Capital Plaza Mall
Encyclopedia
Capital Plaza Mall was a shopping mall located at the intersection of Annapolis Road (Maryland Route 450
) and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway
in Landover Hills, Maryland
. It was built between 1961 and 1963, as a regional shopping center to serve the Bladensburg
and Landover
area of suburban Washington, D.C. The mall was a major attraction in Prince George's County, until its slow decline that began in the 1970s. This continued until the mall's closure in 2005, and ultimately its demolition in 2007. Part of the grounds are now occupied by a Wal-Mart
store.
Ieda Maria Vargas
of Brazil. Maryland Governor
J. Millard Tawes
officiated the grand opening. The $11 million shopping center originally consisted of 45 stores, which included branches of S.S. Kresge, Kroger
, People's Drug Store, Thom McAn
Shoes, Lerner's, and a Hot Shoppes drive-in
restaurant. The two anchor store
s that were the mall's major attractions were Montgomery Ward
and the later Bradlees
, which opened and operated briefly in 1982 as Memco until it became a branch of the Washington, D.C. based home improvement Hechinger
retail stores.
Capital Plaza was a whole new concept in Prince George's County shopping in the Bladensburg area, circa 1960s. This was the first mall style shopping center---called a plaza because of its open-air design featuring lighted fountain pools, trees and benches. Capital Plaza was once the main shopping mall in the central Prince George's County area other than Price George's Plaza, prior to the later county shopping hub---Landover Mall.
Capital Plaza had its anchor store--Montgomery Ward, and also provided discount shopping at SS Kresge Co. Capital Plaza hosted Citizen's Bank, Garrison's Toys, Lerner Shops, Philipsborn, Daniel's Bootery, Musicland, People's Drug, Builder's Supply Hardware, CO-OP/Consumers Food, Capital Plaza Florist, Theodore Nye Jewelers, Capital Plaza Theater, Hot Shoppes Drive-In, and even a professional bldg.
Capital Plaza's prime location along Maryland Route 450 and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway made it ideal for shoppers by both automobile and public transit. Local bus service to Capital Plaza operated along Annapolis Road linking the plaza with the nearby suburban shoppers of Bladensburg, Bowie, Lanham, New Carrollton and even Washington, DC (provided by the old WMA Transit Company, until later becoming the Metrobus system). In the late 1970s-1980s, Capital Plaza even featured a Trailways bus station. Neighboring shopping featured Robert Hall Men's and Kenney Shoes, Shakey's Pizza, and a Grand Union Market (Cherry Hill Shopping Ctr) along Annapolis Road.
in the 1970s, Capital Plaza began a long, slow decline. The plaza grounds also served as the local home of the UniverSoul Circus
, in hopes of attracting more customers to the mall. Between 1999 and 2000, the parent companies for the mall's two anchor stores, Hechinger and Montgomery Ward, both filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In the end, both retailers closed over 100 of their retail stores including the ones at Capital Plaza Mall by the end of 2000. By 2005, nearly all of the mall's smaller tenants closed and moved out of the location. This resulted in the closure of the mall by its owner Nellis Corporation.
, which demolished the mall to build the first (and, as of March 2011, only) Wal-Mart store inside the Capital Beltway. The new Wal-Mart opened in March 2007 and featured over 11,000 applicants for 330 jobs. As of March 2010, both signs that advertised the mall are still standing: the one located at the entrance which had the features of the mall listed and the one located off of MD 450 that is being renovated. The UniverSoul circus, an attraction that begun when the mall was standing, still rents out the location to host its events. Unlike before when it rented the parking lot across the mall, it now rents the area that is fenced where the west wing of the mall once stood. Still standing near the Wal-Mart is the McDonald's
, Capital One Bank (formerly Chevy Chase Bank
), and an international supermarket (formerly the Safeway
) that were in business during the Capital Plaza Mall tenure.
Maryland Route 450
Maryland Route 450 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The state highway runs from U.S. Route 1 Alternate in Bladensburg east to US 50, US 301, and MD 2 near Annapolis. MD 450 is the original alignment of US 50 in Prince George's and Anne Arundel Counties...
) and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway
Baltimore-Washington Parkway
The Baltimore–Washington Parkway is a highway in the U.S. state of Maryland, running southwest from Baltimore to Washington, D.C. The road begins at an interchange with U.S. Route 50 and Maryland Route 201 near Cheverly in Prince George's County at the D.C...
in Landover Hills, Maryland
Landover Hills, Maryland
Landover Hills is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,534 at the 2000 census.It has a neighborhood named Defense Heights.-Bordering areas:* Woodlawn * Greater Landover...
. It was built between 1961 and 1963, as a regional shopping center to serve the Bladensburg
Bladensburg, Maryland
Bladensburg is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 7,661 at the 2000 census.Bladensburg is from central Washington, DC...
and Landover
Landover, Maryland
Landover is an unincorporated community in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, within the census-designated place of Greater Landover. The Prince Georges County Sports and Learning Complex is in Landover...
area of suburban Washington, D.C. The mall was a major attraction in Prince George's County, until its slow decline that began in the 1970s. This continued until the mall's closure in 2005, and ultimately its demolition in 2007. Part of the grounds are now occupied by a Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
store.
Development and opening
The opening day festivities on August 7, 1963, were themed by the popular movie Around the World in 80 Days, and featured representatives from a dozen foreign countries, including Miss UniverseMiss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....
Ieda Maria Vargas
Ieda Maria Vargas
Iêda Maria Vargas , is a Brazilian who was crowned Miss Universe in Miami Beach, Florida in 1963. She was the first person from her country to win a major international beauty pageant. Vargas is a native of Rio Grande do Sul...
of Brazil. Maryland Governor
Governor of Maryland
The Governor of Maryland heads the executive branch of the government of Maryland, and he is the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard units. The Governor is the highest-ranking official in the state, and he has a broad range of appointive powers in both the State and local governments,...
J. Millard Tawes
J. Millard Tawes
John Millard Tawes , a member of the United States Democratic Party, was the 54th Governor of Maryland in the United States from 1959 to 1967. He remains the only Marylander to be elected to the three positions of State Treasurer, Comptroller, and Governor.-Early life and family:Tawes was born to...
officiated the grand opening. The $11 million shopping center originally consisted of 45 stores, which included branches of S.S. Kresge, Kroger
Kroger
The Kroger Co. is an American supermarket chain founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It reported US$ 76.7 billion in sales during fiscal year 2009. It is the country's largest grocery store chain and its second-largest grocery retailer by volume and second-place general retailer...
, People's Drug Store, Thom McAn
Thom McAn
Thom McAn is a brand of shoes distributed by Footstar, Inc., formerly the Melville Corporation . The brand is currently sold in Kmart and Wal-Mart stores, and consists of leather dress, casual, and athletic shoes...
Shoes, Lerner's, and a Hot Shoppes drive-in
Drive-in
A drive-in is a facility such as a bank, restaurant, or movie theater where one can literally drive in with an automobile for service. It is usually distinguished from a drive-through. At a drive-in restaurant, for example, customers park their vehicles and are usually served by staff who walk out...
restaurant. The two anchor store
Anchor store
In retail, an anchor store, draw tenant, anchor tenant, or key tenant is one of the larger stores in a shopping mall, usually a department store or a major retail chain....
s that were the mall's major attractions were Montgomery Ward
Montgomery Ward
Montgomery Ward is an online retailer that carries the same name as the former American department store chain, founded as the world's #1 mail order business in 1872 by Aaron Montgomery Ward, and which went out of business in 2001...
and the later Bradlees
Bradlees
Bradlees was a chain of discount department stores which operated primarily in the Northeastern United States. The chain went bankrupt in 2000 and all of its stores were closed by March 2001.-History:...
, which opened and operated briefly in 1982 as Memco until it became a branch of the Washington, D.C. based home improvement Hechinger
Hechinger
Hechinger, mistakenly called Hechinger's by many customers was a chain of home improvement retail stores headquartered in Landover, Maryland outside Washington, D.C., and an online retailer owned by Home Decor Products.John Hechinger, Sr...
retail stores.
Capital Plaza was a whole new concept in Prince George's County shopping in the Bladensburg area, circa 1960s. This was the first mall style shopping center---called a plaza because of its open-air design featuring lighted fountain pools, trees and benches. Capital Plaza was once the main shopping mall in the central Prince George's County area other than Price George's Plaza, prior to the later county shopping hub---Landover Mall.
Capital Plaza had its anchor store--Montgomery Ward, and also provided discount shopping at SS Kresge Co. Capital Plaza hosted Citizen's Bank, Garrison's Toys, Lerner Shops, Philipsborn, Daniel's Bootery, Musicland, People's Drug, Builder's Supply Hardware, CO-OP/Consumers Food, Capital Plaza Florist, Theodore Nye Jewelers, Capital Plaza Theater, Hot Shoppes Drive-In, and even a professional bldg.
Capital Plaza's prime location along Maryland Route 450 and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway made it ideal for shoppers by both automobile and public transit. Local bus service to Capital Plaza operated along Annapolis Road linking the plaza with the nearby suburban shoppers of Bladensburg, Bowie, Lanham, New Carrollton and even Washington, DC (provided by the old WMA Transit Company, until later becoming the Metrobus system). In the late 1970s-1980s, Capital Plaza even featured a Trailways bus station. Neighboring shopping featured Robert Hall Men's and Kenney Shoes, Shakey's Pizza, and a Grand Union Market (Cherry Hill Shopping Ctr) along Annapolis Road.
Decline and closure
Following the opening of nearby Landover MallLandover Mall
Landover Mall was a large shopping mall located in Landover, Maryland directly across from FedEx Field, off MD 202 and Interstates 95 and 495. The mall was owned by Lerner Enterprises, and opened in 1972. Like its neighbor Capital Plaza Mall, it was a major attraction through its opening years in...
in the 1970s, Capital Plaza began a long, slow decline. The plaza grounds also served as the local home of the UniverSoul Circus
UniverSoul Circus
The UniverSoul Circus is a single ring circus founded and run since 1994 by Cedric Walker. It currently contains 75 primarily African-American performers and 12 acts. The circus is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia....
, in hopes of attracting more customers to the mall. Between 1999 and 2000, the parent companies for the mall's two anchor stores, Hechinger and Montgomery Ward, both filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In the end, both retailers closed over 100 of their retail stores including the ones at Capital Plaza Mall by the end of 2000. By 2005, nearly all of the mall's smaller tenants closed and moved out of the location. This resulted in the closure of the mall by its owner Nellis Corporation.
Demolition and successor
The site was leased by Wal-MartWal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
, which demolished the mall to build the first (and, as of March 2011, only) Wal-Mart store inside the Capital Beltway. The new Wal-Mart opened in March 2007 and featured over 11,000 applicants for 330 jobs. As of March 2010, both signs that advertised the mall are still standing: the one located at the entrance which had the features of the mall listed and the one located off of MD 450 that is being renovated. The UniverSoul circus, an attraction that begun when the mall was standing, still rents out the location to host its events. Unlike before when it rented the parking lot across the mall, it now rents the area that is fenced where the west wing of the mall once stood. Still standing near the Wal-Mart is the McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
, Capital One Bank (formerly Chevy Chase Bank
Chevy Chase Bank
Chevy Chase Bank, F.S.B. was the largest locally-based banking company in the Washington Metropolitan Area. It was acquired by Capital One in 2009 and rebranded as Capital One Bank in 2010. Despite its name, Chevy Chase Bank was a federally chartered thrift regulated by the Office of Thrift...
), and an international supermarket (formerly the Safeway
Safeway Inc.
Safeway Inc. , a Fortune 500 company, is North America's second largest supermarket chain after The Kroger Co., with, as of December 2010, 1,694 stores located throughout the western and central United States and western Canada. It also operates some stores in the Mid-Atlantic region of the Eastern...
) that were in business during the Capital Plaza Mall tenure.