The Rise and Decline of our Springfield Mall

On November 11, 1985, Britain’s Prince Charles and Princess Diana made their first visit to the U.S. as a royal couple. On their short, four-day agenda was a stop at our very own Springfield Mall to view a J.C. Penny promotion named “Best of Britain.” For many a local Rose Hill resident that was the high point in the life of a mall that has since spiraled down into near oblivion.

Our 2-million-square-foot mall was built in 1973 by developer Arthur M. Fischer Inc. and partners Franconia Associates, and sits on approximately 80 acres. At its height the shopping Mecca included two movie theaters with a total of 10 movie screens, was anchored by J.C. Penney (previously Lansburgh’s), Macy’s (previously Garfinkel’s), and Target (previously Montgomery Ward), and counted over 100 shops in its inventory.

The mall was a regular weekend and evening destination for many a local resident and drew customers from around the DC area thanks to its proximity to I-495 and I-95. At its peak, the shopping center drew throngs that used the metro station that opened across the street, and it was an unusual Saturday afternoon that did not see busloads of teens congregate at the surrounding metro bus stops before migrating for an evening of mall adventures.

Young professionals used the popular gym and ate at the health food eateries. Mothers would drop kids off at Gymboree, martial arts establishments, and game shops, while doing their family’s shopping. One could buy a good men’s business suit at Garfinkel’s, fitting included, over the weekend and be wearing the three-piece outfit to work late the next week.

With five eye glass stores, seven hair salons or barbershops, countless fast food and sit down restaurants, ten movie theaters and all the usual clothing, toy, department, technology, and accessory stores, one could spend a summer evening or a winter weekend day barely walking by the same business twice. Mall events were family and community events as the large indoor space drew folks to its merry-go-round, fashion shows, seasonal specials (Santa and the Easter Bunny were regulars), clowns and magicians, and singing and dancing performances.

But the economic downturns of the past decade, competition from newer and bigger malls at equally accessible but more affluent neighborhoods and poor management decisions (choosing anchors, such as Target, that shoppers could easily visit elsewhere or settling for less attractive retailers who suffered by comparison to better local offerings) each took their toll on the mall.

In the last decade the mall has degenerated into an only-if-you-can’t-find-it-elsewhere and better-in-daylight destination. With an occupancy rate of around 60% (average rates for Tyson’s, Fair Oaks and other comparable area malls is 93-99%), the Springfield Mall has vast swaths of vacant halls, and according to FBI and Fairfax County Police reports, has fallen prey to recurring criminal activity ranging from thefts, to muggings, to harsher gang-related crimes. Notoriously, the mall’s old DMV office was reported to be the location from which the 9-11 terrorists who attacked the Pentagon obtained their false identifications.

Unfortunately the mall has fallen on harder times still. The current owners Vornado Realty Trust defaulted on the $171 million loan that was keeping the mall open. The mortgage holders kept the property operational while looking for a new buyer but could not find anyone willing to take on the loan. They put the mall up for bid in October of last year only to end up allowing Vornado to repurchase the mortgage for $115 million in December, 2010.

Vornado has since been talking about renovating the property (with work originally slated to begin this past first quarter of 2011) into the renamed Springfield Town Center with the addition of 1.1 million square feet of office space, a 225-room hotel, and over 2,000 apartments.

While nothing has yet happened, perhaps the owners are waiting to survey the tastes of the thousands of new potential customers the Base Realignment and Closure program is slated to drop upon the Mark Center in Alexandria this fall or the thousands that will be driving to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s 2.4 million square feet of office space, on its new 130 acre campus in Springfield. Only time will tell, maybe.