Washington Square (Oregon)

Infobox shopping mall
shopping_mall_name = Washington Square


caption = Exterior of the mall
location = Tigard, Oregon
opening_date = 1973
developer = Winmar Pacific, Inc.
manager = The Macerich Company
owner = The Macerich Company &
OTPP
number_of_stores = 170 [http://www.macerich.com/centerlisting.asp?mallid=65]
number_of_anchors = 5
floor_area = convert|1336000|sqft|m2|abbr=on mall [http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/912242/000104746907001438/a2175451z10-k.htm] &
118,000 ft² plaza [http://www.cadillacfairview.com/client/Cadillac/CF_UW_V500_MainEngine.nsf/pagedocid/70379F8D8A5B577185256A33004EB8F5?OpenDocument]
floors = 2
parking = 6,700 [Countering the crunch, "The Oregonian", August 27, 2006.]
website = [http://www.shopwashingtonsquare.com/ shopwashingtonsquare.com/]

Washington Square is a shopping mall in the Portland, Oregon suburb of Tigard. The shopping complex is one of the top grossing malls per square foot in the United States, with sales of $716/ft². [ cite web
url = http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/912242/000104746907001438/a2175451z10-k.htm
title = (2006 Annual report for The Macerich Company)
work = SEC Form 10-K, Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006
date = February 162007
accessdate = 2007-03-28 ] Opened in 1973, the mall is managed and co-owned by The Macerich Company, a real estate investment trust, and is anchored by Macy's, Nordstrom, JCPenney and Sears. A fifth anchor, Dick's Sporting Goods opened in March 2008. [ cite web
url = http://www.shopwashingtonsquare.com/assets/shopwashingtonsquare/dicksannouncementfinal.pdf
title = Washington Square brings first Dick's Sporting Goods to Oregon
format = pdf
date = February 52007
accessdate = 2007-03-28 ]

History

On May 3 1972, plans for Oregon's largest shopping mall at that time were announced by Winmar Pacific, Inc."Shopping center contribute to fast-growing phenomenon". "Hillsboro Argus", October 19, 1976.] It was to be a convert|130|acre|km2|sing=on development with space for 100 stores. The mall itself was to include over convert|1000000|sqft|m2 on 85 acres in an L shape pattern. On August 16 1973, Meier & Frank became the first tenant to open at the mall. Sears and Lipmans then opened that November followed by Liberty House and Nordstrom during the summer of 1974. J.C. Penney opened in 1975. The grand opening of the facility began on February 21 1974.

In 1979 Frederick & Nelson acquired and renamed the Lipmans chain, while Mervyn's was added in 1980. In 1986, the mall and the adjacent Lincoln Center were annexed by Tigard after a state commission decided in their favor over Beaverton and Portland.cite news|title=Washington Square still strong, profitable 20 years after debut|last=Manning|first=Jeff|date=August 11, 1994|work=The Oregonian|pages=R7|accessdate=2008-08-17] Following Frederick & Nelson's bankruptcy and store closure in January 1991, Nordstrom acquired the vacant space and demolished it, constructing a replacement for its existing store, which opened in 1994. At that time, the former Nordstrom space was acquired by the mall and reconfigured as a food court and additional retail space, coinciding with the renovation of the mall.

In 1999 the mall was sold by Safeco, a Seattle, Washington-headquartered insurance company to Pacific Premier Retail Trust, in itself a partnership of The Macerich Company and Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan. Macerich, a Real Estate Investment Trust took over management of the property at this time. In 2005, Macerich opened a convert|100000|sqft|m2|abbr=on addition, housing 30 more stores and including The Cheesecake Factory. At the same time, other improvements were made throughout the mall and two new parking structures were added. Mervyn's closed in November 2005 and their location, which they owned, was sold to the mall. The site was refurbished and reopened as Dick's Sporting Goods in March 2008.

Layout

The current configuration has five department store anchors, 170 specialty shops & restaurants, and a food court. Some of the stores are located in an adjacent outdoor plaza known as "Washington Square Too". Most of the mall is on a single level; however, the anchor stores have multiple levels, the food court is on a second level, and the expansion in 2005 was built so that it could accommodate a second level addition at a later date.

TriMet maintains the Washington Square Transit Center on the mall's premises.

Anchors

*JCPenney (210,585 ft²; opened 1980)
**JCPenney Home Store (20,397 ft², outparcel location)
*Macy's (242,505 ft²; opened 1973 as Meier & Frank, renamed 2006)
*Nordstrom (180,000 ft²; opened 1974, relocated 1994)
*Sears (211,937 ft²; opened 1974)
**Sears Tire, Battery & Auto (16,600 ft², outparcel location)
*Dick's Sporting Goods (90,000 ft²; "opened March 2008")

Former anchors

*Frederick & Nelson (120,000 ft²; closed 1991 and razed for Nordstrom)
*Lipmans (opened 1974, became Frederick & Nelson 1979)
*Meier & Frank (opened 1973, renamed Macy's 2006)
*Mervyn's (89,309 ft²; opened 1980, closed November 2005, site of Dick's Sporting Goods)
*original Nordstrom (108,000 ft²; opened 1974, replaced 1994, became food court and mall retail space)

External links

* [http://www.shopwashingtonsquare.com/ Washington Square] Official website
* [http://www.pdxhistory.com/html/meier___frank.html PDX History]

References