The Centre at Golden Ring, formerly the Golden Ring Mall is a
power center Power center may refer to:
*Power center (geometry), the intersection point of the three radical axes of the pairs of circles
*Power center (retail)
A power center or big-box center (known in Canadian and Commonwealth English as power centre o ...
and former mall in
Rosedale, Maryland
Rosedale is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 19,257 at the 2010 United States Census.
History
The origin of the name Rosedale is ...
.
History
Golden Ring Mall
The mall was first announced by developers
Melvin, Simon & Associates in April 1972, with Stewart's,
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 ...
, and
Montgomery Ward
Montgomery Ward is the name of two successive U.S. retail corporations. The original Montgomery Ward & Co. was a world-pioneering mail-order business and later also a leading department store chain that operated between 1872 and 2001. The curren ...
as anchors. Stewart's would operate a 3-level, 145,000 sq ft store to include a 15,000 sq ft budget shop, Montgomery Ward's would be 175,000 sq ft with a freestanding auto center, and Hecht's would be 150,000 sq ft, with 370,000 sq ft of space across two floors for smaller shops in the mall itself. Montgomery Ward would open ahead of the mall on September 11, 1974, followed by Hecht's on October 1, 1974, and Stewart's on October 14, 1974. The mall itself would open with a 2-week grand opening extravaganza beginning on October 28, 1974. The mall also featured an installation from American sculptor
Rita Blitt.
The first major change came to the mall in November 1982, when all five Stewart's stores would close their doors, with Golden Ring's location one of four taken over by discount operator
Caldor
Caldor, Inc. was a discount department store chain founded in 1951 by husband and wife Carl and Dorothy Bennett. Referred to by many as the Bloomingdale's of discounting, Caldor grew from a second story "Walk-Up-&-Save" operation in Port Chest ...
. Simon would announce a major, $2 million renovation in 1986, which would add a new center court and second level food court, along with renovations to the entire mall interior. At this time, Herman Renfro, assistant vice president of development for Simon, remarked that the mall was "showing its age", and that "Without a major expansion, there's no way we can offer the selection of merchandise of a
White Marsh or an
Owings Mills
Owings Mills is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It is a suburb of Baltimore. Per the 2020 census, the population was 35,674. Owings Mills is home to the northern terminus of ...
. What we can do is create as pleasant a shopping area as possible".
Caldor would close its location at Golden Ring in 1998, as one of two Baltimore area stores to close in an effort to emerge from bankruptcy. It was noted that Golden Ring was "already struggling with competition from White Marsh Mall and a renovated
Eastpoint Mall
Eastpoint Mall is a one-level regional enclosed shopping center located in Baltimore County. Eastpoint Mall was one of Baltimore’s first shopping centers and has been serving the community since 1956.
Eastpoint Mall is anchored by JCPenney, Bu ...
", and that it was expected to take at least a year to fill the space vacated by Caldor. Further decline is evident in that by 1999, a large portion of the parking lot was used for "Baltimore's Best Darn Yard Sale".
The mall would be put up for sale by Simon in 1998, with Virginia developer Petrie, Dierman, and Kughn submitting plans for a new
power center Power center may refer to:
*Power center (geometry), the intersection point of the three radical axes of the pairs of circles
*Power center (retail)
A power center or big-box center (known in Canadian and Commonwealth English as power centre o ...
to replace the mall in early 2000. The plan would demolish the entire mall except for Wards, who intended to remain at the new center, and build a discount department store, a warehouse club, and a home-improvement store. By October 2000, the mall was winding down operations, with a majority of tenants either closed, closing, or set to close by the end of the year. It was at this time that Hecht's spokeswoman Diane Daly would confirm that they were looking to sell the store, and would not remain for the new development. Wards would also leave the development later that year, as they announced the closure of all remaining stores in December 2000.
The Centre at Golden Ring
The property would reopen, as the Centre at Golden Ring, in 2002, with anchors
Walmart
Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...
,
Sam's Club
Sam's West, Inc. (doing business as Sam's Club) is an American chain of membership-only retail warehouse clubs owned and operated by Walmart Inc., founded in 1983 and named after Walmart founder Sam Walton as Sam’s Wholesale Club. , Sam's Cl ...
, and
The Home Depot
The Home Depot, Inc., is an American multinational home improvement retail corporation that sells tools, construction products, appliances, and services, including fuel and transportation rentals. Home Depot is the largest home improvement re ...
.
The former Wards building was later subdivided for multiple tenants.
See also
References
External links
Picture of Original Golden Ring Mall sign in front of Hecht CompanyDeadmalls.com
Golden Ring Mall (site) on Google Street View
{{DEFAULTSORT:Centre at Golden Ring, The
Shopping malls in Maryland
Shopping malls established in 1974
Baltimore County, Maryland landmarks
Tourist attractions in Baltimore County, Maryland
1974 establishments in Maryland