Landover Mall

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2008)

Landover Mall, built and owned by Lerner Enterprises, is a defunct shopping mall in Landover, Maryland. When it opened in 1972, it was one of the largest in the region, but its popularity declined until its closure in 2002.

In its prime, the Landover had three local department store anchors: Hecht's, Garfinckel's, Woodward & Lothrop (Woodies), and one national chain, Sears. There was a six-screen theater in the basement which had its own escalators, but it closed in 1991, the year that Landover began its rapid decline. In 1990, Garfinckel's filed for bankruptcy and went out of business. The former Garfinckel's anchor store was never replaced. Five years later (1995), Woodies went out of business.

In 1998, JCPenney moved into the former Woodies location but found business unprofitable and closed that location three years later. In early 2002, Hecht's relocated to a new store at Bowie Town Center in nearby Bowie, Maryland. At that point Lerner decided to close the mall entirely. Sears owns its Landover location, which is still open despite also having a store at Bowie Town Center. Most of the mall's doors were sealed shut with cinder blocks. As of 2007, Sears is still open with its mall entrance sealed shut.

Many believe that the closure was due to crime in the surrounding neighborhoods of Ardmore, Glenarden, Brightseat, Palmer Park, Dodge Park, Capitol Heights, and Kentland.

Demolition began in 2006, and was completed in early 2007. Plans were for the building's concrete to be recycled. The Sears store remains open, but Sears is planning on relocating to a new shopping center on Ritchie Road near Capitol Heights.^[1] The area of the former mall and most of it's parking lot is now fenced off. Landover Mall's sign is covered with a tarp, and the message board reads "Sears - Sears Open Daily and Sunday 10:00 - 9:30pm". The only reference to Landover Mall is an exit sign with the original mall logo (made to simulate the Interstate 495/Landover Road cloverleaf).

[edit] References

^ Kretikos, Eleni. "Developer has huge retail plans for Prince George's", Washington Business Journal, American City Business Journals, April 15, 2005. Retrieved on 2006-11-01. (English)

[edit] External links

v • d • e Shopping Malls in Maryland

Indoor malls	Annapolis Mall • Arundel Mills • Beltway Plaza Mall • Centre at Salisbury • City Place Mall • Country Club Mall • Eastpoint Mall • Francis Scott Key Mall • Frederick Towne Mall • The Gallery • Harborplace • Harford Mall • Iverson Mall • Lakeforest Mall • Laurel Mall • The Mall in Columbia • The Mall at Prince George's • Marley Station • Mondawmin Mall • Owings Mills Mall • Reisterstown Road Plaza • Savage Mill • Security Square Mall • The Shops at Kenilworth • TownMall of Westminster • Valley Mall • Westfield Montgomery • Wheaton Plaza • White Flint Mall • White Marsh Mall

Outlet malls	Arundel Mills • Ocean City Factory Outlet • Prime Outlets Hagerstown • Prime Outlets Queenstown

Town centers	Bethesda Row • The Boulevard at the Capital Centre • Bowie Town Center • The Centre at Forestville • The Centre at Hagerstown • Hunt Valley Town Centre • Kentlands Square Shopping Center • St. Charles Towne Center • Towson Town Center • White Marsh Town Center

Defunct malls	Chatham Mall • Golden Ring Mall • Harundale Mall • Hunt Valley Mall • Jumpers Hole Mall • Landover Mall • Parole Plaza • Rockville Mall • Salisbury Mall • Severna Park Mall • Tollgate Mall • Westview Mall