Landmark Mall

The Landmark Mall, or Landmark Regional Shopping Center, 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.

The mall opened in 1965, and 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).[1] The mall opening occurred on August 4, 1965, when then Lt. Gov. Mills E. Godwin, Jr. cut the ceremonial ribbon.[2] The mall opened with 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 about 1990.

Plans were announced in 2008 to revitalize the mall by converting it to an open-air "town center" shopping center by the owner, General Growth Properties.[4] Those plans were put on hold with General Growth's bankruptcy filing in April 2009; the mall itself filed for bankruptcy at the same time.[5]

Lord & Taylor announced on May 29, 2009, that it would be closing its store at the mall.[6]

As of November, 2014, only two anchors remain (Sears and Macy's). Much of the rest of the mall is occupied by numerous hair salons and furniture stores. The old Lord & Taylor spot also remains unoccupied. Its parking garage is under used by consumers; part is leased for new car storage by automobile dealers..

Howard Hughes Corporation, the current owner of the central section (Macy's and Sears own their buildings) have plans to convert the mall to an outdoor center with retail and apartments.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "New Area Center to Get 3 Major Stores," by S. Oliver Goodman, The Washington Post, Times Herald, Sep 22, 1963, pg. E8.
  2. ↑ "Sears, Hecht Stores Open in Alexandria Almidst Music, Bargains, Traffic Jams," by Ruth Wagner and Larry Weckley, The Washington Post, Times Herald, Aug 5, 1965, p. F1.
  3. ↑ "Sears, Hecht Open New Stores Today," The Washington Post, Times Herald, Aug 4, 1965, p. E8.
  4. ↑ "Moving a Landmark Into a New Era: Plans to Convert the Historic Mall Into an Open-Air Center Are Getting Revived," by Daniela Deane, Jan 24, 2008, P. VA12.
  5. ↑ Yian Q. Mui, "As General Growth Stumbles, Region Joins Retail Slump," The Washington Post, April 20, 2009.
  6. ↑ V. Dion Haynes, "Lord & Taylor to Leave Troubled Mall," The Washington Post, May 30, 2009.
  7. ↑ "Landmark Mall Redevelopment". City of Alexandria. 4 September 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2014.

External links

Coordinates: 38°48′58.3″N 77°7′54.1″W / 38.816194°N 77.131694°W