UTOPIAN UNDERTAKING
Rouse's first endeavor in urban planning, Baltimore City's mixed-use Village of Cross Keys, was completed in September 1965. 3 years before, the company had started a series of clandestine property purchases in Howard County, 13 miles southwest of downtown Baltimore.
News of an entirely new city was announced in October 1963. The self-contained suburb, to be known as Columbia, was to occupy 14,000 acres. It would feature housing, employment, shopping, schools, health care facilities and interfaith churches. Careful planning, it was said, would consolidate and regulate its development and eliminate racial, economic and religious segregation.
The first of Columbia's ten Utopian-type villages, Wilde Lake, was dedicated on June 21, 1967. The centerpiece and commercial core of the planned city, MALL IN COLUMBIA, opened for business on August 2, 1971.
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Although articles and special features have been thoroughly researched, we can not guarantee that all information is 100% accurate. We do our best with (sometimes) limited reference material and conflicting details. Contemporary newspaper write-ups are our primary source of information. These, and other materials, are listed at the end of each article.
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in the beginning (1917-1943)
Click on image to read about innovative retail facilities that led to the development of the post-war shopping center and mall.
TOY & MHoF Productions Present
A documentary which offers a contradictory viewpoint to the "all malls are dead or dying" declaration. A short history of the American shopping center and mall is also provided.
also from toy & mhof productions
A visual history of the American mobile home and the folk who lived in them, centering on the mid-20th century years.
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Mall logo and trademark images in various articles illustrate key moments in a mall's history. The images are not replaceable with free-use or public-domain images. The use of the images does not limit the copyright owners' rights to distribute the images in any way. Images are used for non-profit, informational purposes only and their use is not believed to detract from the original copyrighted images in any way.