The mall is currently owned and managed by GGP, a subsidiary of Brookfield Properties, and major tenants have left Towson Town Center in December 2025.[2] The mall's flagship Crate & Barrel shuttered in early 2022.
History
Inside of Towson Town Center
As Towson Plaza
Towson Plaza was originally an open-air mall developed by Ralph DeChiaro of DeChiaro Properties on ground originally sold by Goucher College. Towson Plaza had its grand opening on May 13, 1959 and was built next to the Towson location of Hutzler's which has since closed and been redeveloped into Towson Circle (now Circle East). Towson Plaza was one of the earliest multi-level shopping centers.[3] Much of that original structure remains incorporated into the current mall as its two lower levels.
1973 expansion and 1982 renovation
Towson Plaza was enclosed in 1973, renamed Towsontowne Centre, and renovated in 1982 with the opening of Hecht's across the parking lot. Lawrence Rachuba, through DeChiaro-Rachuba Group, were the developers.[4] The renovation also led to the opening of Hutzler's, though it gone out of business in 1990.[5][6]
Over the years, stores and attractions were added on to increase traffic in the mall and make it more competitive with other malls in the area. One memorable effort was Gadgets restaurant and arcade. It was a Warner Bros. themed restaurant with animatronic characters performing periodic shows on stage, which opened and closed in the early 1980s. Some of the original stores survived this era but later closed, including Hess Shoes, Loewmeyer's, and Friendly's. The Level 1 center court featured The Garden Cafe and a dandelion fountain at its entrance. The glass elevator was installed between the old escalators.
1990s redevelopment
Towson Town Center undergone a massive $150 million renovation in 1991. The third and fourth floors were developed by the San Diego-based The Hahn Company (later TrizecHahn Corporation) in partnership with the Rachuba-DeChiaro Group and the California-based Santa Anita Realty, opening on October 14, 1991. It included the addition of the Arbor Terrace food court on Level 3. New fountains were added to the Nordstrom court and third floor courts along with a glass elevator connecting Levels 3 and 4. The upper floors sit above a parking garage while access to the lower levels form a downhill pattern, as much of the mall property was built on a slope. The 1990s renovation was designed by the Baltimore-based RTKL Associates, which also designed the competing Owings Mills Mall and White Marsh Mall. The 1991 renovation added significant space for 130 stores.[7]
During the 1991 renovation, the main fountain was replaced with a smaller one. In 1999, the popular theme restaurant, Rainforest Cafe opened in the mall and was a tenant for the next ten years, closing in January 2009.[8] Bistro Sensations took the place of Garden Cafe in 2000 and has since gone out of business.
After redevelopment and ownership changes
TrizecHahn Corporation sold Towson Town Center to the Columbia-based The Rouse Company in 1998 as part of a $1.1 billion deal, alongside other malls to Rouse and Westfield Group as part of TrizecHahn's exit out of the mall industry.[9]
The Rouse Company and its portfolio, including Towson Town Center, was acquired by the Chicago-based General Growth Properties in November 2004 for $12.6 billion.[10]
Towson Town Center was renovated in 2008 and again in 2016. GGP and its assets, including Towson Town Center, was acquired by the New York-based Brookfield Properties in August 2018.[11]
Store closures and minor decline
In December 2021, Crate & Barrel announced that it would leave in February 2022. It closed permanently in early 2022, and remains vacant as of February 2026. The store was one of the most prominent anchors visible.[12]
Fogo de Chão announced an opening at Towson Town Center in September 2023, which would replace the defunct P.F. Changs.[13]
Towson Town Center's decline itself had become prominent when in December 2025, Tommy Bahama, Madewell, Banana Republic, and Wockenfuss Candies all announced that they were leaving. All four stores closed their doors in the December 2025–January 2026 period.[2]
Brookfield Properties reverted the branding of its U.S. retail subsidiary back to GGP in January 2026.[14]
Anchor stores
At opposite ends of the mall are two department stores, Macy's (formerly Hecht's) and Nordstrom. The three-story Macy's connects to the mall's top two floors, while Nordstrom connects to all four mall floors (including Nordstrom Rack on the first floor).
Current anchors
Nordstrom (since 1991)
Macy's (replaced former Hecht's 2006)
Former anchors
Hecht's (closed and converted into Macy's in 2006)
A large parking garage is connected directly to the mall structure. A popular area high school teacher was murdered on one of the garage's upper levels in 2005, leading some to worry that the crime in inner-city Baltimore was gaining a stronger foothold in the suburbs. After the murder, several reports of mugging as well as muggers with guns led to several security upgrades with many firsts in mall security.
2011 shooting
On December 19, 2011, a man was shot and killed outside a service entrance to Nordstrom. Four men were convicted in the gang-related shooting.[15] On April 23, 2012, a man and woman were robbed at gunpoint by 3 men in one of mall's parking garages. The robbers remain at large.[16]
2015 Teenager Police curfew
A cell phone video in December 2015 showed police at the scene of a disruption at the mall. Teenagers were accused of throwing rocks at police officers. As a result of the security concerns highlighted after the incident, mall management banned residents under the age of 17 from entering the mall after 5:00 p.m. EST on Fridays and Saturdays without an adult present with them.[17]
Renovations
Besides the most notable one being the 1990s renovation and expansion by Hahn, two other notable renovations occurred at Towson Town Center.
2007 renovation and expansion
In 2007, Towson Town Center began a $76 million expansion and renovation project that added to the existing structure, its largest expansion since 1992. The project included renovations to the mall's first and second floors, parking, restaurants, and a "Main Street"-style facade with exterior shopping, which was largely completed in October 2008. The project includes a flagship Crate & Barrel store (closed 2022), P.F. Chang's China Bistro, The Cheesecake Factory (opened October 23, 2008), Stoney River Legendary Steaks, and T.G.I. Friday's.[18]
2016 renovation
In November 2016, Towson Town Center began a million dollar renovation to its four parking garages. This involved the addition of Park assist technology. A “Park Assist” system alerts customers to available parking spaces through overhead red and green lights. According to owner General Growth Properties at the time, they also remodeled mall entrances, enclosed bridges from parking decks to the center, enhanced lighting and updated signage, adding 1,600 standardized signs, including at all major entrances.[19]
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