East-West Highway and Belcrest Road
Hyattsville, Maryland
The first shopping mall in DC's Maryland suburbs was designed by New York City's Lathrop Douglass and the Daniel Schwartzman firm. The complex was developed by Yonkers, New York's Eastern Shopping Centers (a subsidiary of the Grand Union Company). PRINCE GEORGES PLAZA was built on a 56-acre tract, located 6.5 miles northeast of the United States Capitol, in suburban Hyattsville. The site had been part of the Christian Heurich estate.
The mall parking area was divided into Upper and Lower Levels, with the open-air shopping center consisting of a Mall (or Upper) Level and small concourse of Lower Level stores. These were accessed from the Lower Level parking area, on the northeast corner of the complex. During the early years, the Lower Level also housed a fallout shelter.
A 3-level (180,000 square foot), Arlington, Virginia-based Hecht's held its grand opening on November 3, 1958. The dedication also served as the unofficial christening of the mall. The event was officiated by Maryland Governor Theodore McKeldin (R). Also in attendance were Samuel H. Hecht (Hecht's board chairman) and Robert H. Levi (company president).
A 3-level (180,000 square foot), Arlington, Virginia-based Hecht's held its grand opening on November 3, 1958. The dedication also served as the unofficial christening of the mall. The event was officiated by Maryland Governor Theodore McKeldin (R). Also in attendance were Samuel H. Hecht (Hecht's board chairman) and Robert H. Levi (company president).
A (45,000 square foot) Grand Union supermarket opened for business on December 17, 1958. Peoples Drug welcomed first customers on February 18, 1959, followed by the debut of twenty-eight stores and services on March 12th. A (100,000 square foot) G.C. Murphy 5 & 10 was dedicated on August 6th of the same year. Among sixty original stores and services were Bond Clothes, Wilson's men's wear, Hahn Shoes, Edward's Shoes, Baker's Shoes and Plaza Liquors.
A 2-level (148,700 square foot), Washington-based Woodward & Lothrop ["Low-thrup"] was dedicated on August 1, 1966. The store was built on the site of the original Grand Union, with a new supermarket structure having been added to the southwest corner of the complex.
Retail centers in the PRINCE GEORGES PLAZA trade area included WHEATON PLAZA (1960) {6.7 miles northwest, in Montgomery County}, CAPITAL PLAZA (1963-2005) {2.9 miles southeast, in Prince George's County} and -eventually- LANDOVER MALL (1972-2006) {6.1 miles southeast, also in Prince George's County}.
The second renovation of PRINCE GEORGES PLAZA was done in the mid-1970s, when courts and concourses were enclosed and climate-controlled. A "Grand Closing" ceremony was held in August 1977, marking completion of the project. At this time, the shopping hub contained ninety stores and services.
A third remodeling, completed in June 1990, added a 10-bay Food Court at the mall's Main Entrance. The shopping venue became accessible via rail rapid transit on December 11, 1993. The DC METRO Prince George's Plaza station, a stop on the METRO Green Line, was located across the East-West Highway from the mall.
Woodward & Lothrop closed for good on November 10, 1995. The store re-opened, as a J.C. Penney, on July 20, 1996. G.C. Murphy was shuttered August 31, 1999. The mall had been acquired by the Philadelphia-based Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust in September 1998. They initiated a 20 million dollar mall renovation in 2003, with the vacant G.C. Murphy being razed.
A 1-level (136,000 square foot) Target was built, which opened for business on October 10, 2004. Target occupied the Upper Level of an East Wing addition, with the Lower Level housing a (35,000 square foot) Marshalls and (34,000 square foot) Ross Dress For Less. These stores were dedicated in late 2006. On September 9, 2006, the Hecht's store was rebranded by Macy's.
As part of the mall renovation, a name change to MALL AT PRINCE GEORGES had become official on November 16, 2004. The shopping hub now encompassed approximately 914,000 leasable square feet, with the tenant list numbering 120.
Sources:
The Washington Post
Massachusetts-based T.J. Maxx renovated space previously leased by Office Depot and Lenscrafters. The (27,500 square foot) T.J. Maxx opened for business October 20, 2013. Swedish fashion retailer H & M gutted five store spaces in the mall's northwest block. Their (20,000 square foot) store was dedicated on December 2, 2016.
A 30 million dollar makeover, which added new exterior facades and renovated all common areas, got underway in late 2016. As part of the remodeling, new stores were signed. Chipotle Mexican Grill and Five Guys Burgers & Fries welcomed first diners in February 2018. DSW opened in March 2018, followed by Ulta Beauty, which made its debut in April of the same year. J.C. Penney's vacant building was partially demolished. Irish fashion retailer Primark set up shop in a 30,000 square foot section and opened for business in 2025.
A 30 million dollar makeover, which added new exterior facades and renovated all common areas, got underway in late 2016. As part of the remodeling, new stores were signed. Chipotle Mexican Grill and Five Guys Burgers & Fries welcomed first diners in February 2018. DSW opened in March 2018, followed by Ulta Beauty, which made its debut in April of the same year. J.C. Penney's vacant building was partially demolished. Irish fashion retailer Primark set up shop in a 30,000 square foot section and opened for business in 2025.
Sources:
The Washington Post
The Evening Star (Washington, DC)
http://www.mncppc.org
http://www.mncppc.org
www.princegeorgesplaza.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
www.princegeorgesplaza.com
http://www.preit.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
http://www.preit.com / Pennyslvania Real Estate Investment Trust
"Prince George's Plaza (Washington Metro)" article on Wikipedia
"Prince George's Plaza (Washington Metro)" article on Wikipedia
"Woodward & Lothrop" article on Wikipedia
BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOS:
From the Gottscho-Schleisner Collection / Repository: United States Library Of Congress Prints and Photograph Division, Washington, D.C. / Taken by Gottscho-Schleisner, Inc., May 29, 1959 / Douglas Lathrop - Client / Photographs are in the public domain: no known restrictions on publication / www.loc.gov/rr/print/catalog.html / Negatives / LC-6613 series: numbers 74110 through 74127-A.
BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOS:
From the Gottscho-Schleisner Collection / Repository: United States Library Of Congress Prints and Photograph Division, Washington, D.C. / Taken by Gottscho-Schleisner, Inc., May 29, 1959 / Douglas Lathrop - Client / Photographs are in the public domain: no known restrictions on publication / www.loc.gov/rr/print/catalog.html / Negatives / LC-6613 series: numbers 74110 through 74127-A.
