Westfield Montgomery

Westfield Montgomery (formerly known as Montgomery Mall) is a shopping mall in Bethesda, Maryland. Anchor stores include Macy's, Macy's Home, and Nordstrom.

Westfield Montgomery
Nordstrom wing, viewed from the center of the mall, September 2011, prior to the 2013–14 renovation/expansion
LocationBethesda, Maryland, United States
Address7101 Democracy Boulevard
Opening dateMarch 6, 1968 (1968-03-06)
Developer
[1]
ManagementUnibail-Rodamco-Westfield SE[2]
OwnerUnibail-Rodamco-Westfield SE
No. of stores and services200[3]
No. of anchor tenants3[4][5]
Total retail floor area1,223,475 sq ft (113,664.5 m2)[3]
No. of floors3[6]
Public transit access Ride On bus: 6, 26, 42, 47, 96
Metrobus: J1, J2
Websitewestfield.com/montgomery

History
Montgomery Mall in 1973
Exterior view

The mall opened in March 1968, with three anchor stores and 58 smaller shops. It was built as a joint venture between The May Department Stores Company and Strouse, Greenberg & Co., based on the design of John Graham, Jr. and Ward and Hall.[7][8][1] The original anchors were Hecht's, Garfinckel's, and Sears. Smaller shops included a Bond Stores outlet. The Mall was also where longtime fugitive William Bradford Bishop bought a ball peen hammer and gas can to allegedly kill and burn his entire family on March 1, 1976. The old mall logo was an owl-shaped "M".[9] A mid-1970s expansion included a US$4.5 million , 155,000-square-foot (14,400 m2) Woodward & Lothrop store and 60,000 square feet (5,600 m2) of additional retail space for 40 stores.[10][11]

The renovation completed in October 1991 included new floors, brass railings, glass elevator, which was removed in 2013, and removal of all the fountains to allow for more kiosk and seating space.[12] The grand re-opening featured a concert by Tony Bennett. An expansion wing featured the first Nordstrom in Maryland[13] and the third in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, and Crate & Barrel. The Boulevard Cafes food court is located on the second level.

Expansion

A plan to expand the mall by 360,000 square feet (33,000 m2) was approved by Montgomery County in September 2007. With the expansion, Westfield Montgomery has more than 1,500,000 square feet (140,000 m2), the fourth largest mall in the Washington area behind Tysons Corner Center, Westfield Wheaton, and Fair Oaks Mall.[14]

On June 22, 2018, Sears announced that its store would be closing on March 31, 2019,[15] which is included as part of a plan to close 40 stores in early 2019, Sears Holdings announced on November 6, 2018.[16] As of January 29, 2019, however, Sears' webpage for the location has stated that, "We're sorry, the Sears Stores at 7103 Democracy Blvd, Bethesda, MD 20817 has closed," and Westfield Montgomery has been removed from its online store locator for the state of Maryland.[4][5][17][18]

In 2018, Westfield proposed a plan to transform the Sears store and surrounding areas into an open-air mixed-use center.

2016 shooting
Main article: Eulalio Tordil shootings

On May 6, 2016, former federal police officer Eulalio Tordil shot three people in the parking lot. One victim died.[19][20]

References
  1. Frey, David (September 15, 2014). "Mall of the Future: As many malls around the country close, Westfield Montgomery is reinventing itself with an $89-million makeover". Bethesda Magazine. Bethesda, Maryland. Retrieved February 1, 2019. Owned in a joint venture of the May Department Store Co., based in St. Louis, and Strouse, Greenberg & Co., based in Philadelphia...
  2. "Westfield History". Westfield.URW.com. Retrieved February 1, 2019. In June 2018, Unibail-Rodamco merged with Westfield Corporation in the biggest M&A transaction in Australian coporate history.
  3. "Westfield Montgomery". Westfield Group. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
  4. "404 - Store Closed". Sears.com. Retrieved January 29, 2019. We're sorry, the Sears Stores at 7103 Democracy Blvd, Bethesda, MD 20817 has closed. Browse our online product selection or see below for more options in your area.
  5. "Sears Store Locator - Maryland Locations". Sears.com. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
  6. "Westfield Montgomery – Center Map". Westfield.com/Montgomery. Retrieved February 1, 2019. Nordstrom Level 3.
  7. "Westfield Montgomery Shopping Mall History - Westfield Montgomery". Westfield.com. April 21, 2009. Retrieved January 31, 2011.
  8. "Mall Hall of Fame". Mall-Hall-of-Fame.Blogspot.com. Retrieved January 31, 2011.
  9. "DC Grocery - Montgomery Mall". Dcgrocery.Multiply.com. Retrieved January 31, 2011.
  10. "Montgomery Mall Expansion Planned for Fall 1973 Opening," The Washington Post, May 2, 1971, p. 149.
  11. "Store in Montgomery Mall Jammed on Opening Day," The Washington Post, Mar 26, 1976, p. D10.
  12. "Steve Michaels". Facebook.com. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
  13. "Annapolis Nordstrom in '93 unlikely". The Baltimore Sun. July 1, 1992. Retrieved January 31, 2011.
  14. Killian, Eric (September 21, 2007). "Montgomery Planning board approves expansion of Westfield shopping mall". Washington Business Journal.
  15. https://wtop.com/business-finance/2018/06/sears-in-westfield-montgomery-mall-set-to-close-next-year/
  16. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/08/sears-to-shut-40-more-stores-early-next-year.html
  17. "Sears - CLOSED - Bethesda, MD". Yelp.com. Retrieved January 29, 2019. Yelpers report this location has closed.
  18. Dyer, Robert (November 10, 2018). "Bethesda Sears store closing moved up a month". Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row. Retrieved February 1, 2019. Now, Sears says, the store will close in February.
  19. "UPDATED: Police Monitored Shooting Suspect As He Ate Lunch in Aspen Hill Shopping Center". Retrieved 2017-08-10.
  20. Zimmerman, Joe (April 20, 2017). "Westfield Montgomery Mall Shooter Expected To Plead Guilty: Eulalio Tordil is charged with killing two and injuring two others in Montgomery County". Bethesda Magazine. Bethesda, Maryland. Retrieved February 1, 2019.

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