Landmark Mall (or Landmark Regional Shopping Center) (formally Landmark Center) was an American shopping mall. Located in a triangle formed by Duke Street (

Virginia State Route 236 State Route 236 (SR 236) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs from U.S. Route 29 and US 50 in Fairfax east to SR 400 in Alexandria. SR 236 is a major suburban arterial highway that connects the ind ...

), Interstate 395, and Van Dorn Street (

Virginia State Route 401 State Route 401 (SR 401) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. Known as Van Dorn Street, the state highway runs from SR 613 at the south city limit of the independent city of Alexandria north to SR 420 within Alexandria. ...

) in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of downtown Washington, D.C. In 2020, the population was 159,467. ...

, the mall opened in 1965 and closed on January 31, 2017. The mall was anchored by

Sears Sears, Roebuck and Co. ( ), commonly known as Sears, is an American chain of department stores founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosenwald, with what began a ...

Lord & Taylor Lord & Taylor was the oldest brick and mortar department store in the United States, in business from 1826 to 2020. The brand was purchased during former owner Le Tote's 2020 liquidation bankruptcy and relaunched by new owner, Saadia Group, as ...

and

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 ...

History

The mall opened on August 4, 1965, with Virginia Lt. Gov. Mills E. Godwin, Jr. cutting the ceremonial ribbon. It was the first mall in the Washington D.C. area to feature three anchor department stores; the Hecht Co. (later

) (),

(), and

Woodward & Lothrop Woodward & Lothrop was a department store chain headquartered in Washington, D.C. that began as the capital's first department store in 1887. Woodies, as it was often nicknamed, maintained stores in the Mid-Atlantic United States. Its flagship ...

(later

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 ...

, then

) (). The mall opened with 32 stores in the center including Bond Clothes, Casual Corner, People's Drug Store, Raleigh Haberdasher,

Thom McAn The surname Thom is of Scottish origin, from the city of Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Angus, and is a sept of the Clan MacThomas. Thom is also a first name variant of the abbreviation " Tom" of "Thomas" that holds the "h". People with the surnam ...

, and

Waldenbooks Waldenbooks, operated by the Walden Book Company, Inc., was an American shopping mall-based bookstore chain, from 1995 as a subsidiary of Borders Group. The chain also ran a video game and software chain under the name Waldensoftware, as well as a ...

. The center also included the second location of

S&W Cafeteria S&W Cafeteria was a Charlotte, North Carolina-based chain of cafeteria-style restaurants. The chain specialized in low-cost, Southern-style food. Branches were located in the Southeastern United States from Washington, D.C. to Atlanta, Georgia. ...

in the Washington D.C. suburbs. Originally an outdoor mall, it was enclosed in 1990. In 2006 the mall's owner,

General Growth Properties GGP Inc. (an initialism of General Growth Properties) was an American commercial real estate company and the second-largest shopping mall operator in the United States. It was founded by brothers Martin, Matthew and Maurice Bucksbaum in Ceda ...

, announced its plan to convert the mall into an open-air "town center" shopping center. The plans were not realized. The Howard Hughes Corporation became the new owner in 2009. Lord & Taylor announced in May of the same year that it would be closing its store at the mall. The Howard Hughes Corporation showed its plan to transform the site into an ' urban town' in 2013. The plan would turn the mall into an outdoor center with retail and residential facilities. In June 2013, Alexandria City Council approved the plans to redevelop the mall. On January 4, 2017, Macy's announced it would close its Landmark Mall store that year. Subsequently, the mall's owners notified tenants (except Sears) they were to vacate by January 31, indicating that approved redevelopment is imminent. At final build out, Landmark would transform into a

walkable Walkability is a term for planning concepts best understood by the mixed-use of amenities in high-density neighborhoods where people can access said amenities by foot. It is based on the idea that urban spaces should be more than just transport ...

mixed-use Mixed-use is a kind of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning type that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions are to som ...

urban village In urban planning and design, an urban village is an urban development typically characterized by medium-density housing, mixed use zoning, good public transit and an emphasis on pedestrianization and public space. Contemporary urban village id ...

with approximately of modern shops and restaurants, up to 400 new residential units and an updated parking structure. In addition to the new retail and residences, the new Landmark would be an open-air community destination featuring multiple plazas and green spaces, outdoor seating, seasonal entertainment, and public art. There would be numerous full-service and fast-casual dining options, and a 10-screen luxury cinema. Howard Hughes purchased the Macy's site in 2017. In June 2018, the vacant Macy's store was transformed into a homeless shelter. In November 2018, Howard Hughes Corporation announced it had partnered with Seritage Growth Properties, which owns the Sears site, and among the 235 properties

Sears Holdings Sears Holdings Corporation was an American holding company headquartered in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. It was the parent company of the chain stores Kmart and Sears and was founded after the former purchased the latter in 2005. It was the 20th- ...

spun-off in 2015 into Seritage, to redevelop the entire 51-acre (20.639-hectare) property. The 2020 film ''

Wonder Woman 1984 ''Wonder Woman 1984'' (also known as ''WW84'') is a 2020 American superhero film based on the DC character Wonder Woman. Produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Films, Atlas Entertainment, and The Stone Quarry, and distributed by Warner Bros. P ...

'' had scenes filmed at the mall in June and July 2018. In this film, it is named the "Southfields Mall" and received a 1980s-themed makeover. As of early 2020, planning related to demolition and redevelopment was still in progress and decisions about funding and issuing of permits were not completed. On July 1, 2020, it was announced that Sears would also be closing as part of a plan to close 28 stores nationwide which would leave the mall entirely vacant. On December 22, 2020, it was announced that the area would be redeveloped as a new mixed-use development with a new

Inova Alexandria Hospital Inova Alexandria Hospital is a not-for-profit hospital in Alexandria, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1872 as the Alexandria Infirmary, it became part of Northern Virginia's Inova Health System in 1997. The hospital is notable for its early ...

, with the existing hospital beginning to be relocated in 2025. On July 6, 2021, it was announced that the Alexandria City Council unanimously approved the redevelopment agreements for the site of the former Landmark Mall, which will result in up to approximately four million square feet of new development. The project will be anchored by the relocation and expansion of Inova's Alexandria Hospital bringing more than 2,000 healthcare workers to the medical campus. As part of the collaboration between the City and Inova, the Alexandria City Council also approved a master plan amendment and rezoning of the current

site on Seminary Road to permit a variety of residential uses, which will facilitate the sale of the property in advance of its relocation to the Landmark site. This land-use decision was the first legislative action by Council required to bring this plan to reality. Alexandria City Council also approved the use of $54 million in public bond financing to allow the city to acquire the land for the hospital and lease it to Inova, as well as $86 million in public bond financing for site preparation and infrastructure at the Landmark site and adjacent Duke Street and Van Dorn Street corridors. On January 24, 2022, it was announced that the project would be renamed to WestEnd Alexandria. Demolition began on May 12, 2022, and is expected to last for six months. The parking garage will be left intact.

Anchors

(later J. C. Penney, later

; closed 2009) *

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 ...

(acquired and re-branded as

in 2006; closed 2017) *

(closed 2020)

References

External links

Landmark Mall websiteDEAD MALL SERIES: Landmark Mall
{{Shopping malls in Virginia 1965 establishments in Virginia 2017 disestablishments in Virginia Brookfield Properties Buildings and structures demolished in 2022 Buildings and structures in Alexandria, Virginia Demolished buildings and structures in Virginia Demolished shopping malls in the United States Shopping malls established in 1965 Shopping malls disestablished in 2017 Shopping malls in Virginia Shopping malls in the Washington metropolitan area Tourist attractions in Alexandria, Virginia