Chesapeake Square

Chesapeake Square
Entrance to Chesapeake Square, June 2012
LocationChesapeake, Virginia
Coordinates36°49′36.3″N 76°24′52.8″W / 36.826750°N 76.414667°W / 36.826750; -76.414667
Opened1989
DeveloperEdward J. DeBartolo Corporation
OwnerKotarides Holdings, LLC.
Stores76
6 (2 open, 4 vacant/demolished)
Floor area717,282 square feet (66,637.7 m2)
Floors1
Parking2,000
Websitechesapeakesquare.com

Chesapeake Square is a regional mall in Chesapeake, Virginia, in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. The mall had at its peak approximately over 70 stores at its peak, with space for up to six anchor stores. Cinemark Theatres, Target, and part of the mall's indoor concourse still remains open through redevelopment plans.

History

The mall was developed by the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation. The mall opened in October 1989 in former forest and swamp land of the Western Branch portion of Chesapeake, Virginia. The mall's anchors at the time of its opening in 1989 were JCPenney, Sears, Hess's, and Leggett.Montgomery Ward opened in early August 1992. Hecht's opened as an anchor in 1999.

Hecht's became Macy's, along with all other of the chain's stores, in 2006.[citation needed] On July 27, 2009, Dillard's announced that it would close its two Chesapeake Square locations, along with four other undisclosed locations, laying off or transferring 45 employees.[citation needed] In September 2009, both the Men's and women's buildings shuttered.[citation needed]

Burlington Coat Factory replaced Dillard's Men's on September 24, 2010.On November 12, 2010, a Cinemark movie theater moved to the former Dillard's Women. The theater has stadium seating with twelve screens, including an Extreme Digital (XD) auditorium and opened at December 16, 2011.

Sears announced the closure of its Chesapeake Square store in late 2014.In 2014, the malls owner, Simon Property Group announced the spin-off of numerous properties to a newly formed subsidiary, Washington Prime Group. In September 2015, Macy's was announced to close by early 2016. Leaving JCPenney as the last anchor original to the property. Jones Lang LaSalle owned and managed the property until Virginia Beach-based Kotarides acquired the mall for $12.9 million in February 2018.

In October 2021, it was announced that JCPenney would be leaving the mall by 2022. On December 9, 2022, Pete Kortarides, President of Virginia Beach-based Kortarides Development, said demolition of the former Macy's, JCPenney and Sears buildings could begin the next year and be replaced by unnamed retailers.[citation needed] In 2023, Burlington Coat Factory closed.[citation needed] On April 7, 2025, crews from Norfolk-based RC Demolition began the task of taking down the former department store spaces at the mall as part of a major redevelopment effort. Plans call for a grocery store and sporting goods store to anchor a new retail development on the sites of the former Burlington Coat Factory, JCPenney, and Macy's according to a flyer from Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer. Expected to be completed by Fall of 2026.[citation needed]

References

  1. 1 2 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 7, 2017. Retrieved March 9, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ↑ DeBartolo's Latest Venture in Virginia. The Vindicator. August 5, 1992.
  3. ↑ Shapiro, Carolyn. "Burlington Coat Factory to move into Chesapeake Square". Hamptonroads.com. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  4. ↑ Rostami, Marjon. "Coming soon: A new Chesapeake Square movie theater". Hamptonroads.com. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Chesapeake Square Sears to close in mid-January". Wtkr.com. October 16, 2014. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Wp Glimcher". Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Macy's to close three stores in Hampton Roads". wtkr.com. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Virginia Beach-based developer purchases Chesapeake Square Mall". WVEC. February 22, 2018. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
  9. ↑ Squires, Paula C. (February 22, 2018). "Kotarides Holdings acquires Chesapeake Square Mall for $12.9 million". Virginia Business. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
  10. ↑ "SB360 Event Sales". SB360 Capital Partners, LLC.
  11. ↑ Hall, Brett (April 7, 2025). "Stores to remain open as demolition begins for Chesapeake Square Mall redevelopment". wavy.com. Retrieved March 21, 2026.