Tysons Corner Center
Tysons Corner Center, located in Tysons Corner, Virginia (part of Fairfax County, near McLean), opened to the public in 1968, becoming one of the first fully enclosed, climate-controlled shopping centers in the greater Washington area. (The fully enclosed Iverson Mall in Marlow Heights, Maryland opened in 1967).
History
Tysons Corner Center was one of the first super-regional malls in the country, drawing customers from a multi-state area. The success of Tysons Corner Center has served as a model for similar malls around the country.[citation needed] As of 2007, the mall's four department store anchors are Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's, Lord & Taylor, Macy's; and a recent expansion (opened fall 2005) off the former JCPenney structure is anchored by a 16-screen AMC multiplex movie theater, a Barnes and Noble bookstore, and an Old Navy. Tysons Corner Center is the largest mall in the metropolitan area and the 13th largest in the United States. A second, more upscale mall, called Tysons Galleria, operates across the street from Tysons Corner Center within the Tysons II office development (with many people referring to the mall itself as "Tysons II"); it opened in 1988. To distinguish, many call the original mall "Tysons I."
Until the late 1990s the mall featured a wide and diverse retail mix, ranging from low-end Woolworth's and Hot Shoppes Cafeteria to high-end names like Liz Claiborne. Since then the stores added to the mall have mostly skewed upscale, reflecting the demographics of the surrounding area.
Soon after Tysons Corner Center was constructed, the land surrounding the area -- which had previously consisted of farms, auto dealers, and rural residences -- became prime real estate, prompting the construction of hotels, office buildings, and apartment complexes. Some of the major retailers located in this area are Borders Books & Music, Crate and Barrel, Tiffany & Co., Hermes Paris, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci.
Originally, the mall consisted of 1.2 million square feet (110,000 m²) on one level, three department stores (Hecht's, Lansburgh's, and Woodward & Lothrop), two movie theaters (AMC Theater and AMC Loews Fairfax Square 8), and 100 specialty stores. In 1988, the mall was expanded to add a bottom floor, at which time Lord & Taylor and Nordstrom opened; this was the first Nordstrom east of the Mississippi River. Today, the mall has 2.1 million square feet (195,000 m²) of retail space on three levels, 16 movie screens, and nearly 300 stores. It serves as an entry point for new retail concepts, such as Cusp by Neiman Marcus, MNG By Mango, and Martin + Osa. Apple also opened the first of its retail stores there in 2001, and LL Bean opened their first full-line store outside of their Freeport, ME base at Tysons in 2000.
Future Plans
There are plans to extend the Washington Metro subway westward to Tysons Corner and eventually out to Dulles Airport. The Tysons Central 123 Silver Line station is planned to be on the north side of the shopping center where Tysons Boulevard crosses State Route 123 (Chain Bridge Road). There will be four stations in the Tysons Corner area.
The Macerich Company is developing Tysons Corner Center into a community location. There will be expanisons for residential and commercial buildings, along with a hotel. There will also be slight expansions to the mall itself. The project will be completed in four stages, and it is expected to be finished in 10 to 15 years.
Anchors
- AMC Theatres (105,122 sq. ft., 16 screens)
- Barnes & Noble (33,854 sq. ft.)
- Bloomingdale's (255,888 sq. ft.)
- H & M (23,516 sq. ft. total, H & M - 15,866 sq. ft., H & M Men's - 7,650 sq. ft.)
- Lord & Taylor (119,500 sq. ft.)
- Macy's (237,076 sq. ft.), (formerly Hecht's)
- Nordstrom (200,000 sq. ft.)
- Old Navy (15,705 sq. ft.)
- Pottery Barn (17,294 sq. ft.)
Opening Soon: La Sandia (spring 2008)
See also
External links
- Tysons Corner Center Official Site
- Tysons Corner expansion site Tells About Tysons' Recent Expansion