Upon its dedication in March 1977, WHITE FLINT was the region's most upscale retail center. Its chic I. Magnin mercantile opened in August 1977. The store space was originally planned to house a branch of New York City's exclusive Bonwit Teller chain.                         

Photo from http://www.flickr.com / Bibliop

DC's "first-class, high-fashion retail shopping center," as it stood in 1978. The compact complex, encompassing 800,000 leasable square feet, had been squeezed onto a small 43-acre parcel. It featured -what was- Bloomingdale's largest suburban store. The mall was situated on three color-coded levels. Level 1 was designated in orange, Level 2 in blue and Level 3 in yellow.