Ballston Quarter

Ballston Quarter is a mixed-use shopping, dining, entertainment, and residential-development destination in the Ballston neighborhood of Arlington County, Virginia. It occupies the prominent intersection of Glebe Road and Wilson Boulevard, roughly two blocks from the Ballston–MU station on Washington Metro’s Orange and Silver lines. The property is one of the earliest major suburban shopping centers in the Washington metropolitan area and is notable for having been designed around a multistory parking structure. The site’s commercial history predates the current name by several decades. In the early nineteenth century, the intersection was associated with Ball’s Crossroads and Ball’s Tavern. During the 1930s it became the location of Ballston Stadium, a football venue used by several teams, including the Washington Redskins for practice in 1938. After World War II, suburban growth created demand for automobile-oriented retail, and the stadium site was redeveloped by The Hecht Company as Parkington Shopping Center. The center opened in 1951 with a large Hecht’s department store and a four-story parking garage, whose innovative design inspired the Parkington name. The department store was a major suburban retail landmark, and the complex subsequently expanded to include grocery, apparel, books, variety merchandise, and other stores. Parkington was later enlarged with additional retail and office uses. A 12-story office building was added in 1963, and JCPenney opened a catalog and soft-line merchandise store in 1974. By the early 1980s, however, the aging open-air center required substantial modernization. Arlington County participated in a roughly $100 million renovation and expansion, undertaken with May Centers after The May Department Stores Company acquired Hecht’s. The project enclosed and greatly enlarged the center, increasing it to approximately 530,000 square feet and adding multiple retail levels, a major JCPenney store, and an office tower. The result opened on October 20, 1986, under the name Ballston Common, selected through a contest involving Arlington residents. The Ballston Common complex continued to evolve as retail patterns changed. JCPenney closed in the early 2000s and its former space was converted into a Hecht’s Furniture Gallery. A nearby office tower, Ballston Tower, was completed in 2000 with a Regal Cinemas multiplex and retail at lower levels. The MedStar Capitals Iceplex, the Washington Capitals’ practice and headquarters facility, and ComedySportz also became associated with the broader complex during this period. Hecht’s stores were converted to the Macy’s brand in 2006. A more fundamental redevelopment began in the 2010s. Forest City Washington acquired the former Macy’s Furniture Store building in 2013 as part of a redevelopment strategy, while the Queensland Investment Corporation acquired a 49 percent interest in the mall in 2016. Most businesses closed on May 31, 2016, to permit construction. The redevelopment removed much of the former enclosed-mall roof and restored a more open-air environment, combining retail and dining with residential and office development. The former department-store building was demolished and replaced by Origin Ballston, a 22-story apartment tower containing 406 units. The reworked property reopened in stages and was officially presented as Ballston Quarter in November 2018. In its current form, Ballston Quarter functions less like a traditional department-store-anchored mall and more like an urban mixed-use district. Its offering has included restaurants, specialty retail, entertainment, fitness, cinema, and connections to nearby offices and apartments. Regal Cinemas and a gym were identified as major anchors after the redevelopment. Macy’s closed its remaining store at the center in April 2024 as part of a nationwide closure plan, eliminating the property’s last traditional department-store anchor. The former Macy’s building was subsequently slated for demolition in 2025 to make way for a 500-unit apartment building. The property’s history therefore reflects the broader transition from postwar suburban department-store centers to transit-accessible, experience-oriented mixed-use destinations.

The property now known as Ballston Quarter occupies the intersection of Glebe Road and Wilson Boulevard in Arlington County, Virginia. Its earliest recorded associations include Ball’s Crossroads and Ball’s Tavern, which operated in the area during the early nineteenth century. In the 1930s the site was used for Ballston Stadium, a football facility that hosted multiple teams and served as a practice location for the Washington Redskins in 1938. Following World War II, the growth of automobile-oriented suburbs encouraged new forms of retail development outside traditional downtowns. The Hecht Company redeveloped the stadium site as Parkington Shopping Center, opening the complex in 1951. Parkington was designed around a pioneering four-story parking garage, an unusual feature that was central to both the project’s identity and its name. Its Hecht’s department store opened on November 2, 1951, as a five-story, approximately 300,000-square-foot suburban store. The building’s large glass façade became a local landmark, and the center attracted national attention through a documentary produced by the United States Information Agency and the BBC. Parkington expanded over time to approximately 30 stores, including Giant Food, McCrory Stores, W. T. Grant, Brentano’s Books, and Casual Corner. The center reported very high sales during the late 1950s, illustrating the strength of postwar suburban retail. A 12-story office building was added in 1963, and JCPenney opened a 36,327-square-foot soft-line merchandise and catalog store in May 1974. By 1982, the center’s age and changing retail expectations led to a large renovation and expansion. Arlington County participated in a project valued at approximately $100 million, in partnership with May Centers, a subsidiary of The May Department Stores Company. The open-air, single-story center was converted into a four-level enclosed mall of approximately 530,000 square feet. The redevelopment added a 120,000-square-foot JCPenney anchor and a nine-story office tower. A public naming contest produced the Ballston Common name, and the renovated mall opened on October 20, 1986. The complex gained additional entertainment, office, and institutional uses during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Ballston Tower, an adjoining 16-story office building, was completed in 2000 and included a Regal Cinemas multiplex and lower-level retail. The former JCPenney space was converted into a Hecht’s Furniture Gallery after the department store closed. The MedStar Capitals Iceplex became the Washington Capitals’ headquarters and practice facility, while ComedySportz added an improvisational theater presence. In 2003, the former triangular surface parking area near the Hecht’s building was redeveloped with the 11-story 4300 Wilson Boulevard office tower. Hecht’s locations were rebranded as Macy’s in 2006. The mall’s owners began planning a major transformation in 2013. Forest City Washington purchased the former Macy’s Furniture Store building in September of that year as part of the plan. In 2016, Queensland Investment Corporation, the sovereign wealth fund of the Australian state of Queensland, purchased a 49 percent stake in the mall. Most tenants closed on May 31, 2016, while construction proceeded. The redevelopment deliberately moved away from the fully enclosed suburban-mall model. Much of the roof was removed, creating a partially open-air environment with new circulation patterns and space for food, entertainment, and specialty retail. The former Macy’s Furniture anchor on the east side was demolished and replaced by Origin Ballston, a 22-story residential tower with 406 apartments. Ballston Quarter officially reopened in November 2018, with Regal Cinemas and a gym among its principal anchors. The property continued its transition after reopening. Macy’s closed its remaining store in April 2024 as part of a nationwide program involving five store closures. The former Macy’s building was identified for demolition in 2025 to enable a 500-unit apartment project. These changes leave Ballston Quarter without a traditional department-store anchor and reinforce its role as a transit-oriented mixed-use district combining dining, entertainment, services, offices, and residential development.

• 2024

  Macy’s closes

  [1]Ballston Quarteren.wikipedia.org

  The remaining Macy’s location closes, ending the property’s long association with a traditional department-store anchor.

• 2018

  Ballston Quarter officially reopens

  [1]Ballston Quarteren.wikipedia.org

  The property reopens in a substantially more open-air, mixed-use format under the Ballston Quarter name.

• 2016

  Major redevelopment starts

  [1]Ballston Quarteren.wikipedia.org

  Most businesses close for construction, while Queensland Investment Corporation acquires a 49 percent interest in the mall.

• 2013

  Redevelopment planning begins

  [1]Ballston Quarteren.wikipedia.org

  The property owner begins planning a comprehensive redevelopment, and Forest City Washington acquires the former Macy’s Furniture Store building.

• 2006

  Hecht’s stores become Macy’s

  [1]Ballston Quarteren.wikipedia.org

  The Hecht’s department-store locations in the complex are rebranded as Macy’s.

• 2000

  Ballston Tower is completed

  [1]Ballston Quarteren.wikipedia.org

  The adjoining Ballston Tower office building is completed with a Regal Cinemas multiplex and retail space.

• 1986

  Ballston Common opens after expansion

  [1]Ballston Quarteren.wikipedia.org

  A major renovation converts the property into a multilevel enclosed mall and introduces the Ballston Common name.

• 1974

  JCPenney opens

  [1]Ballston Quarteren.wikipedia.org

  JCPenney opens a soft-line merchandise and catalog store at the center.

• 1963

  Office expansion

  [1]Ballston Quarteren.wikipedia.org

  A 12-story office building is added to the Parkington complex.

• 1951

  Parkington Shopping Center opens

  [1]Ballston Quarteren.wikipedia.org

  The Hecht Company opens Parkington Shopping Center with a major Hecht’s department store and a four-story parking garage, making it an early large suburban shopping center in the Washington region.

An urban, transit-accessible mixed-use shopping and entertainment destination built around dining, leisure, retail, and residential development rather than a conventional enclosed department-store mall.

• Shopping-center retail · 1951

  Retail and specialty stores

  Ballston Quarter provides a changing collection of specialty retail and service businesses rather than a single proprietary product line. Historically, the center included department stores, grocery, books, apparel, variety merchandise, furniture, and catalog retail. After the 2016–2018 redevelopment, the tenant mix shifted toward smaller-format retail, dining, entertainment, fitness, and other services suited to an urban mixed-use environment.

• Food and beverage · 2018

  Dining venues

  Dining is a central part of the Ballston Quarter positioning. The redeveloped property emphasizes restaurants and food-oriented experiences as complements to retail, office, residential, and entertainment uses. Specific tenants can change over time, so the center’s official website is the appropriate reference for its current restaurant roster.

• Entertainment · 2000

  Regal Cinemas

  Regal Cinemas is a major entertainment component associated with the Ballston complex. The multiplex was introduced through the adjoining Ballston Tower development and continued as one of the prominent anchors after the Ballston Quarter redevelopment, helping the property compete as a leisure and experience destination rather than solely as a retail center.

• Fitness and wellness · 2018

  Fitness facilities

  A gym or fitness facility is among the principal non-retail anchors identified after the Ballston Quarter reopening. Its presence supports the center’s service-oriented, mixed-use model and provides recurring local traffic alongside restaurants, cinema, offices, and nearby apartments.

• Residential development · 2018

  Origin Ballston

  Origin Ballston is a 22-story apartment tower built on the site of the former Macy’s Furniture anchor during the Ballston Quarter redevelopment. The tower contains 406 residential units and forms part of the property’s conversion from a conventional enclosed mall into a denser mixed-use district.

• 2025

  Planned replacement of the former Macy’s buildingStrategy

  Background

  Following the Macy’s closure, the former anchor building was identified for further redevelopment.

  Action taken

  The building was slated for demolition and replacement with a 500-unit apartment building.

  Aftermath

  The planned project would further increase the residential component of Ballston Quarter and complete the shift away from department-store anchoring.

  Source

• 2024

  Removal of the remaining Macy’s anchorOther

  Background

  Macy’s announced a nationwide store-closure program that included its Ballston location.

  Action taken

  Macy’s closed the Ballston Quarter store in April 2024.

  Aftermath

  The property lost its last conventional department-store anchor, reinforcing its repositioning as a mixed-use and entertainment-led destination.

  Source

• 2016

  Open-air mixed-use transformationStrategy

  Background

  The enclosed Ballston Common format was being repositioned for a denser, more experience-oriented and transit-accessible market.

  Action taken

  Most businesses were temporarily closed, much of the roof was removed, and the former Macy’s Furniture building was demolished to make room for the Origin Ballston apartment tower.

  Aftermath

  The property reopened as Ballston Quarter in 2018 with greater emphasis on dining, entertainment, services, and residential integration.

  Source

• 2013

  Planning for comprehensive redevelopmentStrategy

  Background

  The property began planning a new format as traditional enclosed malls faced changing consumer behavior and department-store pressures.

  Action taken

  The owner initiated redevelopment planning, with Forest City Washington acquiring the former Macy’s Furniture Store building as part of the project.

  Aftermath

  The plan ultimately produced an open-air, mixed-use destination branded as Ballston Quarter.

  Source

• 1982

  Conversion of Parkington into Ballston CommonStrategy

  Background

  The aging open-air Parkington Shopping Center required modernization as retail competition and suburban shopping formats changed.

  Action taken

  Arlington County and May Centers pursued a large renovation and expansion that enclosed the center, added multiple retail levels, expanded the floor area, and introduced a new Ballston Common identity.

  Aftermath

  The redeveloped mall opened in October 1986 as a large enclosed retail and office complex.

  Source

1. 1Ballston Quarteren.wikipedia.org
2. 2Ballston Quarter official websiteballstonquarter.com