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The Collection at Chevy Chase

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Coordinates: 38°57′35″N 77°05′09″W / 38.9597°N 77.0857°W / 38.9597; -77.0857
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The Collection at Chevy Chase
Map
Location5471-5481 Wisconsin Avenue
Chevy Chase, Maryland
Opening date2005
DeveloperThe Chevy Chase Land Co.
ArchitectWilliam Hellmuth, HOK[1]
No. of stores and services14
Total retail floor area112,000 sq. ft.
WebsiteThe Collection at Chevy Chase
Sign for The Collection at Chevy Chase

The Collection is a set of shops and restaurants near the Friendship Heights Metro station on Wisconsin Avenue in Chevy Chase, Maryland, along the Washington, D.C.-Maryland border.[2][3][4] The shopping center was developed by the Chevy Chase Land Company, a privately owned development corporation that has owned the land for more than a century.

The Chevy Chase Land Company was founded in 1890 by U.S. Senator Francis G. Newlands, who acquired a great deal of property in the D.C. area. In 1906, the parcel where The Collection now sits was sold to a white straw buyer for a group of African American investors.[5][6] When the Company and the sellers learned that the group intended to sell plots to other African Americans, they maneuvered to block the land transfer and erase the planned development of Belmont from the property books of Montgomery County, Maryland.[7][8]

The shopping area now called The Collection was built in the 1950s, one of the two first strip shopping centers in suburban Maryland.[citation needed]

For some three decades, the land was a parking lot. It took a decade for the Chevy Chase Land Company to bring The Collection project to fruition, due to community opposition and county zoning requirements.[9] Set on 112,000 sq ft (10,400 m2) of land,[2] it incorporates a 9,000 sq ft (840 m2) park.

The first stores began opening in the $165 million complex[10] in the latter part of 2005,[11] and the center held a grand opening celebration on May 4, 2006. Model Petra Němcová and Chris Matthews were among the featured guests at the opening party.[12][13][14] The original tenants included Ralph Lauren, Barneys CO-OP, Cartier, Dior, Piazza Sempione, BVLGARI, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Jimmy Choo, and Tiffany & Co.[12]

Piazza Sempione closed in April 2011 and was replaced by Mexican restaurant Mi Cocina, which closed in November 2014.[15][16] Barneys CO-OP closed in 2012. Dior, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton closed in 2016.

The shopping center was updated between 2017 and June 2019, when it shifted its focus from luxury retail establishments to more neighborhood restaurants and stores.[17]

The Collection and its section of Wisconsin Avenue has been referred to as Washington's version of Rodeo Drive.[2][18][19][20][21][22][23][3][4][24][25] For years, the surrounding shopping area had several high-end department stores, but while Saks Fifth Avenue still operates a block to the north and Bloomingdale's nearby, Lord & Taylor closed in 2020.

References

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  1. ^ "Grand Opening: The Collection at Chevy Chase". Retail Traffic. May 1, 2006. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c Mui, Ylan Q. (March 27, 2006). "The Luxe Starts Here: For Washington Area Shoppers, There's a New Wealth of Upscale Options". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  3. ^ a b Kretikos, Eleni (January 16, 2004). "D.C. retail rents reach $150 per sq. ft". Washington Business Journal. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  4. ^ a b Moin, David (October 11, 2005). "The Collection at Chevy Chase Raises Profile". Women's Wear Daily. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  5. ^ "Belmont Tract Sold". Evening Star. 1906-06-28. p. 1. ISSN 2331-9968. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
  6. ^ ""Belmont Colony Arouses Whites to Danger Point"". Washington Times. 1906-07-05. p. 1. ISSN 1941-0697. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
  7. ^ Flanagan, Neil (2017-11-02). "The Battle of Fort Reno". Washington City Paper. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
  8. ^ "WHITE CAP THREATS IN WASHINGTON SUBURB; Property Owners Would Keep Negroes Out of Belmont Park. FORM SECRET ORGANIZATION Real Estate Syndicate Offers to Sell Land to Found a Settlement of Colored Folk". The New York Times. 1906-07-06. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
  9. ^ Knight, Jerry (May 22, 2006). "Old Money Takes Its Time At Chevy Chase Land Co". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  10. ^ Clabaugh, Jeff (March 28, 2005). "Barneys plans Chevy Chase location". Washington Business Journal. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  11. ^ Shay, Kevin J.; Conron, Kevin (November 25, 2005). "Holiday estimates leave retailers cautiously optimistic". The Gazette. Maryland. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  12. ^ a b "The Grand Opening of the Collection at Chevy Chase". Washington Life Magazine. June 2006. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  13. ^ "Grand Opening of "The Collection" - Petra Nemcova (photo)". Life. May 4, 2006. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  14. ^ "Capitol File Magazine Host The Opening Of The Collection At Chevy Chase - Chris Matthews (photo)". Life. May 4, 2006. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  15. ^ Thornton, Laura. "Mi Cocina Ribbon Cut, Chevy Chase Vacancy Filled". The Patch. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  16. ^ "Mi Cocina closes in Chevy Chase". WTOP. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  17. ^ Wright, Charlie (2019-04-23). "Rebranded The Collection at Chevy Chase To Debut in June". Bethesda Magazine. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  18. ^ Rosenwald, Michael S. (May 10, 2006). "Chevy Chase celebrates 'Rodeo Drive' of East Coast". The Gazette. Maryland. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  19. ^ Chaffee, Kevin (May 7, 2006). "Chevy Chase takes Rodeo Drive route". The Washington Times. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  20. ^ "Power Suit Losing Sartorial Steam". Capitol File Magazine. May 7, 2006. Archived from the original on March 18, 2009. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  21. ^ Sietsema, Tom (January 21, 2007). "Appetites of the Rich". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  22. ^ "In Brief ... Wisconsin Ave. goes Madison Ave". Shopping Centers Today. April 2005. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  23. ^ Solomon, Mary Jane. Insiders' Guide to Washington, D.C. p. 147 (7th ed. 2007)(ISBN 978-0762744107)
  24. ^ "Will anybody really buy those $650 strappy gold stilettos at Jimmy Choo?". The Washington Post. January 2, 2006. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  25. ^ Rosenwald, Michael S. (July 21, 2005). "Developing a Mecca For Wealthy Shoppers; Luxury Retailers Head to Chevy Chase". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
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38°57′35″N 77°05′09″W / 38.9597°N 77.0857°W / 38.9597; -77.0857

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