Harundale Mall,inGlen Burnie,Anne Arundel County, Maryland,United States at the intersection ofRitchie Highwayand Aquahart Road, was the first enclosed, air-conditioned mall built east of theMississippi River.
 | |
| Location | Glen Burnie, Maryland |
|---|---|
| Address | 7440 Ritchie Hwy,Glen Burnie,Maryland,United States 21061 |
| Opening date | October 1, 1958 (as a mall) |
| Closing date | 1997 |
| Developer | Community Research & Development Inc |
| Management | The Rouse Company |
| Owner | The Rouse Company |
| Architect | James Rouse |
| No. of stores and services | 45 |
| No. ofanchor tenants | 1 |
| Total retail floor area | 368,000 square feet (34,200 m2)[1] |
| No. of floors | 1 (2 in Value City) |
Originally built in 1958, the mall closed in 1997 and was demolished and redeveloped intoHarundale Plaza,a shopping center anchored byLidland Urban Air.
History
editOpening
editThe mall opened on October 1, 1958. Developed by Community Research & Development Inc, headed byJames W. Rouseand designed by architectural firm Rogers, Taliaferro, & Lamb, the fully enclosed and air-conditioned center, which was constructed at a cost of $10 million, was described as the first one of its kind on the east coast. Built around an existing group of six stores on the property, the mall consisted of a total of 350,000 square feet, and featured fountains and plants throughout the mall. The primary "Garden Court" featured a 35-foot cage of"Mynah birds",along with a staircase leading to a balcony restaurant over top a fountain. Major retailers included department storesHochschild, Kohn, & Coand Brager's, a largeOppenheim Collinsbranch, bothS.S. KresgeandG. C. Murphyvariety stores, andFood Fair.[2]Grand opening ceremonies, beginning at 9 AM, featured GovernorTheodore McKeldin,James W, Rouse, president of Hochschild, Kohn, & Co Martin Kohn, and various other politicians, including then senatorJohn F. Kennedy.[2][3]
In 1959, Brager's would convert to the Brager-Gutman's name, with the two store's merger that year.[4]A single screen theater, operated byGeneral Cinemas,opened across from the mall in 1964.[5]By 1971 the mall's Food Fair had also been converted to the new Pantry Pride name.[6]
Missing persons
editThe mall was connected to two missing persons cases, in 1969 and 1970. Twenty-year-oldJoyce Maleckiwas last seen at the Harundale Mall on November 11, 1969; she was found dead two days later at a shooting range inFort Meade, Maryland.The next year, 16-year-old Pamela Conyers was last known as having driven to the Harundale Mall on October 16, before her body was found four days later in a wooded area, near what is now the Waterford Road/Maryland Route 648overpass alongMaryland Route 100.[7]
Changes and decline
editThe mall's first renovation began on July 14, 1980. Done by Leblang & Associates, the $250,000 renovation consisted of a total repaint and re-tiling of the mall, in addition to a new "picnic area" in the south court, redesigned kiosks, and expanded planters and seating areas.[8]The mall's Pantry Pride location was sold at auction in 1981 to E-Zee Markets, who went on to close the store in 1983.[9]Hutzler'swould acquire the Harundale Mall location of Hochschild, Kohn, & Co in 1984, with that location replacing their existing store at the Southdale Shopping Center.[10]This location would become one of several announced to become "Hutzler's Value Way" in September 1988, before closing later that year.[11][12]Value Citytook over the former Hutzler's space in 1989.[13]
The mall, then at 80% occupancy, was put up for sale by ownerThe Rouse Companyin 1995.[14]The next year,McCroryannounced it would close its Harundale store once it reached the end of its lease in October, as part of wider store closures as a result of their 1992 bankruptcy.[15]The mall quietly closed in 1997, with only two exterior tenants including Value City staying open. This was followed by the sale of the property to Manekin Corp, who announced plans to demolish the mall and redevelop the property into a strip mall.[16]
Redevelopment as Harundale Plaza
edit | |
| Location | Glen Burnie, Maryland |
|---|---|
| Address | 7900 Governor Ritchie Highway |
| Opening date | 1999 |
| Owner | SITE Centers |
| No. of stores and services | 18 |
| No. ofanchor tenants | 2 |
| Total retail floor area | 218,000 sq ft (20,300 m2) |
| Website | Harundale Plaza |
By 1998 anchors for the strip mall had been announced, to include aSuperfresh Supermarketand an expanded Value City, with both bank tenants at the former mall,First UnionandCrestar,negotiating leases for new locations. Demolition began in March 1998, and was finished the next year.[17][18]The final major store,AJWright,was announced in November 1999.[19]
Value City closed its doors in order to be converted toBurlington Coat Factory,as part of a deal reached by owner Retail Ventures Inc to sell leases of up to 24 stores, in 2008.[20]AJWright would be converted toHomeGoodsin February 2011, and later that year, Superfresh would close its doors.[21][22]Regency Furniture would later open in that space.
References
edit- ^Directory of major malls.MJJTM Publications Corp. 1990. p. 293.
- ^ab"Harundale Mall Shopping Center Opening".The Evening Sun.September 30, 1958.RetrievedAugust 29,2020.
- ^Powder, Jackie (June 6, 1999)."Harundale revamp nears final stages of mall demolition; Retail landmark's replacement likely to open in November".The Baltimore Sun.RetrievedAugust 29,2020.
- ^"BRAGER, GUTMAN STORES COMBINE".The Baltimore Sun.July 10, 1959.RetrievedAugust 29,2020.
- ^"General Cinema Income At Peak".The Baltimore Sun.July 14, 1984.RetrievedAugust 29,2020.
- ^"The Number One Low Price Leader In Town".The Daily Times.October 7, 1970.RetrievedAugust 30,2020.
- ^Robinson, Lisa (June 1, 2017)."Netflix's 'The Keepers' generates interest in other Md. cold cases".WBALTV11.RetrievedAugust 30,2020.
- ^Low, Stuart (July 17, 1980)."'Slum in making' holding its own ".Arundel Living Sun.RetrievedAugust 30,2020.
- ^Knable, Stacie (September 26, 1983)."E-Zee grew too much too fast".The Evening Sun.RetrievedAugust 30,2020.
- ^James, Ellen (August 26, 1984)."Baltimore department stores enter new era".The Baltimore Sun.RetrievedAugust 30,2020– via Newspapers.com.
- ^"Hutzler's discount strategy".The Evening Sun.September 23, 198.RetrievedAugust 30,2020.
- ^Tyner, Joan (December 8, 1988)."Hutzler's planning to close its store at Harundale Mall".The Baltimore Sun.RetrievedAugust 30,2020.
- ^"It's official: Value City store is coming to Harundale".Anne Arundel County Sun.February 3, 1989.RetrievedAugust 30,2020.
- ^Lee, Consella; Leung, Shirley (April 13, 1995)."Rouse putting Harundale Mall up for sale".The Baltimore Sun.RetrievedAugust 30,2020.
- ^Lee, Consella (April 25, 1996)."Mall losing another store McCrory's leaving; Rouse has potential buyer for Harundale".The Baltimore Sun.RetrievedAugust 30,2020.
- ^Argetsinger, Amy (November 30, 1997)."END OF THE ROAD FOR 1ST ENCLOSED MALL IN THE EAST".The Washington Post.RetrievedAugust 30,2020.
- ^"Supermarket signs lease for Harundale Plaza".The Baltimore Sun.August 4, 1998.RetrievedAugust 30,2020.
- ^"Last portions of Harundale Mall to fall to makeover".The Baltimore Sun.June 6, 1999.RetrievedAugust 30,2020.
- ^"Apparel, linens store to open at new Harundale Plaza".The Baltimore Sun.November 3, 1999.RetrievedAugust 30,2020.
- ^Walker, Andrea (February 14, 2008)."Value City sets closings in Md".The Baltimore Sun.RetrievedAugust 30,2020.
- ^Walker, Andrea (February 18, 2011)."HomeGoods opening in Glen Burnie".The Morning Call.RetrievedAugust 30,2020.
- ^"Selected Locations Only CLOSING WEDNESDAY".The Baltimore Sun.July 3, 2011.RetrievedAugust 30,2020.