The Mall in Columbia explained

The Mall in Columbia
Location:10300 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, Maryland, U.S.
Coordinates:39.215°N -76.861°W
Opening Date:1971
Developer:The Rouse Company
Manager:Brookfield Properties
Owner:Brookfield Properties
Number Of Stores:202
Number Of Anchors:6
Floor Area:1400000abbr=onNaNabbr=on
Floors:2 (3 in Macy's)
Parking:7,200 spaces, including 3 parking garages
Publictransit: RTA Central Maryland bus: 401, 404, 405, 406, 407, 408, 501, 503

The Mall in Columbia, also known as the Columbia Mall, is the central shopping mall for the planned community of Columbia, Maryland, United States. It has over 200 specialty stores and the anchor stores are AMC Theatres, Lidl, Main Event Entertainment, Barnes & Noble, JCPenney, Macy's, and Nordstrom. Restaurants include PF Chang's, Maggiano's Little Italy and The Cheesecake Factory. It is located in the Town Center area of the city and attracts shoppers from surrounding counties in Maryland.

History

Architect Frank Gehry designed The Rouse Company Columbia exhibit building, and was initially selected to design the neighboring mall centerpiece. Gehry was later rejected by Rouse for lack of experience, and the firm of Cope, Linder, & Walmsley was contracted for the project.[1]

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[2]), as well as a McCrory's and Lerner's, which were minor anchors. Howard Research and Development was probed shortly after opening for purchasing bulk energy contracts on electricity while charging market rates to tenants.[3]

Of the original 102 stores, those still in operation at the mall as of January 2020 include: Edward Arthur Jeweler and GNC.[4] [5]

The Mall has undergone several major expansions since its opening, with the Sears wing opening in 1981, along with an expansion of approximately 370000square feet and about 55 specialty stores.[6]

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 60000square feet wing near Hecht's. The interior was renovated by replacing the floors, lighting, skylights and air conditioning units by the end of 1998.[7]

The Mall was sold to General Growth Properties by The Rouse Company in 2004.[8]

A Cheesecake Factory restaurant opened on The Mall property near the movie theater in late 2005. The Mall's Hecht's store became Macy's on September 9, 2006.[9]

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,[8] and the publicity led mall managers to reverse their decision and return the popular display in 2008.[10] Part of what makes the "tree" unique is its watering system and plant specifications.[11] In 2017, the large water fountain within which the "tree" had been installed each year, was replaced with at-grade flooring.

In early 2013, construction began on an addition to the outdoor "Plaza at The Mall in Columbia" to replace the L.L. Bean store (which closed in May 2013) with additional stores and restaurants. The first phase of the outdoor expansion opened in November 2013. On April 28, 2015, Howard County Police announced an increased presence at village centers and malls following the protests and riots in Baltimore.[12]

In May 2018, a 50000square feet Main Event Entertainment facility opened on the south side of the mall, featuring 22 bowling lanes and over a hundred virtual reality video games.[13]

In October 2018, it was also announced the Sears store would shutter as part of an ongoing decision to phase out of their traditional brick-and-mortar format and would become German supermarket chain Lidl.[14] [15]

In August 2020, it was announced that Lord & Taylor would shutter its traditional brick and mortar format as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[16] Several potential replacement tenants are reportedly in the midst of early on discussions.

By 2023, The Mall in Columbia announced several additions, among them Warby Parker, Under Armour, and Showcase.[17] [18]

Key dates

Current anchors

Former anchors

Incidents

2014 shooting

On January 25, 2014, at around 11:15 a.m., 19-year-old Darion Marcus Aguilar entered the Zumiez store on the second floor of the mall, armed with a Mossberg 500 12-gauge shotgun with a pistol grip, and fired six to nine shots, killing two employees—21-year-old Brianna Benlolo and 25-year-old Tyler Johnson—and shot another person before committing suicide. Four others were injured unrelated to the shooting. Police arrived within two minutes to find an extensive amount of ammunition and crude explosive devices next to Aguilar's body, which were disabled safely. All of the injured were treated and later discharged from the Howard County General Hospital.[25] [26] [27] [28]

2015 shooting

Former Jessup correctional officer Hong Young was arrested on March 2, 2015, on suspicion of shooting at the Columbia AMC theater building and gunfire incidents at the National Security Agency, Arundel Mills Costco, Inter-county Connector and Laurel Walmart.[29] [30]

2024 shooting

On July 28, 2024, a 17-year old was shot and killed in the mall's food court in what police said was a targeted attack.[31]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Better Places, Better Lives: A Biography of James Rouse. Joshua Olsen. 213. 978-0-8742-0919-8. April 2004.
  2. "SEVEN J.C. PENNEYS TO OPEN IN D.C. AREA", Charleston Daily Mail (West Virginia), News; Pg. 04D, July 16, 1996
  3. News: The Washington Post. Electricity Probe Set in MD. 22 September 1972. John Walsh.
  4. Web site: The Columbia Mall Wayback Machine . Dave . Bittner . HoCoMoJo . January 13, 2010 . December 10, 2016 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20161128051341/http://www.hocomojo.com/profiles/blogs/the-columbia-mall-wayback . November 28, 2016.
  5. Web site: The Mall in Columbia: Store Directory & Map.
  6. O'Neill, Alison. "New Paint, More Space for Area Malls", The Washington Post, p. 1, October 18, 1982
  7. Leibowitz, Elissa."Getting Fancy at the Mall; Columbia Adding Upscale Stores, Parking", The Washington Post, p.1, September 17, 1998
  8. News: Marc . Fisher . In Columbia, Mall Management Doesn't See the Point of Poinsettias . B01 . December 13, 2007 . 30 December 2008 . The Washington Post.
  9. 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
  10. News: Jennifer . Broadwater . 'Poinsettia tree' is back at the mall . . November 20, 2008 . 30 December 2008 .
  11. News: Marc . Fisher . Columbia's Poinsettia Tree: The Inside Story . washingtonpost.com . December 24, 2007 . 30 December 2008 .
  12. News: Howard County Police Increase Presence After Baltimore Riots: Police monitoring mall and village centers as well as assisting in city.. April 28, 2015. May 15, 2015. Columbia Patch.
  13. News: Main Event Entertainment opens Tuesday at The Mall in Columbia . May 8, 2018 . John-John IV . Williams . The Baltimore Sun . October 11, 2018.
  14. News: Bomey. Nathan. Tyko. Kelly. Sears store closing list: 142 more Sears, Kmart locations closing in Chapter 11 bankruptcy. USA Today. Gannett. October 15, 2018. October 15, 2018.
  15. News: Yeager . Amanda . Lidl will open a grocery store at the Mall in Columbia . May 10, 2021 . Baltimore Business Journal . September 25, 2019.
  16. News: Lord & Taylor is closing all of its stores after 194 years in business . August 27, 2020 . CNN . Business . Joprdan . Valinsky . September 17, 2020.
  17. News: Will Baltimore-area shopping malls survive after the pandemic? They must make changes, experts say . March 18, 2021 . The Baltimore Sun . Lorraine . Mirabella . July 23, 2023 .
  18. News: Showcase opens in Columbia mall . September 6, 2022 . The Business Monthly . July 23, 2023 .
  19. News: Columbia Mall Timeline . Columbia Flier . September 16, 2004 . 2010-05-21.
  20. News: The Baltimore Sun. Mall in Columbia holds grand opening for open-air plaza. October 17, 2014. October 20, 2014.
  21. News: Mall in Columbia changes include new retailers, restaurants . Columbia Flier . June 19, 2017 . September 7, 2017 . Sears is downsizing to just the first floor..
  22. News: Columbia Sears Closing Date Is Approaching By End Of 2018 . Columbia Patch . December 8, 2018 . Elizabeth . Janney . January 12, 2019 . The Sears at the Columbia mall will close on Dec. 31, according to store employees..
  23. News: Lisicky . Michael . Lord & Taylor Surprises Shoppers With 'Store Closing' Signs At Many Locations, Files For Bankruptcy . August 2, 2020 . Forbes . August 2, 2020 . en.
  24. News: Yeager . Amanda . Lidl will open a grocery store at the Mall in Columbia . May 10, 2021 . Baltimore Business Journal . September 25, 2019.
  25. News: Three Dead in Shooting at Maryland Mall; Police Call the Episode Isolated. January 25, 2014. The New York Times. January 26, 2014.
  26. News: Chaos described at Maryland mall: 'There's a shooter!'. January 25, 2014. Los Angeles Times. January 26, 2014.
  27. News: Shooting at Columbia, Md., mall leaves 3 dead. January 25, 2014. The Washington Post. January 26, 2014.
  28. News: Police: 2 store employees, gunman dead at Maryland mall. January 25, 2014. CNN. January 26, 2014.
  29. News: Five shootings in public places in Maryland said to be linked; 35-year-old charged. The Washington Post. Lynh. Bui. Paulina. Firozi. Paul. Duggan. 4 March 2015.
  30. News: Former Jessup corrections officer charged in Maryland shooting spree. The Capital Gazette. Ben. Weathers. 5 March 2015.
  31. News: Morse . Dan . Weil . Martin . 2024-07-28 . 17-year-old in Howard County fatally shot in shopping mall food court . 2024-07-29 . Washington Post . en-US . 0190-8286.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "The Mall in Columbia".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.