Bellevue Square
Encyclopedia
Bellevue Square is a shopping center in Bellevue
, eight miles (13 km) east of Seattle. The mall has 180 retail stores, including anchors JCPenney, Macy's, and Nordstrom
, specialty stores like LEGO
, Tiffany and Co. the Apple Store, Armani Exchange and Williams-Sonoma
, Lacoste, and restaurants like P.F. Chang's China Bistro, Cheesecake Factory, Red Robin
, and Ruth's Chris Steak House
. Bellevue Square also offers concierge services
, valet parking, and children's play area.
Bellevue Square attracts over 16 million visitors annually who individually spend nearly two hours per trip spending $126, well above the national average. Over $600 is spent for every square foot of retail space each year.
through its Seattle-based subsidiary, Frederick & Nelson
.
With the mall's name shortened to Bellevue Square a few years later, JCPenney opened a store in 1955. Nordstrom, then a local shoe store, opened in 1958, before adding apparel and becoming the third major anchor in 1966, initially under the name Nordstrom Best.
In the 1980s, the mall, then led by the original developer's son, Kemper Freeman, Jr., expanded in several phases, finally adding a location for the Seattle department store The Bon Marché
in 1984. In 1992, with the bankruptcy and closure of Frederick & Nelson and collapse of a deal to lease part of the vacated space to Saks Fifth Avenue
, the center used the opportunity to reconfigure the vacant anchor as mall shop space. 1994 saw the addition of a separate The Bon Marché Home Store, while Nordstrom expanded the size of their store by half. In 2003, The Bon Marché stores were renamed Bon-Macy's, and in 2005 they adopted the name Macy's.
In 2007, Bellevue Square was linked by a skybridge to Lincoln Square
, another Kemper Freeman owned property.
Bellevue Square continues to be owned by Kemper Freeman Jr. and his family, one of the few shopping centers in the United States that have not been purchased by a Real estate investment trust
(REIT).
Bellevue, Washington
Bellevue is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, across Lake Washington from Seattle. Long known as a suburb or satellite city of Seattle, it is now categorized as an edge city or a boomburb. The population was 122,363 at the 2010 census.Downtown Bellevue is...
, eight miles (13 km) east of Seattle. The mall has 180 retail stores, including anchors JCPenney, Macy's, and Nordstrom
Nordstrom
Nordstrom, Inc. is an upscale department store chain in the United States, founded by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin. Initially a shoe retailer, the company today also sells clothing, accessories, handbags, jewelry, cosmetics, fragrances, and in some locations, home furnishings...
, specialty stores like LEGO
Lego
Lego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
, Tiffany and Co. the Apple Store, Armani Exchange and Williams-Sonoma
Williams-Sonoma
Williams-Sonoma, Inc. is a high-end American consumer retail company that sells kitchenwares, furniture and linens, as well as other housewares and home furnishings, along with a variety of specialty foods, soaps and lotions...
, Lacoste, and restaurants like P.F. Chang's China Bistro, Cheesecake Factory, Red Robin
Red Robin
Red Robin Gourmet Burgers is a chain of casual dining restaurants founded in 1969 in Seattle, Washington, and now headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colorado.-History:...
, and Ruth's Chris Steak House
Ruth's Chris Steak House
Ruth's Chris Steak House is a chain of more than 121 steakhouses across the United States and in several international locations. The restaurant is regarded as an upscale fine dining establishment, marking a gradual elevation in its status since its founding in the 1960s...
. Bellevue Square also offers concierge services
Concierge
A concierge is an employee who either works in shifts within, or lives on the premises of an apartment building or a hotel and serves guests with duties similar to those of a butler. The position can also be maintained by a security officer over the 'graveyard' shift. A similar position, known as...
, valet parking, and children's play area.
Bellevue Square attracts over 16 million visitors annually who individually spend nearly two hours per trip spending $126, well above the national average. Over $600 is spent for every square foot of retail space each year.
History
Bellevue Square was first opened in 1946, trading under the name "Bellevue Shopping Square", with the first suburban department store opened by Marshall Field & Co.Marshall Field's
Marshall Field & Company was a department store in Chicago, Illinois that grew to become a major chain before being acquired by Macy's Inc...
through its Seattle-based subsidiary, Frederick & Nelson
Frederick & Nelson
Frederick & Nelson was a department store chain in the northwestern United States, based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1891 as a furniture store, it later expanded to sell other types of merchandise. The company was acquired by Marshall Field & Company in 1929...
.
With the mall's name shortened to Bellevue Square a few years later, JCPenney opened a store in 1955. Nordstrom, then a local shoe store, opened in 1958, before adding apparel and becoming the third major anchor in 1966, initially under the name Nordstrom Best.
In the 1980s, the mall, then led by the original developer's son, Kemper Freeman, Jr., expanded in several phases, finally adding a location for the Seattle department store The Bon Marché
The Bon Marché
The Bon Marché, whose name means "the good deal" or "the good market", was the name chosen for a department store launched in Seattle, Washington, United States, in 1890 by Edward Nordhoff. The name comes from Le Bon Marché, a noted Paris retailer and one of the world's first department stores,...
in 1984. In 1992, with the bankruptcy and closure of Frederick & Nelson and collapse of a deal to lease part of the vacated space to Saks Fifth Avenue
Saks Fifth Avenue
Saks Fifth Avenue is a luxury American specialty store owned and operated by Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises , a subsidiary of Saks Incorporated. It competes in the high-end specialty store market in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, i.e. 'the 3 B's' Bergdorf, Barneys, Bloomingdale's and Lord & Taylor...
, the center used the opportunity to reconfigure the vacant anchor as mall shop space. 1994 saw the addition of a separate The Bon Marché Home Store, while Nordstrom expanded the size of their store by half. In 2003, The Bon Marché stores were renamed Bon-Macy's, and in 2005 they adopted the name Macy's.
In 2007, Bellevue Square was linked by a skybridge to Lincoln Square
Lincoln Square (Bellevue)
Lincoln Square is a mixed-use complex located in Bellevue, Washington, completed in November 2005, and owned by prominent local developer Kemper Freeman Jr, who took over construction of the project in 2003 after several delays. Lincoln Square consists of retail and restaurant space, a 148-room...
, another Kemper Freeman owned property.
Bellevue Square continues to be owned by Kemper Freeman Jr. and his family, one of the few shopping centers in the United States that have not been purchased by a Real estate investment trust
Real estate investment trust
A real estate investment trust or REIT is a tax designation for a corporate entity investing in real estate. The purpose of this designation is to reduce or eliminate corporate tax. In return, REITs are required to distribute 90% of their taxable income into the hands of investors...
(REIT).
Anchors
- JCPenney (200,800 sq ft.)
- Macy'sMacy'sMacy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
(180,000 sq ft.) - Macy's Home Store (51,000 sq ft.)
- NordstromNordstromNordstrom, Inc. is an upscale department store chain in the United States, founded by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin. Initially a shoe retailer, the company today also sells clothing, accessories, handbags, jewelry, cosmetics, fragrances, and in some locations, home furnishings...
(270,000 sq ft.)