Landmark Mall

The Landmark Mall (or Landmark Regional Shopping Center) is an American shopping mall. Located in a triangle formed by Duke Street (Virginia State Route 236), Interstate 395, and Van Dorn Street (Virginia State Route 401) in Alexandria, Virginia, the mall opened in 1965 and closed temporarily for renovation into an "urban-town" on January 31, 2017. The mall was anchored by Sears (still open, closing in 2020), Lord & Taylor and Macy's.

Landmark Mall
Mall interior, 2015
LocationAlexandria, Virginia
Coordinates38°48′58.3″N 77°7′54.1″W
AddressDuke St., I-395 and Van Dorn St.
Opening dateAugust 4, 1965
Closing dateJanuary 31, 2017
OwnerHoward Hughes Corporation
No. of stores and services0 (125 at peak)
No. of anchor tenants3 (1 open, 2 vacant)
Total retail floor area675,000 square feet (62,700 m2)
No. of floors3
Websitethenewlandmark.com

History

The mall opened on August 4, 1965, with Virginia Lt. Gov. Mills E. Godwin, Jr. cutting the ceremonial ribbon.[1] It was the first mall in the Washington D.C. area to feature three anchor department stores; the Hecht's Company (later Macy's, now vacant) (163,000 square feet (15,100 m2)), Sears and Roebuck (236,000 square feet (21,900 m2)), and Woodward & Lothrop (later JCPenney, then Lord & Taylor, now vacant) (151,000 sq ft).[2] The mall opened with 32 stores in the 675,000-square-foot (62,700 m2) center including Bond Clothes, Casual Corner, People's Drug Store, Raleigh Haberdasher, Thom McAn, and Waldenbooks.[3] The center also included the second location of S&W Cafeteria in the Washington D.C. suburbs.

Originally an outdoor mall, it was enclosed in 1990.[4][5]

In 2006 the mall's owner, General Growth Properties, announced its plan to convert the mall into an open-air "town center" shopping center.[6][4] The plans were not realized.

The Howard Hughes Corporation became the new owner in 2009.[4] Lord & Taylor announced in May the same year that it would be closing its store at the mall.[7]

The Howard Hughes Corporation showed its plan to transform the site into an 'urban town' in 2013. The plan would turn the mall into an outdoor center with retail and residential facilities.[4][8]

In June 2013, Alexandria City Council approved the plans to redevelop the mall.[5]

On January 4, 2017, Macy's announced it would close its Landmark Mall store that year.[9] Subsequently, the mall's owners notified tenants (except Sears) they were to vacate by January 31, indicating that approved redevelopment is imminent.[10][11] At final build out, Landmark would transform into a walkable, mixed-use urban village with approximately 317,000 square feet (29,500 m2) of modern shops and restaurants, up to 400 new residential units and an updated parking structure. In addition to the new retail and residences, the new Landmark will be an open-air community destination featuring multiple plazas and green spaces, outdoor seating, seasonal entertainment and public art. There will be numerous full-service and fast-casual dining options, and a 10-screen luxury cinema.[12] Howard Hughes purchased the Macy's site in 2017.[11] In June 2018, the vacant Macy's store was transformed into a homeless shelter.[13] In November 2018, it was announced that Howard Hughes had partnered with Seritage Growth Properties, which owns the Sears site, and among the 235 properties Sears Holdings spun off in 2015 into Seritage, to redevelop the entire 51-acre property.[14][15]

The 2020 movie Wonder Woman 1984 had scenes filmed at the mall in June and July 2018.[16]

As of early 2020, planning related to demolition and redevelopment is still in progress and decisions about funding and issuing of permits have not be completed.[17]

On July 1, 2020, it was announced that Sears would also be closing as part of a plan to close 28 stores nationwide which will leave the mall entirely vacant.[18]

Anchors

References
  1. "Sears, Hecht Stores Open in Alexandria Almidst Music, Bargains, Traffic Jams," by Ruth Wagner and Larry Weckley, The Washington Post, Times Herald, 5 August 1965, p. F1
  2. "New Area Center to Get 3 Major Stores," by S. Oliver Goodman, The Washington Post, Times Herald, 22 September 1963, p. E8
  3. "Sears, Hecht Open New Stores Today," The Washington Post, Times Herald, 4 August 1965, p. E8
  4. "Landmark Mall Redevelopment: Residents Hopeful". 9 April 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
  5. "Landmark Neighborhood Braces for Drastic Redevelopment". Retrieved 22 March 2017.
  6. "Moving a Landmark Into a New Era: Plans to Convert the Historic Mall Into an Open-Air Center Are Getting Revived," by Daniela Deane, 24 January 2008, p. VA12
  7. V. Dion Haynes, "Lord & Taylor to Leave Troubled Mall," The Washington Post, 30 May 2009
  8. "Landmark Mall Redevelopment". City of Alexandria. 4 September 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  9. "Landmark Mall Macy's among those closing". 4 January 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
  10. "Store Owners Say They've Been Asked to Vacate Landmark Mall". WRC-TV. 8 January 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
  11. "Landmark Mall to close, setting the stage for redevelopment". Washington Business Journal. 9 January 2017. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  12. "Home". 9 January 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
  13. "A Macy's Goes from Mall Mainstay to Homeless Shelter". The New York Times. 13 June 2017. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  14. "At Landmark Mall | Seritage". seritage.com.
  15. "Landmark Mall is now under one company's control". Washington Business Journal. 15 November 2018. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  16. Neibauer, Michael (May 3, 2018). "'Wonder Woman 2' to film at Alexandria's dead Landmark Mall". Washington Business Journal. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  17. "City Staff Mulls Public Funding for Landmark Mall Redevelopment". ALXNow. October 3, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  18. https://alexandrialivingmagazine.com/business/sears-to-close-landmark-mall-store/
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