The Centre at Golden Ring facts for kids

Golden Ring Mall was once a big shopping center in eastern Baltimore County, Maryland. It was located near U.S. Route 40 and Interstate 695. The mall first opened in 1974 and was very popular. Its grand opening was a huge event, featuring beautiful artwork and large open spaces. The mall had a special center area with palm trees, fountains, and cool sculptures by artists Rita Blitt and Bogdan Grom.

Later, Golden Ring Mall faced tough competition from other nearby malls like White Marsh Mall and Eastpoint Mall. Eventually, the original mall closed down. But don't worry, it has been completely changed and is now a new shopping area called The Centre at Golden Ring.

The Mall's Story

When Golden Ring Mall first opened, it had three main department stores, often called "anchors." These big stores were Hecht's (known as The Hecht Company back then), Montgomery Ward, and Stewart's. Stewart's was a local store in the Baltimore area.

Changes Over Time

In the early 1980s, Stewart's closed its doors. Another store called Caldor then moved into that space. The mall started to become less popular in the late 1980s. By 1990, it was almost empty. Hecht's and Montgomery Ward stayed open until the mall officially closed in 2001. Caldor had closed a few years earlier in the late 1990s.

New Owners, New Beginning

In 2002, the company that owned the mall, Simon Properties, sold it for $14 million. The new owners had a plan to bring the shopping center back to life.

Movies at Golden Ring

A popular spot at Golden Ring Mall was its movie theater, run by United Artists Theatres. It started with five screens. Three screens opened in 1976, and two more opened in 1977.

More Screens and Fun

In 1985, four more screens were added on the lower level. Then, between 1992 and 1994, the theater got a big upgrade. Three new screens were added, bringing the total to twelve! The theater also had an arcade called "Starport" where you could play games. For a while, the theater was well-known for showing the cult film "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" every week.

Decline of the Cinema

The movie theater was once very successful. However, its popularity went down as the mall became less busy. Especially after a new, larger movie theater with 16 screens opened at White Marsh in 1997, the Golden Ring cinema struggled.

The Centre at Golden Ring

The new owners successfully transformed the old mall. In 2002, the two-story Golden Ring Mall was torn down. In its place, they built a new open-air shopping center called "The Centre at Golden Ring."

A New Shopping Experience

The new shopping center is smaller than the old mall. It has about 480,000 square feet of retail space. New businesses were brought in to offer products and services that better fit the people living in the area.

Today, the main stores at The Centre at Golden Ring are Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and Sam's Club. This new design helps about 150,000 cars visit the center every day.