The Collection at Chevy Chase

The Collection at Chevy Chase is a mixed-use shopping and dining development on Wisconsin Avenue in Chevy Chase, Maryland, within the broader Friendship Heights commercial district. It was created by the privately owned Chevy Chase Land Company on land associated with the company for more than a century. The project was conceived as a luxury-oriented retail destination intended to complement the established high-end shopping cluster around Friendship Heights, including nearby Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale's, and Lord & Taylor. The property's history predates the present retail center by many decades. The Chevy Chase Land Company acquired the land in the nineteenth century. The company had been co-founded in 1890 by Francis G. Newlands, and its landholding activities formed part of the development history of the Chevy Chase area. In the early twentieth century, the parcel became the subject of a disputed subdivision proposal known as Belmont. The land was initially sold to purchasers who later transferred it to a straw buyer associated with African American investors seeking to create a subdivision for African American residents. Newlands and his partners worked to prevent the transfer of title. In the 1920s, they successfully lobbied for the subdivision to be removed from Montgomery County property records, after which the company regained control of the land. This history is an important part of the site's background and reflects the exclusionary land and development practices that shaped the region. In 1953, the company developed a shopping strip on the property called the Chevy Chase Center. That center was demolished during the 1970s, leaving the site as a parking lot for roughly three decades. During the 1990s, the Chevy Chase Land Company began planning a replacement project. The new development was designed to focus on luxury retail and to capitalize on Friendship Heights' existing concentration of upscale stores. The planning process lasted about a decade because of community opposition and Montgomery County zoning requirements. Architect Bill Hellmuth, then president of the global architecture firm HOK, designed the project. The development was built on approximately 112,000 square feet of land and included a roughly 9,000-square-foot park. Its first stores opened during the latter part of 2005, and the center held a formal grand-opening celebration on May 4, 2006. Early tenants included internationally recognized luxury and fashion names such as Ralph Lauren, Barneys CO-OP, Cartier, Dior, Piazza Sempione, BVLGARI, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Jimmy Choo, and Tiffany & Co. In its early period, the center and the surrounding section of Wisconsin Avenue were sometimes promoted or described as a Washington-area equivalent of Rodeo Drive. The luxury-focused model weakened after the 2008 financial crisis. Piazza Sempione closed in April 2011 and was replaced by the Mexican restaurant Mi Cocina, which itself closed in November 2014. Barneys CO-OP left in 2012, while Dior, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton closed in 2016. These departures accompanied a broader reassessment of the center's tenant strategy. The Chevy Chase Land Company planned an expansion and repositioning toward more casual retail, food, and restaurant uses. The property underwent updates from 2017 through June 2019. The work added outdoor restaurant seating and a tiered plaza, while increasing total retail space to approximately 194,646 square feet. By 2025, the tenant mix included Amazon Fresh, Porsche, Tiffany & Co., Clyde's, and Brooks Brothers, among others. The center therefore evolved from a concentrated luxury-fashion destination into a more varied retail, dining, and services environment serving the local community and the wider Washington metropolitan market.

The site of The Collection at Chevy Chase has a long and contested development history. The Chevy Chase Land Company, co-founded in 1890 by Francis G. Newlands, acquired the land in the nineteenth century and retained an association with it for more than a century. In 1903, the company sold the parcel to purchasers who later transferred it to a straw buyer connected with African American investors. Those investors intended to subdivide the property as Belmont and sell plots to other African Americans. Newlands and his associates opposed the transfer and helped block the title. About two decades later, they successfully lobbied to have the subdivision removed from Montgomery County's property records, allowing the company to regain the land. This episode forms part of the area's history of racially exclusionary land-use practices. The company built a shopping strip called the Chevy Chase Center on the property in 1953. That facility was demolished in the 1970s, after which the parcel remained a parking lot for approximately thirty years. In the 1990s, the Chevy Chase Land Company started planning a new retail project. The proposed center sought to build on the strength of the nearby Friendship Heights luxury-shopping district, which included Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale's, and Lord & Taylor. Community opposition and county zoning requirements delayed the development for roughly a decade. Designed by Bill Hellmuth of HOK, the project occupied approximately 112,000 square feet of land and incorporated a park of about 9,000 square feet. The first stores opened in late 2005, followed by a grand-opening celebration on May 4, 2006. The initial tenant roster was heavily weighted toward luxury fashion, jewelry, and accessories. It included Ralph Lauren, Barneys CO-OP, Cartier, Dior, Piazza Sempione, BVLGARI, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Jimmy Choo, and Tiffany & Co. The center was sometimes characterized in its early years as a local version of Rodeo Drive. After 2008, the center's profits began to decline and the original luxury-retail model lost momentum. Piazza Sempione closed in April 2011, Barneys CO-OP closed in 2012, and Mi Cocina, which replaced Piazza Sempione, closed in November 2014. Dior, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton departed in 2016. The Chevy Chase Land Company responded by planning a broader tenant mix and a physical update, with greater emphasis on casual stores and restaurants. Renovation and expansion work took place from 2017 through June 2019. The project added outdoor restaurant seating and a tiered plaza and increased total retail space to approximately 194,646 square feet. As of 2025, the center's tenants included Amazon Fresh, Porsche, Tiffany & Co., Clyde's, and Brooks Brothers, along with other businesses. The property consequently transitioned from a narrowly luxury-focused shopping center into a mixed retail and dining destination serving both local shoppers and the wider Washington metropolitan area.

• 2019

  Renovation and expansion completed

  [1]The Collection at Chevy Chaseen.wikipedia.org

  Updates completed by June 2019 added outdoor dining areas and a tiered plaza and expanded total retail space to approximately 194,646 square feet.

• 2017

  Expansion and repositioning program begins

  [1]The Collection at Chevy Chaseen.wikipedia.org

  The owner planned an expansion and a shift away from an exclusively luxury-fashion tenant model toward more casual stores and restaurants.

• 2006

  Grand opening

  [1]The Collection at Chevy Chaseen.wikipedia.org

  The center held its formal grand-opening celebration on May 4, 2006.

• 2005

  First Collection stores open

  [1]The Collection at Chevy Chaseen.wikipedia.org

  The first stores in the new development began opening during the latter part of 2005.

• 1990

  Planning begins for a new luxury-oriented center

  [1]The Collection at Chevy Chaseen.wikipedia.org

  During the 1990s, the Chevy Chase Land Company began planning a replacement development focused on upscale retailers.

• 1970

  Former shopping strip is demolished

  [1]The Collection at Chevy Chaseen.wikipedia.org

  The Chevy Chase Center was demolished during the 1970s, leaving the property as a parking lot for approximately three decades.

• 1953

  Chevy Chase Center shopping strip opens

  [1]The Collection at Chevy Chaseen.wikipedia.org

  The Chevy Chase Land Company built a shopping strip on the site under the name Chevy Chase Center.

• 1903

  Land transfer becomes subject of a disputed subdivision plan

  [1]The Collection at Chevy Chaseen.wikipedia.org

  After the land was sold, it was transferred to a straw buyer associated with a proposed African American subdivision called Belmont. The original development interests worked to block the title transfer.

• 1890

  Chevy Chase Land Company is co-founded

  [1]The Collection at Chevy Chaseen.wikipedia.org

  Francis G. Newlands co-founded the Chevy Chase Land Company, the development corporation later associated with the property.

A neighborhood-serving mixed-use retail destination that originally emphasized luxury fashion and jewelry, later broadening its offer toward casual retail, groceries, restaurants, automotive retail, and outdoor public-space experiences.

• Fashion retail · 2005

  Luxury fashion and accessories

  The center initially assembled a high-end fashion and accessories tenant roster that included Ralph Lauren, Barneys CO-OP, Dior, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Jimmy Choo, and Piazza Sempione. These stores established the property's early identity as a luxury-oriented destination within Friendship Heights. Several of the original fashion tenants later closed as the center adjusted its commercial strategy.

• Jewelry retail · 2005

  Luxury jewelry and watches

  Jewelry and watch retail was a major part of the original tenant mix, represented by Cartier, BVLGARI, and Tiffany & Co. These brands supported the center's early positioning as an upscale shopping destination. Tiffany & Co. was listed among the tenants still present as of 2025.

• Food and beverage · 2011

  Dining and outdoor restaurant experience

  Restaurants became increasingly important as the center moved toward a broader and more casual tenant mix. Mi Cocina occupied a former Piazza Sempione space before closing in 2014. Later physical improvements added outdoor restaurant seating and a tiered plaza, creating a more prominent dining and public-space component.

• Shopping center · 2019

  Mixed retail and services tenant platform

  The Collection functions as a landlord-operated platform rather than a single-product brand. Its later tenant mix broadened beyond luxury fashion to include grocery, automotive, apparel, jewelry, restaurants, and other services. Examples reported for 2025 include Amazon Fresh, Porsche, Tiffany & Co., Clyde's, and Brooks Brothers.

• 2017

  Shift toward casual retail and restaurantsStrategy

  Background

  Following declining profits after 2008 and the departure of several luxury tenants, the original luxury-heavy model required reassessment.

  Action taken

  The owner planned an expansion and repositioning, adding more casual stores and restaurant uses while updating the physical environment.

  Aftermath

  The work completed by June 2019 added outdoor dining, a tiered plaza, and substantially more retail area. The later tenant mix included grocery, automotive, apparel, jewelry, and dining businesses.

  Source

• 1990

  Develop a luxury-focused shopping destinationStrategy

  Background

  The Chevy Chase Land Company sought to replace a long-standing parking lot and capitalize on the established concentration of upscale department stores in nearby Friendship Heights.

  Action taken

  It planned a new retail center aimed at luxury retailers and designed the project as a high-end shopping and mixed-use destination.

  Aftermath

  The project eventually opened its first stores in 2005 and attracted a roster of international luxury brands.

  Reported development cost. $165 million (At project opening in 2005–2006)

  Source

1. 1The Collection at Chevy Chaseen.wikipedia.org
2. 2The Collection at Chevy Chase official websitethecollectionatchevychase.com