- The Mall in Columbia
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The Mall in Columbia 
Location 10300 Little Patuxent Parkway Columbia, Maryland, United States Coordinates 39°12′54″N 76°51′40″W / 39.215°N 76.861°WCoordinates: 39°12′54″N 76°51′40″W / 39.215°N 76.861°W Opening date 1971 Developer The Rouse Company Owner General Growth Properties No. of stores and services 202 No. of anchor tenants 7 Total retail floor area 1,400,000 sq ft (130,000 m2) Parking 7,200 spaces, including 3 parking garages No. of floors 2 Website www.themallincolumbia.com The Mall in Columbia (sometimes Columbia Mall or colloquially "The Mall") is the central shopping mall for the planned community of Columbia, Maryland, United States. It has five anchor department stores (Sears, JCPenney, Nordstrom, Macy's, and Lord & Taylor) and over 200 specialty stores. It includes a 14-screen AMC Theatres and one of the 13 L.L.Bean retail stores outside of Maine.[1][2] The mall is located in the Town Center area of the city and attracts shoppers from surrounding counties in Maryland.
Contents
History
The Mall in Columbia, interior view, original section
The Mall opened in 1971 with two major anchor stores: Hochschild Kohn's (which was replaced by Hecht's in the mid-1970s) and Woodward & Lothrop (a.k.a. Woodies, which closed in late 1995 and was replaced by JCPenney in July 1996[3]), as well as a McCrory's and Lerner's, which were minor anchors.
The Mall has undergone several major expansions since its opening, with the Sears wing opening in 1981, along with an expansion of approximately 370,000 square feet (34,000 m2) and about 55 specialty stores.[4]
In 1997, the Hecht's store (now Macy's) added a third level. The Lord & Taylor wing opened in November 1998 (along with two new parking garages); the Nordstrom wing opened in September 1999. Also at this time, 20 to 30 stores opened in a new 60,000-square-foot (5,600 m2) wing near Hecht's. The interior was renovated by replacing the floors, lighting, skylights and air conditioning units by the end of 1998.[5]
A Cheesecake Factory restaurant opened on The Mall property near the movie theaters in late 2005. The Mall's Hecht's store became Macy's on September 9, 2006.[6]
The Mall is operated by General Growth Properties, which acquired it from the Rouse Company in 2004.[7]
A December 2007 decision by local General Growth Properties managers to abandon The Mall's traditional "Poinsettia Tree" Christmas display sparked a grassroots movement by several hundred Columbia residents for the return of the display which had come to be viewed as a local tradition. The story was picked up by The Washington Post,[7] and the publicity led mall managers to reverse their decision and return the popular display in 2008.[8] Part of what makes the "tree" unique is its watering system and plant specifications.[9]
Key dates
- 1971: The Mall in Columbia opens in August.[10]
- 1981: A new wing that includes a second food court and Sears is added.[10]
- 1998: Lord & Taylor opens along with two new parking garages.[10]
- 1999: A new wing that includes 40 stores, a third parking garage, and Nordstrom is added.[10]
- 2000: L.L. Bean opens outside of the mall. It is the first store to open in "The Plaza at The Mall in Columbia" and only the third retail location for the Maine-based outdoors catalog company.[10]
- 2001: P.F. Chang's China Bistro, Z'Tejas (replaced by Uno Chicago Grill in 2004), and Champps Restaurant & Bar opens in "The Plaza at The Mall in Columbia".[10]
- 2003: AMC Theatres opens a 14-screen movie theater next to Champps Restaurant.[10]
- 2005: The Cheesecake Factory opens next to AMC Theatres.
Anchors
- AMC Theatres 63,000 sq ft (5,900 m2)., 14 screens – opened December 2003
- J. C. Penney – opened 1971 (former Woodward & Lothrop until 1995)
- L.L.Bean – opened 2000
- Lord & Taylor – opened 1998
- Macy's (3 floors) – opened 1971 (former Hochschild Kohn's until 1975, then Hecht's until 2006)
- Nordstrom 173,000 sq ft (16,100 m2). – opened September 1999
- Sears – opened 1981
References
- ^ "Store Directory", themallincolumbia.com, accessed May 30, 2009
- ^ "Bean", llbean.com, accessed May 30, 2009
- ^ "SEVEN J.C. PENNEYS TO OPEN IN D.C. AREA", Charleston Daily Mail (West Virginia), News; Pg. 04D, July 16, 1996
- ^ O'Neill, Alison. "New Paint, More Space for Area Malls", The Washington Post, p. 1, October 18, 1982
- ^ Leibowitz, Elissa."Getting Fancy at the Mall; Columbia Adding Upscale Stores, Parking", The Washington Post, p.1 ,September 17, 1998
- ^ Mui, Ylan Q., "Era Ends With New Beginning;Transformation From Hecht's to Macy's Will Be Completed Today", (a general story about the Hecht's to Macy's transition) The Washington Post, Financial; D01, September 9, 2006
- ^ a b Fisher, Marc (December 13, 2007). "In Columbia, Mall Management Doesn't See the Point of Poinsettias". The Washington Post: p. B01. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/12/AR2007121202548.html. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
- ^ Broadwater, Jennifer (November 20, 2008). "'Poinsettia tree' is back at the mall". The Columbia Flier. http://www.explorehoward.com/community/13254/mall/tree/. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
- ^ Fisher, Marc (December 24, 2007). "Columbia's Poinsettia Tree: The Inside Story". washingtonpost.com. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/rawfisher/2007/12/columbias_poinsettia_tree_the.html. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Columbia Mall Timeline". Columbia Flier. 2004-09-16. http://www.explorehoward.com/news/6026734/columbia-mall-timeline/. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
External links
Founders Education Historic Sites Dorsey Hall · WoodlawnPublic Places Villages Dorsey's Search · Harper's Choice · Hickory Ridge · King's Contrivance · Long Reach · Oakland Mills · Owen Brown · River Hill · Town Center · Wilde LakeCategories:- Columbia, Maryland
- Shopping malls in Maryland
- Buildings and structures in Howard County, Maryland
- Visitor attractions in Howard County, Maryland
- Shopping malls established in 1971
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