Washington Square (Oregon) facts for kids
Exterior of the mall's northwest corner
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| Location | Tigard, Oregon 45°27′02″N 122°46′52″W / 45.450618°N 122.7811°W |
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| Opening date | 1973 |
| Developer | Winmar Pacific, Inc. |
| Management | The Macerich Company |
| Owner | The Macerich Company & OTPP |
| No. of stores and services | 210 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 5 (4 open, 1 vacant) |
| Total retail floor area | 1,458,734 sq ft (135,520 m2) (GLA) |
| No. of floors | 2 (3 in former Sears, closed 3rd floor mezzanine in H&M) |
| Parking | 6,700 |
| Public transit access | Washington Square Transit Center |
Washington Square is a large shopping mall located in Tigard, Oregon, in the Portland metropolitan area. It's known as one of the most successful malls in the United States, based on how much money it makes per square foot. The mall first opened in 1973. Today, it is managed and partly owned by The Macerich Company. You'll find popular stores like Macy's, Nordstrom, JCPenney, Apple Store, and Dick's Sporting Goods here.
Contents
A Look Back: Washington Square's History
How the Mall Began
Plans for Washington Square were first shared on May 3, 1972. At the time, it was going to be the biggest shopping mall in Oregon. A company called Winmar Pacific, Inc. planned to build it on a huge piece of land, about 130 acres. The mall itself would cover over 1 million square feet and have space for about 100 stores.
The first store to open its doors was Meier & Frank on August 16, 1973. Soon after, Sears and Lipman's opened in November of that year. Liberty House and Nordstrom joined them in the summer of 1974. The mall officially celebrated its grand opening on February 21, 1974. It was built southwest of Portland in an area called Progress. This area wasn't part of any city back then; it was between Beaverton and Tigard.
Changes and New Stores Over Time
In April 1978, a store called Frederick & Nelson (F&N) took over the Liberty House space. The next year, F&N bought the entire Lipman's store chain. This led F&N to move into the much larger former Lipman's space within the mall. Then, Mervyn's opened its 80,000 square foot store in October 1979, taking over the spot F&N had just left.
Becoming Part of Tigard
In 1986, the cities of Beaverton, Tigard, and Portland all wanted to add the mall's land to their own city limits. This process is called "annexation." Tigard was eventually given the right to annex Washington Square. This meant the mall and other nearby properties officially became part of the city of Tigard.
After Frederick & Nelson closed in January 1991, Nordstrom bought their empty space. Nordstrom then tore down that building to build a much bigger, new store. This new Nordstrom opened in 1994. The old Nordstrom space was then turned into a food court and more shops. This was part of a big renovation of the mall. By the mid-1990s, Washington Square was doing very well, ranking among the top 10% of malls in the country for sales.
New Owners and Big Additions
In December 1998, the mall was sold by Safeco, an insurance company, to two new owners: The Macerich Company and the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP). At the time, Washington Square was one of the most successful malls on the West Coast. Macerich, which is a company that invests in real estate, took over managing the mall.
In 2005, Macerich added a large new section to the mall, about 100,000 square feet. This addition brought 30 new stores, including popular places like The Cheesecake Factory and Sephora. At the same time, other parts of the mall were improved, and two new parking garages were built. Mervyn's closed in November 2005, and their location was sold to the mall. This space was then updated and reopened as Dick's Sporting Goods in March 2008.
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In February 2011, the Swedish clothing store H&M opened its second location in Oregon at Washington Square.
In 2015, Sears Holdings, the company that owned Sears, separated 235 of its properties, including the Sears store at Washington Square, into a new company called Seritage Growth Properties.
On October 15, 2018, Sears announced that its Washington Square store, which had been there since the mall opened, would be closing. This was part of Sears' larger plan to deal with its financial problems.
Mall Layout: What You'll Find Inside
Washington Square currently has five large department stores, which are called "anchor stores." It also has 210 smaller specialty shops and restaurants, plus a food court where you can grab a bite to eat. Some stores are located in an outdoor area next to the main mall, called "Square Too."
Most of the mall is on one level, making it easy to walk around. However, the anchor stores have multiple floors. The food court is also on a second level. The addition built in 2005 was designed so that another level could be added there in the future if needed. There have been talks about possibly turning some parts of the mall into housing.
For easy travel, TriMet, the local public transportation system, has a special Washington Square Transit Center right at the mall.
