The Rouse Company
Encyclopedia
The Rouse Company, founded by James W. Rouse
in 1939, was a publicly held shopping mall
and community
developer from 1956 until 2004, when General Growth Properties
Inc. purchased the company.
The Rouse Company built some of the first enclosed shopping malls, and it pioneered the development of festival marketplace
s, such as Jacksonville Landing
in Jacksonville
, Faneuil Hall
in Boston, South Street Seaport
in New York City
, Harborplace
in Baltimore, and Bayside Marketplace
in Miami
. They also developed The Shops at National Place
in downtown Washington, D.C.
that opened in 1984-85.
The company has also been credited as the pioneer of the first successful food court in an enclosed shopping mall, when the second-floor food court at the Paramus Park
shopping mall in New Jersey opened for business in March 1974. It followed an unsuccessful attempt at the Plymouth Meeting Mall
in 1971, which reportedly failed because it was "deemed too small and insufficiently varied."
Its community projects include the Village of Cross Keys
in Baltimore and the planned cities of Columbia, Maryland
(where it was headquartered), Bridgeland Community, Texas, and Summerlin, Nevada
. The Rouse Company was also an investor in the planned community of The Woodlands, Texas
.
In 1996, The Howard Hughes Corporation
, which had extensive property and other business interests, became a subsidiary
. On November 12, 2004, the Rouse Company was sold to Chicago
-based General Growth Properties Inc., another shopping mall developer.
James W. Rouse
James Wilson Rouse , founder of The Rouse Company, was a pioneering American real estate developer, urban planner, civic activist, and later, free enterprise-based philanthropist...
in 1939, was a publicly held shopping mall
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
and community
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
developer from 1956 until 2004, when General Growth Properties
General Growth Properties
General Growth Properties, Inc. is a publicly traded real estate investment trust in the United States. It is based in Chicago, Illinois at 110 North Wacker Drive, a historic building designed by architectural firm Graham, Anderson, Probst & White...
Inc. purchased the company.
The Rouse Company built some of the first enclosed shopping malls, and it pioneered the development of festival marketplace
Festival marketplace
A festival marketplace is a realization by James W. Rouse and the Rouse Company in the United States of an idea conceived by Benjamin C. Thompson of Benjamin Thompson and Associates for European style markets taking hold in the United States in an effort to revitalize downtown areas in major US...
s, such as Jacksonville Landing
Jacksonville Landing
The Jacksonville Landing is a shopping and dining complex in Jacksonville, Florida. It was built by the Rouse Company and opened in 1987. It has been compared to New York City's South Street Seaport, Boston's Faneuil Hall or Miami's Bayside, all developed by Rouse.-History:The Jacksonville Landing...
in Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, Faneuil Hall
Faneuil Hall
Faneuil Hall , located near the waterfront and today's Government Center, in Boston, Massachusetts, has been a marketplace and a meeting hall since 1742. It was the site of several speeches by Samuel Adams, James Otis, and others encouraging independence from Great Britain, and is now part of...
in Boston, South Street Seaport
South Street Seaport
The South Street Seaport is a historic area in the New York City borough of Manhattan, located where Fulton Street meets the East River, and adjacent to the Financial District. The Seaport is a designated historic district, distinct from the neighboring Financial District...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Harborplace
Harborplace
Harborplace is a festival marketplace in Baltimore, Maryland, that opened in 1980 as a centerpiece of the revival of downtown Baltimore. As its name suggests, it is located on the Inner Harbor....
in Baltimore, and Bayside Marketplace
Bayside Marketplace
Bayside Marketplace is a festival marketplace in Downtown Miami, Florida. It's in between Bayfront Park to the south end, and the American Airlines Arena to the north. As Bayside's name suggests, it wraps along the banks of the Biscayne Bay....
in Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
. They also developed The Shops at National Place
The Shops at National Place
The Shops at National Place is a three-level, indoor shopping mall located in downtown Washington, D.C. in the 16-story National Place Building. It is located on the block bounded by Pennsylvania Avenue, F Street, between 13th and 14th Streets NW, the former site of the Munsey Trust Building. It...
in downtown Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
that opened in 1984-85.
The company has also been credited as the pioneer of the first successful food court in an enclosed shopping mall, when the second-floor food court at the Paramus Park
Paramus Park
Paramus Park is a shopping center located on From Road in Paramus, New Jersey, United States, sandwiched between Route 17 and the Garden State Parkway, a little more than two miles north of Route 4. The mall is owned by General Growth Properties and offers a Gross leasable area of...
shopping mall in New Jersey opened for business in March 1974. It followed an unsuccessful attempt at the Plymouth Meeting Mall
Plymouth Meeting Mall
The Plymouth Meeting Mall is an shopping mall located in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, approximately west of Philadelphia. The mall is located on Germantown Pike near the Mid-County Interchange, where the Pennsylvania Turnpike crosses the Northeast Extension/Blue Route .Built in 1966, Plymouth...
in 1971, which reportedly failed because it was "deemed too small and insufficiently varied."
Its community projects include the Village of Cross Keys
Village of Cross Keys
Village of Cross Keys is a privately owned upscale area of Baltimore, Maryland. It is located off Falls Road between Northern Parkway and Coldspring Lane, and is home to luxury condos and upscale small shops...
in Baltimore and the planned cities of Columbia, Maryland
Columbia, Maryland
Columbia is a planned community that consists of ten self-contained villages, located in Howard County, Maryland, United States. It began with the idea that a city could enhance its residents' quality of life. Creator and developer James W. Rouse saw the new community in terms of human values, not...
(where it was headquartered), Bridgeland Community, Texas, and Summerlin, Nevada
Summerlin, Nevada
Summerlin is an affluent master-planned community under development by The Howard Hughes Corporation in the Las Vegas metropolitan area of Nevada near the Spring Mountains and Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. It lies partially within the city limits of Las Vegas, Nevada, and in...
. The Rouse Company was also an investor in the planned community of The Woodlands, Texas
The Woodlands, Texas
The Woodlands is a master-planned community and a Census-designated place in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area. The population of the CDP was 55,649 at the 2000 census—a 90 percent increase over its 1990 population. According to the 2010 census, The Woodlands' population rose...
.
In 1996, The Howard Hughes Corporation
The Howard Hughes Corporation
The Howard Hughes Corporation is a major real estate development and management company based in Dallas, Texas, which was founded by Howard Hughes. Later sold to the Rouse Company, it became a separate company again in 2010, as a spinoff of General Growth Properties .Upon exiting bankruptcy, GGP...
, which had extensive property and other business interests, became a subsidiary
Subsidiary
A subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...
. On November 12, 2004, the Rouse Company was sold to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
-based General Growth Properties Inc., another shopping mall developer.