Jefferson Davis Highway / US 1 and 18th Street South
Arlington County, Virginia
Washington, DC's high-rise urban village rose on a plot located 3 miles southwest of the United States Capitol. The 391-acre site, in Virginia's Arlington County, had housed garbage dumps, factories, brick yards and flop houses over the years. The Airport Drive-In Theatre operated there between 1947 and 1963.
In that year, the DC-based Charles E. Smith Companies began development of the tract as a mixed-use office, residential and hotel complex. Its first structure, the 800-unit Crystal House apartment tower, was completed in 1964. The ornate chandelier in its lobby lent the "Crystal" name to subsequent office and condominium complexes. These included Crystal Plaza, Crystal Mall, Crystal Square, Crystal Gateway and Crystal Park.
The Crystal Plaza superblock would eventually comprise eight buildings; six office towers and two residential towers. These were completed between 1965 and 1968. An underground shopping center, Crystal Plaza Shops, was built below the high-rises. It originally contained twenty stores and services. The five-building Crystal Mall superblock opened in 1969, with a series of Crystal Mall Shops concourses built beneath.
A third subterranean retail complex was developed in the mid-1970s. Crystal Underground was envisaged by Color Design Art of Santa Monica, California. The shopping village was done in an old timey, 1920s motif. Storefronts featured antique leaded glass windows and hand-carved wood trim. Shopping concourses were floored with brick and cobblestone.
Among the many nostalgic features were Trolley Pub, a circa-1901 trolley car replica restaurant, the Antique Alley mall within a mall, and Crystal Palace international food court. Forty shops and services were open for business by June 1976. The subterranean center was officially dedicated, with over seventy stores, on September 30, 1976. Charter Crystal Underground tenants included Larimers general store, DrugFair and a (12,000 square foot) Jelleff's ladies' wear shop.
The Crystal City Malls became rapid transit-accessible on July 1, 1977. Revenue service commenced on the DC Metro's 11.8 route mile National Airport-to-Stadium-Armory Blue Line. Yellow Line service began on April 30, 1983. Commuter rail access, via the Virginia Railway Express, was established on June 22, 1992.
By this time, the labyrinthine network of subterranean shopping concourses had been expanded again. Crystal Gateway Shops was completed in 1981, with Crystal Park Shops being dedicated in 1984. Crystal City had not been envisaged as a planned community, but had evolved into one over the ensuing years. In its early days, the underground city in Arlington was seen as a futuristic portent of urban living in America. However, by the 1990s, this vision had changed.
New Jersey's Vornado Realty Trust began acquiring property at Crystal City in 1997. By 1999, they were partners with Charles E. Smith Commercial Realty, the original developer. Vornado established 100 percent ownership of the five Crystal City shopping complexes in October 2001.
By this time, the labyrinthine network of subterranean shopping concourses had been expanded again. Crystal Gateway Shops was completed in 1981, with Crystal Park Shops being dedicated in 1984. Crystal City had not been envisaged as a planned community, but had evolved into one over the ensuing years. In its early days, the underground city in Arlington was seen as a futuristic portent of urban living in America. However, by the 1990s, this vision had changed.
New Jersey's Vornado Realty Trust began acquiring property at Crystal City in 1997. By 1999, they were partners with Charles E. Smith Commercial Realty, the original developer. Vornado established 100 percent ownership of the five Crystal City shopping complexes in October 2001.
By the early 21st century, this maze of below-grade concourses was being marketed as a single entity known as CRYSTAL CITY SHOPS. However, its five sections still had individual names; Crystal City Shops North (formerly the Crystal Underground), Plaza Shops (previously Crystal Plaza Shops), Crystal Mall Shops, Crystal Gateway Shops North and Crystal Park Shops. Within these confines were over 130 stores and restaurants.
A plan was devised to reorient some stores and restaurants up to street level. A parking structure was demolished to make way for The Streetscape, which would comprise 134,000 square feet of open-air retail and restaurant space. New sidewalks and landscaping were installed. Moreover, addresses were changed and several roadways rerouted as 2-way thoroughfares.
Crystal City encountered a major setback in 2005, with the passage of the federal government's Base Realignment and Closure Act. Three million square feet of government offices, most tenants since the late 1960s, vacated the facilities. The reinvention of Crystal City, underway since 2001, was given impetus. Vacant office space was repurposed as residential units or leased to tech-oriented companies.
By the late 2000s, the five CRYSTAL CITY SHOPS components had been renamed again. They were now known as Shops At 1750 Crystal Drive, Shops At Crystal Mall, Shops At 2100 Crystal Drive , Shops at The Gateway and Shops At Crystal Park.
In July 2017, Chevy Chase, Maryland's JBG Companies acquired the DC-area portfolio of the Vornado Realty Trust and Charles E. Smith Commercial Realty. A new management entity, known as JGB Smith, was created and a massive renovation of Crystal City announced in 2019. Over the years, various CRYSTAL CITY SHOPS superblocks would be redeveloped. As a facet of this endeavor, the new Amazon HQ2 building was dedicated on June 15, 2023.
Sources:
The Washington Post
Crystal City encountered a major setback in 2005, with the passage of the federal government's Base Realignment and Closure Act. Three million square feet of government offices, most tenants since the late 1960s, vacated the facilities. The reinvention of Crystal City, underway since 2001, was given impetus. Vacant office space was repurposed as residential units or leased to tech-oriented companies.
By the late 2000s, the five CRYSTAL CITY SHOPS components had been renamed again. They were now known as Shops At 1750 Crystal Drive, Shops At Crystal Mall, Shops At 2100 Crystal Drive , Shops at The Gateway and Shops At Crystal Park.
In July 2017, Chevy Chase, Maryland's JBG Companies acquired the DC-area portfolio of the Vornado Realty Trust and Charles E. Smith Commercial Realty. A new management entity, known as JGB Smith, was created and a massive renovation of Crystal City announced in 2019. Over the years, various CRYSTAL CITY SHOPS superblocks would be redeveloped. As a facet of this endeavor, the new Amazon HQ2 building was dedicated on June 15, 2023.
Sources:
The Washington Post
The Northern Virginia Sun (Arlington, Virginia)
The Arlington Courier (Arlington, Virginia)
http://www.arlingtonvirginia.com
https://projects.arlingtonva.us
Virginia Railway Express
Vornado Realty Trust
http://www.arlingtonvirginia.com
https://projects.arlingtonva.us
http://www.arlingtonmagazine.com
https://www.thecrystalcityshops.comhttp://www.commuterpage.com
https://www.bisnow.com
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authorityhttps://www.bisnow.com
Virginia Railway Express
Vornado Realty Trust
"Crystal City" article on Wikipedia
