Farewell, Landmark Mall
The demolition of Landmark Mall is finally underway. The old mall will be replaced by an Inova hospital and a mixed-use development.
The Alexandria City Council approved the project in July 2021 after 15 years of development proposals that went nowhere.
The new 565,500-square-foot, 231-bed hospital will replace the Inova Alexandria Hospital on Seminary Road. Several medical buildings are planned, as well. Inova expects to complete construction of the medical campus in 2028.
Related story: New details emerge on hospital at Landmark
The rest of the site, to be developed by Foulger-Pratt, will have 4 million square feet of housing and commercial space, outdoor dining, parks, entertainment venues, affordable housing, a fire station, a new grid of streets, and a transit hub. Construction is expected to be completed in 2026.
Landmark Mall opened as an outdoor shopping center in 1965. Some of the original stores included a Hecht’s department store, Sears, Woodward & Lothrop, Casual Corner, People’s Drug Store, Raleigh Haberdasher, a Thom McAn shoe store, Waldenbooks, and S&W Cafeteria.
Related story: Landmark project rebranded as ‘West End’
The retail center was transformed into an indoor mall in 1990. Landmark Mall closed in 2017, although Sears stayed open for another three years.
Alexandria approved a proposal by the Howard Hughes Corp. for an urban town center in 2013, but that didn’t happen. Then when Inova stepped in with a plan for a new hospital in 2020, redevelopment inched closer to reality.
After the mall closed, the former Macy’s store served as a temporary homeless shelter. The mall came alive again briefly in summer 2018 when scenes from the 2020 movie “Wonder Woman 1984” were filmed there.
I’ll remember that dump fondly. Did my first drug deal in the Sears parking lot in the late 80s. Just a couple of hairy, sweaty dudes in a taupe Buick, slangin bricks and making dreams come true.
Terrific comment Burty, it’s important for the readers of this site to understand, if they don’t already have personal experience, that the drug overdose epidemic killing record number of Americans is also relevant to Annandale and the Mason District.
If you can, please share with us the current state of your drug dealing activities and where one can find you if they are interested in trying your product; you hairy beast.
Susie, thank you for the kind words. While slangin was lucrative, I found my life’s work with the federal government, where I rose quickly through the ranks to the senior executive service. Now I own an LLC that subs to defense contractors. P.S. I stand with Ukraine.
Thank you for this response Burt!
I hope your LLC is obtaining a percentage of the Billions the USA taxpayers are spending to support the Ukrainian people in their fight to throw out the Russian invaders.
You would be doing good and earning a decent living at the same time. Ain’t America the best!
Hi Susie – If by “obtaining a percentage” you mean “getting rich” and if by “throwing out” you mean “killing” and if by “Russian invaders” you mean conscripted “18 year old kids,” then yes, I am getting rich by killing 18 year old kids.
Susie, thank you for the kind words. While slangin was lucrative, I found my life’s work with the federal government, where I rose quickly through the ranks to the senior executive service. Now I own an LLC that subs to defense contractors. P.S. I stand with Ukraine.
Now we know why our government is so wacked out.
my childhood mall is gone i remember the last time I went into Macys and I looked out in the mall for a bathroom and all the lights were shut off I remember the payless,play place, the fake dollar store,Mcdonalds,and sears
You paint a lasting picture with your prose, Ghayoor. Fond memories to last this life and beyond, or as the French say, beauté nostalgique.
Was there a night club there in the early 2000’s? If so, what was the name of it?