Peninsula Town Center
Peninsula Town Center is an open-air mixed-use shopping and commercial development in Hampton, Virginia, redeveloped from the former Coliseum Mall.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Peninsula Town Center is an open-air mixed-use development in Hampton, Virginia, within the Coliseum Central business-improvement district of the Hampton Roads region. The center occupies the site of Coliseum Mall, an enclosed shopping mall that opened in 1973 and became a major commercial and tax-generating property for Hampton. Following the mall's permanent closure in January 2007, the property was demolished and rebuilt as a more contemporary open-air center designed to combine retail, dining, office, residential, and public-space uses. The original Coliseum Mall was developed by Mall Properties Inc. of New York and opened on October 31, 1973, with E. J. Korvette, JCPenney, and Nachman's as its principal anchors. It was expanded in 1976, adding Smith & Welton and Thalhimers. Over subsequent decades, the center experienced the turnover typical of American regional malls: E. J. Korvette left after its 1980 bankruptcy, and the space was later occupied by Montgomery Ward; Nachman's successively became Hess's, Proffitt's, and Dillard's; Thalhimers became Hecht's and eventually Macy's; and a former Children's Palace space was used by an additional Dillard's location and later other retailers. Competition intensified after Patrick Henry Mall opened in Newport News in 1987 and surrounding big-box retail development expanded during the 1990s. Coliseum Mall struggled to keep pace with changing retail formats and consumer preferences. Its redevelopment was undertaken by Mall Properties in partnership with Steiner + Associates, a developer associated with other open-air town-center projects. The resulting Peninsula Town Center retained Macy's and JCPenney as anchor tenants and added a new Target store, while replacing the enclosed mall format with streets, plazas, landscaped parks, mixed-use buildings, surface and structured parking, and some residential and office space above retail units. The completed development encompasses approximately 991,000 square feet, including about 876,000 square feet of retail space and 115,000 square feet of office space. It provides approximately 4,402 parking spaces through surface lots, structured parking, and on-street spaces. Its tenant mix has included department stores, specialty retailers, restaurants, and service-oriented businesses, positioning the property as both a shopping destination and a neighborhood-style commercial district rather than a conventional enclosed mall. The center has nevertheless remained exposed to structural changes in department-store retail. In January 2016, Macy's announced that its Peninsula Town Center store would close as part of a broader round of store closures across its portfolio. The closure highlighted the continuing pressure on traditional department-store anchors even after a property has been converted to an open-air format. Peninsula Town Center remains identified with the redevelopment of the former Coliseum Mall and continues to serve the Hampton and wider Virginia Peninsula market.
History
Peninsula Town Center traces its history to Coliseum Mall, an enclosed regional shopping center developed by Mall Properties Inc. of New York in Hampton, Virginia. Coliseum Mall opened on October 31, 1973, as a commercial centerpiece of the Mercury Boulevard–Coliseum Central district. Its initial anchor lineup consisted of E. J. Korvette, JCPenney, and Nachman's. The mall was regarded as the largest and busiest shopping area on the Virginia Peninsula when it opened and became an important source of municipal tax revenue for Hampton. The property expanded in 1976 with the addition of Smith & Welton, a Norfolk-based department store, and Thalhimers, a Richmond-based department store. Retailer changes followed as the American department-store sector consolidated. E. J. Korvette entered bankruptcy and closed all of its stores in 1980; its Coliseum location remained vacant until Montgomery Ward took over the space. Montgomery Ward had previously moved from the nearby Mercury Plaza Mall, although its automotive center remained at the former location. The mall's competitive environment changed significantly in the late 1980s and 1990s. Patrick Henry Mall was developed in Newport News in 1987, and the surrounding Oyster Point and Patrick Henry districts attracted additional big-box and shopping-center development. This growth challenged Coliseum Central and reduced the relative strength of Coliseum Mall. The property continued operating, but its enclosed-mall format and tenant mix did not keep pace with evolving retail patterns. Anchor identities changed repeatedly. Nachman's became Hess's, then Proffitt's, and later Dillard's. Thalhimers became Hecht's in 1993 and Macy's in 2006. Both Dillard's locations closed in 2003. A portion of the mall was considered for Burlington Coat Factory, but Burlington ultimately opened in the former Montgomery Ward building, while a short-lived Steve & Barry's store occupied the space initially associated with the Burlington plan. These changes reflected the broader pressure on conventional department stores and enclosed regional malls. Coliseum Mall closed permanently on January 14, 2007, to make way for a major redevelopment. Mall Properties partnered with Steiner + Associates, a developer known for open-air town-center projects, to replace the enclosed mall with Peninsula Town Center. The new development retained Macy's and JCPenney, introduced Target as a new anchor, and added specialty retailers, restaurants, office space, residential components, landscaped parks, plazas, squares, and a street-oriented layout. The project became the largest redevelopment effort in Hampton's history. The completed center covers approximately 991,000 square feet, consisting of about 876,000 square feet of retail space and 115,000 square feet of office space. Its parking supply totals approximately 4,402 spaces distributed among surface lots, structured facilities, and streets. The design sought to create a flexible mixed-use environment that could function as a shopping destination, dining district, and commercial neighborhood rather than simply an enclosed mall. The redevelopment did not eliminate the long-term challenges facing department-store retail. In January 2016, Macy's announced that its Peninsula Town Center store would close among a group of 40 locations targeted for closure. The announcement illustrated the continuing contraction of the department-store sector and represented a significant change for one of the center's inherited anchor tenants. Despite this change, Peninsula Town Center remains a recognized open-air development serving Hampton and the broader Virginia Peninsula.
- 2016
Macy's announces store closure
[1]Macy's identifies its Peninsula Town Center store for closure in a portfolio-wide reduction.
- 2007
Coliseum Mall closes and redevelopment begins
[1]The mall closes permanently in January and is prepared for demolition and conversion into Peninsula Town Center.
- 2006
Hecht's becomes Macy's
[1]The former Hecht's anchor adopts the Macy's name.
- 2003
Dillard's stores close
[1]Both Dillard's locations at the mall close.
- 1993
Thalhimers becomes Hecht's
[1]The Thalhimers anchor changes identity to Hecht's.
- 1987
Patrick Henry Mall opens
[1]The opening of Patrick Henry Mall in Newport News increases competitive pressure on Coliseum Mall and the Coliseum Central district.
- 1980
E. J. Korvette exits
[1]E. J. Korvette closes after declaring bankruptcy, leaving its Coliseum Mall space available for a later Montgomery Ward occupancy.
- 1976
Coliseum Mall expands
[1]The mall adds Smith & Welton and Thalhimers as part of an expansion.
- 1973
Coliseum Mall opens
[1]The enclosed Coliseum Mall opens in Hampton on October 31 with E. J. Korvette, JCPenney, and Nachman's as anchors.
Products and positioning
A regional open-air town center combining shopping, dining, office, residential, and public-space uses on the former Coliseum Mall site.
Shopping center retail · 2007
Retail and specialty stores
Peninsula Town Center provides a range of department-store and specialty-retail space serving apparel, accessories, home goods, lifestyle merchandise, and other consumer categories. The center's open-air configuration allows stores to face streets, plazas, and landscaped pedestrian areas rather than an enclosed mall corridor.
Food and beverage · 2007
Restaurants and dining
Restaurants form part of the center's mixed-use tenant offer. Dining uses complement the retail program and contribute to the town-center positioning, with storefronts integrated into the development's streets, squares, and landscaped public areas.
Mixed-use real estate · 2007
Office and residential space
Some Peninsula Town Center buildings include commercial office and residential space above ground-floor stores. This vertical mixed-use component distinguishes the project from a conventional shopping mall and supports activity beyond standard retail hours.
Brand decisions
2016
Macy's store closureOtherBackground
Macy's announced a national and regional store-reduction program amid continuing pressure on department-store retail.
Action taken
The company announced that its Peninsula Town Center location would close as one of 40 stores targeted in early 2016.
Aftermath
The announcement removed one of the development's inherited department-store anchors and underscored the limits of redevelopment as a response to structural changes in department-store shopping.
2007
Replace the enclosed mall with an open-air mixed-use centerStrategyBackground
Coliseum Mall faced increasing competition from Patrick Henry Mall and surrounding big-box development, while its enclosed format and tenant base had become less competitive.
Action taken
Mall Properties and Steiner + Associates closed the mall, demolished the existing structure, and redeveloped the site as Peninsula Town Center with retail, dining, office, residential, and public-space components.
Aftermath
The project became Hampton's largest redevelopment effort and retained Macy's and JCPenney while adding Target as a new anchor.
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