The Mall in Columbia
The Mall in Columbia, also known as the Columbia Mall, is the central shopping mall for the planned community of Columbia, Maryland, United States. It has over 200 specialty stores and the anchor stores are AMC Theatres, Lidl, Main Event Entertainment, Barnes & Noble, JCPenney, Macy's, and Nordstrom. Restaurants include PF Chang's, Maggiano's Little Italy and The Cheesecake Factory. It is located in the Town Center area of the city and attracts shoppers from surrounding counties in Maryland.
History
Pre–construction and development
Architect Frank Gehry designed The Rouse Company Columbia exhibit building, and was initially selected to design the neighboring mall centerpiece. However, Gehry was later rejected by James W. Rouse for lack of experience, and the firm of Cope, Linder, & Walmsley was contracted for the project.The Rouse Company founded Maryland-based subsidiary Columbia Mall, Inc. for the project.
The Mall in Columbia opened on August 2, 1971 with two major anchor stores: Hochschild Kohn's and Woodward & Lothrop, as well as a McCrory's and Lerner's. Rouse subsidiary Howard Research and Development was probed shortly after opening for purchasing bulk energy contracts on electricity while charging market rates to tenants.
After opening
Of the original 102 stores, the only one still in operation at the mall as of July 2024 is GNC.The mall has undergone several major expansions since its opening, with the Sears wing opening in 1981, along with an expansion of approximately and about 55 specialty stores.
In 1997, the Hecht's store added a third level. The Lord & Taylor wing opened in November 1998 ; the Nordstrom wing opened in September 1999. Also at this time, 20 to 30 stores opened in a new wing near Hecht's. The interior was renovated by replacing the floors, lighting, skylights and air conditioning units by the end of 1998.
The Rouse Company was acquired by Chicago-based General Growth Properties in 2004, putting Rouse's entire portfolio, including the Columbia Mall, in GGP's control.
The Cheesecake Factory opened on the Columbia Mall property near the movie theater in late 2005. The mall's Hecht's store became Macy's on September 9, 2006 following Federated Department Stores' acquisition of it.
A December 2007 decision by local General Growth Properties managers to abandon the mall's traditional "Poinsettia Tree" Christmas display sparked a grassroots movement by several hundred Columbia residents for the return of the display which had come to be viewed as a local tradition. The story was picked up by The Washington Post, and the publicity led mall managers to reverse their decision and return the popular display in 2008. Part of what makes the "tree" unique is its watering system and plant specifications. In 2017, the large water fountain within which the "tree" had been installed each year, was replaced with at-grade flooring.
In early 2013, construction began on an addition to the outdoor The Plaza at The Mall in Columbia to replace the L.L. Bean store with additional stores and restaurants. The first phase of the outdoor expansion opened in November 2013. On April 28, 2015, Howard County Police announced an increased presence at village centers and malls following the protests and riots in Baltimore.
In May 2018, a Main Event Entertainment facility opened on the south side of the mall, featuring 22 bowling lanes and over a hundred virtual reality video games.
GGP Inc. officially became a Brookfield Properties subsidiary in August 2018.
In October 2018, it was also announced the Sears store would shutter as part of an ongoing decision to phase out of their traditional brick-and-mortar format and would become German supermarket chain Lidl.
In August 2020, it was announced that Lord & Taylor would shutter its traditional brick and mortar format as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Several potential replacement tenants are reportedly in the midst of early on discussions.
By 2023, The Mall in Columbia announced several additions; among them were Warby Parker, Under Armour, and Showcase.
Brookfield Properties reverted its retail division back to the GGP name in January 2026.
Key dates
- 1971: The Mall in Columbia opens on August 2.
- 1981: A new wing that includes a food court and Sears is added.
- 1998: Lord & Taylor opens along with two new parking garages.
- 1999: A new wing that includes 40 stores, a third parking garage, and Nordstrom is added.
- 2000: L.L. Bean opens outside of the mall. It is only the third retail location for the Maine-based outdoors catalog company.
- 2001: PF Chang's China Bistro, Z'Tejas, and Champps Restaurant & Bar open in the Plaza at The Mall in Columbia.
- 2003: AMC Theatres opens a 14-screen movie theater next to Champps Restaurant.
- 2013: L.L. Bean closes and makes way for an expansion of the Mall's outdoor plaza.
- 2014: outdoor expansion to the mall opens, deemed "The Plaza at The Mall in Columbia".
- 2017: The center court fountain is removed, and Sears downsizes to the first floor.
- 2018: Main Event Entertainment facility opens on the south side of the mall on the second floor of the Sears anchor space, and Sears closes.
- 2019: The food court fountain was drained and filled with plants, and a glass elevator was installed outside of Main Event Entertainment.
- 2020: Lord & Taylor closes.
- 2021: Lidl opens in the remaining Sears anchor space.
Current anchors
- JCPenney
- Nordstrom
- AMC Theatres
- Macy's
- Main Event Entertainment
- Lidl
Former anchors
- Woodward & Lothrop
- Hochschild-Kohn
- Hecht's
- Sears
- Lord & Taylor