Springfield Town Center
Springfield Town Center is an enclosed shopping center located in the Springfield census-designated place (CDP) of unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia. It opened in 1973 as Springfield Mall, an enclosed shopping mall, which closed on June 30, 2012 as part of a multimillion-dollar redevelopment plan to turn it into a multifaceted "Town Center"-style shopping center with a main indoor area similar to the nearby Tysons Corner Center and Dulles Town Center, while transforming the exterior into a pedestrian friendly environment with restaurants with cafe style outdoor seating and entrances. It is located at the intersection of I-95 and Franconia Road, which is part of the Springfield Interchange, 1/4 mile north of Franconia-Springfield Parkway and the Franconia-Springfield Metro Station. The mall reopened on October 17, 2014 following its two-year renovation. Original anchors were Lansburgh's (later E.J. Korvette), Garfinckel's (later Sports Authority), J.C. Penney, and Montgomery Ward (later Target). Macy's was added in 1991. The mall was notable for having one of the top two performing locations of the Time Out chain of amusement arcades, which featured in its mall rat culture during the 1980s golden age of arcades. Prince Charles and Princess Diana visited the JCPenney store at the mall on November 11, 1985, during their famous American tour. However, the mall's fortunes declined in the 1990s and 2000s. Its DMV office was where Hani Hanjour and Khalid al-Mihdhar, two of the hijackers in the September 11 attacks, illegally obtained state identification. The mall also experienced two gang-related stabbings in 2005, two fatal shootings, one in December 2007 and one in June 2022 and a fatal carjacking in September 2008. One of the largest malls in Northern Virginia, it was owned and operated by Vornado Realty Trust. In 2005, Vornado purchased an option valued at $36 million to buy the mall from the previous owners Franconia Two LP. In early 2006, Vornado purchased the mall for an additional $80 million along with plans to redevelop. In March 2012, Vornado announced plans to close all but the three anchor stores starting on July 1, ahead of the two-year renovation and redevelopment, which is part of a decade-long plan intended to turn the Mall and its surrounding area into the new Springfield Town Center. Springfield Town Center re-opened on October 17, 2014. In 2014, the center was sold to PREIT for $465 million. In late 2015, Dave and Buster's, a popular family owned entertainment and sports bar opened. In August 2023, LEGO Discovery Center Washington DC opened at the property. The 32,000 square foot indoor attraction is co-created by Merlin & the LEGO Group and is located at the main entrance to the property. On February 9, 2026, JCPenney announced that it is closing its Springfield Town Center location on May 24, citing its current lease terms and unable to find another suitable location in the market.
 Interior of the Springfield Town Center, second level | |
 | |
| Location | Springfield, Virginia, United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 38°46′28″N 77°10′30″W / 38.774558°N 77.1749812°W |
| Address | 6500 Springfield Mall, Springfield, VA 22150 |
| Opening date | May 7, 1973 (as Springfield Mall) October 17, 2014 (as Springfield Town Center) |
| Developer | Arthur M. Fischer Inc. and Franconia Associates |
| Management | PREIT |
| Owner | PREIT |
| Stores and services | 155 |
| Anchor tenants | 8 |
| Floor area | 1,700,000 sq ft (160,000 m2) |
| Floors | 2 (3 in Macy's) |
| Parking | 8,100 parking spaces (four levels in the Loisdale garage and six levels in the Frontier garage plus uncovered lots) |
| Public transit |  Washington Metro:  at Franconia-Springfield Fairfax Connector: 310, 321, 322, 334, 350, 351, 401, 402, 494 |
| Website | springfieldtowncenter.com |
Springfield Town Center is an enclosed shopping center located in the Springfield census-designated place (CDP) of unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia. It opened in 1973 as Springfield Mall, an enclosed shopping mall, which closed on June 30, 2012 as part of a multimillion-dollar redevelopment plan to turn it into a multifaceted "Town Center"-style shopping center with a main indoor area similar to the nearby Tysons Corner Center and Dulles Town Center, while transforming the exterior into a pedestrian friendly environment with restaurants with cafe style outdoor seating and entrances.[1][2] It is located at the intersection of I-95 and Franconia Road, which is part of the Springfield Interchange, 1/4 mile north of Franconia-Springfield Parkway and the Franconia-Springfield Metro Station. The mall reopened on October 17, 2014 following its two-year renovation.
Original anchors were Lansburgh's (later E.J. Korvette),[3][4] Garfinckel's (later Sports Authority), J.C. Penney, and Montgomery Ward (later Target). Macy's was added in 1991.[5] The mall was notable for having one of the top two performing locations of the Time Out chain of amusement arcades, which featured in its mall rat culture during the 1980s golden age of arcades.[6][7]
Prince Charles and Princess Diana visited the JCPenney store at the mall on November 11, 1985, during their famous American tour.[8] However, the mall's fortunes declined in the 1990s and 2000s. Its DMV office was where Hani Hanjour and Khalid al-Mihdhar, two of the hijackers in the September 11 attacks, illegally obtained state identification.[9] The mall also experienced two gang-related stabbings in 2005,[10] two fatal shootings, one in December 2007 and one in June 2022[11] [12] and a fatal carjacking in September 2008.[13]
One of the largest malls in Northern Virginia, it was owned and operated by Vornado Realty Trust. In 2005, Vornado purchased an option valued at $36 million to buy the mall from the previous owners Franconia Two LP.[14] In early 2006, Vornado purchased the mall for an additional $80 million along with plans to redevelop.[15]
In March 2012, Vornado announced plans to close all but the three anchor stores starting on July 1, ahead of the two-year renovation and redevelopment, which is part of a decade-long plan intended to turn the Mall and its surrounding area into the new Springfield Town Center.[16] Springfield Town Center re-opened on October 17, 2014.[17][18]
In 2014, the center was sold to PREIT for $465 million.[19] In late 2015, Dave and Buster's, a popular family owned entertainment and sports bar opened.
In August 2023, LEGO Discovery Center Washington DC opened at the property. The 32,000 square foot indoor attraction is co-created by Merlin & the LEGO Group and is located at the main entrance to the property.[20]
On February 9, 2026, JCPenney announced that it is closing its Springfield Town Center location on May 24, citing its current lease terms and unable to find another suitable location in the market.[21]
References
[edit]- ^ Stewart, Amanda (October 18, 2014). "Springfield Mall reopens as Springfield Town Center".
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved October 2, 2013.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ ""springfield mall" "lasburgh's" – Google Search". google.com. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
- ^ "Chain Store Age, Executives Edition Combined with Shopping Center Age". google.com. July 1973. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
- ^ "NewsLibrary Search Results".
- ^ "article". Funworld Magazine. 1995. p. 16. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
- ^ Latimer, Leah (February 21, 1983). "MALL RATS". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
- ^ "1985: America welcomes Charles and Diana". BBC News. November 9, 1985.
- ^ Carney, Timothy P. "Hijackers' Helper Faces Two Years Max". Human Events. 57 (48). Retrieved September 11, 2015 – via EBSCOhost.
- ^ "Police Make Arrest In Springfield Mall Stabbing Incident". nbc4.com. December 1, 2005. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
- ^ Jackman, Tom (April 26, 2008). "2 Indicted in Alleged Gang Killing at Springfield Mall". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
- ^ Constantino, Abigail (October 13, 2022). "No charges for officers who shot, killed armed man at Springfield mall". wtop.com. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
- ^ Duggan, Paul (September 15, 2008). "Woodbridge Man Charged In Fatal Virginia Carjacking". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
- ^ Hedgpeth, Dana (November 1, 2005). "Firm Makes Deal For Springfield Mall". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
- ^ "Real Estate Review". Commercial Real Estate Review. Divaris Real Estate. Archived from the original on October 25, 2006. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
- ^ "Aging Springfield Mall to close all stores but anchors for renovations". WTOP. March 8, 2012. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
- ^ Bhattarai, Abha (September 4, 2014). "Springfield Town Center reopens Oct. 17. Here's what it looks like now". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
- ^ "Springfield Town Center Reopens". NBC4 Washington. March 8, 2012. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
- ^ Van Allen, Peter (March 4, 2014). "PREIT will pay $465M for Virginia mall". Philadelphia Business Journal. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
- ^ "LEGO Discovery Center Washington DC opens with brick versions of capital landmarks". NBC Washington. November 8, 2023.
- ^ Neibauer, Michael. "JCPenney closing at Springfield Town Center". Washington Business Journal. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Springfield Town Center at Wikimedia Commons
