Towson Town Center facts for kids
Towson Town Center from Dulaney Valley Road
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| Location | 825 Dulaney Valley Road, Towson, Maryland, United States 21204 |
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| Opening date | May 13, 1959 |
| Developer | Ralph DeChiaro (original)The Hahn Company (1990s renovation) |
| Management | Brookfield Properties |
| Owner | Brookfield Properties |
| No. of stores and services | 192 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 2 |
| Total retail floor area | 1,025,090 square feet (95,234 m2) |
| No. of floors | 4 (3 in Macy's) |
| Parking | Lighted Lot, 4400 spaces, and 4 7-story parking garages |
| Public transit access |  MTA Maryland bus: 36, 51, 52, 93, CityLink Green, CityLink Red |
Towson Town Center is a really big indoor shopping mall located in Towson, Maryland. For a while, it was the largest indoor mall in Maryland! It's a popular spot for shopping, eating, and hanging out.
Contents
How the Mall Started
Towson Town Center wasn't always an indoor mall. It first opened in 1952 as an open-air shopping area called Towson Plaza. Imagine shopping outside! It was built on land that used to belong to Goucher College.
In 1973, the mall was enclosed, meaning it got a roof and walls, making it an indoor space. Later, in 1982, it was updated again when a big department store called Hecht's opened nearby.
Over the years, new stores and fun places were added to make the mall even better. For example, in the early 1980s, there was a cool restaurant and arcade called Gadgets. It was based on Warner Bros. cartoons and had robot characters that put on shows! Some older stores like Hess Shoes and Friendly's were around for a long time.
The mall used to have a big fountain on its first floor, which was later changed and then removed. In 1999, a very popular restaurant called Rainforest Cafe opened, which was a big hit for ten years.
In 1991, the mall got even bigger with the addition of the third and fourth floors. This included a large food court called Arbor Terrace. Because the mall is built on a hill, the floors are connected in a unique way, making it feel like you're walking downhill to get to the lower levels.
What Stores Are There?
Towson Town Center has many stores, including two large department stores at opposite ends. You'll find Macy's (which used to be Hecht's) and Nordstrom. Macy's connects to the mall's top two floors, while Nordstrom connects to all four floors, even having a Nordstrom Rack on the first floor!
Mall Updates and Changes
In 2007, Towson Town Center started a huge project to make the mall even better. They spent $76 million to add new parts and update the old ones. This included making the first and second floors bigger, improving the parking areas, and adding more restaurants. They even created a "Main Street" look on the outside with shops you can enter from outside. This big update was mostly finished by October 2008.
Some of the popular restaurants that joined the mall during this time include P.F. Chang's China Bistro, The Cheesecake Factory, and T.G.I. Friday's.
In 2016, the mall also updated its four parking garages. They added a "Park Assist" system that helps you find empty parking spots using red and green lights above the spaces. They also made the mall entrances nicer, improved the lighting, and added many new signs to help people find their way around.
Where is Towson Town Center?
The mall is located where several main roads meet: York Road, Dulaney Valley Road, and Joppa Road. You can also get there easily from the Baltimore Beltway by taking exit 27.
It's also super close to several colleges like Goucher College and Towson University, and the local public library.
If you want to take the bus, the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA Maryland) has several bus routes that stop at the mall, including routes 36, 51, 52, 93, CityLink Green, and CityLink Red. There's also a special shuttle service for college students that goes to the mall.
Right across Joppa Road, you'll find the Towson Square area, which has even more restaurants and a movie theater.
Parking at the Mall
Towson Town Center has four large, 7-story parking garages. To help you remember where you parked, each garage has a color:
- Garage A is orange.
- Garage B is red.
- Garage C is blue.
- Garage D is green.
In total, there are 4,400 parking spaces available!
