![Mazza Gallerie interior](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Mazza_Gallerie_interior.jpg)
Mazza Gallerie was an upscale
shopping mall
A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...
in the
Friendship Heights
Friendship Heights is an urban commercial and residential neighborhood in northwest Washington, D.C. and southern Montgomery County, Maryland. Though its borders are not clearly defined, Friendship Heights consists roughly of the neighborhoods a ...
neighborhood of northwest
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, ...
Opened in 1977, it had of retail space on three levels, a parking garage, and a direct connection to the
Friendship Heights station
Friendship Heights is a Washington Metro station straddling the border of Washington, D.C. and Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The station was opened on August 25, 1984, and is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Au ...
of the
Washington Metro
The Washington Metro (or simply Metro), formally the Metrorail,[Google Books search/preview ...](_blank)
. The last retail business closed in December 2022.
The building is to be converted to residential apartments with retail on the ground floor.
The mall was named after Louise Mazza, whose daughter Olga inherited the land before it was developed.
When the family sold the property, they attached a
covenant
Covenant may refer to:
Religion
* Covenant (religion), a formal alliance or agreement made by God with a religious community or with humanity in general
** Covenant (biblical), in the Hebrew Bible
** Covenant in Mormonism, a sacred agreement b ...
requiring any future development to be called Mazza and to display a picture of Louise Mazza.
History
It was an early project of Herbert S. Miller's Western Development Corporation (now
Mills Corporation
The Mills Corporation was a publicly traded real estate investment trust headquartered in Chevy Chase, Maryland, United States, acquired on April 3, 2007 by an investment group composed of Simon Property Group and Farallon Capital Management. Th ...
), which later developed
Potomac Mills
Potomac Mills is a shopping mall located in Woodbridge, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. The first mall developed by the Mills Corporation, it was acquired in 2007 by Simon Property Group.
Simon claims it to be the largest o ...
,
Georgetown Park Georgetown Park is a mixed use shopping mall and condominium complex in the Georgetown historic district of Washington, D.C. The Shops at Georgetown Park are located at 3222 M Street, NW. In 2014, the complex received an $80 million renovation a ...
, and
Washington Harbour
Washington Harbour is a Class-A mixed-use development located at 3000 and 3050 K Street, N.W., in Washington, D.C., in the United States. The southern edge of the development borders the Potomac River on the Georgetown waterfront. Designed by ...
. Miller assembled a deal with property owner Olga Mazza and
Neiman Marcus
Neiman Marcus Group, Inc. is an American integrated luxury retailer headquartered in Dallas, Texas, which owns Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Horchow, and Last Call. Since September 2021, NMG has been owned by a group of investment compani ...
owner
Stanley Marcus
Harold Stanley Marcus"Personal" (column), ''The Dallas Morning News'', November 9, 1905, page 5. (April 20, 1905 – January 22, 2002) was president (1950–1972) and later chairman of the board (1972–1976) of the luxury retailer Neiman ...
to build the development; Olga wanted an office building named after her mother and Miller wanted a residential component, but neither were approved.
[ The developers envisioned the 60-store mall as the anchor for a new upscale shopping district: Washington's version of ]Fifth Avenue
Fifth Avenue is a major and prominent thoroughfare in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It stretches north from Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village to West 143rd Street in Harlem. It is one of the most expensive shopping stre ...
or Rodeo Drive
Rodeo Drive is a street in Beverly Hills, California, with its southern segment in the City of Los Angeles. Its southern terminus is at Beverwil Drive, and its northern terminus is at its intersection with Sunset Boulevard in Beverly Hills. The ...
. A retail corridor had already been established with the opening of a freestanding 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 s ...
department store in 1950, followed by 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 ...
(1959) and Saks Fifth Avenue
Saks Fifth Avenue (originally Saks & Company; Colloquialism, colloquially Saks) is an American Luxury goods, luxury department store chain headquartered in New York City and founded by Andrew Saks. The original store opened in the F Street and ...
(1964) nearby, and a stop on the Metro Red Line had been approved in 1973.
Construction difficulties and labor disputes delayed construction of the $25 million project. The mall finally opened in November 1977, almost four years behind schedule. The delays had contributed to vacancies, as merchants could not plan for a firm opening date, and many retailers chose to open locations instead in White Flint Mall
White Flint Mall was a shopping mall, located along Rockville Pike, in Montgomery County, Maryland, that closed in early 2015 and demolished thereafter. Its former anchors were Lord & Taylor, Bloomingdale's, Dave & Buster's, H&M, Loews Theatre ...
north of Bethesda. Traffic caused by the also-delayed construction of the Metro discouraged patrons from visiting the area. The poor early performance of the center contributed to a reputation as a "troubled" shopping center.
In June 1997, a group headed by Daniel McCaffery, who owned the Friendship Centre development across Wisconsin Avenue, acquired the mall for $28 million and opened up the marble block exterior with new windows, better lighting, and additional entrances. The project was financed by Security Capital Group, which was acquired by General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...
in 2001.
Among the added venues were a General Cinemas
General Cinema Corporation, also known as General Cinema, GCC, or General Cinema Theatres, was a chain of movie theaters in the United States. At its peak, the company operated about 1,500 screens, some of which were among the first cinemas certi ...
theatre and a restaurant, The R Room, owned by General Cinemas but operated by the restaurant division of Neiman Marcus. It closed in December 2000. Another restaurant, Rock Creek, operated in the restaurant space from 2007 to 2009.
In June 2004, Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America
The Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America-College Retirement Equities Fund (TIAA, formerly TIAA-CREF), is a Fortune 100 financial services organization that is the leading provider of financial services in the academic, research, ...
(TIAA) acquired the mall from General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...
for $77 million.
Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation, led by Ben Ashkenazy
Ben Ashkenazy (born 1968/69) is an American billionaire real estate developer. He is the founder, CEO, and majority owner of Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation, which has a $12 billion property portfolio.
Early life
Ashkenazy was born in Israel, ...
, acquired the mall from TIAA for $78 million in January 2017.[ By then, the Friendship heights shopping district had been declining overall, as merchants closed or moved to the ]CityCenterDC
CityCenterDC is a mixed-use development consisting of two condominium buildings, two rental apartment buildings, two office buildings, a luxury hotel, and public park in downtown Washington, D.C. It encompasses and covers more than five city blo ...
district in downtown Washington, which opened in 2014, and as part of the general trend dubbed the "retail apocalypse
A retail apocalypse is the closing of numerous brick-and-mortar retail stores, especially those of large chains worldwide. It began around 2010, and was severely exacerbated by the mandatory closures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2017, over ...
." The COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
accelerated these effects. In August 2020, the closure of the Neiman Marcus store was announced and Annaly Capital Management
Annaly Capital Management, Inc. is one of the largest mortgage real estate investment trusts. It is organized in Maryland with its principal office in New York City.
The company borrows money, primarily via short term repurchase agreements, and ...
acquired the property via foreclosure. In February 2021, the closing of the AMC Theatres
AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (d/b/a AMC Theatres, originally an abbreviation for American Multi-Cinema; often referred to simply as AMC and known in some countries as AMC Cinemas or AMC Multi-Cinemas) is an American movie theater chain fou ...
was announced.
Tishman Speyer
Tishman Speyer Properties is an American company that invests in real estate.
History
The firm was founded in 1978 by Robert Tishman and Jerry Speyer.
In March 1988, the company announced its first project in Europe, the construction of a 70-s ...
acquired the property in May 2021 for $52 million with plans to redevelop it into 350 apartments and of retail space.
The last retail business in the mall, TJ Maxx
TJ Maxx (stylized as T•J•maxx) is an American department store chain, selling at prices generally lower than other major similar stores. It has more than 1,000 stores in the United States, making it one of the largest clothing retailers in ...
, and the mall itself permanently closed on December 24, 2022.
References
{{coord, 38.9597, -77.0857, display=title, region:US-DC_type:landmark
Shopping malls in Washington, D.C.
Defunct shopping malls in the United States
Shopping malls established in 1977
1977 establishments in Washington, D.C.
Shopping malls disestablished in 2022
2022 disestablishments in Washington, D.C.