Little Patuxent and Governor Warfield Parkways
Howard County (Columbia), Maryland
Conceived as the commercial and civic center of Columbia, a Rouse Company planned city, THE MALL IN COLUMBIA was erected on a 170-acre site. This was located 13.5 miles southwest of center city Baltimore. The dual level retail venue was designed by the firm of Cope, Linder & Walmsley and built by Howard Research & Development; a joint venture of the Rouse Company and Connecticut General Life Insurance Company.
Construction commenced in June 1970. An official dedication was held on August 2, 1971, with the Phase 1 mall encompassing 640,000 leasable square feet. It was anchored by a 2-level (152,000 square foot), Baltimore-based Hochschild-Kohn and 2-level (165,500 square foot), DC-based Woodward & Lothrop. The complex was the first to feature department stores from the two adjacent metro areas.
Eighty stores (out of an eventual 102) were dedicated during the official grand opening. These included Fashion Bug, Peck & Peck, Lerner Shops, Hyatt's For Men, Florsheim Shoes, Capitol Stationers, National Photo, Kinney Shoes, Joseph R. Harris, Tuerkes and a J.G. McCrory 5 & 10.
Major shopping centers in the THE MALL IN COLUMBIA trade area included WESTVIEW CENTER (1958) {8.2 miles northeast, in Baltimore County}, SECURITY SQUARE MALL (1972) {8.5 miles northeast, in Baltimore County} and -eventually- ARUNDEL MILLS (2000) {8 miles southeast, in Anne Arundel County}.
The first anchor change at THE MALL IN COLUMBIA took place in the mid-1970s. Hochschild-Kohn was shuttered in February 1975 and re-opened -as an Arlington, Virginia-based Hecht's- on September 1st of the same year.
A major mall expansion was underway by the early 1980s. A new Southwest Wing featured a 2-level (138,000 square foot) Sears and seventy new stores. These included B. Dalton Bookseller, Lechter's housewares, Playthings Toys, Drug Fair, Cover To Cover Books and Roy Rogers and Colonel Crab restaurants.
Pic Nic, a second mall food court, encompassed 15 units and was situated on the Lower Level of the expansion. An official dedication for the new wing commenced on August 6, 1981. Sears opened on August 13. MALL IN COLUMBIA now spanned approximately 1,010,000 leasable square feet, with a retail roster of 179 tenants.
McCrory's shuttered their 5 & 10 store in January 1995. Woodward & Lothrop was shuttered November 10, 1995, with the store re-opening -as a J.C. Penney- on July 20, 1996. A 150 million dollar expansion of THE MALL IN COLUMBIA got underway on July 28, 1997, when demolition began on the parking structure along the east side of the mall. Actual construction got underway in March 1998.
A 2-level (120,000 square foot) Lord & Taylor was built, that was flanked on the north and south by new parking garages. Lord & Taylor welcomed its first shoppers on November 3, 1998. The existing Hecht's had been enlarged with a third level during 1996 and 1997. The building now encompassed 212,800 square feet.
At the same time, a Northwest Wing was being constructed, which housed forty inline stores and 2-level (164,000 square foot) Nordstrom. The interior of the existing mall was also given a face lift. This included the installation of French limestone flooring, inverted pyramid light fixtures, new seating areas and signage. Nordstrom was officially dedicated on September 17, 1999.
Two food courts in different sections of the mall were consolidated into the facility on the Lower Level of the Sears Wing. The refurbished Pic Nic opened on November 15, 2000. The fifth stage of the remodeling included a third parking deck, freestanding (30,000 square foot) L.L. Bean and a Plaza At The Mall restaurant pad; these built in the northwest parking area. L.L. Bean opened in March 2001. P.F. Chang's China Bistro welcomed its first diners in May of the same year.
A final component of the turn-of-the-century makeover, the American Multi-Cinema Columbia 14, was dedicated on December 17, 2003. The mall proper now encompassed approximately 1,430,500 leasable square feet and housed around 220 stores and services. Ownership of the shopping facility changed in November 2004, when Chicago's General Growth Properties acquired the assets of the Rouse Company.
The "COLUMBIA MALL" L.L. Bean was short-lived. A plan was announced in July 2012, whereby it would close and relocate to a smaller space inside the complex. With this completed, the building was to be demolished and replaced by a section of lifestyle-format retail and restaurants. These would comprise an eastward extension of the existing Plaza At The Mall.
www.brookfieldproperties.com / Brookfield Properties
A final component of the turn-of-the-century makeover, the American Multi-Cinema Columbia 14, was dedicated on December 17, 2003. The mall proper now encompassed approximately 1,430,500 leasable square feet and housed around 220 stores and services. Ownership of the shopping facility changed in November 2004, when Chicago's General Growth Properties acquired the assets of the Rouse Company.
L.L. Bean closed in May 2013 and never re-opened. The first store in the Plaza At The Mall extension, Soma Intimates, commenced operation on November 1, 2013. By late 2014, the new open-air section was completed. Its restaurant tenants were Maggiano's Little Italy, Seasons 52 and Zoes Kitchen. Retail stores included Arhaus Furniture, Athleta Women's Performance Apparel, Secolari Gifts of Oils & other Enrichments and AT & T Mobility.
During 2017, Sears downsized their store into its (62,000 square foot) lower level. The upper floor was divided into three tenant spaces. A (51,000 square foot), Dallas-based Main Event Entertainment Center occupied the largest. There were also a (16,900 square foot) Barnes & Noble and (8,600 square foot) Uncle Julio's Mexican Restaurant. The Main Event was dedicated on May 8, 2018, with Barnes & Noble beginning business on September 19th.
Meanwhile, Brookfield Property Partners, based in Hamilton, Bermuda, had acquired a share of General Growth Properties in 2016. In August 2018, Brookfield established 100 percent ownership of the corporation. Hence, THE MALL IN COLUMBIA became part of the Brookfield retail center portfolio.
During 2017, Sears downsized their store into its (62,000 square foot) lower level. The upper floor was divided into three tenant spaces. A (51,000 square foot), Dallas-based Main Event Entertainment Center occupied the largest. There were also a (16,900 square foot) Barnes & Noble and (8,600 square foot) Uncle Julio's Mexican Restaurant. The Main Event was dedicated on May 8, 2018, with Barnes & Noble beginning business on September 19th.
Meanwhile, Brookfield Property Partners, based in Hamilton, Bermuda, had acquired a share of General Growth Properties in 2016. In August 2018, Brookfield established 100 percent ownership of the corporation. Hence, THE MALL IN COLUMBIA became part of the Brookfield retail center portfolio.
Sears ended up shuttering their newly-downsized store on December 31, 2018. Lord & Taylor went dark on December 29, 2020. The Lower Level of the vacant Sears area was rebuilt as a (26,000 square foot) Lidl, a German supermarket. This store commenced operation on June 9, 2021.
Sources:
The Baltimore Sun
www.themallincolumbia.com
http://www.therousecompany.com (Website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
The Baltimore Sun
www.themallincolumbia.com
http://www.therousecompany.com (Website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
www.baltimorebuisinessjournals.com
www.ggp.com / General Growth Propertieswww.brookfieldproperties.com / Brookfield Properties
http://www.hocomojo.com / Dave Bittner
https://ourcommunitynow.com
"The Mall in Columbia" article on Wikipedia
