Francis Scott Key Mall

Francis Scott Key Mall is an enclosed shopping mall in Frederick, Maryland, United States. Opened in 1978, it became the second major mall serving the Frederick area after Frederick Towne Mall, which had opened six years earlier. The property originally operated under the ownership of Crown American and launched with Sears, Hess's, and Gee Bee as its principal anchor stores. Its tenant mix has changed substantially over time as department-store chains consolidated, closed locations, or were replaced by successor businesses. The mall's retail history reflects several broad shifts in American shopping-center operations. Woolworth, one of the original tenants, departed in the mid-1990s, and its space was subsequently divided into smaller retail units. Hess's sold its location to Hecht's in 1995; that store later became part of Macy's in 2006. Leggett opened at the mall in 1991 and was sold to JCPenney in 1996, allowing JCPenney to relocate from Frederick Towne Mall and become one of Francis Scott Key Mall's major anchors. The former Gee Bee building also underwent several iterations. Value City operated from the space beginning in 1992. In 2008, the site was converted to accommodate Value City Furniture and DSW. Barnes & Noble added a mall bookstore in 2007, broadening the center's offer beyond traditional department-store retail. Dick's Sporting Goods opened a new building near the Sears and Value City/DSW areas in 2014, adding a large-format sporting-goods tenant to the property. The mall's current or recent anchor lineup has included JCPenney, Macy's, DSW, Ethan Allen, Barnes & Noble, and Dick's Sporting Goods. Sears, which had been an original anchor, closed in January 2023 following an announcement made in December 2022. The closure was notable because it ended the operation of the last Sears store in Maryland. In 2024, Dick's Sporting Goods released plans to redevelop the former Sears building as a Dick's House of Sport location. Under those plans, the existing Dick's Sporting Goods building would be repurposed for a gym after the larger-format store opens. Value City Furniture is also reported to have closed in 2026. A Red Robin restaurant at the mall was reported to be scheduled for permanent closure on May 24, 2026, as part of that company's broader restructuring. Francis Scott Key Mall is therefore best understood as a physical retail property and local shopping destination rather than a conventional consumer brand with a standalone product portfolio. Its identity is defined by its enclosed-mall format, anchor tenants, specialty retailers, restaurants, and continuing adaptation of former department-store spaces. The available reference material does not identify a current owner, operating company, official website, financial results, or named executives.

Francis Scott Key Mall opened in 1978 in Frederick, Maryland, as the second enclosed shopping mall serving the area. Frederick Towne Mall had opened six years earlier, making the newer center part of a growing local retail network. Crown American owned the mall in its early period. Its original anchor lineup consisted of Sears, Hess's, and Gee Bee, supported by smaller specialty tenants including Woolworth. The property changed as its anchor chains and surrounding retail environment evolved. Leggett opened at the mall in 1991. In 1992, Value City began operating from the former Gee Bee building. Hess's later sold its store to Hecht's in 1995, while Leggett's store was sold to JCPenney in 1996. JCPenney used the transaction to relocate from Frederick Towne Mall, strengthening Francis Scott Key Mall's position within the local market. Woolworth closed during the mid-1990s, and its former space was divided into smaller stores rather than remaining a single large-format unit. The Hecht's anchor changed again in 2006 when it became Macy's. Barnes & Noble opened at the mall in 2007, adding a major bookstore and lifestyle-retail component. In 2008, the former Gee Bee building was reconfigured for Value City Furniture and DSW. This conversion illustrated the mall's continuing use of former department-store footprints for more specialized retail formats. Dick's Sporting Goods opened a new building near the Sears and Value City/DSW areas in 2014, expanding the property's large-format retail presence. Sears remained one of the mall's longest-running anchors but ultimately closed. On December 12, 2022, the closure was announced for January 15, 2023. The store was described as the last Sears location still operating in Maryland, giving the closure significance beyond the individual property. The former Sears building subsequently became a potential redevelopment site rather than an immediately identified replacement anchor. In 2024, Dick's Sporting Goods announced plans connected with the former Sears building. The proposal called for a Dick's House of Sport location in the vacant anchor space, with the existing Dick's Sporting Goods building expected to become a gym once the new store opened. The plan represented a shift toward experiential and larger-format sporting-goods retail, using a former department-store footprint for a newer retail concept. Later reported changes included the closure of Value City Furniture in 2026 and the planned permanent closure of the mall's Red Robin restaurant on May 24, 2026, in connection with broader restructuring by Red Robin. These changes continued the long-term pattern of tenant replacement and space reconfiguration at the center. The reference material identifies JCPenney, Macy's, DSW, Ethan Allen, Barnes & Noble, and Dick's Sporting Goods among the mall's current or recent anchors and major tenants. It does not establish the present owner, a corporate parent, annual sales, employment figures, or a named management team.

• 2024

  House of Sport redevelopment is planned

  [1]Francis Scott Key Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Dick's Sporting Goods releases plans for a Dick's House of Sport location in the former Sears building and a gym in the existing Dick's building.

• 2023

  Sears closes

  [1]Francis Scott Key Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The mall's Sears store closes on January 15 after a closure announcement in December 2022. It was the last Sears store operating in Maryland.

• 2014

  Dick's Sporting Goods opens a new building

  [1]Francis Scott Key Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Dick's Sporting Goods opens a new building near the Sears and Value City/DSW areas.

• 2008

  Former Gee Bee building is reconfigured

  [1]Francis Scott Key Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The former Value City building is converted to accommodate Value City Furniture and DSW.

• 2007

  Barnes & Noble opens

  [1]Francis Scott Key Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Barnes & Noble opens a bookstore at the mall.

• 2006

  Hecht's becomes Macy's

  [1]Francis Scott Key Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The Hecht's anchor is converted to a Macy's store.

• 1996

  JCPenney takes over the Leggett location

  [1]Francis Scott Key Mallen.wikipedia.org

  JCPenney acquires the former Leggett store and relocates from Frederick Towne Mall.

• 1995

  Hess's store becomes a Hecht's location

  [1]Francis Scott Key Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Hess's sells its mall store to Hecht's, changing one of the original anchor identities.

• 1992

  Value City enters the former Gee Bee building

  [1]Francis Scott Key Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Value City begins operating from the former Gee Bee anchor building.

• 1991

  Leggett opens

  [1]Francis Scott Key Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Leggett opens an anchor department store at the mall.

• 1978

  Mall opens in Frederick

  [1]Francis Scott Key Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Francis Scott Key Mall opens as an enclosed shopping mall and becomes the second major mall serving the Frederick area. Its original anchors include Sears, Hess's, and Gee Bee.

A regional enclosed shopping center serving Frederick and surrounding communities through a combination of department stores, specialty retailers, home-furnishing businesses, sporting-goods stores, bookstores, and restaurants.

• Shopping mall · 1978

  Enclosed shopping-center retail

  The mall's core offering is a climate-controlled, enclosed retail environment combining anchor department stores, specialty shops, food service, and customer-oriented common areas. Its tenant composition has changed over time as department-store buildings have been subdivided, repurposed, or assigned to newer large-format concepts.

• Department stores · 1978

  Department-store retail

  Department-store shopping has been central to the mall since its opening, beginning with Sears, Hess's, and Gee Bee. Later occupants and successors included JCPenney and Macy's, providing apparel, home merchandise, beauty products, and general merchandise.

• Specialty retail · 2007

  Specialty and lifestyle retail

  The property has hosted specialty formats including DSW, Barnes & Noble, Ethan Allen, and furniture-related retail. These tenants diversify the center beyond department stores and provide footwear, books, home furnishings, and lifestyle merchandise.

• Sporting goods · 2014

  Sporting-goods retail

  Dick's Sporting Goods has operated a dedicated building at the mall since 2014. Plans announced in 2024 called for a larger Dick's House of Sport concept in the former Sears building, paired with conversion of the existing store into a gym.

• 2024

  Redevelopment of the former Sears buildingStrategy

  Background

  The closure of Sears left a major former-anchor building available for a new use at the mall.

  Action taken

  Dick's Sporting Goods planned to establish a Dick's House of Sport location in the former Sears building and repurpose its existing building as a gym.

  Aftermath

  The plan would introduce a larger experiential sporting-goods format and reuse a vacant department-store footprint. The reference material does not confirm the project's completion.

  Source

1. 1Francis Scott Key Mallen.wikipedia.org