Rockville Town Center
Rockville Town Center is a pedestrian-oriented mixed-use redevelopment district in downtown Rockville, Maryland.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Rockville Town Center is a mixed-use urban redevelopment area in downtown Rockville, Maryland. Rather than being a conventional consumer-goods brand, it is the public-facing identity for a substantial downtown revitalization project combining retail, restaurants, housing, cultural facilities, civic uses, entertainment, offices, parking, and public spaces. The district is centered on Rockville Town Square, also known as The Square Rockville, and is connected to the wider downtown area and the Rockville Metro station. The development emerged from several decades of attempts to renew Rockville’s central business area. In the 1960s, Rockville became the first small city in Maryland to participate in a federal urban-renewal program. Forty-six acres in the town center were acquired and redeveloped with new streets, residential buildings, county offices, high-rise commercial space, and a large enclosed shopping mall. That mall opened in 1972 as Rockville Mall, with approximately 500,000 square feet of space and underground parking for about 1,560 vehicles. Its retail strategy struggled from the beginning: although Sears and JCPenney had been envisioned as anchors, only Lansburgh’s opened as a principal department-store tenant. Lansburgh’s soon closed, and several replacement retailers occupied the space over time before also departing. The mall was renamed the Commons at Courthouse Square in 1978, but vacancy increased substantially. After the property’s owner entered bankruptcy and the facility closed, a redevelopment effort in the 1980s reopened it as Rockville Metro Center. The name reflected its proximity to the Rockville Metro station. The renovated complex gained an entertainment component, including a United Artists cinema complex and a billiards venue, but the broader retail center remained weak and much of the property was underoccupied. In the 1990s, local officials and residents increasingly viewed the largely vacant mall as an obstacle to downtown growth. Rockville mayor and later Montgomery County executive Doug Duncan publicly criticized the facility, which became locally associated with the nickname “the Berlin Wall” because of its perceived physical and economic separation of parts of downtown. The western portion was demolished in 1995. A park was subsequently created around the historic courthouse, while portions near the Metro station were retained and converted into office, health-care, and fitness uses. Essex Capital Partners acquired the former mall from Marine Midland Bank in 1998. Later that year, it opened an initial phase of a redevelopment described as a $300 million Rockville Center project, including renovated and expanded theaters and a restaurant-oriented area. Beginning in 2004, the redevelopment expanded into the approximately 60-acre Rockville Town Center project, a public-private venture reported at roughly $370 million. The plan introduced a more walkable, mixed-use downtown environment with residential units, shops, food stores, restaurants, public garages, the Rockville branch of the Montgomery County Public Library, and the Rockville Arts and Innovation Center. The first major phase, a 12-acre area initially called Rockville Town Square, opened on July 17, 2007, with 27 shops and restaurants. Some early tenants, including Gordon Biersch, Gifford’s Ice Cream, and an Aveda day spa, later closed. In September 2007, VisArts, a nonprofit arts organization that had previously been associated with the former mall, opened a facility in the district offering classes, galleries, and cultural programming. The completed concept positioned the area less as a single shopping center and more as a civic and lifestyle destination anchored by public space, culture, dining, entertainment, and housing.
History
Rockville Town Center is the outcome of a long sequence of urban-renewal and downtown-redevelopment projects in Rockville, Maryland. The modern district occupies land that was previously associated with Rockville Mall and later redevelopment attempts. Its history reflects the shift in American downtown planning from enclosed suburban-style shopping centers toward mixed-use, transit-connected, pedestrian-oriented districts. Rockville’s first major modern renewal effort began in 1962, when the city became the first small municipality in Maryland to undertake a federal urban-renewal program. Approximately 46 acres in the town center were assembled, and existing buildings and street patterns were substantially altered. The replacement development included the residential Americana Centre, county government facilities, high-rise offices, and a large enclosed shopping mall with extensive underground parking. The mall opened in 1972 as Rockville Mall. It covered about 500,000 square feet and occupied approximately 13 acres, with underground parking for roughly 1,560 vehicles. Its original leasing plan anticipated Sears and JCPenney as the principal department-store anchors, but the second anchor commitment did not materialize. Lansburgh’s, a department-store chain based in Washington, D.C., was the only major anchor at opening. Lansburgh’s closed within a year, after which the space was used successively by Lit Brothers, a W. & J. Sloane furniture-clearance operation, and Franklin Simon & Co. These replacement tenants were affected by the 1979 bankruptcy of City Stores, contributing to the mall’s continuing instability. The property was renamed the Commons at Courthouse Square in 1978. By 1981, many of its storefronts were vacant. Although the adjacent Montgomery County Executive Office Building opened that year, the shopping center’s tenancy continued to deteriorate. Rockville Development Associates, the New York-based owner, entered bankruptcy, and the mall eventually closed. In 1983, Eisinger-Kilbane of Gaithersburg undertook an approximately $50 million redevelopment effort. The property reopened as Rockville Metro Center, a name chosen partly to emphasize the connection to the Rockville Metro station across Maryland Route 355. The renovation attempted to create a more entertainment-driven destination. A United Artists theater complex and the billiards venue known as Breakers became important east-end attractions, particularly because of their proximity to the station. Nevertheless, the rest of the center continued to suffer from weak tenancy and extensive vacancy. The deteriorating mall became a major local political issue during the early 1990s. Rockville mayor Doug Duncan, who later became Montgomery County executive, campaigned against retaining the largely empty complex. He argued that its physical mass and low occupancy constrained downtown development and reduced the city’s potential property-tax base. Residents often referred to the facility as the “Berlin Wall,” reflecting the belief that it hindered movement and investment in the central area. In 1995, the western portion of the mall was demolished. By 1996, a park had been developed around the old courthouse and the surviving movie complex. The portion adjoining the Metro station remained, although its later office, health-care, and fitness uses made its former mall identity difficult to recognize. Essex Capital Partners purchased the property from Marine Midland Bank in 1998. Later that year, the company opened the first phase of a new Rockville Center project. That phase included renovated and expanded theaters and a restaurant row, signaling a move away from the failing department-store and enclosed-mall model. A broader redevelopment began in 2004 as the approximately 60-acre Rockville Town Center project. The undertaking was structured as a public-private venture and was reported at approximately $370 million. Its program included retail stores, restaurants, food markets, public parking garages, approximately 680 residential units, cultural venues, a library branch, and public spaces arranged to support walking and downtown activity. The project’s first major phase was a 12-acre development initially called Rockville Town Square. It opened on July 17, 2007, with 27 shops and restaurants. The early tenant mix included Gordon Biersch, Gifford’s Ice Cream, and an Aveda day spa, although those businesses later closed. In September 2007, VisArts opened a nonprofit arts center in the district, providing classes, exhibitions, galleries, and other programs. VisArts had been associated with the former Rockville Mall, giving the cultural facility a degree of continuity with the site’s earlier history. The resulting Rockville Town Center is best understood as a downtown district rather than a conventional mall. Its identity rests on the combination of civic institutions, public space, residential development, retail, restaurants, arts programming, entertainment, and proximity to regional transit. The project represents Rockville’s effort to repair the urban and economic shortcomings of the earlier mall-led renewal scheme while making the town center a more active, diverse, and walkable destination.
- 2007
Rockville Town Square opens
[1]The first major phase of the new district opens on July 17 with 27 shops and restaurants.
- 2007
VisArts opens at the district
[1]VisArts opens an arts center offering classes, galleries, and cultural programs.
- 2004
Rockville Town Center project expands
[1]A broader public-private redevelopment project begins across approximately 60 acres, adding housing, retail, restaurants, culture, civic services, and public infrastructure.
- 1998
Essex Capital Partners acquires the property
[1]Essex Capital Partners purchases the former mall from Marine Midland Bank and opens an initial theater and restaurant-focused redevelopment phase later that year.
- 1995
Western mall section is demolished
[1]The western portion of the underoccupied mall is removed as part of a broader effort to overcome the site’s barriers to downtown redevelopment.
- 1983
Redevelopment as Rockville Metro Center
[1]Eisinger-Kilbane begins an approximately $50 million redevelopment that reopens the property with an entertainment-oriented concept.
- 1981
Property closes after declining occupancy
[1]After ownership problems and extensive vacancies, the mall closes despite nearby county-government development.
- 1978
Mall is renamed the Commons at Courthouse Square
[1]The struggling shopping center adopts the Commons at Courthouse Square name as vacancy and tenant turnover continue.
- 1972
Rockville Mall opens
[1]A roughly 500,000-square-foot enclosed shopping mall opens on the redevelopment site with underground parking and Lansburgh’s as its principal opening anchor.
- 1962
Rockville begins federal urban renewal
[1]Rockville begins a major federal urban-renewal program affecting approximately 46 acres of the town center and restructuring local streets and buildings.
Products and positioning
A walkable downtown destination and civic redevelopment district that combines shopping, dining, culture, housing, entertainment, and public services around Rockville’s historic center and transit connections.
Mixed-use retail and public-space district · 2007
Rockville Town Square
The first major phase of Rockville Town Center, opened in 2007, is a 12-acre town-square development combining shops, restaurants, public gathering areas, entertainment, and nearby residential and civic uses. It was initially marketed as Rockville Town Square and is also known as The Square Rockville.
Residential development · 2004
Residential housing
The wider project includes approximately 680 residential units integrated into a pedestrian-friendly downtown setting. Housing is intended to support activity beyond retail hours and reinforce the center’s role as a mixed-use neighborhood rather than a stand-alone shopping mall.
Retail and hospitality · 1998
Retail and dining district
The district provides ground-level shops, restaurants, food stores, and entertainment businesses. Earlier phases included a restaurant row and theater uses, while the later town-center concept emphasized a varied tenant mix serving residents, visitors, commuters, and civic users.
Civic and cultural services · 2004
Cultural and civic facilities
Rockville Town Center incorporates public and nonprofit institutions, including the Rockville branch of the Montgomery County Public Library, the Rockville Arts and Innovation Center, and VisArts. These facilities broaden the district’s purpose beyond commercial activity.
Brand decisions
2004
Adopt a large-scale mixed-use redevelopment modelStrategyBackground
Earlier enclosed-mall and entertainment-led redevelopment efforts had failed to produce stable occupancy or a durable downtown destination.
Action taken
The project shifted toward a public-private, walkable district combining housing, retail, dining, arts, libraries, public parking, and civic amenities.
Aftermath
The strategy produced the Rockville Town Square phase and repositioned the site as a downtown neighborhood and public destination rather than a conventional mall.
Reported project cost. $370 million (2004 redevelopment project)
1995
Demolish the western section of the former mallStrategyBackground
Local officials and residents regarded the largely vacant mall as an obstacle to downtown development and associated it with the local nickname “the Berlin Wall.”
Action taken
The western portion of the mall was demolished, while the area near the Metro station was retained and adapted for non-retail uses.
Aftermath
A park was created around the old courthouse, and the cleared land helped enable the later mixed-use Rockville Town Center redevelopment.
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