Capital Plaza Mall

infobox shopping mall
shopping_mall_name = Capital Plaza Mall

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opening_date = 1963
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floor_area = Torn down in 2005
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footnotes = The Capital Plaza Mall was a shopping mall located at the intersection of Annapolis Road (Maryland Route 450) and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway in Landover Hills, Maryland. It was built between 1961 and 1963, as a regional shopping center to serve the Bladensburg and Landover area of suburban Washington, D.C. ["$11 Million Shop Center To Include Ward Store," "The Washington Post, Times Herald", Sep 12, 1961, p. A20.] The opening day festivities on August 7, 1963, were themed by the popular movie "Around the World in 80 Days", and featured representatives from a dozen foreign countries, including Miss Universe Ieda Maria Vargas of Brazil. Maryland Gov. J. Millard Tawes officiated at the grand opening. ["Capital Plaza Center Opened by Gov. Tawes," by Donald L. Hymes, "The Washington Post, Times Herald", Aug 8, 1963, p. A17.] The $11 million, 45 store shopping center originally included branches of S.S. Kresge, Kroger, People's Drug Store, Thom McAn Shoes, Lerner's, and a Hot Shoppes drive in restaurant. The anchor store was a Montgomery Ward. It was later joined by a Bradlees (opened and operated briefly in 1982 as Memco), which became branch of the Washington, D.C. based hardware / home improvement center Hechinger's.

Following the opening of nearby Landover Mall in the 1970's, Capital Plaza began a long, slow descent. The former open air shopping center was enclosed in 1985. The plaza grounds also served as the local home of the UniverSoul Circus. ["UniverSoul's Big Top Circus; Alligators and Contortionists And Lots of Notorious F.U.N.," by Esther Iverem," The Washington Post", Jul 4, 1998, p. D1.] [A Happy Landing For Chinese Aerialists; Troupe Has Joined UniverSoul Circus," by Sarah Gebhardt, "The Washington Post", Jun 9, 2005, p. T23.] In 1999-2000, the parent companies for the two main stores, Hechinger's and Montgomery Ward, both filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. With almost all store fronts empty, in 2005, the mall was torn down and replaced with a Wal-Mart. [ [http://baltimorechronicle.com/2005/090205Burns.shtml "Capital Plaza Could Have Sheltered the Hurricane Refugees,"] by Margie Burns, "The Baltimore Chronicle", Sept 2, 2005 (accessed Aug 21, 2008).] [ [http://media.www.diamondbackonline.com/media/storage/paper873/news/2005/03/01/NewsoffCampus/WalMart.To.The.Rescue.In.Landover.Hills-2320908.shtml "Wal-Mart to the rescue in Landover Hills: Store to help kickstart town's revitalization,"] by Matt Castner, "University of Maryland Diamondback", Mar 1, 2005.] The Wal-Mart opened in March 2007 and is the first and only Wal-Mart located inside of the Capital Beltway. ["Without Fanfare, Wal-Mart Opens in Landover Hills," by Ylan Q Mui, "The Washington Post", Mar 23, 2007, p. D4.]

Former anchors

*Montgomery Ward -- original anchor
*Bradlees -- later Hechinger's

References

External links

* [http://www.deadmalls.com/malls/capital_plaza_mall.html Deadmalls.com website (accessed Aug 21, 2008)]