Hunt Valley Towne Centre
Encyclopedia
Hunt Valley Towne Centre, formerly Hunt Valley Mall, is an outdoor shopping mall in northern Baltimore County, Maryland
. The name reflects the gentrification/upper-crust patrons of the mall hailing from affluent suburbs such as Parkton, Phoenix, and Sparks. The development was constructed following the closure of Hunt Valley Mall (other than its anchor stores) in 2000. The anchor stores in existence today include Burlington Coat Factory
, Wegmans, and Sears. Wal-Mart
was located at Hunt Valley mall until late October 2007, when it moved two miles south to Cockeysville, Maryland
. There is a Best Buy
located where Wal-Mart used to be.
s. The mall was controversial from the beginning. When the plans were made for building a new mall in 1979, environmentalists protested and area residents wanted to keep the land rural. Baltimore County Executive Donald Hutchinson refused to attend the opening ceremony and cut the ribbon. Four anchor tenants were planned for the mall although Sears and Bamberger's
, which became Macy's
, were the only ones to open. The mall included many features such as the "Paddock" food court, a Space Port arcade, and stores like Chess King, CVS, Piercing Pagoda, Kay Bee Toys, Sun Coast Video, Listening Booth Music, Florsheim Shoes, Hess Woman's Apparel, Art Explosion, Merry Go Round, Hudson Trail Outfitters, Deb, Paul Harris, Sir Walter Raleigh Inn and others. The mall had four water features which were two small waterfalls at either end of the mall, and larger fountains in each center court along with a glass enclosed elevator facing the largest fountain below the food court. This particular fountain was extremely loud, and its water jets shot above the second floor balcony. When Santa would visit, his Christmas display would be located here. Escalators were in both center courts. The mall's property was formerly a farm owned by the Bonnie Blink Estate, which now houses a Masonic Resting Home on the site directly above the parking lot behind the mall. The mall's logo was a fox hunting horn. Some nicknames given to the mall were "Death Valley" and "C--- Valley".
was extended north from its Timonium terminus
to the parking lot of Hunt Valley Mall. There were hopes that this would increase business to the struggling mall. At the same time, this led to increased crime at the mall. Increased lighting, security officers and off duty police were added to ward off any additional crime.
Prior to the light rail's extension, the mall was served by Maryland Transit Administration
Bus Route 9. Today, this route operates to the nearby International Circle.
Baltimore County, Maryland
Baltimore County is a county located in the northern part of the US state of Maryland. In 2010, its population was 805,029. It is part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Towson. The name of the county was derived from the barony of the Proprietor of the Maryland...
. The name reflects the gentrification/upper-crust patrons of the mall hailing from affluent suburbs such as Parkton, Phoenix, and Sparks. The development was constructed following the closure of Hunt Valley Mall (other than its anchor stores) in 2000. The anchor stores in existence today include Burlington Coat Factory
Burlington Coat Factory
Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corporation is a national department store retailer focusing on clothing and shoes, with over 450 stores in 45 states and Puerto Rico.. In 2006, it was acquired by Bain Capital, LLC in a take-private transaction...
, Wegmans, and Sears. Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
was located at Hunt Valley mall until late October 2007, when it moved two miles south to Cockeysville, Maryland
Cockeysville, Maryland
Cockeysville is a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 19,388 at the 2000 census.-History:...
. There is a 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...
located where Wal-Mart used to be.
History
Hunt Valley Mall opened on September 17, 1981. It was developed by Myles Tanenbaum and Kravco Co. of King of Prussia, PA. Its success over the following two decades was limited, and as a result, many of the merchants failed by the end of the 1990s. Competition from White Marsh Mall, which opened a month earlier, as well as Columbia, Towson and Owings Mills did not help matters either. This resulted in plans being made to convert the mall into an outdoor town center with big-box storeBig-box store
A big-box store is a physically large retail establishment, usually part of a chain. The term sometimes also refers, by extension, to the company that operates the store...
s. The mall was controversial from the beginning. When the plans were made for building a new mall in 1979, environmentalists protested and area residents wanted to keep the land rural. Baltimore County Executive Donald Hutchinson refused to attend the opening ceremony and cut the ribbon. Four anchor tenants were planned for the mall although Sears and Bamberger's
Bamberger's
Bamberger's was a department store chain with locations primarily in New Jersey, but also Delaware, Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania. The chain was headquartered in Newark, New Jersey.-History:Founded in 1893 by Louis Bamberger as L...
, which became Macy's
Macy's
Macy'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...
, were the only ones to open. The mall included many features such as the "Paddock" food court, a Space Port arcade, and stores like Chess King, CVS, Piercing Pagoda, Kay Bee Toys, Sun Coast Video, Listening Booth Music, Florsheim Shoes, Hess Woman's Apparel, Art Explosion, Merry Go Round, Hudson Trail Outfitters, Deb, Paul Harris, Sir Walter Raleigh Inn and others. The mall had four water features which were two small waterfalls at either end of the mall, and larger fountains in each center court along with a glass enclosed elevator facing the largest fountain below the food court. This particular fountain was extremely loud, and its water jets shot above the second floor balcony. When Santa would visit, his Christmas display would be located here. Escalators were in both center courts. The mall's property was formerly a farm owned by the Bonnie Blink Estate, which now houses a Masonic Resting Home on the site directly above the parking lot behind the mall. The mall's logo was a fox hunting horn. Some nicknames given to the mall were "Death Valley" and "C--- Valley".
Transit connections
In 1997, the Baltimore Light RailBaltimore Light Rail
The Maryland Transit Administration Light Rail is a light rail system serving Baltimore, Maryland, United States, and the surrounding suburbs.In downtown Baltimore it uses city streets...
was extended north from its Timonium terminus
Timonium (Baltimore Light Rail station)
The Timonium Light Rail Stop is one of 33 stops on the Baltimore Light Rail and is the northern terminus of some trips. The station up until 1997 was the northern terminus, and also was for a few months during the double-tracking project in 2007. Currently, trains originating from Cromwell/Glen...
to the parking lot of Hunt Valley Mall. There were hopes that this would increase business to the struggling mall. At the same time, this led to increased crime at the mall. Increased lighting, security officers and off duty police were added to ward off any additional crime.
Prior to the light rail's extension, the mall was served by Maryland Transit Administration
Maryland Transit Administration
The Maryland Transit Administration is a state-operated mass transit administration in Maryland, and is part of the Maryland Department of Transportation. It is better known as MTA Maryland to avoid confusion with other cities' transit agencies who share the initials MTA. The MTA operates a...
Bus Route 9. Today, this route operates to the nearby International Circle.