Landmark Mall

Landmark Mall was a regional shopping center in Alexandria, Virginia, United States. It occupied a strategically visible triangular site bounded by Duke Street, Interstate 395, and Van Dorn Street, and became one of the Washington, D.C., area's notable suburban retail destinations after opening as Landmark Center on August 4, 1965. The original center was significant because it was the first mall in the area to open with three major department-store anchors: Hecht Co., Sears, and Woodward & Lothrop. The initial complex contained approximately 675,000 square feet of retail space and 32 stores, including apparel, pharmacy, footwear, books, and cafeteria businesses. The Hecht Co. location was later converted to Macy's, while the Woodward & Lothrop space subsequently became associated with JCPenney and then Lord & Taylor. The mall began as an open-air shopping center and was enclosed in 1990. Its tenant mix and department-store anchors reflected the traditional regional-mall model, with large stores drawing customers to a central collection of specialty retailers and food-service operators. Over time, however, changing retail patterns, competition from newer centers, and the aging physical configuration of the property led owners to consider major redevelopment. In 2006, General Growth Properties proposed replacing the enclosed mall concept with an open-air town center, but that plan was not completed. Ownership changed to the Howard Hughes Corporation in 2009, and Lord & Taylor announced that year that it would leave the property. A more extensive transformation was proposed in 2013. The Howard Hughes Corporation presented an urban-town concept that would replace the aging mall with an open-air, mixed-use destination combining retail, restaurants, housing, public spaces, and entertainment. Alexandria City Council approved the redevelopment plans in June 2013. The proposed final scheme envisioned approximately 317,000 square feet of modern shops and restaurants, as many as 400 residential units, a renovated parking structure, plazas, green areas, outdoor seating, public art, seasonal programming, and a ten-screen luxury cinema. Implementation was delayed, and the retail property continued to lose anchors. Macy's announced in January 2017 that its Landmark store would close, and most remaining tenants were instructed to leave by the end of that month. Sears was the principal exception at the time. The former Macy's building received temporary public use in June 2018, when it was converted into a homeless shelter. The site also gained unusual cultural visibility when the 2020 film Wonder Woman 1984 used the mall for scenes filmed in June and July 2018. Production design converted portions of the property into a stylized 1980s shopping center called Southfields Mall. In November 2018, Howard Hughes announced a partnership with Seritage Growth Properties to pursue redevelopment of the full approximately 51-acre property, including the Sears parcel. Sears announced in July 2020 that its Landmark location would close as part of a nationwide store-closing program, leaving the mall without operating department-store anchors. The site's redevelopment direction then shifted from a conventional retail town center toward a major mixed-use and medical campus. In December 2020, plans were announced for a new Inova Alexandria Hospital at the former mall site. Alexandria City Council unanimously approved redevelopment agreements in July 2021. The program was expected to permit up to approximately four million square feet of new development, with the hospital relocation serving as the principal anchor and bringing more than 2,000 healthcare workers to the campus. The city also approved public bond financing for land acquisition, site preparation, infrastructure, and improvements along nearby transportation corridors. The redevelopment was renamed WestEnd Alexandria in January 2022. Demolition of the mall began on May 12, 2022, and continued for approximately six months, although the parking garage remained. In September 2023, the Alexandria Planning Commission approved multiple special-use permits for a Foulger-Pratt-led component of the future project, including retail and restaurant pavilions, trails, recreational facilities, a skating rink, and pickleball courts. The former mall therefore ended not as a surviving retail brand but as a redevelopment site transitioning toward a large hospital-led mixed-use district.

Landmark Mall opened as Landmark Center on August 4, 1965, in Alexandria, Virginia. Its site was bounded by Duke Street, Interstate 395, and Van Dorn Street, giving it strong access from the surrounding Washington metropolitan area. The center opened with approximately 675,000 square feet of retail space and 32 stores. Its three principal anchors were Hecht Co., Sears, and Woodward & Lothrop, making it the first shopping mall in the Washington, D.C., area to open with three major department stores. Other early tenants included Bond Clothes, Casual Corner, People's Drug Store, Raleigh Haberdasher, Thom McAn, and Waldenbooks. The property also included an early suburban Washington-area location of S&W Cafeteria. The original development was open-air. It was enclosed in 1990 as retail preferences and regional-mall competition changed. The anchor lineup also evolved: Hecht Co. eventually became Macy's, while the Woodward & Lothrop space was later occupied by JCPenney and then Lord & Taylor. By the 2000s, the aging mall faced the broader challenges affecting many traditional department-store centers. In 2006, General Growth Properties announced a proposal to convert the property into an open-air town center, but the plan did not come to fruition. The Howard Hughes Corporation became the owner in 2009. Lord & Taylor announced that year that it would close its store. Howard Hughes returned with a more ambitious urban-town proposal in 2013, envisioning outdoor retail, restaurants, residential space, plazas, green areas, public art, entertainment, and a walkable layout. Alexandria City Council approved the redevelopment plans in June 2013. The proposed completed project was described as including roughly 317,000 square feet of shops and restaurants, up to 400 homes, an upgraded parking structure, outdoor seating, seasonal entertainment, and a ten-screen luxury cinema. Despite the approval, the redevelopment was not immediately implemented. The retail complex entered its final phase in 2017. Macy's announced in January that its store would close, and most tenants were told to vacate by January 31, while Sears initially remained. Howard Hughes acquired the Macy's site during the year. In June 2018, the empty Macy's building was adapted as a homeless shelter. The mall was also used as a film location for Wonder Woman 1984, with production in June and July 2018 transforming portions of the property into the fictional Southfields Mall and giving the site a temporary 1980s appearance. In November 2018, Howard Hughes announced a partnership with Seritage Growth Properties, the owner of the Sears parcel, to redevelop the entire roughly 51-acre property. Planning for demolition and redevelopment continued into 2020. Sears announced on July 1, 2020, that its store would close as part of a nationwide closure program, leaving the mall completely vacant. In December 2020, the proposed future of the site changed substantially when plans were announced for a new Inova Alexandria Hospital and related mixed-use development. On July 6, 2021, Alexandria City Council unanimously approved redevelopment agreements. The project was expected to allow up to approximately four million square feet of new development and to relocate and expand Inova Alexandria Hospital onto the former mall property. The medical campus was projected to bring more than 2,000 healthcare workers. The city also approved public bond financing for acquiring the hospital land, preparing the site, and improving infrastructure around the Landmark, Duke Street, and Van Dorn Street corridors. The project was renamed WestEnd Alexandria in January 2022. Demolition began on May 12, 2022, and lasted about six months, although the parking garage remained. In September 2023, the Alexandria Planning Commission approved special-use permits for a Foulger-Pratt component of the successor development, including retail and restaurant pavilions, trails, recreational facilities, a skating rink, and pickleball courts. Landmark Mall's history thus progressed from a pioneering three-anchor regional mall, through enclosure and attempted town-center conversion, to closure and replacement by a hospital-led mixed-use district.

• 2023

  Future-site permits approved

  [1]Landmark Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Planning approvals cover retail, restaurants, trails, and recreational facilities for the successor development.

• 2022

  Demolition begins

  [1]Landmark Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Demolition starts on May 12 and lasts approximately six months.

• 2021

  Hospital-led redevelopment receives council approval

  [1]Landmark Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The city approves agreements for a major redevelopment centered on a new Inova Alexandria Hospital.

• 2020

  Sears closure leaves mall vacant

  [1]Landmark Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Sears announces that the remaining anchor will close.

• 2017

  Macy's closes and most tenants leave

  [1]Landmark Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Macy's announces its closure, and most tenants are directed to vacate the mall.

• 2013

  City approves urban-town redevelopment

  [1]Landmark Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Alexandria City Council approves a plan for an open-air mixed-use urban destination.

• 2009

  Howard Hughes Corporation becomes owner

  [1]Landmark Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Ownership changes to the Howard Hughes Corporation; Lord & Taylor also announces its departure.

• 2006

  Town-center conversion proposed

  [1]Landmark Mallen.wikipedia.org

  General Growth Properties announces a plan to replace the mall format with an open-air town center, but the proposal is not realized.

• 1990

  Open-air center becomes enclosed mall

  [1]Landmark Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The original outdoor shopping center is enclosed.

• 1965

  Landmark Center opens

  [1]Landmark Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The shopping center opens on August 4 with three department-store anchors and approximately 32 stores.

A traditional Washington-area regional shopping mall that evolved from an open-air, three-anchor department-store center into an enclosed mall before becoming a redevelopment site for a mixed-use and medical district.

• Department stores · 1965

  Department-store anchors

  Landmark's principal retail draw came from its large anchor stores. The original anchors were Hecht Co., Sears, and Woodward & Lothrop. The former Hecht location later became Macy's, while the Woodward & Lothrop space subsequently housed JCPenney and Lord & Taylor. These stores sold broad assortments of apparel, home goods, accessories, appliances, and other general merchandise.

• Mall specialty stores · 1965

  Specialty retail and services

  The center opened with 32 smaller tenants serving everyday and discretionary shopping needs. Documented examples included Bond Clothes, Casual Corner, People's Drug Store, Raleigh Haberdasher, Thom McAn, and Waldenbooks, representing apparel, pharmacy, menswear, footwear, and books.

• Food service · 1965

  Dining and cafeteria services

  Food service formed part of the center's original offering, including the second S&W Cafeteria location in the Washington, D.C., suburbs. Later redevelopment concepts also emphasized full-service and fast-casual restaurants, although those proposed offerings were part of the uncompleted successor plan rather than an operating Landmark Mall product line.

• 2018Wonder Woman 1984 location production

  United States

  The property was used as a filming location for Wonder Woman 1984. Production crews temporarily restyled portions of the vacant mall as the fictional Southfields Mall and gave it a 1980s-themed appearance.

  Outcome. The filming gave the closing mall a prominent temporary role in a major motion picture.

  Source

• 2022

  Mall demolitionOther

  Background

  The retail complex had closed and the hospital-led redevelopment had received municipal approvals.

  Action taken

  Demolition began on May 12, 2022.

  Aftermath

  The mall was removed over approximately six months, with the parking garage left standing for future site use.

  Source

• 2020

  Shift toward hospital-led redevelopmentStrategy

  Background

  The mall had lost its department-store anchors, and planning for demolition and redevelopment was underway.

  Action taken

  The former mall site was selected for a new Inova Alexandria Hospital within a much larger mixed-use project.

  Aftermath

  The site's planned future moved beyond conventional mall redevelopment toward a medical campus and WestEnd Alexandria mixed-use district.

  Source

• 2013

  Urban-town redevelopment planStrategy

  Background

  The mall's owners sought a more comprehensive response to changing retail conditions and the property's aging infrastructure.

  Action taken

  Howard Hughes proposed an open-air, walkable mixed-use district with retail, restaurants, residences, public spaces, and entertainment; the city approved the plans.

  Aftermath

  The approved retail-led concept was delayed and later superseded by a hospital-centered redevelopment.

  Source

• 2006

  Proposed conversion to an open-air town centerStrategy

  Background

  General Growth Properties sought to reposition the aging enclosed mall.

  Action taken

  The owner announced a plan for an open-air town-center format.

  Aftermath

  The proposal was not completed.

  Source

• 1990

  Enclosure of the original open-air centerGeneration change

  Background

  Landmark Center originally operated as an outdoor shopping center.

  Action taken

  The center was converted into an enclosed mall.

  Aftermath

  The enclosed format remained in place until the property's eventual closure and demolition.

  Source

1. 1Landmark Mallen.wikipedia.org