Towson Square

Towson Square is an outdoor retail and entertainment center in Towson, Maryland. The development was planned under the name Towson Circle III and was constructed between 2013 and 2014 by The Cordish Companies and Heritage Properties, Inc. It replaced a large area of surface parking bounded generally by East Joppa Road, Delaware Avenue, Virginia Avenue, and East Pennsylvania Avenue. The project was conceived as a walkable complement to the established Towson retail district, with restaurants, entertainment, public-space elements, and a major cinema as its principal attractions. The development was reported to have an estimated construction cost of approximately $85 million, although that figure is a historical project estimate rather than a current valuation. A notable planning feature was the proposed incorporation of an existing historic cemetery bordering Shealy Avenue into a planned park or open-space treatment. Shealy Avenue runs roughly through the center of the property, contributing to the site's divided layout. Cinemark provided the center's most prominent anchor. Its Towson theater opened on July 10, 2014, during Cinemark's thirtieth-anniversary celebrations. At opening, the cinema was described as a 15-screen facility and featured Cinemark's reserve-seating concept, including luxury seats that customers could book in advance, an expanded food and beverage offering, and alcoholic drinks in a designated premium area. It also used Cinemark's NextGen branding, which emphasized updated projection, sound, seating, and guest amenities. The Baltimore Sun described the Towson location as Cinemark's international flagship, replacing the company's former flagship in Dallas. Towson Square was initially positioned as a restaurant- and entertainment-led destination within the wider Towson commercial area. Its tenant mix included national restaurant chains and the Cinemark theater, rather than a conventional enclosed department-store anchor. In 2014, the property was sold to Retail Properties of America, Inc. for a reported $40.5 million, allowing it to be managed together with the adjacent Towson Circle property, later redeveloped and branded as Circle East. The center subsequently experienced substantial tenant turnover and a pronounced decline in activity. Bobby's Burger Palace and World of Beer closed during the COVID-19 period. BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse shut its Towson location in August 2023 as part of a national decision to close five underperforming restaurants, while Bonefish Grill closed in September 2023. On the Border closed in March 2025 amid the chain's bankruptcy proceedings. Nando's Peri-Peri left in July 2025 after choosing not to renew its lease following approximately a decade at the center. By July 2025, most of the restaurant spaces surrounding Cinemark were reported to be vacant, leading local observers to characterize Towson Square as a struggling or ghost-town-like development. In September 2025, Kite Realty stated that it was exploring alternatives for the vacant spaces and evaluating a broader repositioning that would make Towson Square more than a restaurant- and entertainment-focused destination. No finalized redevelopment plan was reported in the supplied material. The property's future therefore remains tied to the success of any tenant reconfiguration, reuse strategy, or broader integration with nearby Towson retail and mixed-use projects.

Towson Square was developed in Towson, Maryland, on land that had primarily been used for surface parking between East Joppa Road, Delaware Avenue, Virginia Avenue, and East Pennsylvania Avenue. The project was originally planned as Towson Circle III and was developed by The Cordish Companies and Heritage Properties, Inc. Construction took place from 2013 to 2014, with the development intended to add an open-air retail, dining, and entertainment destination to the Towson commercial district. The reported project estimate was approximately $85 million. Planning for the site included an intention to incorporate an existing historic cemetery bordering Shealy Avenue into a park or other planned open-space element. Shealy Avenue crosses approximately through the middle of the property, influencing the physical organization of the development. Towson Square's principal anchor was a Cinemark movie theater. The theater officially opened on July 10, 2014, as part of Cinemark's thirtieth-anniversary celebrations. It was introduced as a premium, technology-oriented venue with reserve seating, luxury seats, expanded food options, alcoholic beverages, and Cinemark's NextGen amenities. The theater opened with 15 screens and was presented in contemporary coverage as Cinemark's international flagship, taking that designation from the company's former flagship in Dallas, Texas. Later descriptions of the center refer to the cinema as having 16 screens, but the opening account identifies the original facility as a 15-screen theater. The center was designed around restaurants, entertainment, and an outdoor pedestrian environment rather than around a traditional enclosed mall or department store. In 2014, Towson Square was sold to Retail Properties of America, Inc. for a reported $40.5 million. The transaction enabled the property to be managed together with the neighboring Towson Circle development, which later became associated with the Circle East redevelopment. Towson Circle had itself occupied the former Hutzler's department-store site and included tenants such as Barnes & Noble and Trader Joe's. The Circle East project eventually required those Towson Circle locations to close or relocate, creating a new mixed-use configuration with retail, dining, entertainment, and residential components. Towson Square initially benefited from the strength of the broader Towson retail market and from Cinemark's ability to draw visitors. Over time, however, its restaurant-heavy model became vulnerable to tenant closures and changing consumer patterns. Bobby's Burger Palace and World of Beer closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further departures followed: BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse closed in August 2023 as part of a national closure program, Bonefish Grill departed in September 2023, On the Border closed in March 2025 amid bankruptcy proceedings, and Nando's Peri-Peri chose not to renew its lease and left in July 2025. By that point, nearly all restaurant spaces around the cinema were reported to be closed. The resulting decline in occupancy and activity led some local descriptions to call Towson Square a ghost town. Visitors and residents were reportedly drawn instead to other Towson destinations, including Towson Town Center, and to regional shopping centers such as Arundel Mills. In September 2025, Kite Realty said it was evaluating a range of opportunities and exploring ways to reconfigure vacant space so that the property would not rely exclusively on restaurants and entertainment. The supplied material does not identify a completed redevelopment plan, leaving Towson Square's long-term tenant mix and physical future unresolved.

• 2025

  Reconfiguration is considered

  [1]Towson Squareen.wikipedia.org

  Kite Realty says it is evaluating options to reuse vacant space and diversify Towson Square beyond restaurants and entertainment.

• 2021

  Circle East begins opening tenants

  [1]Towson Squareen.wikipedia.org

  The adjacent Circle East redevelopment begins opening tenants, reshaping the surrounding Towson retail and mixed-use environment.

• 2014

  Towson Square opens

  [1]Towson Squareen.wikipedia.org

  The open-air shopping and entertainment center is completed after development by The Cordish Companies and Heritage Properties, Inc.

• 2014

  Cinemark theater opens

  [1]Towson Squareen.wikipedia.org

  Cinemark opens its Towson theater on July 10 with premium reserved seating and NextGen amenities.

• 2014

  Property changes hands

  [1]Towson Squareen.wikipedia.org

  Retail Properties of America, Inc. reportedly acquires Towson Square for $40.5 million and integrates it administratively with adjacent Towson Circle.

• 2013

  Construction begins

  [1]Towson Squareen.wikipedia.org

  Construction begins on the outdoor development then known as Towson Circle III, replacing a substantial surface-parking area in central Towson.

A walkable, open-air Towson destination centered on dining and cinema entertainment, with a later strategic need to diversify beyond restaurants and entertainment.

• Cinema and entertainment · 2014

  Cinemark Towson

  The primary anchor of Towson Square is Cinemark's Towson movie theater. It opened in July 2014 with a premium reserve-seating area, luxury seats, expanded food and beverage choices, alcoholic drinks, and the company's NextGen technology and amenities. The theater was promoted as Cinemark's international flagship at the time of opening and has remained the development's central entertainment attraction.

• Food and beverage · 2014

  Restaurant and dining spaces

  Towson Square was organized around a concentration of national and regional restaurant tenants surrounding the cinema. The dining component included brands such as Bobby's Burger Palace, World of Beer, BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse, Bonefish Grill, On the Border, and Nando's Peri-Peri at different points in the center's history. Most of these locations subsequently closed, leaving the future tenant mix under evaluation.

• 2025

  Evaluation of a broader Towson Square repositioningStrategy

  Background

  By July 2025, nearly all restaurants around the Cinemark theater were reported to have closed, weakening the center's original restaurant-and-entertainment model.

  Action taken

  Kite Realty announced that it was exploring all options and evaluating ways to reconfigure vacant spaces and broaden the center beyond dining and entertainment.

  Aftermath

  No completed redevelopment plan was identified in the supplied material, so the property's future format remains unresolved.

  Source

• 2014

  Sale to Retail Properties of AmericaM&A

  Background

  Towson Square was developed as a standalone open-air center next to the existing Towson Circle property. A reported sale in 2014 created the basis for managing the neighboring properties together.

  Action taken

  Retail Properties of America, Inc. acquired Towson Square for a reported $40.5 million and integrated it with the adjacent property for management and redevelopment purposes.

  Aftermath

  The transaction supported a broader relationship with the adjacent Towson Circle site, which was later redeveloped and associated with Circle East.

  Reported acquisition price. $40.5 million (2014)

  Source

1. 1Towson Squareen.wikipedia.org