Westfield Montgomery


Westfield Montgomery is a shopping mall in Bethesda, Maryland. Anchor stores include Macy's, Macy's Home, and Nordstrom.

History

The mall opened in March 1968, with three anchor stores and 58 smaller shops. It was built as a joint venture between The May Department Stores Company and Strouse, Greenberg & Co., based on the design of John Graham, Jr. and Ward and Hall. The original anchors were Hecht's, Garfinckel's, and Sears. Smaller shops included a Bond Stores outlet. The Mall was also where longtime fugitive William Bradford Bishop bought a ball peen hammer and gas can to allegedly kill and burn his entire family on March 1, 1976. The old mall logo was an owl-shaped "M". A mid-1970s expansion included a, Woodward & Lothrop store and of additional retail space for 40 stores.
The renovation completed in October 1991 included new floors, brass railings, glass elevator, which was removed in 2013, and removal of all the fountains to allow for more kiosk and seating space. The grand re-opening featured a concert by Tony Bennett. An expansion wing featured the first Nordstrom in Maryland and the third in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, and Crate & Barrel. The Boulevard Cafes food court is located on the second level.

Expansion

A plan to expand the mall by was approved by Montgomery County in September 2007. With the expansion, Westfield Montgomery has more than, the fourth largest mall in the Washington area behind Tysons Corner Center, Westfield Wheaton, and Fair Oaks Mall.
On June 22, 2018, Sears announced that its store would be closing on March 31, 2019, which is included as part of a plan to close 40 stores in early 2019, Sears Holdings announced on November 6, 2018., however, Sears' webpage for the location has stated that, "We're sorry, the Sears Stores at 7103 Democracy Blvd, Bethesda, MD 20817 has closed," and Westfield Montgomery has been removed from its online store locator for the state of Maryland.
In 2018, Westfield proposed a plan to transform the Sears store and surrounding areas into an open-air mixed-use center.

Crime

On May 6, 2016, former federal police officer Eulalio Tordil shot three people in the parking lot. One victim died.