The Mall at Prince Georges

The Mall at Prince Georges is an enclosed regional shopping mall in Hyattsville, Maryland, at the intersection of Belcrest Road and East-West Highway, or Maryland Route 410. It is part of the Washington metropolitan retail network and benefits from direct access to the Hyattsville Crossing Washington Metro station, served by the Green and Yellow Lines. A mixed-use development known as University Town Center is located across Belcrest Road. The property began as Prince George's Plaza, an open-air shopping center that developed around major department-store and grocery anchors in the late 1950s. The Hecht Company opened its store at the site on November 2, 1958, helping establish the center before the broader complex's 1959 opening. Grand Union supermarket followed in December 1958. The original center was planned as a substantial suburban retail destination, with approximately 600,000 square feet of commercial space and parking for roughly 4,000 vehicles at the time of its early development. Over subsequent decades, the property expanded and evolved from an open-air center into an enclosed mall, with enclosure completed around 1977. Its anchor history reflects the changing structure of Mid-Atlantic department-store retail. Hecht's became Macy's in September 2006 after the Hecht's name was retired. Woodward & Lothrop opened a store in 1966; after that chain failed in 1995, its space was occupied by JCPenney. Raleigh Haberdasher also operated at the center from the mid-1960s until 1991, and the former Raleigh's space was later redeveloped for Target, Marshalls, and Ross Dress for Less. The mall adopted its current name on November 14, 2004, after an extensive renovation, although Prince George's Plaza remains a common informal name. The redevelopment introduced a newer large-format retail configuration, including Target and lower-level Marshalls and Ross locations. Former supermarket space also passed through several uses, including Kids "R" Us, Office Depot, and Kids 4 Less, before becoming a TJ Maxx store in 2013. In the 2020s, the property continued to experience anchor turnover and redevelopment. JCPenney announced in June 2020 that its store would close as part of a nationwide reduction, and the closure was completed later that year. Part of the former JCPenney building was demolished in 2022 for a planned apartment development. The remaining portion was subsequently associated with a Primark store, reported as opening on May 14, 2026. The current tenant mix includes Five Below, TJ Maxx, Ross Dress for Less, Marshalls, Macy's, Primark, and Target. PREIT owns and manages the mall, which remains an active community-serving retail and transit-accessible commercial property.

The site that became The Mall at Prince Georges emerged as a major suburban retail location in the late 1950s. The Hecht Company opened a department store there on November 2, 1958, before the wider Prince George's Plaza shopping center formally opened. The store was Hecht's fourth location in the Washington area and occupied nearly one-third of the center's initially planned business space. The opening attracted an estimated 3,000 people and included remarks by Maryland governor Theodore R. McKeldin. Grand Union opened a large supermarket at the center in December 1958. Its store included a bakery, rotisserie, gourmet-food department, automated checkout equipment, and a packaged-food display system. In 1984, Food-a-rama acquired the location and other Grand Union and Basics stores in Maryland and Washington, D.C. After the supermarket closed, the premises went through several retail uses, including Kids "R" Us, Office Depot, and Kids 4 Less. TJ Maxx later occupied the redeveloped space. The center added additional department-store anchors during the 1960s. Raleigh Haberdasher announced a 20,000-square-foot store in 1965 and opened it in spring 1966. Woodward & Lothrop also opened in August 1966. Raleigh's closed its location in 1991, and the chain ceased operations by the end of 1992. The former site was eventually demolished and rebuilt as a Target store, with Marshalls and Ross Dress for Less added in the associated redevelopment. The Woodward & Lothrop store remained an important anchor until the chain's collapse in 1995, after which JCPenney occupied the space. The center itself underwent multiple expansions and was enclosed around 1977, changing from an open-air shopping complex into an enclosed regional mall. In September 2006, the Hecht's location became Macy's following the retirement of the Hecht's brand. On November 14, 2004, after an extensive renovation, the property had adopted the name The Mall at Prince George's, although the earlier Prince George's Plaza name continued to be used informally. The mall's later history has been shaped by anchor replacement and mixed-use redevelopment. JCPenney announced in 2020 that its store would close as part of a nationwide reduction, and portions of the former building were demolished in 2022 for an apartment project. In 2024, Primark was announced as a future tenant in the remaining space, with an opening reported for May 14, 2026. The mall is currently owned and managed by PREIT and is anchored by Five Below, TJ Maxx, Ross Dress for Less, Marshalls, Macy's, Primark, and Target. Its location next to Hyattsville Crossing station and near University Town Center gives it both regional retail access and a connection to surrounding transit-oriented development.

• 2026

  Primark opens in the former JCPenney space

  [1]The Mall at Prince George'sen.wikipedia.org

  The remaining portion of the former JCPenney location was reported as completed for Primark, with an opening date of May 14, 2026.

• 2022

  Former JCPenney building is partly demolished

  [1]The Mall at Prince George'sen.wikipedia.org

  Part of the former JCPenney structure was demolished for a planned apartment development.

• 2020

  JCPenney closes

  [1]The Mall at Prince George'sen.wikipedia.org

  JCPenney announced and completed the closure of its mall store during a nationwide reduction.

• 2006

  Hecht's becomes Macy's

  [1]The Mall at Prince George'sen.wikipedia.org

  The former Hecht's store was converted to Macy's in September 2006.

• 2004

  The property is renamed The Mall at Prince George's

  [1]The Mall at Prince George'sen.wikipedia.org

  Following an extensive renovation, the mall adopted its current name on November 14, 2004.

• 1977

  The center becomes enclosed

  [1]The Mall at Prince George'sen.wikipedia.org

  The open-air shopping center was enclosed as part of its continuing expansion, with completion occurring around 1977.

• 1966

  Raleigh's and Woodward & Lothrop expand the anchor mix

  [1]The Mall at Prince George'sen.wikipedia.org

  Raleigh's opened in spring 1966 and Woodward & Lothrop opened in August 1966.

• 1959

  Prince George's Plaza opens

  [1]The Mall at Prince George'sen.wikipedia.org

  The retail complex opened as an open-air shopping center known as Prince George's Plaza.

• 1958

  Hecht Company opens at the future shopping center

  [1]The Mall at Prince George'sen.wikipedia.org

  Hecht's opened its Prince George's Plaza department store on November 2, 1958, helping establish the retail center before its broader 1959 opening.

• 1958

  Grand Union opens a supermarket

  [1]The Mall at Prince George'sen.wikipedia.org

  Grand Union opened a large supermarket at the center in December 1958.

A transit-connected suburban regional mall combining department stores, mass merchants, off-price retailers, and value-oriented fashion and specialty stores.

• Department store · 2006

  Macy's

  The mall's department-store anchor evolved from the original Hecht Company location. After the Hecht's brand was discontinued, the store became Macy's in September 2006, continuing the site's role as a full-line apparel, home, beauty, and general merchandise anchor.

• Mass merchandise · 2004

  Target

  Target replaced the former Raleigh's site as part of a major redevelopment. The store provides broad general merchandise, household, apparel, health, beauty, and selected grocery offerings and serves as one of the property's large-format anchors.

• Value fashion retailer · 2026

  Primark

  Primark was announced for the remaining portion of the former JCPenney building. The value-fashion retailer is associated with affordable clothing, accessories, and home products, and its reported opening date at the mall is May 14, 2026.

• Off-price retailer · 2013

  TJ Maxx

  TJ Maxx occupies space that previously passed through several uses after the closure of the Grand Union supermarket and later retail tenants. It contributes off-price apparel, accessories, home merchandise, and seasonal goods to the mall's value-oriented tenant mix.

• Off-price retailer

  Marshalls

  Marshalls is part of the lower-level retail redevelopment associated with the former Raleigh's location. Its assortment generally centers on discounted apparel, footwear, accessories, home goods, and seasonal merchandise.

• Off-price retailer

  Ross Dress for Less

  Ross Dress for Less opened as part of the redevelopment that replaced the former Raleigh's space. The store strengthens the mall's discount positioning through value-priced clothing, footwear, accessories, home products, and other merchandise.

• Value specialty retailer

  Five Below

  Five Below is a current anchor-level tenant offering low-priced accessories, toys, games, technology accessories, room products, and seasonal merchandise aimed particularly at children, teenagers, and young adults.

• 2024

  Primark replacement-anchor decisionProduct launch

  Background

  Following the closure and partial demolition of the former JCPenney building, the property required a new major retail use for the remaining structure.

  Action taken

  Primark was announced as the tenant for the remaining former JCPenney space, with an opening reported for May 14, 2026.

  Aftermath

  The planned store adds a large value-fashion operator to the mall's existing mix of department stores, mass merchants, and off-price retailers.

  Source

• 2020

  JCPenney anchor closureOther

  Background

  JCPenney announced a nationwide program to close 13 stores during a period of corporate restructuring.

  Action taken

  The JCPenney store at the mall was scheduled to close in October 2020 and subsequently ceased operations.

  Aftermath

  The former anchor building was partly demolished in 2022 and later became the basis for apartment and Primark redevelopment plans.

  Source

• 2004

  Rebrand and renovation as The Mall at Prince George'sStrategy

  Background

  The property had operated for decades under the Prince George's Plaza name and had undergone multiple expansions and enclosure.

  Action taken

  Following an extensive renovation, the owner adopted the name The Mall at Prince George's on November 14, 2004.

  Aftermath

  The former name remained in common informal use, while the current name became the mall's official public identity.

  Source

1. 1The Mall at Prince George'sen.wikipedia.org
2. 2The Mall at Prince Georges official websitemallatprincegeorges.com