Malls · Virginia
Virginia Square Shopping Center
Virginia Square Shopping Center opened 1952, closed 1975, demolished 1988, redeveloped by FDIC into office buildings in Arlington County, Virginia. · summary, model-written
Solid = from the authors' map · outlined = public source · dashed = model-written, not yet reviewed by a person. Tap any value's source label to see where it came from. documented = a quoted excerpt (click to read it) · reported = a source named, no excerpt yet · no source.
Site profile2 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence
Redeveloped
This site: …satellite office and other buildings extraction · all sites with thisOffice
This site: …satellite office and other buildings extraction · all sites with thisNow
| Status | Demolishedextracted, unreviewed documentedFederal Deposit Insurance Corporation demolished the old center and erected a new satellite office and other buildings on the site. |
|---|---|
| Strategy | Redevelopedextracted, unreviewed |
| New uses | officeextracted, unreviewed reported |
| What is there now | satellite office and other buildingsextracted, unreviewed documentedFederal Deposit Insurance Corporation demolished the old center and erected a new satellite office and other buildings on the site. |
| Retrofit year | 1988extracted, unreviewed reported |
| Redeveloper | Federal Deposit Insurance Corporationextracted, unreviewed reported |
Deals and debt
| Date | Event | Price | Parties | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Sold | — | Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation | Wikipedia |
Site context
| Attention: Wikipedia page views | 9,738 since 2015; 819 in the last 12 months (-15% vs the prior 12); peak 2020-01 with 132Wikimedia |
|---|
Summary, model-written
Opened in 1952 as a 15‑store mall in Arlington’s Ballston area, the center closed in 1975. It was demolished in 1988 and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation acquired the site, replacing it with office and satellite office buildings.
Why. The record does not specify why the mall closed or was demolished; no anchor loss, competition, debt, or other causes are stated.
Where it stands. The mall was demolished in 1988 and the site is now occupied by office/satellite office buildings owned by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation per the 1988 sale.
For a planner
- Redevelopment strategy listed as “redevelop” with a planned new use of office.
- The FDIC acquired the property via a 1988 sale deal, indicating a public‑sector led retrofit.
- Open questions include the reasons for the 1975 closure and any zoning or entitlement steps taken for the office reuse.
- No explicit policy tools (e.g., tax incentives, historic preservation) are recorded for this project.
For a developer
- Site size and parcel boundaries are not provided in the record.
- Control transferred to the FDIC in 1988 via sale; current ownership status is unknown.
- Entitlement stage appears complete – the retrofit to office was finished by 1988.
- No context‑layer constraints (flood, transit, environment) are mentioned in the record.
What we do not know yet
- Exact site acreage and parcel configuration are missing.
- Current owner after the FDIC period is not stated; the record only shows FDIC ownership from 1988 onward.
- Reasons for the 1975 closure and 1988 demolition are not provided.
- Zoning, land‑use approvals, floodplain status, transit access, and environmental conditions are absent from the record.
- The record is marked as “draft” verified, indicating possible unreviewed or model‑extracted data.
Generated by nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b on NVIDIA API via Hermes CT from the fields, parcels, deals and context layers on this page, with no outside knowledge. It is regenerated when the record changes and has not been checked by a person. How it is made.
Similar sites
- Ballston Commons, Arlington, VA · Malls · opened 1951; same strategy: redevelop; also in VA
- Cole Shopping Center, Cheyenne, WY · Malls · opened 1954; same strategy: redevelop
- Eastland Center, Harper Woods, MI · Malls · opened 1957; same strategy: redevelop
- Parkdale Plaza, Corpus Christi, TX · Malls · opened 1957; same strategy: redevelop
Elsewhere on the web
Pages with photos
- Virginia Square Shopping Center yourcorninfo.blogspot.com
Search images: Google · Bing · Commons · references: ULI case studies · Google Scholar
Multifamily screen
- retrofit already built
- closed or demolished site (sourced)
Inputs: record fields (size, status) and county Census ACS 2018–2023 figures (growth, rent). How the points work. Not a recommendation.
History and original facts
| Opened | 1952Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Closed | 1975extracted, unreviewed documentedFollowing the 1975 closure of the Kann's-Virginia and Kimel's Furniture Store, the center entered into a period of decline. |
| Stores at peak | 15extracted, unreviewed reported |
| Anchors | Peoples Drug, F. W. Woolworth Company, Giant supermarket, Fanny Farmer candy store, L. Frank Co., Jonas, Bo Peep Shop, Mary Baynes Gift Shop |
| Census division | 5 · South Atlantic |
| Notes | Wikipedia categories: Demolished shopping malls in the United States |
Not yet recorded: acres, GLA, original developer. Know it? Tell us.
Background
The Virginia Square Shopping Center was a shopping center in the Ballston section of Arlington County, Virginia. In early 1952, it opened to complement the adjoining Kann's-Virginia store.
Excerpt from Wikipedia (authors and history), CC BY-SA 4.0. May be older than the record above.
Timeline
- 1952 Opened (Wikidata)
- 1952 opened
- 1975 closure
- 1986 closure
- 1988 demolition
Sources
- Wikipedia: Virginia Square Shopping Center · supports: after notes, status, strategy, year closed
8 quoted sentences
Following the 1975 closure of the Kann's-Virginia and Kimel's Furniture Store, the center entered into a period of decline.
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation demolished the old center and erected a new satellite office and other buildings on the site.
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation demolished the old center and erected a new satellite office and other buildings on the site.
Redevelopment of the Center commenced in Summer 1988
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