Iverson Mall
Encyclopedia
The Iverson Mall is a shopping mall located at the intersection of Branch Avenue (Maryland Route 5
) and Iverson Street (Maryland Route 458
), in Hillcrest Heights, Maryland
, just north of the Marlow Heights Shopping Center
. It was the first shopping mall in the Washington D.C. area to be built fully enclosed and climate controlled.
(165,000 sq ft.) store opened on April 20, 1967, when Maryland Gov. J. Millard Tawes
cut the ceremonial ribbon. The second anchor of the two anchor mall, Woodward & Lothrop
, opened its store in the Spring of 1967. With both anchors in place and 60 stores, the grand opening of the $10 million, 500000 square feet (46,451.5 m²) center occurred September 21, 1967. . The mall's original pylon featured a Cuboctahedron
welcoming visitors. All fountains were removed during the 1985 remodel.
A unique design feature of the mall is that it straddles Iverson Street, which bisects the structure. Also attached at the front of the mall is a four story office building. Originally built as a regional shopping center, it faded after the opening of nearby Landover Mall
in 1972. By the mid-1990s the two anchor stores closed and were replaced with discount department stores.
Maryland Route 5
Maryland Route 5 is a long state highway that runs north–south in the U.S. state of Maryland. The highway runs from Point Lookout in St. Mary's County north to the Washington, D.C. border in Suitland, Prince George's County....
) and Iverson Street (Maryland Route 458
Maryland Route 458
Maryland Route 458 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Silver Hill Road, the route runs from Maryland Route 5 in Hillcrest Heights north to Walker Mill Road in District Heights.-Route description:...
), in Hillcrest Heights, Maryland
Hillcrest Heights, Maryland
Hillcrest Heights is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States with an African-American majority population. The population was 16,359 at the 2000 census. For mailing address purposes, it is part of the larger community of Temple Hills...
, just north of the Marlow Heights Shopping Center
Marlow Heights Shopping Center
The Marlow Heights Shopping Center is an open air shopping complex located in Marlow Heights, Maryland, on Branch Avenue at St. Barnabas Road , and is positioned just south of Iverson Mall.-History:...
. It was the first shopping mall in the Washington D.C. area to be built fully enclosed and climate controlled.
History
The Montgomery WardMontgomery 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...
(165,000 sq ft.) store opened on April 20, 1967, when Maryland Gov. 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...
cut the ceremonial ribbon. The second anchor of the two anchor mall, Woodward & Lothrop
Woodward & Lothrop
Woodward & Lothrop was a department store chain headquartered in Washington, D.C. Woodward & Lothrop was Washington, D.C.'s first department store, opening in 1887. Woodies, as it was often nicknamed, maintained stores in the Mid-Atlantic United States...
, opened its store in the Spring of 1967. With both anchors in place and 60 stores, the grand opening of the $10 million, 500000 square feet (46,451.5 m²) center occurred September 21, 1967. . The mall's original pylon featured a Cuboctahedron
Cuboctahedron
In geometry, a cuboctahedron is a polyhedron with eight triangular faces and six square faces. A cuboctahedron has 12 identical vertices, with two triangles and two squares meeting at each, and 24 identical edges, each separating a triangle from a square. As such it is a quasiregular polyhedron,...
welcoming visitors. All fountains were removed during the 1985 remodel.
A unique design feature of the mall is that it straddles Iverson Street, which bisects the structure. Also attached at the front of the mall is a four story office building. Originally built as a regional shopping center, it faded after the opening of nearby Landover Mall
Landover 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 1972. By the mid-1990s the two anchor stores closed and were replaced with discount department stores.