WikiMini

The Collection at Chevy Chase

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.
Websitecollectionchevychase.com
Sign for The Collection at Chevy Chase

The Collection is a mixed-use development and retail center in Chevy Chase, Maryland. The center is located along Wisconsin Avenue near the Washington, D.C.-Maryland border and is a part of the Friendship Heights commercial district.[2][3][4]

The shopping center, whose first store opened in 2005, was developed by the Chevy Chase Land Company, a privately owned development corporation that has owned the land for more than a century.

History

[edit]

The land where The Collection now sits was acquired in the 19th century by the Chevy Chase Land Company, co-founded in 1890 by Francis G. Newlands. The company sold the parcel in 1903 to buyers who subsequently sold it to a straw buyer for African American investors with a plan to sell plots to other African Americans as part of a subdivision called Belmont.[5][6] When Newlands and his partners learned of this, they helped to block the transfer of the land title. Two decades later, they successfully lobbied to erase the subdivision from the property books of Montgomery County, Maryland, and thereby regained the land.[7][8]

In 1953, the company built a shopping strip on the site dubbed the Chevy Chase Center.[9] In the 1970s, it was demolished, and for three decades, the land was a parking lot.[10]

In the 1990s, the Chevy Chase Land Company began planning a new shopping center on the plot. This one would focus on luxury retailers, in an attempt to build on the success of nearby high-end department stores: Saks Fifth Avenue a block to the north, Bloomingdale's across the street, and Lord & Taylor a few blocks away.

It took a decade to bring The Collection project to fruition, due to community opposition and county zoning requirements.[10] Designed by Bill Hellmuth, president of the global architecture firm HOK[1], the project was set on 112,000 sq ft (10,400 m2) of land.[2] It incorporates a 9,000 sq ft (840 m2) park.[citation needed]

The first stores began opening in the $165 million complex[11] in the latter part of 2005,[12] 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.[13][14][15] The original tenants included Ralph Lauren, Barneys CO-OP, Cartier, Dior, Piazza Sempione, BVLGARI, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Jimmy Choo, and Tiffany & Co.[13]

In its early years, The Collection and its section of Wisconsin Avenue were sometimes called Washington's version of Rodeo Drive.[2][16][17][18][19][20][21][3][4][22][23]

But after 2008, the shopping center's profits began to wane.[9] Piazza Sempione closed in April 2011 and was replaced by Mexican restaurant Mi Cocina, which closed in November 2014.[24][25] Barneys CO-OP closed in 2012. Dior, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton closed in 2016.

By then, the Chevy Chase Land Company was already planning an expansion of The Collection, as well as a shift to more casual stores and restaurants. The shopping center was updated between 2017 and June 2019, adding outdoor restaurant seating and a tiered plaza. Total retail space rose to 194,646 square feet.[9]

As of 2025, tenants include Amazon Fresh, Porsche, Tiffany & Co., Clyde's, Brooks Brothers, and others.[26]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Grand Opening: The Collection at Chevy Chase". Retail Traffic. May 1, 2006. Archived from the original on June 13, 2011. 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. Archived from the original on October 15, 2008. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  3. ^ a b Kretikos, Eleni (January 16, 2004). "D.C. retail rents reach $150 per sq. ft". Washington Business Journal. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. 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. June 28, 1906. p. 1. ISSN 2331-9968. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  6. ^ ""Belmont Colony Arouses Whites to Danger Point"". Washington Times. July 5, 1906. p. 1. ISSN 1941-0697. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  7. ^ Flanagan, Neil (November 2, 2017). "The Battle of Fort Reno". Washington City Paper. Archived from the original on May 22, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  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. July 6, 1906. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c Wright, Charlie (April 23, 2019). "Rebranded The Collection at Chevy Chase To Debut in June". Bethesda Magazine. Archived from the original on June 25, 2025. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
  10. ^ a b Knight, Jerry (May 22, 2006). "Old Money Takes Its Time At Chevy Chase Land Co". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  11. ^ Clabaugh, Jeff (March 28, 2005). "Barneys plans Chevy Chase location". Washington Business Journal. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  12. ^ Shay, Kevin J.; Conron, Kevin (November 25, 2005). "Holiday estimates leave retailers cautiously optimistic". The Gazette. Maryland. Archived from the original on July 24, 2008. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  13. ^ a b "The Grand Opening of the Collection at Chevy Chase". Washington Life Magazine. June 2006. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  14. ^ "Grand Opening of "The Collection" - Petra Nemcova (photo)". Life. May 4, 2006. Archived from the original on June 10, 2011. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  15. ^ "Capitol File Magazine Host The Opening Of The Collection At Chevy Chase - Chris Matthews (photo)". Life. May 4, 2006. Archived from the original on June 10, 2011. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  16. ^ Rosenwald, Michael S. (May 10, 2006). "Chevy Chase celebrates 'Rodeo Drive' of East Coast". The Gazette. Maryland. Archived from the original on June 26, 2010. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  17. ^ Chaffee, Kevin (May 7, 2006). "Chevy Chase takes Rodeo Drive route". The Washington Times. Archived from the original on June 8, 2011. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  18. ^ "Power Suit Losing Sartorial Steam". Capitol File Magazine. May 7, 2006. Archived from the original on March 18, 2009. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  19. ^ Sietsema, Tom (January 21, 2007). "Appetites of the Rich". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  20. ^ "In Brief ... Wisconsin Ave. goes Madison Ave". Shopping Centers Today. April 2005. Archived from the original on June 8, 2010. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  21. ^ Solomon, Mary Jane. Insiders' Guide to Washington, D.C. p. 147 (7th ed. 2007)(ISBN 978-0762744107)
  22. ^ "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.
  23. ^ 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 November 2, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  24. ^ Thornton, Laura. "Mi Cocina Ribbon Cut, Chevy Chase Vacancy Filled". The Patch. Archived from the original on January 22, 2016. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  25. ^ "Mi Cocina closes in Chevy Chase". WTOP. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  26. ^ "Directory". The Collection. Archived from the original on July 22, 2025. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
[edit]

38°57′35″N 77°05′09″W / 38.9597°N 77.0857°W / 38.9597; -77.0857