Seven Corners Shopping Center
Encyclopedia
Seven Corners Shopping Center was the first major shopping center to open in suburban Washington, D.C.
. It is located in Seven Corners
, Fairfax County, Virginia
. At its opening in 1956, it was the largest regional shopping center in Virginia. The backsplit two story mall structure was razed in the mid-1990s and replaced with a dual ground level power center.
) and Leesburg Pike (Virginia Route 7). At opening, the store was anchored by Washington D.C.-based department stores Julius Garfinckel & Co.
and a 128000 square feet (11,891.6 m²) Woodward & Lothrop
. The center also included a Food Lane supermarket; Woolworth's
; Bond Stores, Franklin Simon & Co.
, Joseph R. Harris Co.
, Peck & Peck
, and Wilson's Mens Store clothing stores; Mayer & Company furniture; Thom McAn
and Hahne
; Fannie Farmer
candy; and Western Auto
as well as a People's Drug Store
, which featured stores on both the upper and lower concourses (connected via a staircase). It also included the first cafeteria in northern Virginia, an S&W Cafeteria
. When opened, the center employed nearly 1,000. A Raleigh's joined the center sometime after its opening, as did a Varsity Shop men's clothing outlet and a Brentano's
book store.
Seven Corners has always been a major bus stop and bus terminal. The stop was originally located outside the Garfinckel's on the lower level, then moved to the upper level next to the central escalators until the building was redesigned. Today, the bus stop sits near its original lower level location. Fairfax County has proposed a transit station be constructed on the property.
The main building was shaped like an "I" with two anchors at either end and two 19 feet (5.8 m) wide promenades connecting. The center was built on a hillside in a split level design with escalators connecting the two levels. Heating and cooling was by water from an underground lake located beneath the center.
The center prospered through the 1980s. With competition from a growing number of regional malls in the area compounded by the bankruptcy of Garfinckel's
in 1990, closing of Raleigh's in 1992, and Woodward & Lothrop
in 1995, the center was left with no major anchor stores. As the indoor mall lost relevance, Seven Corners fell victim to vacancy and disrepair. Most of the original center was demolished in the mid-1990s and replaced with a big-box style power center. As a result, Seven Corners is no longer an enclosed single shopping center, but essentially two outdoor strip malls. Instead of using interior promenades, shoppers must walk along the parking lot to go from store to store. The two levels are no longer connected by escalators; there is only a narrow exterior metal and concrete stairway at one end of the complex, which is rarely used by shoppers. The Garfinckel's now occupied by a Ross Dress for Less
is the only portion of the original Seven Corners Center still standing. Once reopened, the new two level complex anchor stores included Shoppers Food Warehouse, Home Depot, Best Buy
, Service Merchandise
, and Barnes & Noble
. Around 2003, Best Buy moved out and was replaced by RoomStore, Service Merchandise was replaced by Syms.
The center was the site of one of the Washington, D.C. Beltway sniper attacks
in 2002. It is currently managed by Saul Centers of Bethesda, Maryland
.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. It is located in Seven Corners
Seven Corners, Virginia
Seven Corners is a commercial center and census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 8,701 at the 2000 census. Seven Corners has a "Falls Church" mailing address but is not within the independent City of Falls Church, Virginia. The area got its name...
, Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County is a county in Virginia, in the United States. Per the 2010 Census, the population of the county is 1,081,726, making it the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with 13.5% of Virginia's population...
. At its opening in 1956, it was the largest regional shopping center in Virginia. The backsplit two story mall structure was razed in the mid-1990s and replaced with a dual ground level power center.
History
The 45-store, $25 million, 600000 square feet (55,741.8 m²) center, developed by Kass-Berger of Washington, D.C., formally opened October 4, 1956, on a 29 acres (117,358.9 m²) parcel at the intersection of Arlington Boulevard (U.S. Route 50U.S. Route 50
U.S. Route 50 is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching just over from Ocean City, Maryland on the Atlantic Ocean to West Sacramento, California. Until 1972, when it was replaced by Interstate Highways west of the Sacramento area, it extended to San Francisco, near...
) and Leesburg Pike (Virginia Route 7). At opening, the store was anchored by Washington D.C.-based department stores Julius Garfinckel & Co.
Garfinckel's
Garfinckel's was a prominent department store chain based in Washington, D.C., that catered to a clientele of wealthy consumers. It declared Chapter 11, in June 1990, and ceased operations in 1990.-History:...
and a 128000 square feet (11,891.6 m²) Woodward & Lothrop
Woodward & Lothrop
Woodward & Lothrop was a department store chain headquartered in Washington, D.C. Woodward & Lothrop was Washington, D.C.'s first department store, opening in 1887. Woodies, as it was often nicknamed, maintained stores in the Mid-Atlantic United States...
. The center also included a Food Lane supermarket; Woolworth's
F. W. Woolworth Company
The F. W. Woolworth Company was a retail company that was one of the original American five-and-dime stores. The first successful Woolworth store was opened on July 18, 1879 by Frank Winfield Woolworth in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as "Woolworth's Great Five Cent Store"...
; Bond Stores, Franklin Simon & Co.
Franklin Simon & Co.
Franklin Simon & Co. was a department store chain specializing in women's fashions and furnishing based in New York City. The store was conceived as a collection of specialty shops rather than a traditional department store...
, Joseph R. Harris Co.
Joseph R. Harris Co.
-History:The chain was founded in 1916, in Washington, D.C. by Joseph R. Harris. By the time of its sale in 1971, to the retail conglomerate Garfinckel, Brooks Brothers, Miller & Rhoads, Inc., it had grown to nine locations in the Washington, D.C. area, and branches in Atlanta, Georgia and...
, Peck & Peck
Peck & Peck
Peck & Peck was a New York-based retailer of private label women's wear prominent on Fifth Avenue. Founded by Edgar Wallace Peck and his brother George H. Peck, it began in New York in 1888 as a hosiery store, with early location near Madison Square...
, and Wilson's Mens Store clothing stores; Mayer & Company furniture; Thom McAn
Thom McAn
Thom McAn is a brand of shoes distributed by Footstar, Inc., formerly the Melville Corporation . The brand is currently sold in Kmart and Wal-Mart stores, and consists of leather dress, casual, and athletic shoes...
and Hahne
Hahne and Company
Hahne & Company commonly known as Hahne's, was a department store chain based in Newark, New Jersey. The chain had stores located throughout the central and northern areas of New Jersey.- History :...
; Fannie Farmer
Fannie Farmer
Fannie Merritt Farmer was an American culinary expert whose Boston Cooking-School Cook Book became a widely used culinary text.-Biography:...
candy; and Western Auto
Western Auto
Western Auto Supply Company was a specialty retail chain of stores that supplied automobile parts and accessories. It operated approximately 1200 stores across the United States. It was started in 1909 in Kansas City, Missouri, by George Pepperdine, who later founded Pepperdine University...
as well as a People's Drug Store
Peoples Drug
Peoples Drug was a chain of drug stores based in Alexandria, VA, a suburb of Washington, D.C.. Founded in 1904, Peoples was subsequently purchased by Lane Drug in 1975, Imasco in 1984, and finally by CVS in 1990, which continued to run the stores under the Peoples banner until 1994, at which time...
, which featured stores on both the upper and lower concourses (connected via a staircase). It also included the first cafeteria in northern Virginia, an S&W Cafeteria
S&W Cafeteria
S&W Cafeteria was a Charlotte, North Carolina-based chain of cafeteria style restaurants. The chain specialized in low-cost, southern style cookery. Branch locations were located in the Southeastern United States from Washington, D.C...
. When opened, the center employed nearly 1,000. A Raleigh's joined the center sometime after its opening, as did a Varsity Shop men's clothing outlet and a Brentano's
Brentano's
Brentano's was an American bookstore. In addition to the numerous locations in the United States, there was a Brentano's on Avenue de l'Opéra in Paris, at the same location for 114 years....
book store.
Seven Corners has always been a major bus stop and bus terminal. The stop was originally located outside the Garfinckel's on the lower level, then moved to the upper level next to the central escalators until the building was redesigned. Today, the bus stop sits near its original lower level location. Fairfax County has proposed a transit station be constructed on the property.
The main building was shaped like an "I" with two anchors at either end and two 19 feet (5.8 m) wide promenades connecting. The center was built on a hillside in a split level design with escalators connecting the two levels. Heating and cooling was by water from an underground lake located beneath the center.
The center prospered through the 1980s. With competition from a growing number of regional malls in the area compounded by the bankruptcy of Garfinckel's
Garfinckel's
Garfinckel's was a prominent department store chain based in Washington, D.C., that catered to a clientele of wealthy consumers. It declared Chapter 11, in June 1990, and ceased operations in 1990.-History:...
in 1990, closing of Raleigh's in 1992, and Woodward & Lothrop
Woodward & Lothrop
Woodward & Lothrop was a department store chain headquartered in Washington, D.C. Woodward & Lothrop was Washington, D.C.'s first department store, opening in 1887. Woodies, as it was often nicknamed, maintained stores in the Mid-Atlantic United States...
in 1995, the center was left with no major anchor stores. As the indoor mall lost relevance, Seven Corners fell victim to vacancy and disrepair. Most of the original center was demolished in the mid-1990s and replaced with a big-box style power center. As a result, Seven Corners is no longer an enclosed single shopping center, but essentially two outdoor strip malls. Instead of using interior promenades, shoppers must walk along the parking lot to go from store to store. The two levels are no longer connected by escalators; there is only a narrow exterior metal and concrete stairway at one end of the complex, which is rarely used by shoppers. The Garfinckel's now occupied by a Ross Dress for Less
Ross Dress For Less
Ross Stores, Inc. , is a chain of American off-price department stores headquartered in Pleasanton, California, operating under the name Ross Dress for Less. It is the third largest off-price retailer in the United States, behind T.J. Maxx and Marshalls, both of which are owned by TJX Companies.As...
is the only portion of the original Seven Corners Center still standing. Once reopened, the new two level complex anchor stores included Shoppers Food Warehouse, Home Depot, Best Buy
Best Buy
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
, Service Merchandise
Service Merchandise
Service Merchandise is an online retailer and former retailer chain of catalog showroom stores carrying fine jewelry, toys, sporting goods, and electronics that existed for 68 years...
, and Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble, Inc. is the largest book retailer in the United States, operating mainly through its Barnes & Noble Booksellers chain of bookstores headquartered at 122 Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron District in Manhattan in New York City. Barnes & Noble also operated the chain of small B. Dalton...
. Around 2003, Best Buy moved out and was replaced by RoomStore, Service Merchandise was replaced by Syms.
The center was the site of one of the Washington, D.C. Beltway sniper attacks
Beltway sniper attacks
The Washington sniper attacks took place during three weeks in October 2002 in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. Ten people were killed and three others critically injured in various locations throughout the Washington Metropolitan Area and along Interstate 95 in Virginia...
in 2002. It is currently managed by Saul Centers of Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
.