Ballston Quarter, formerly known as Ballston Common Mall, originally opened as Parkington Shopping Center, was one of the first major suburban shopping centers in the Washington, D.C., area. It opened in 1951 and was the nation's first shopping center built around a multi-story parking garage. It is located at the intersection of
Glebe Road
State Route 120 (SR 120) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. Known as Glebe Road, the state highway runs from U.S. Route 1 in Virginia, U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Crystal City, Virginia, Crystal City north to Virginia Stat ...
and Wilson Boulevard in the
Ballston neighborhood of
Arlington County, Virginia
Arlington County is a County (United States), county in the Virginia, Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the Washington, D.C., District of Co ...
, two blocks from
Ballston–MU station
Ballston–MU is a side-platformed Washington Metro station in Arlington County, Virginia, United States. The station opened on December 1, 1979, and is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). The station serves ...
on the
Washington Metro
The Washington Metro (or simply Metro), formally the Metrorail,[Google Books search/preview ...](_blank)
's
Orange
Orange most often refers to:
*Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis''
** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower
*Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum
* ...
and
Silver
Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...
lines.
The Ballston Common Mall opened October 20, 1986 as a $40 million replacement for Parkington Shopping Center. The center was developed in limited partnership with May Centers, a subsidiary of
The May Department Stores Company
The May Department Stores Company was an American department store holding company, formerly headquartered in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. It was founded in Leadville, Colorado, by David May in 1877, moving to St. Louis in 1905. After many ch ...
which, at the time, also owned one of the anchors,
Hecht's
Hecht's, also known as Hecht Brothers, Hecht Bros. and the Hecht Company, was a large chain of department stores that operated mainly in the mid-Atlantic and southern region of the United States. The firm originated in Baltimore, Maryland.
By 20 ...
. On May 31, 2016, most businesses closed so the mall could be redeveloped into Ballston Quarter. It reopened officially in November 2018. Currently,
Macy's
Macy's (originally R. H. Macy & Co.) is an American chain of high-end department stores founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. It became a division of the Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores in 1994, through which it is affiliated wi ...
,
Regal Cinemas
Regal Cinemas (also Regal Entertainment Group) is an American movie theater chain headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee. A division of Cineworld, Regal operates the second-largest theater circuit in the United States, with over 7,200 screens i ...
, and a gym are the major anchors.
History
The $6.5 million
Hecht's
Hecht's, also known as Hecht Brothers, Hecht Bros. and the Hecht Company, was a large chain of department stores that operated mainly in the mid-Atlantic and southern region of the United States. The firm originated in Baltimore, Maryland.
By 20 ...
store opened in the Parkington Shopping Center on November 2, 1951. At its opening, the five story, store was the largest suburban department store on the East Coast. A man was electrocuted during the construction of the store. Over the years, the $15 million Parkington Shopping Center expanded to 30 stores including
Giant Food,
McCrory Stores
McCrory Stores or J.G. McCrory's was a chain of five and dime stores in the United States based in York, Pennsylvania. The stores typically sold shoes, clothing, housewares, fabrics, penny candy, toys, cosmetics, and often included a lunch coun ...
,
W. T. Grant
W. T. Grant or Grants was a United States-based chain of mass-merchandise stores founded by William Thomas Grant that operated from 1906 until 1976. The stores were generally of the variety store format located in downtowns.
History
In 1906 the ...
,
Brentano's
Brentano's was an American bookstore chain with numerous locations in the United States.
As of the 1970s, there were three Brentano's in New York: the Fifth Avenue flagship store at Rockefeller Center, one in Greenwich Village, and one in Whit ...
Books,
Casual Corner
Casual Corner was an American retail clothing chain founded in 1950. It operated stores under the names Casual Corner, Petite Sophisticate and August Max Woman brands, among others, with more than 525 stores at its peak.
History
In 1950, childho ...
, and others. In May 1974,
JCPenney
Penney OpCo LLC, doing business as JCPenney and often abbreviated JCP, is a midscale American department store chain operating 667 stores across 49 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. Departments inside JCPenney stores include Mens, Womens, Boys, Gir ...
opened a soft line merchandise and catalog store.
By 1982, the 30-year-old Parkington Shopping Center was in need of a facelift. Beginning that year,
Arlington County
Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county is ...
and the May Centers embarked on a $100 million renovation project and expansion of the shopping center. Part of the project was a contest among Arlington residents to name the new mall. That contest was how "Ballston Common" came to be the mall's name. After some complications, the renovated and expanded shopping center opened in the fall of 1986. In the early 2000s, the mall became home to the
MedStar Capitals Iceplex
MedStar Capitals Iceplex is the practice arena of the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League. The highest ice rink above street-level in the United States, it is located on the eighth floor atop the parking garage adjoining the Ballston ...
, the headquarters and practice facility for the National Hockey League's
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL) ...
, and the
ComedySportz
ComedySportz (CSz) is an improvisational comedy organization started in 1984 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by a group of local comedians including Dick Chudnow, Bob Orvis, Brian Green, and others.
Match format
The traditional format of a ComedySportz ...
improvisational theatre organization.
Redevelopment
The owner of the mall started planning its redevelopment in 2013. In September 2013, Forest City Washington purchased the Macy's Furniture Store as part of that plan. The mall's final day of operation was May 31, 2016. A number of stores stayed open during the renovation.
Shooting
On September 14, 2019, the
Arlington County Police Department
The Arlington County Police Department (ACPD) is the municipal law enforcement agency servicing the 238,643 residents of the of jurisdiction within Arlington County, Virginia. It is the primary law enforcement agency in the county for all levels ...
was dispatched to the mall due to reports of a mass shooter. After the mall was searched, it was revealed that there was no shooter. It was suspected to be a prank, but it was later found out that someone misinterpreted the line "Pennywise has sharpshooter activated," while they were watching the movie ''
It Chapter Two
''It Chapter Two'' is a 2019 American supernatural horror film directed by Andy Muschietti, with a screenplay by Gary Dauberman. A follow-up to '' It'' (2017), it is the second of a two-part adaptation of the 1986 novel '' It'' by Stephen King, ...
'' at the theatre. The report summoned a massive police presence with police helicopters from
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
and neighboring
Fairfax County
Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is part of Northern Virginia and borders both the city of Alexandria and Arlington County and forms part of the suburban ring of Washington, D.C. ...
.
References
External links
Ballston Quarter official websiteForest City Enterprises Ballston Common Mall webpageBallston Common Mall Stores
{{Coord, 38, 52, 45.6, N, 77, 6, 39.6, W, display=title
1951 establishments in Virginia
Buildings and structures in Arlington County, Virginia
Shopping malls established in 1951
Shopping malls in the Washington metropolitan area
Shopping malls in Virginia
Tourist attractions in Arlington County, Virginia