The Dulles Town Center (DTC) is a two-level enclosed shopping mall in Dulles, Loudoun County, Virginia, United States, located five miles north of the Washington Dulles International Airport. The retail center gives its name to the census-designated place (CDP) within which it is located. It encompasses 1,400,000 square feet (130,000Â m2) of GLA and is the largest enclosed shopping center in Loudoun County. The mall caters to the burgeoning and affluent population of eastern Loudoun and western Fairfax counties. Dulles Town Center is anchored by Dick's Sporting Goods, J.C. Penney, Lord and Taylor, Macy's, Nordstrom, Sears and features an eclectic mix of upscale retailers such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Banana Republic, and LOFT. In addition, the mall has been a launch pad for international retailers emerging into the U.S. market. High-end New Zealand children's store Pumpkin Patch opened its second U.S. store and German restaurant chain Vapiano opened its third U.S. location at Dulles Town Center in 2007.
History
Approval, Delays and Construction (1987-1998)
In December 1987, Loudon County officials approved the jurisdiction's first regional shopping mall. The mall was originally planned to be named the "Windmill Regional Shopping Center" but was later renamed to Dulles Town Center in 1988. The original expected opening was set for 1993. Dulles Town Centers developer was announced as Lerner Enterprises.
The mall was put on hold in 1994 due to the downturn in the local economy. It wasn't until March 1994 that the mall announced it would start construction that spring with plans to be open 1996. Construction was never started in 1994, and it wasn't until the summer of 1996 that Dulles Town Center broke ground. With construction starting in 1996, it was announced the mall would open in Spring of 1998, but that was later pushed back to November 1998.
Opening and expansion (1998-2002)
The mall opened its first two anchor stores (Hecht's and Lord & Taylor) on November 18, 1998. The ribbon cutting ceremony for Dulles Town Center took place at 10am on August 12, 1999, where the mall became anchored by Albuquerque East, J.C. Penney, and Sears. The grand opening of Dulles Town Center was a four-day celebration that included events such as a Jr. Cline and the Recliners concert and a meet and greet with Michael Weiss, Geoff Aunger, and Roy Lassiter. An expansion to the mall was completed in 2002, adding upscale anchor Nordstrom as well as Hollister Co., JoS. A. Bank Clothiers, The Sharper Image (closed in 2008), and a number of other specialty retailers.
Dining
The mall features a large food court on the upper level featuring such establishments as Chick-fil-A and Sbarro the Italian Eatery in addition to a number of restaurants such as The Cheesecake Factory and Red Robin.
References
External links
- Dulles Town Center
