Washington Square, Oregon
Encyclopedia
Washington Square is a shopping mall
in the city of Tigard
, Oregon
, United States. Located in the Portland metropolitan area
along Oregon Route 217, the shopping complex is one of the top grossing malls per square foot in the United States, with sales of $716/ft². Opened in 1973, the mall is currently managed and co-owned by The Macerich Company
, a real estate investment trust
, and is anchored by Macy's, Nordstrom
, JCPenney and Sears
. A fifth anchor, Dick's Sporting Goods
opened in March 2008.
in 1967. It was to be a 130 acre (0.5260918 km²) development with space for 100 stores. The mall was to include over 1000000 square feet (92,903 m²) on 85 acres (343,983.1 m²) in an L-shaped pattern. On August 16, 1973, Meier & Frank
became the first tenant to open at the mall. Sears and Lipman's then opened that November followed by Liberty House
and Nordstrom
during the summer of 1974. The grand opening of the facility began on February 21, 1974.
In 1979 Frederick & Nelson
acquired and renamed the Lipman's chain, and in 1980 Mervyn's took over the space originally occupied by Liberty House. Originally in an unincorporated area near Beaverton, Tigard, and Portland, those cities fought to annex the center in 1986. Tigard was awarded the right to annex Washington Square along with other adjacent properties that contain Lincoln Center
and the Embassy Suites Hotel
. Following Frederick & Nelson's bankruptcy and store closure in January 1991, Nordstrom acquired the vacant space and demolished it, constructing a larger replacement for its existing store; this new Nordstrom opened in 1994. At that time, the former Nordstrom space was acquired by the mall and reconfigured as a food court and additional retail space, coinciding with the renovation of the mall. By the mid-1990s the mall had an average sales per
square foot that placed it in the top 10% of malls nationwide.
In December 1998 the mall was sold by Safeco
, a Seattle-headquartered insurance company, to a partnership of The Macerich Company
and Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan
(OTPP); at the time of the sale
Washington Square was "one of the most productive malls on the West Coast", with sales approaching $500 per square foot. Macerich, a Real Estate Investment Trust
, took over management of the property. In 2005, Macerich opened a 100000 sq ft (9,290.3 m²) addition, housing 30 more stores (including The Cheesecake Factory
, Sephora
, Lucy Activewear
, Godiva Chocolatier, and Williams-Sonoma
). At the same time, other improvements were made throughout the mall and two new parking structures were added. Mervyn's closed in November 2005 and their location, which they owned, was sold to the mall. The site was refurbished and reopened as Dick's Sporting Goods
in March 2008.
In February 2011, Swedish clothing retailer H&M
opened their doors at Washington Square, it is the company's 2nd location in Oregon.
TriMet
maintains the Washington Square Transit Center
on the mall's premises.
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
in the city of Tigard
Tigard, Oregon
Tigard is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States. The population was 48,035 at the 2010 census. As of 2007, Tigard was the state's 12th largest city. Incorporated in 1961, the city is located south of Beaverton and north of Tualatin, and is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States. Located in the Portland metropolitan area
Portland metropolitan area
The Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA Metropolitan Statistical Area , also known as the Portland metropolitan area or Greater Portland, is an urban area in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington centered around the city of Portland, Oregon. The U.S...
along Oregon Route 217, the shopping complex is one of the top grossing malls per square foot in the United States, with sales of $716/ft². Opened in 1973, the mall is currently managed and co-owned by The Macerich Company
The Macerich Company
Macerich is a self-managed Real Estate Investment Trust headquartered in Santa Monica, California.It traces its antecedents to the MaceRich Real Estate Company founded in New York in 1964 by Mace Siegel and Richard Cohen, who combined their first names to name their company...
, 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...
, and is anchored by Macy's, 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...
, JCPenney and Sears
Sears, Roebuck and Company
Sears, officially named Sears, Roebuck and Co., is an American chain of department stores which was founded by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck in the late 19th century...
. A fifth anchor, Dick's Sporting Goods
Dick's Sporting Goods
Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. , or Dick's, is a Fortune 500 American corporation in the sporting goods and retail industries.The company's headquarters are on the grounds of Pittsburgh International Airport in Findlay Township near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dick's has 451 stores in 42 states as of...
opened in March 2008.
History
On May 3, 1972, plans for Oregon's largest shopping mall at that time were announced by Winmar Pacific, Inc., a developer bought by SafecoSafeco
Safeco Insurance, a member of Liberty Mutual Group, is a national U.S. insurance company. It holds naming rights to the Seattle Mariners' baseball stadium, Safeco Field.- History :...
in 1967. It was to be a 130 acre (0.5260918 km²) development with space for 100 stores. The mall was to include over 1000000 square feet (92,903 m²) on 85 acres (343,983.1 m²) in an L-shaped pattern. On August 16, 1973, Meier & Frank
Meier & Frank
Meier & Frank was a chain of department stores founded in Portland, Oregon, and later bought out by the May Department Stores Company. Meier & Frank operated in the Pacific Northwest from 1857 to 2006.-History:Summary...
became the first tenant to open at the mall. Sears and Lipman's then opened that November followed by Liberty House
Liberty House
Liberty House, headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii, was a department store and specialty store chain with locations throughout the Hawaiian Islands and on Guam, as well as several locations on the mainland U.S.-History:...
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...
during the summer of 1974. The grand opening of the facility began on February 21, 1974.
In 1979 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...
acquired and renamed the Lipman's chain, and in 1980 Mervyn's took over the space originally occupied by Liberty House. Originally in an unincorporated area near Beaverton, Tigard, and Portland, those cities fought to annex the center in 1986. Tigard was awarded the right to annex Washington Square along with other adjacent properties that contain Lincoln Center
Lincoln Center (Oregon)
Lincoln Center is a multi-building office complex in Tigard, Oregon, United States. Opened in 1981, the six-building complex was built over a decade and includes the 12-story Lincoln Tower, the tallest building in Washington County. Located on S.W...
and the Embassy Suites Hotel
Embassy Suites Hotels
'Embassy Suites Hotels is a chain of upscale all-suite hotels trademarked by Hilton Worldwide. As of Feb. 22, 2011, there are 200 Embassy Suites Hotels in the United States, plus 8 Embassy Suites Hotels internationally. Similar to other Hilton brands, most Embassy Suites hotels are independently...
. Following Frederick & Nelson's bankruptcy and store closure in January 1991, Nordstrom acquired the vacant space and demolished it, constructing a larger replacement for its existing store; this new Nordstrom opened in 1994. At that time, the former Nordstrom space was acquired by the mall and reconfigured as a food court and additional retail space, coinciding with the renovation of the mall. By the mid-1990s the mall had an average sales per
Sales per unit area
In retail, sales per unit area is a standard and usually the primary measurement of store success. The unit of area is usually square metres in the metric system or square feet in U.S. customary units...
square foot that placed it in the top 10% of malls nationwide.
In December 1998 the mall was sold by Safeco
Safeco
Safeco Insurance, a member of Liberty Mutual Group, is a national U.S. insurance company. It holds naming rights to the Seattle Mariners' baseball stadium, Safeco Field.- History :...
, a Seattle-headquartered insurance company, to a partnership of The Macerich Company
The Macerich Company
Macerich is a self-managed Real Estate Investment Trust headquartered in Santa Monica, California.It traces its antecedents to the MaceRich Real Estate Company founded in New York in 1964 by Mace Siegel and Richard Cohen, who combined their first names to name their company...
and Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan
Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan
The Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan , commonly referred to as Teachers, is the organization responsible for administering pensions for public school teachers of the Canadian province of Ontario. The OTPP also invests the plan's pension fund, making it one of the largest and most powerful investment...
(OTPP); at the time of the sale
Washington Square was "one of the most productive malls on the West Coast", with sales approaching $500 per square foot. Macerich, 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...
, took over management of the property. In 2005, Macerich opened a 100000 sq ft (9,290.3 m²) addition, housing 30 more stores (including The Cheesecake Factory
The Cheesecake Factory
The Cheesecake Factory, Inc. is a restaurant company in the United States. The company operates 165 upscale, casual, full-service dining restaurants: 151 under The Cheesecake Factory mark, 13 under the Grand Lux Cafe mark and one under the RockSugar Pan Asian Kitchen mark...
, Sephora
Sephora
Sephora is a chain of cosmetics stores founded in France in 1970 and acquired by Paris-based conglomerate LVMH in 1997. The Sephora chain includes more than 750 stores in 17 countries...
, Lucy Activewear
Lucy Activewear
lucy Activewear, formerly known as lucy.com, is an American clothing retailer based in Alameda, California. Founded in November 1999 by former Nike executives, it specializes in activewear for women, including clothing intended for use during yoga...
, Godiva Chocolatier, 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...
). At the same time, other improvements were made throughout the mall and two new parking structures were added. Mervyn's closed in November 2005 and their location, which they owned, was sold to the mall. The site was refurbished and reopened as Dick's Sporting Goods
Dick's Sporting Goods
Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. , or Dick's, is a Fortune 500 American corporation in the sporting goods and retail industries.The company's headquarters are on the grounds of Pittsburgh International Airport in Findlay Township near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dick's has 451 stores in 42 states as of...
in March 2008.
In February 2011, Swedish clothing retailer H&M
H&M
H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB is a Swedish retail-clothing company, known for its fast-fashion clothing offerings for women, men, teenagers and children....
opened their doors at Washington Square, it is the company's 2nd location in Oregon.
Layout
The current configuration has five department store anchors, 170 specialty shops & restaurants, and a food court. Some of the stores are located in an adjacent outdoor plaza known as "Washington Square Too". Most of the mall is on a single level; however, the anchor stores have multiple levels, the food court is on a second level, and the expansion in 2005 was built so that it could accommodate a second-level addition at a later date.TriMet
TriMet
TriMet, more formally known as the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon, is a public agency that operates mass transit in a region that spans most of the Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Oregon...
maintains the Washington Square Transit Center
Washington Square Transit Center
The Washington Square Transit Center is a TriMet transit center located at the Washington Square shopping center in Tigard, Oregon, in the mall's parking lot north of J. C...
on the mall's premises.
Anchors
- JCPenneyJ. C. Penney-External links:*...
(210,585 ft²; opened 1980)- JCPenney Home Store (20,397 ft², outparcel location)
- 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...
(242,505 ft²; opened 1973 as Meier & FrankMeier & FrankMeier & Frank was a chain of department stores founded in Portland, Oregon, and later bought out by the May Department Stores Company. Meier & Frank operated in the Pacific Northwest from 1857 to 2006.-History:Summary...
, renamed 2006) - 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...
(180,000 ft²; opened 1974, relocated 1994) - Sears (211,937 ft²; opened 1974)
- Sears Tire, Battery & Auto (16,600 ft², outparcel location)
- Dick's Sporting GoodsDick's Sporting GoodsDick's Sporting Goods, Inc. , or Dick's, is a Fortune 500 American corporation in the sporting goods and retail industries.The company's headquarters are on the grounds of Pittsburgh International Airport in Findlay Township near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dick's has 451 stores in 42 states as of...
(90,000 ft²; opened March 2008)
Former anchors
- Frederick & NelsonFrederick & NelsonFrederick & 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...
(120,000 ft²; closed 1991 and razed for Nordstrom) - Liberty HouseLiberty HouseLiberty House, headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii, was a department store and specialty store chain with locations throughout the Hawaiian Islands and on Guam, as well as several locations on the mainland U.S.-History:...
(opened 1974, replaced by Mervyn's 1980) - Lipman's (opened 1974, became Frederick & Nelson 1979)
- Meier & FrankMeier & FrankMeier & Frank was a chain of department stores founded in Portland, Oregon, and later bought out by the May Department Stores Company. Meier & Frank operated in the Pacific Northwest from 1857 to 2006.-History:Summary...
(opened 1973, renamed Macy's 2006) - Mervyn's (89,309 ft²; opened 1980, closed November 2005, site of Dick's Sporting Goods)
- Nordstrom (original, 108000 sq ft (10,033.5 m²); opened 1974, replaced 1994 by food court and mall retail space)