Owings Mills Mall facts for kids
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Entrance to Owings Mills Mall, June 2012
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| Location | Owings Mills, Maryland, United States |
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| Coordinates | 39°24′27″N 76°47′23″W / 39.40750°N 76.78972°W |
| Opening date | July 30, 1986 |
| Closing date | September 23, 2015 |
| Developer | The Rouse Company |
| Owner | Kimco Realty |
| No. of stores and services | TBD |
| No. of anchor tenants | 4 (Owings Mills Mall) |
| No. of floors | 2 (3 in Macy’s and Boscov’s) |
| Website | www.owingsmillsmall.com (2014 archive) |
Owings Mills Mall was a large shopping mall in Owings Mills, Maryland, United States. It was home to many stores and places to eat. The mall was located in Baltimore County, Maryland, and was easy to reach from a major highway, I-795. It was first known as Owings Mills Town Center. The mall was later torn down and reopened in 2019 as a new shopping area called Mill Station.
The last big store, called an anchor store, at the mall was JCPenney. It closed in April 2016. Before that, other major stores included Bambergers, Hecht's, Macy's, Boscov's, Lord & Taylor, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Sears. Over time, many stores left the mall, and it became less busy.
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Mall History and Opening
Plans for the Owings Mills Mall were first talked about in 1981. People thought it would be as big as the White Marsh Mall. By 1983, it was announced that the mall would open in the summer of 1986. It was planned to have three main department stores, with space for two more later.
The mall officially opened on July 28, 1986. Most of its stores were ready for shoppers on opening day. The company that built the mall, The Rouse Company, wanted to create a town center similar to one they built in Columbia, Maryland. They originally planned for the mall to be built around a lake. However, new environmental rules meant the lake could not be built. So, the mall was built without the waterfront area that was first imagined.
Metro Subway Connection
The Owings Mills Metro Subway Station opened in 1987, one year after the mall. At first, a shuttle bus took people from the mall to the subway station every 10 minutes. This shuttle service stopped in 1992. After that, buses came less often, only every 30 to 60 minutes. People could also walk about a mile to the station.
Why the Mall Closed
The Owings Mills Mall was very popular in the late 1980s and through the 1990s. It had fancy stores like Saks Fifth Avenue and Williams Sonoma. But over time, the mall started to lose business. Other malls nearby, like Towson Town Center and The Mall in Columbia, were updated and became more popular. Also, there were some safety concerns around the mall, and the area changed.
Saks Fifth Avenue closed in 1996, and JCPenney took its place. In 1998, the mall added Sears and Lord & Taylor. However, Lord & Taylor closed in 2001, and Sears closed in 2002. The Sears building was later torn down in 2004.
When Macy's bought Hecht's in 2006, Macy's moved into the old Hecht's building. Boscov's then took over the old Macy's spot. But Boscov's closed in 2008. This left only JCPenney and Macy's as the main stores.
By 2010, about a quarter of the mall was empty. News reports in 2011 said the mall would be torn down and replaced with a new "outdoor style" shopping area. In late September 2015, the inside of the mall closed to shoppers. Only Macy's, JCPenney, and some outside restaurants and the movie theater stayed open. Macy's closed in November 2015, and JCPenney closed in April 2016. The mall was completely torn down by August 2016.
Mill Station: The New Beginning
By February 2017, the mall was completely gone, and the land was ready for new construction. On December 5, 2017, it was announced that the area would become a new shopping center called Mill Station. This new project cost $108 million. It would be an outdoor shopping area with big stores like Costco, Lowe's, and Dick's Sporting Goods. There would be at least 30 stores in total.
Construction started in early 2018 and was finished in early 2019. The existing 17-screen AMC Theatres movie theater, which opened in 1998, was also updated. Costco opened in October 2018, and Lowe's opened in January 2019.
Nearby Places
Next to the mall, a group of restaurants called Owings Mills Restaurant Park opened in 1998. It included places like Red Lobster and the Olive Garden. There is also a mixed-use development called Metro Centre at Owings Mills nearby, which has homes, offices, and shops.
Images for kids
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The inside of Owings Mills Mall
