Baltimore's Reisterstown Road Plaza

Greater Baltimore's sixth regional-class shopping complex was built in the city's northwest environs. The first twenty-nine stores at RRP were in business by March 1962.
Drawing from Food Fair Properties

Baltimore's Stewart's chain reigned over the regional retail scene between 1901 and 1983. The REISTERSTOWN location encompassed 229,000 square feet and was the second Stewart's branch. The store, with its Chesapeake Room restaurant, anchored the west end of the shopping hub.
Photo from Library of Congress

The opposite end of REISTERSTOWN ROAD PLAZA was anchored by a 185,000 square foot Hecht Company ( Hecht's), a retail chain in operation between 1857 and 2006. The REISTERSTOWN store, which included the Silhouette Room restaurant, was accessed from a lower level parking area, with its upper floor connecting with the main shopping concourse.
Photo from The Hecht Company

The original PLAZA was an open-air dumbbell plan mall with two anchors and nearly 700,000 leasable square feet. It eventually contained fifty stores, had parking provisions for 4,000 autos, and was the largest retail hub in the region. As a matter of note, the mall was (and is) situated within Baltimore City, which is a different political entity than the adjacent Baltimore County.

REISTERSTOWN ROAD PLAZA TENANTS 1962:

STEWART'S (with Chesapeake Room restaurant and D'Arrigone Salon of Beauty) / HECHT's (with Silhouette Room restaurant and Beauty Salon) / FOOD FAIR supermarket / F.W. WOOLWORTH 5 & 10 (with bakery and ultra-modern luncheonette) / Ansonia Shoes / Baltimore Federal Savings & Loan / Benton's Tweed Shop ladies' wear / Best & Company ladies' & children's apparel / Bishops Holiday House toys & sporting goods / Calby's boy's & young men's apparel / Card Mart / Carefree Casuals ladies' sportswear / Carole-Ann Hat Shop / Equitable Trust Company / Fanny Farmer Candies / Forsythe Shoes / Grayson-Robinson ladies' wear / Gundy's Cards & Gifts / Hamburgers family apparel / Hanover Shoes / Hardware Fair / Hess Shoes / Hot Shoppes Restaurant / Household Finance Corporation / Lady Rose Corset Shop / Loft's Candies / Kavanaugh's men's & boy's wear / National Optical Company / National Shirt Shops / Peck & Peck ladies' wear / Plaza Barber Shop / Provident Savings Bank / Read's Drug (with Town & Country Dining Room) / Royce Shoes / Sachs Junior Shoes / Selis Shoe Repair & Cleanarama / Silbers Bakery / Singer Sewing Center / Tuerke's leather goods & luggage  

We now embark on a set of twenty-six vintage photos; these taken at the brand new Stewart's Reisterstown in early 1962. Above we see the interior of the elegant store's Reisterstown Road entry.
Photo from Library of Congress 

In this photo we see the Stewart's store's Ground Level sales floor. The interior of  the "Plaza" store was envisaged by renowned industrial designer Raymond Loewy.
Photo from Library of Congress

Another view of the Ground Level sales floor.
Photo from Library of Congress

The Ground Level escalators, which ascend to the store's second level.
Photo from Library of Congress

We now enter the realm of ladies' apparel.
Photo from Library of Congress

While touring the Better Dresses area at Stewart's, we stop at the entrance to the Country Clothes Shop.
Photo from Library of Congress

More Better Dresses.
Photo from Library of Congress

And the entry into the posh Camellia Room.
Photo from Library of Congress

Here we see the Varsity Shop.
Photo from Library of Congress

Then onto Corsets-Foundations.
Photo from Library of Congress

Finally, we enter the Ladies' Shoes department.
Photo from Library of Congress

Piece Goods...a.k.a. Fabrics & Notions. This section of the store is on a balcony which provides a view out of the store's main entrance windows.
Photo from Library of Congress

Above, we see the store's Silverware department.
Photo from Library of Congress

Here we see the Stewart's Reisterstown Housewares department.
Photo from Library of Congress

And the Garden department.
Photo from Library of Congress

Above, we have a view of the Stationery department.
Photo from Library of Congress

We arrive in the Stewart's Reisterstown Furniture department.
Photo from Library of Congress

In a model room in the background, we see a traditional-style dining set.
Photo from Library of Congress

Our second model room...this one displaying an Early American dinette.
Photo from Library of Congress

In this model room, we see the latest in ultra-modern dining. This furniture would be classed as Mid-Century Modern today.
Photo from Library of Congress

In this set up, we see a French Provincial boudoir.
Photo from Library of Congress

We now view the store's Rugs & Floor Coverings department.
Photo from Library of Congress

Now we enter the foyer area of the store's upper crust Chesapeake Room restaurant (did we remember to make a reservation?).
Photo from Library of Congress