Military Circle Mall in Norfolk, VA: From 1970 Opening to 2023 Closure and 2025 Plans

Where the Skylights Ended

In 2025, daylight still came through the skylights above the food court, but nobody was there, and dust had settled.

The last photos before the mall closed in 2023 show empty tables, palm planters that hadn’t moved, and tile floors that were the same as ever.

The Cinemark lobby had small lights in the ceiling, and some people kept coming for a while after the lines got shorter.

Ross stayed open in the old McCrory’s space longer than most of the other stores.

From the street, the mall looked flat and low, with no windows. Inside, it was clear where people used to spend time.

Among places in Norfolk, Virginia, the mall was once just somewhere people went.

Opening Inventory and Early Anchors (1970–1990)

Military Circle Mall opened in 1970 as a fully enclosed shopping complex, developed by Harvey Lindsay Jr. Norfolk now had a shopping center where people could stay cool in summer, keep dry in winter, and have a place to go most of the year.

Anchors included J.B. Hunter, Smith & Welton, Leggett, and JCPenney.

These stores were the main part of the mall and set the pattern for shopping in this part of Norfolk for years.

By the early 1980s, families could see movies at the AMC multiplex, which had six screens and sat at the center of the concourse.

The Sheraton hotel was on the property, which made it seem more important, even for those not staying there.

For kids, there were escalators and food counters. For adults, there were three department stores and seasonal window displays.

The first big change happened in 1990, when Smith & Welton closed after twenty years.

Smith & Welton had been known in Hampton Roads since before the mall opened, and when it left, one of the mall’s original names was gone.

Retail was already starting to change at that point, but people didn’t call it a decline yet.

Renovation Cycles and Retail Conversion (1990–2000)

By the early 1990s, Military Circle Mall was looking old.

In 1996, new skylights were installed in the concourses, entrances were rebuilt, and a 600-seat food court replaced the old snack counters.

The updates attracted visitors, but the main stores still changed often. Thalhimers, which later became Hecht’s, kept operating as usual.

Smith & Welton’s former space remained empty until 1999, when Sears moved in and brought its name back to Norfolk after leaving another location in 1993.

The Leggett building, operated by Belk, was vacated in 1998. The building was used again soon after.

Two years later, an 18-screen Cinemark theater opened there, using space that had been a department store.

People going to the movies now walked on carpet instead of tile and passed glass doors showing movie times instead of mannequins.

Stores inside the mall adjusted as needed. Some new national chains opened while a few smaller stores stayed in business.

The main layout did not change: long hallways, anchor stores at both ends, and a food court under the skylights added in 1996.

Sales Decline and Chain Departures (2001–2012)

In 2002, Thor Equities bought the property and renamed it The Gallery at Military Circle.

The name changed, but the building itself did not. That year marked the beginning of more renovations and a steady drop in the number of tenants.

The McCrory dime store was cleared out, and Ross Dress for Less took the space in 2004.

Big chains were still opening stores, but others were leaving.

By 2009, KB Toys had gone out of business and closed its stores. Suncoast and Waldenbooks closed around the same time.

The types of stores shifted more toward discount clothing, insurance offices, and fast-food places.

The Cinemark theater had brought new activity to the mall in 2000, but that could not offset the other closures.

No new department stores arrived to take the place of those that had left. Smaller shops shut down quietly.

Fewer people were coming to the mall. The escalators still ran, but they were used less each week.

Through it all, Sears stayed in the former Smith & Welton corner. It did not last.

March 28, 2012, was its last day. The closure showed that department store sales were no longer supporting the mall.

Foreclosure Filings and Public Acquisition (2014–2016)

On January 15, 2014, JCPenney corporate announced Military Circle Mall as one of 33 locations to shut down nationwide.

By the end of the year, the City of Norfolk had bought the 200,000-square-foot JCPenney building for $2.5 million.

This was not mainly a retail decision but a way for the city to gain control over future development.

Financial problems got worse. On April 16, 2015, the entire Gallery at Military Circle property was placed under foreclosure.

A court-ordered public auction followed on July 15, drawing attention but no sale.

Ownership stayed unclear, and more retail spaces became vacant. In early 2016, Macy’s confirmed what many had expected.

On January 7, it announced the Gallery location would be one of 40 stores closed that quarter.

The store had been operating under the Macy’s name since 2006 and before that as Hecht’s and Thalhimers.

That anchor space had made it through three name changes, but not the fourth.

With JCPenney gone, Sears closed, and Macy’s also out, the main part of the mall was losing stores faster than they could be replaced.

Vacancy Leases and Property Fadeout (2017–2023)

By 2017, the anchor spaces were mostly empty, but some parts of the property were still in use.

The JCPenney area, which was now owned by the city, had new tenants.

Optima Health and Movement Mortgage rented parts of the building and kept offices open, even though most of the retail spaces stayed closed.

Their presence meant the mall was only partly occupied, even if the hallways were quiet and the food court was rarely staffed.

Cinemark, the theater that had once brought people back to the mall in 2000, closed for good in February 2021.

Its signs were taken down, and in the months that followed, a few former visitors set up a small memorial near the front entrance.

The closing of the theater meant the mall had no real reason for visitors.

No lights, no popcorn smell, no crowds in the evenings. Ross Dress for Less stayed open.

Sentara continued to have an outpatient office nearby.

But there was no retail anchor left with a national name. On January 31, 2023, the last public access ended.

That day, Military Circle Mall closed for good. The lights were still on. The gates still worked. But there was no one left in the hallways.

Demolition Delays and Redevelopment Bids (2023–Early 2025)

After the last day of operations on January 31, 2023, the property was not immediately vacant.

Security still checked the parking lots. Office tenants kept their leases.

But the city realized that just maintaining the site was not enough, and needed to make a plan.

That spring, Norfolk brought in Gensler and Victus Advisors to create a master plan, do a feasibility study, and build economic models.

The work was planned to finish by fall 2024. Demolition for Military Circle Mall shifted to a phased approach after the January 2023 closure.

With tenants such as Ross and Sentara still renting, Norfolk’s Economic Development Authority said in 2024 that those parts of the property could not be taken down yet.

Officials started work on the empty parts first, trying to keep some use going while taking down other sections.

By mid-2025, the mall is still standing.

Health Anchors and Mixed-Use Ambitions (Spring–Summer 2025)

In April 2025, the city released a new plan for the old mall property.

The proposal dropped ideas for another arena or a standard shopping center. The focus turned to a wellness hub.

By May, city records showed design review had started.

The plan was for a group of community spaces instead of one large building, to support later phases of the project.

The plan still called for some retail, housing, and maybe an ice rink.

City officials expected demolition to finish by late 2025, with construction set to begin after that.

Talks with private companies were ongoing.

No public funding deals had been announced. The plan included a public fitness and wellness center, along with a new library.

Both would go on the west side of the property, where the JCPenney had been for years.

Lose Design from Nashville was chosen for the feasibility and concept work. The health and learning complex would be built first.

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