, previously included Korean shops and restaurants; however, most of these establishments had closed by 2010. Security Square Mall is located adjacent to the North American School of Trades. The anchor stores are Bayit Furniture, Set the Captives Free Outreach Center, Burlington, and Macy's. There is 1 vacant anchor store that was once Sears.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Owings Mills Mall</span> Former shopping mall in Owings Mills, Maryland

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. It was owned and managed by General Growth Properties. 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. The mall was completely demolished in 2017, and redeveloped in 2019 as Mill Station.

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.

Montclair Place is a 1,200,000 square feet (110,000 m2) indoor shopping mall in Montclair, California. The mall was known as Montclair Plaza until 2015. The mall features JCPenney, and Macy's, in addition to an AMC Theatres Dine-In.

References

  1. Joshua Olsen (April 2004). Better Places, Better Lives: A Biography of James Rouse. p. 213. ISBN   978-0-8742-0919-8.
  2. "SEVEN J.C. PENNEYS TO OPEN IN D.C. AREA", Charleston Daily Mail (West Virginia), News; Pg. 04D, July 16, 1996
  3. John Walsh (22 September 1972). "Electricity Probe Set in MD". The Washington Post.
  4. Bittner, Dave (January 13, 2010). "The Columbia Mall Wayback Machine". HoCoMoJo. Archived from the original on November 28, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  5. "The Mall in Columbia: Store Directory & Map".
  6. O'Neill, Alison. "New Paint, More Space for Area Malls", The Washington Post, p. 1, October 18, 1982
  7. Leibowitz, Elissa."Getting Fancy at the Mall; Columbia Adding Upscale Stores, Parking", The Washington Post, p.1, September 17, 1998
  8. Mui, Ylan Q., "Era Ends With New Beginning;Transformation From Hecht's to Macy's Will Be Completed Today", (a general story about the Hecht's to Macy's transition) The Washington Post, Financial; D01, September 9, 2006
  9. 1 2 Fisher, Marc (December 13, 2007). "In Columbia, Mall Management Doesn't See the Point of Poinsettias". The Washington Post. p. B01. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
  10. Broadwater, Jennifer (November 20, 2008). "'Poinsettia tree' is back at the mall". Columbia Flier . Retrieved 30 December 2008.
  11. Fisher, Marc (December 24, 2007). "Columbia's Poinsettia Tree: The Inside Story". washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
  12. 1 2 "Mall in Columbia changes include new retailers, restaurants". Columbia Flier. June 19, 2017. Retrieved September 7, 2017. Sears is downsizing to just the first floor.
  13. "Howard County Police Increase Presence After Baltimore Riots: Police monitoring mall and village centers as well as assisting in city". Columbia Patch. April 28, 2015. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  14. 1 2 Williams, John-John IV (May 8, 2018). "Main Event Entertainment opens Tuesday at The Mall in Columbia". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  15. Bomey, Nathan; Tyko, Kelly (October 15, 2018). "Sears store closing list: 142 more Sears, Kmart locations closing in Chapter 11 bankruptcy". USA Today. Gannett. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  16. Yeager, Amanda (September 25, 2019). "Lidl will open a grocery store at the Mall in Columbia". Baltimore Business Journal. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  17. Valinsky, Joprdan (August 27, 2020). "Lord & Taylor is closing all of its stores after 194 years in business". Business. CNN. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  18. Mirabella, Lorraine (March 18, 2021). "Will Baltimore-area shopping malls survive after the pandemic? They must make changes, experts say". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  19. "Showcase opens in Columbia mall". The Business Monthly. September 6, 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Columbia Mall Timeline". Columbia Flier. September 16, 2004. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
  21. "Mall in Columbia holds grand opening for open-air plaza". The Baltimore Sun. October 17, 2014. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
  22. Janney, Elizabeth (December 8, 2018). "Columbia Sears Closing Date Is Approaching By End Of 2018". Columbia Patch. Retrieved January 12, 2019. The Sears at the Columbia mall will close on Dec. 31, according to store employees.
  23. Lisicky, Michael (August 2, 2020). "Lord & Taylor Surprises Shoppers With 'Store Closing' Signs At Many Locations, Files For Bankruptcy". Forbes. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  24. Yeager, Amanda (September 25, 2019). "Lidl will open a grocery store at the Mall in Columbia". Baltimore Business Journal. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  25. "Three Dead in Shooting at Maryland Mall; Police Call the Episode Isolated". The New York Times . January 25, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  26. "Chaos described at Maryland mall: 'There's a shooter!'". Los Angeles Times . January 25, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  27. "Shooting at Columbia, Md., mall leaves 3 dead". The Washington Post . January 25, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  28. "Police: 2 store employees, gunman dead at Maryland mall". CNN. January 25, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  29. Bui, Lynh; Firozi, Paulina; Duggan, Paul (4 March 2015). "Five shootings in public places in Maryland said to be linked; 35-year-old charged". The Washington Post.
  30. Weathers, Ben (5 March 2015). "Former Jessup corrections officer charged in Maryland shooting spree". The Capital Gazette .