Westfield Montgomery
The mall on Black Friday, 2021 | |
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| Location | Bethesda, Maryland, United States |
|---|---|
| Address | 7101 Democracy Boulevard |
| Opening date | March 6, 1968 |
| Developer | May Centers, Inc. and Strouse, Greenberg & Co.[1] |
| Management | Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield SE[2] |
| Owner | Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield SE |
| Stores and services | 200[3] |
| Anchor tenants | 4 |
| Floor area | 1,223,475 sq ft (113,664.5 m2)[3] |
| Floors | 3[4] |
| Public transit | |
| Website | https://www.westfield.com/en/united-states/montgomery |
Westfield Montgomery (formerly Montgomery Mall), is a shopping mall in Bethesda, Maryland. The mall is anchored by Macy's, Macy's Home, Nordstrom. and a 16-screen AMC Theatres. The mall also features specialty brands such as Fabletics, Madewell, Vineyard Vines, and Untuckit.
History

The mall opened in March 1968 with three anchor stores and 58 smaller shops. It was built as a joint venture between The May Department Stores Company and Strouse, Greenberg & Co., based on the design of John Graham, Jr. and Ward and Hall.[5][6][1] The original anchors were Hecht's, Garfinckel's, and Sears. Smaller shops included a Bond Stores outlet. The old mall logo was an owl-shaped "M".[7]
A mid-1970s expansion added a US$4.5 million, 155,000-square-foot (14,400 m2) Woodward & Lothrop store and 60,000 square feet (5,600 m2) of additional retail space for 40 stores.[8][9]
On March 1,1976, longtime fugitive William Bradford Bishop bought a ball peen hammer and gas can at the mall to allegedly kill and burn his family.
A renovation completed in October 1991 replaced the floors, added brass railings and a glass elevator (the latter removed in 2013), and removed all the fountains to allow for more kiosk and seating space.[citation needed] The grand re-opening featured a concert by Tony Bennett. An expansion wing featured the first Nordstrom in Maryland[10] and the third in the Washington, D.C.metropolitan area, and Crate & Barrel.
The Boulevard Cafes food court is located on the second level.
After the 2005 acquisition of May Department Stores by Federated Department Stores, the Hecht’s at Montgomery was renamed Macy’s in 2006.[11]
On May 1, 2016, the Montgomery Mall had a new transit center opening, replacing the old transit center.[12]
Expansion
A plan to expand the mall by 360,000 square feet (33,000 m2) was approved by Montgomery County in September 2007. With the expansion, Westfield Montgomery has more than 1,500,000 square feet (140,000 m2), the fourth-largest mall in the Washington area behind Tysons Corner Center, Westfield Wheaton, and Fair Oaks Mall.[13]

In 2014, a 16-screen Arclight Cinemas opened at the mall. It closed in April 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic;[14] in February 2022, AMC Theatres acquired the lease to the cinema and announced that it would reopen the following month.[15]
2016 shooting
On May 6, 2016, former federal police officer Eulalio Tordil shot three people in the parking lot. One victim died.[16][17]
In June 2018, Westfield announced Sears would close and transform into additional stores and an open-air mixed-use center.[18][19]
Anchors
Current anchors
- Macy's (since 2006, replaced Hecht's)
- Macy's Home (since 2006, replaced Hecht's Home Store)
- Nordstrom (since 1991)
- AMC Theatres (since 2022, replaced Arclight Cinemas)
Former anchors
- Hecht's (1968-2006)
- Hecht's Home Store (2001-2006)
- Garfinckel's (1968-1990)
- J. C. Penney (1996-2001, replaced Woodward & Lothrop)[20]
- Sears (1968-2019)
- Woodward & Lothrop (1976-1995)
- Arclight Cinemas (2014-2021)
Elevators
| Location | Floors | Type | Fixtures | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food court | 1R, *2, MR, C | 2x Kone EcoSpaces | KSS 500 | |
| Next to Sears | *1, 2 | Kone EcoSpace | KSS 500 | |
| Macy's | *1, 2 | Montgomery Hydraulic | Innovation Universal | Installed with Square (G&P) fixtures. Refurbished in the 2000s with Innovation Universal fixtures. |
| Macy's Home | *1, 2, 3 (4) | Montgomery Hydraulic | PTL Performer | Installed as a pair with Square (G&P) fixtures. One elevator was later walled up and abandoned; the other was modernized with PTL Performer fixtures. Level 4 is no longer served because of the AMC Cinemas on that level. |
| Nordstroms | *1, 2, 3 | 2x Otis MRSs | Vanity | |
| Nordstroms garage | *1, 2, 3, 4 | Generic Hydraulic | MAD BS Moon | Originally an OTIS Series 1 LRV. Modernized in 2022-23. |
References
- ^ a b Frey, David (September 15, 2014). "Mall of the Future: As many malls around the country close, Westfield Montgomery is reinventing itself with an $89-million makeover". Bethesda Magazine. Bethesda, Maryland. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
Owned in a joint venture of the May Department Store Co., based in St. Louis, and Strouse, Greenberg & Co., based in Philadelphia...
- ^ "Westfield History". Westfield.URW.com. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
In June 2018, Unibail-Rodamco merged with Westfield Corporation in the biggest M&A transaction in Australian corporate history.
- ^ a b "Westfield Montgomery". Westfield Group. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
- ^ "Westfield Montgomery – Center Map". Westfield.com/Montgomery. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
Nordstrom Level 3.
- ^ "Discover the History of Westfield Montgomery Mall!". libertywaterdamagerestoration.com. Retrieved January 13, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Mall Hall of Fame". Mall-Hall-of-Fame.Blogspot.com. Retrieved January 31, 2011.
- ^ "DC Grocery - Montgomery Mall". Dcgrocery.Multiply.com. Retrieved January 31, 2011.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Scharfenberg, Kirk (May 2, 1971). "Montgomery Mall Expansion Planned for Fall 1973 Opening". The Washington Post, Times Herald. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
- ^ Levy, Claudia (March 26, 1976). "Store in Montgomery Mall Jammed on Opening Day: Woodies Profits Up Nearly 50%". Washington :Post. pp. D10.
- ^ Gunts, Edward; Dresser, Michael (July 1, 1992). "Annapolis Nordstrom in '93 unlikely". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 31, 2011.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Mui, Ylan Q. (September 9, 2006). "Era Ends With New Beginning". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
- ^ "New Transit Center to Open May 1 at Westfield Montgomery Mall". Bethesda Magazine. March 21, 2016.
- ^ Killian, Eric (September 21, 2007). "Montgomery Planning board approves expansion of Westfield shopping mall". Washington Business Journal.
- ^ Schere, Dan (April 13, 2021). "ArcLight Cinemas will not reopen at Westfield Montgomery mall in Bethesda". Bethesda Magazine.
- ^ Goldsmith, Jill (February 8, 2022). "AMC Entertainment In Lease Deals For Former ArcLight Theaters In San Diego, D.C. Markets". Deadline. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- ^ Metcalf, Andrew (May 6, 2016). "UPDATED: Police Monitored Shooting Suspect As He Ate Lunch in Aspen Hill Shopping Center". Bethesda Today. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
- ^ Zimmerman, Joe (April 20, 2017). "Westfield Montgomery Mall Shooter Expected To Plead Guilty: Eulalio Tordil is charged with killing two and injuring two others in Montgomery County". Bethesda Magazine. Bethesda, Maryland. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
- ^ Ortiz, Jennifer (June 22, 2018). "Sears in Westfield Montgomery Mall set to close next year". WTOP.
- ^ Thomas, Lauren; Hirsch, Lauren (November 8, 2018). "Sears to shut 40 more stores early next year". CNBC.
- ^ Stoughton, Stephanie (March 21, 1999). "At J.C. Penney, Missing Masses". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
External links
- Official website

- Westfield Montgomery Leasing Information, at The Westfield Group
- Montgomery Mall at the Wayback Machine (archived June 5, 2002)
