Ballston Quarter facts for kids
The former Ballston Common Mall from N. Glebe Road
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| Opening date | 1951 (as Parkington Shopping Center) 1986 (as Ballston Common) 2019 (as Ballston Quarter) |
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| Management | Brookfield Properties |
| No. of anchor tenants | 1 |
| Total retail floor area | 580,000 square feet (54,000 m2) |
| No. of floors | 4 |
| Parking | 3,000 spaces |
| Public transit access |   at Ballston–MU (Washington Metro) |
Ballston Quarter, once known as Ballston Common Mall, is a popular shopping and entertainment spot in Arlington, Virginia. It first opened in 1951 as the Parkington Shopping Center. This made it one of the first big suburban shopping centers in the Washington, D.C. area. It was also the first shopping center in the United States to be built around a multi-story parking garage!
You can find Ballston Quarter at the corner of Glebe Road (Virginia State Route 120) and Wilson Boulevard in the Ballston neighborhood. It's easy to get to, just two blocks from the Ballston-MU Station on the Washington Metro's Orange and Silver lines. The Ballston Common mall opened on October 20, 1986. It was a big $40 million upgrade from the old Parkington Shopping Center. This large center, about 530,000 square feet, was built with the May Company, which also owned one of its main stores, Hecht's.
On May 31, 2016, most businesses closed so the mall could be made new again. It officially reopened as Ballston Quarter in November 2018.
History of Ballston Quarter
The first big store in the Parkington Shopping Center was Hecht's, which opened on November 2, 1951. This five-story store was about 300,000 square feet. It was the largest suburban department store on the East Coast at the time. Over the years, the Parkington Shopping Center grew to have 30 stores. These included popular places like Giant Food, McCrory's, and J.C. Penney.
By 1982, the Parkington Shopping Center was 30 years old and needed a fresh look. Arlington County and the May Centers started a huge $100 million project to update and expand the shopping center. As part of this, they held a contest for Arlington residents to choose a new name for the mall. That's how "Ballston Common" was chosen! The newly renovated and expanded shopping center opened in the fall of 1986.
In the early 2000s, the mall became home to some cool new attractions. The Kettler Capitals Iceplex opened there. This is the practice facility and headquarters for the Washington Capitals, a professional ice hockey team. The mall also welcomed the DC location of ComedySportz, an improvisational theater group where performers make up funny scenes on the spot.
Redevelopment into Ballston Quarter
The owners of the mall began planning a big renovation in 2013. They wanted to make the mall more modern and exciting. As part of this plan, Forest City Washington bought the Macy's Furniture Store in September 2013. The mall's last day of operation before the major changes was May 31, 2016. However, some stores stayed open during the construction. The mall was completely transformed and reopened as Ballston Quarter in 2018 and 2019, offering new shops, restaurants, and entertainment options.
