Glen Burnie in Anne Arundel County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Harundale Mall

Opened: October 1, 1958

Photographed By F. Robby, November 28, 2008

1. Harundale Mall Marker

Inscription. This site was originally settled in 1649 and was known as the Westminster parish. About 1780 it was the property of Francis Cromwell, a cousin of the monarch of England. It was obtained by the Curtis Creek Mining Co. in 1850 from the estate of John Glenn. In 1908, the state used the site as a rifle range and an army camp was set up here during World War I.

Erected 1958 by Community Research and Development, Inc.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Industry & Commerce • Military • Settlements & Settlers • War, World I. A significant historical year for this entry is 1649.

Location. 39° 9.094′ N, 76° 36.938′ W. Marker is in Glen Burnie, Maryland, in Anne Arundel County. Marker can be reached from the intersection of Ritchie Highway (Maryland Route 2) and Aquahart Road when traveling south. Marker is located between two buildings within the Harundale Plaza, near the post office. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 7700 Ritchie Highway, Glen Burnie MD 21061, Glen Burnie MD 21061, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies. To All Who Served (approx. half a mile away); Recreation Acres (approx. 0.6 miles away); Marley Chapel (approx. 0.9 miles

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away); Sgt. Ronald M. Randazzo (approx. 0.9 miles away); World War 1917 (approx. one mile away); Defending the Chesapeake Bay (approx. one mile away); St. Alban's Episcopal Church (approx. one mile away); World War II (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Glen Burnie.

More about this marker. This marker used to be located within and was a prominent feature of the Harundale Mall

Regarding Harundale Mall. From the Wikipedia entry on Harundale Mall:

Harundale Mall opened on 1 October 1958. It was the first indoor enclosed shopping mall on the East Coast of the United States. Harundale Mall was also credited as being the first air conditioned mall in the United States.

Harundale Mall took itself seriously and a signature "rock" was located in the northeastern end of the mall memorializing the mall's construction and those who constructed it. The rock was four sides and the sides contained the following information:

1. "Harundale Mall" followed by "Opened October 1, 1958."
2. "Owners and Developers" followed by "Community

Photographed By F. Robby, November 28, 2008

2. Harundale Mall Marker

This side of the marker contains the historical references to the aren in which the Harundale Mall was built.

Research and Development, Inc." "Architects" followed by "Rogers, Taliaferro, and Lamb." "Builders" followed by "Arundeltown Inc."
3. One side listed several architectural awards.
4. One side provided a history of the site including information about Native Americans, the Glenn family, and military usage.

Other features in the mall were as follows: A water fountain was located next to the rock and a set of stairs to the second floor offices allowed mall-goers to watch the water from the fountain "top out" and fall back into the fountain's pool below. Mall-goers could also throw coins into the fountain's pool from the stairs. In addition to the mall offices, a "community room", and restrooms, the second floor had an entrance to the second floor of the Hochschild Kohn's Department Store. Hochschild Kohn's was the only store in the mall with two stories. However, in each store there was usually a store room with an upstairs area that was used as a stock or storage area. The mall was quite known for flooding in heavy rains, due to the original "flat" roof. Many merchants can attest to cleaning water from these storage areas when it rained. At one point in the mall's history, a Horn and Horn Smorgasbord Cafeteria operated on the second floor as well. This had originally opened as a "Hochschild's Tea Room" cafe. Horn and Horn stayed opened at this location until 1989.

Photographed By F. Robby, November 28, 2008

3. Harundale Mall Marker

This side lists the owners, architects, and builders of the original mall.

The second floor "community room" could be rented for weddings and provided a place for public meetings. For many years, on the opposite end of the mall from the "rock," large cages featured talking Myna birds.

Pre-dating the Harundale Mall was a strip shopping center in the south eastern corner of the mall property. This strip center originally included an Eddie's Super Market and a White Coffee Pot Restaurant.

When Harundale Mall opened, it had two major anchors that were Hochschild Kohn's and Food Fair. It also had three other smaller anchors that were Read's Drug Store (with a soda fountain), S.S. Kresge five and dime store, and G.C. Murphy five and dime store. Harundale also had about 50 other smaller tenants and food establishments. One of the more noteworthy food establishments was an eatery towards the center of Harundale Mall which for many years was the Italian Delight Restaurant. This restaurant featured a "below grade" floor. As a result, the workers at this establishment ended up looking much shorter than the average mall-goer standing "at grade".

The mall opened to much fanfare in 1958. Traffic was backed up for two miles on Maryland Route 2 just to get on the parking lot on opening day. This was truly something people had never seen before. Several politicians (including John F. Kennedy, the junior Senator from Massachusetts) were even

Photographed By F. Robby, November 28, 2008

4. Harundale Mall Marker

This side lists the awards won by the Mall's architects.

present for the opening day. Harundale Mall was a major shopping destination for over 30 years.

Photographed By F. Robby, November 28, 2008

5. Harundale Mall Marker

The marker is located beneath this canopy near the post office store front of the Harundale Plaza.

Harundale Mall image. Click for full size.

6. Harundale Mall

1960s view of the inside of the Harundale Mall. From Malls of America website.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on December 6, 2008, by F. Robby of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 6,638 times since then and 246 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on December 6, 2008, by F. Robby of Baltimore, Maryland.