National Place
A 16-story mixed-use building in downtown Washington, D.C., formerly known for housing The Shops at National Place, a three-level enclosed festival marketplace.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
National Place is a 16-story mixed-use building in downtown Washington, D.C., occupying a block bounded by Pennsylvania Avenue NW and F Street NW between 13th and 14th Streets. The building stands beside the National Press Building and incorporates offices, street-level retail and dining, parking, and an atrium-linked interior concourse. It is best known for having housed The Shops at National Place, a three-level enclosed shopping mall developed during an effort to revive downtown Washington's traditional commercial district. The project emerged from a late-1970s public-private redevelopment initiative. In December 1978, Quadrangle Development Corporation, The Rouse Company, and Marriott Corporation formed a joint venture around a proposed $110 million development. The surrounding Pennsylvania Avenue area had suffered from vacant properties, parking lots, declining retail activity, and the longer-term effects of urban unrest. The project was intended to restore commercial energy while preserving and adapting important historic structures. Planning for the retail component began in 1980 as part of a broader redevelopment of the National Press Building. The work involved restoration of the 1927 building and the addition of approximately 80,000 square feet of retail and office space organized around a large atrium. The Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation supported private investment through incentives connected with historic preservation. Because preservation requirements restricted major structural intervention, The Rouse Company could not simply reproduce the open-air marketplace format associated with Harborplace in Baltimore and Faneuil Hall Marketplace in Boston. Instead, it created an enclosed, partially underground and atrium-connected retail environment beneath and alongside the National Press Club headquarters. The first phase of The Shops opened on May 14, 1984, with 53 stores in approximately 71,000 square feet of retail space. A second phase opened on April 25, 1985, adding approximately 40 stores. The complex opened alongside the first JW Marriott hotel, a renovated National Theater, and the restored National Press Building, and was promoted as a major contribution to downtown renewal. Early tenants included Melart Jewelers, Sight and Sound Electronics, August Max, Record Town, and Brooks Fashions. The complex also included underground parking and a prominent multistory atrium. The retail concept struggled during the late 1980s and subsequent decades. Its inward-facing layout made the shops difficult to see and reach from the street, while many stores were tucked into interior areas. The project also lacked a strong anchor retailer and faced parking and maintenance challenges. James W. Rouse later acknowledged that the design had been inefficient. Filene's Basement opened in 1998 as an attempted traffic generator, but the mall continued to lose tenants. The Rouse Company was acquired by General Growth Properties in 2004. General Growth subsequently introduced Eat at National Place, a food hall that opened in June 2005 with more than ten vendors, including Five Guys and Moe's Southwest Grill. The food hall became the property's principal surviving public-facing retail component after the wider mall closed in 2008 amid vacancies, competition from other regional shopping destinations, and the effects of the Great Recession. The passageway to the JW Marriott also remained in use for a period. Retail operations associated with the National Press Building were sold in 2011 to Quadrangle Development Corporation and AEW Capital Management. Later ownership and management changed several times. The former mall's large lobby and atrium were renovated in 2018, with new lighting, updated stairs and railings, a black-and-white interior treatment, and office space known as The Nexus. These changes reflected a shift away from enclosed mall retail toward office, dining, and street-level commercial uses. Eat at National Place closed permanently in May 2020 after fifteen years, with the COVID-19 pandemic contributing to the food hall's difficulties. A Verizon store formerly located within the food hall moved to a nearby address and adopted a simpler Verizon identity. By the early 2020s, the former mall areas had been repurposed or marketed for office, retail, and dining uses, including restaurants, a Starbucks location, and other contemporary amenities. The property is now generally referred to as National Place rather than The Shops at National Place. Its retail portions have been associated with CBRE, while office management has been associated with Jones Lang LaSalle. The original shopping-mall brand is defunct, but the National Place building remains an active mixed-use property.
History
National Place developed from a late-1970s effort to restore commercial activity along downtown Washington's Pennsylvania Avenue corridor. In December 1978, Quadrangle Development Corporation, The Rouse Company, and Marriott Corporation established a joint venture for a proposed $110 million project. The area had experienced prolonged disinvestment, vacant buildings, parking lots, and declining souvenir retail. The redevelopment was also connected to the preservation and modernization of the National Press Building, a 1927 structure adjacent to the site. The retail element was planned from 1980 as part of a roughly $28 million redevelopment program. The project sought to add retail and office space while preserving the historic building and linking nearby properties through an enclosed atrium and concourse. The Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation encouraged investment through tax and preservation incentives. Construction began in February 1982. The design was prepared by HTB, Inc., while The Rouse Company handled the retail development through TRC Holding Company of Washington, D.C., and Rouse–National Press Management, Inc. The Rouse Company had achieved attention with festival marketplaces such as Harborplace and Faneuil Hall Marketplace. National Place presented a more difficult setting because preservation rules prevented the extensive structural changes associated with an open-air pavilion. The company therefore developed The Shops at National Place as a three-level enclosed and partially underground marketplace attached to the National Press Building and its atrium. This became an unusual adaptation of the festival-marketplace idea to a large historic urban office building. The first phase opened on May 14, 1984, with 53 stores occupying approximately 71,000 square feet. The opening coincided with the debut of the first JW Marriott hotel, the renovation of the National Theater, and work on the National Press Building. A second phase opened on April 25, 1985, with about 40 additional stores. The project included approximately 450 underground parking spaces and was presented by local officials and developers as evidence that downtown Washington was returning to commercial health. The concept did not achieve the expected long-term performance. Its retail spaces were largely hidden from surrounding streets, access was confusing, and many tenants were located deep inside the complex. The development also lacked a conventional anchor retailer. The Rouse Company relied on larger-format tenants and later recruited Filene's Basement, which opened in 1998, but these measures did not reverse the broader decline. The complex faced high maintenance costs, parking limitations, changing retail patterns, competing centers such as Union Station and Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, and the wider downturn associated with the Great Recession. General Growth Properties acquired The Rouse Company in November 2004. Under General Growth, the property received a further attempt at repositioning through Eat at National Place, a food hall that opened in June 2005 with more than ten vendors. It became the main active retail feature after The Shops at National Place closed as a mall in 2008. The food hall and the connection to the JW Marriott survived the mall closure for a period, while other areas became vacant or were considered for office conversion. In June 2011, General Growth sold the National Press Building's retail operations to Quadrangle Development Corporation and AEW Capital Management. In April 2015, Quadrangle proposed demolishing the mall and replacing it with a 13-story, approximately 283,000-square-foot building. Historical considerations led to abandonment of that plan. Instead, the existing spaces were progressively reused. A major 2018 renovation of the former mall lobby introduced new lighting, refreshed stairs and railings, a new black-and-white visual scheme, and office space called The Nexus. Ownership and management continued to evolve. Normandy Real Estate Partners acquired the National Press Building in 2016, and later property changes brought Columbia Property Trust and subsequently Cannon Hill Capital Partners into the building's ownership history. Later renovations added conference rooms, bicycle storage, a fitness center, contemporary retail, and the SPiN Ping Pong Club venue. Eat at National Place closed permanently in May 2020 during the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. By the early 2020s, the property functioned as National Place, a mixed-use office, dining, and street-retail building rather than a conventional enclosed shopping mall. CBRE has been associated with retail operations and Jones Lang LaSalle with office management. The original mall identity is defunct, but the building remains in active use.
- 2020
Food hall closes permanently
[1]Eat at National Place shut permanently after fifteen years of operation.
- 2018
Former mall lobby modernized
[1]The atrium and former mall lobby received a renovation that introduced updated public areas and office space.
- 2015
Mall demolition proposal abandoned
[1]A proposed demolition and replacement project was abandoned after historical concerns.
- 2011
Retail operations transferred
[1]General Growth sold retail operations associated with the building to Quadrangle Development Corporation and AEW Capital Management.
- 2008
Shopping mall closes
[1]The Shops ceased operating as a general shopping mall, although the food court and hotel passageway remained temporarily active.
- 2005
Eat at National Place opens
[1]A food hall with local and national vendors opened as part of a repositioning effort.
- 2004
Rouse portfolio acquired by General Growth Properties
[1]General Growth Properties acquired The Rouse Company and its portfolio, including interests connected with National Place.
- 1998
Filene's Basement becomes a major tenant
[1]Filene's Basement opened as an attempted anchor and traffic generator for the underperforming retail complex.
- 1985
Second retail phase opens
[1]The second phase added approximately 40 stores and completed the initial marketplace expansion.
- 1984
First phase of The Shops opens
[1]The first retail phase opened with 53 stores and approximately 71,000 square feet of space.
Products and positioning
A downtown mixed-use and commercial property whose original enclosed festival-marketplace concept was later replaced by office, dining, and street-level retail uses.
Enclosed shopping mall · 1984
The Shops at National Place
The original three-level enclosed marketplace and retail component of National Place. It opened in two phases in 1984 and 1985 with a mixture of fashion, electronics, jewelry, records, discount retail, restaurants, and larger-format tenants. Conceived as an adaptation of The Rouse Company's festival-marketplace model, it connected interior retail areas to the National Press Building and a large atrium. The mall closed as a general shopping destination in 2008 after years of vacancies and weak customer access.
Food hall · 2005
Eat at National Place
A food court and food-hall concept introduced by General Growth Properties in 2005 to provide a more accessible and frequently used destination within the struggling complex. It hosted more than ten vendors, including Five Guys and Moe's Southwest Grill, and served office workers, visitors, tour groups, and nearby customers. The operation continued after the wider mall closed but shut permanently in May 2020 during the COVID-19 period.
Office space · 2018
The Nexus
Office space created within the renovated former mall lobby and atrium. Its introduction formed part of the property's transition from enclosed shopping mall to mixed-use office, dining, and street-retail environment.
Mixed-use real estate
National Place mixed-use property
The current National Place property combines upper-floor offices with street-level retail and dining and retained or repurposed portions of the original atrium and concourse. Later improvements included conference facilities, bicycle storage, fitness amenities, and contemporary commercial venues.
Brand decisions
2018
Convert the former mall lobby into a contemporary office and amenity spaceGeneration changeBackground
Large portions of the former retail complex were vacant or unsuitable for conventional mall use.
Action taken
The lobby and atrium were renovated with new lighting, updated circulation elements, refreshed finishes, and The Nexus office space.
Aftermath
The intervention supported National Place's repositioning as a mixed-use office and commercial property.
2015
Abandon proposed mall demolitionStrategyBackground
Quadrangle Development Corporation considered replacing the obsolete mall with a new office building.
Action taken
The demolition and replacement plan was abandoned because of historical considerations.
Aftermath
The existing building and interior spaces were retained and progressively renovated or repurposed.
2008
End general mall operationsStrategyBackground
High vacancy, competition from other regional shopping centers, access limitations, and the Great Recession weakened the retail proposition.
Action taken
The Shops at National Place closed as a shopping mall, retaining limited food-court and hotel-passage functions.
Aftermath
The property began a long transition toward office, dining, and street-level retail uses.
2005
Launch Eat at National PlaceStrategyBackground
General Growth Properties sought to increase daily visitation and make the property more useful to office workers and visitors after acquiring The Rouse Company's portfolio.
Action taken
The owner opened a food hall with more than ten local and national vendors.
Aftermath
The food hall outlasted the wider mall but eventually closed permanently in 2020.
1998
Add Filene's Basement as a traffic-generating tenantStrategyBackground
The Shops lacked a strong anchor retailer and had experienced tenant and access problems since the late 1980s.
Action taken
Filene's Basement opened within the complex in an effort to provide a recognizable large-format destination.
Aftermath
The tenant did not reverse the longer-term decline of the enclosed mall.
1980
Adapt the festival-marketplace model to a historic office buildingStrategyBackground
The Rouse Company wanted to apply the commercial approach associated with Harborplace and Faneuil Hall Marketplace, but preservation restrictions and the existing National Press Building limited structural changes.
Action taken
The developer selected an enclosed, partially underground and atrium-linked retail arrangement rather than an open-air pavilion.
Aftermath
The adaptation produced a distinctive urban complex but contributed to poor street visibility and difficult customer access, factors later associated with the mall's weak performance.
Sources1 sources
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