Frederick Towne Mall, also known by its new name District 40, is a partially-abandoned mall located in Frederick, Maryland, United States. The mall opened in the summer of 1972on U.S. Route 40 along the "Golden Mile". It closed in April 2013, except for two anchor stores, Boscov's and Home Depot, which remain operational as of then. In November 2019, it was announced that the mall would be renamed District 40and would become an entertainment center.
History 1970–1999: Development, opening, early years, and renovation Frederick Towne Mall was first announced in 1970; early plans called for the mall to be between , but plans were later pushed to , with a central second floor for service tenants. An opening date was set for April 1971. By March 1971, anchors for the mall were announced, which were Montgomery Ward, JCPenney, and Eyerly's, with Wards set to open in the fall of 1971, followed by the rest of the mall "in about a year". Other tenants announced included McCrory's, Peoples Drug, Thom McAn, RadioShack, Foxwood Casuals, Chess King, General Nutrition Centers, Kay Jewelers, and Waldenbooks.Wards opened on November 10, 1971, followed by the announcement of Eyerly's on August 1, 1972. The rest of the mall opened on August 17, at 4p.m. EDT, with 50tenants and over 5,000people attending the grand opening. The project costed $14million. At its peak, it had 73stores and an average of 1,100employees. A large appeal was its large footprint and its extensive parking, which had 3,500spaces.
The area surrounding the mall eventually intensified with low income housing, as did violent crime in the surrounding area. After a series of well-publicized events earned the mall a reputation for crime and frequent fights, mall tenants began relocating their dollars to a safer retail district across the city near the competing Francis Scott Key Mall, which opened in 1978.
In the 1980s, Eyerly's became The Bon-Ton. On November 4, 1983, the mall was sold to a group of investors for $31.5 million. The mall was sold again on February 23, 1989, to J. DeBartolo and Equitable Real Estate Investment Management for nearly $600,000.
On December 1, 1995, the Frederick Towne Mall completed a $4million renovation. This included new flooring with ceramic tiles, five new skylights, new ceiling tiles, new entranceways, and landscaping improvements costing $140,000. The twin-screen movie theater was replaced by Hoyts Cinemas 10, which opened on December 20, 1996. The mall had over 60retailers around this time. The mall was sold to investors in New York on December 23, 1999.
1997–2017: Decline and closure
JCPenney would relocate to Francis Scott Key Mall on March 5, 1997, converting and renovating the older Frederick Towne Mall location to a JCPenney Home Store. Montgomery Ward closed in 2001 due to bankruptcy, which would come after a $3million remodel a year prior. The space was replaced in the summer of 2004by The Home Depot. The then-vacant JCPenney (which closed in January 2003) was renovated and replaced with Boscov's in October. In 2005, Gentlemen's Choice Barber Shop, the last remaining original tenant, moved out.
In 2006, proposals were made to redevelop the mall into a mixed-use complex. However, by 2009, economic issues caused by the Great Recession led to the project to be canceled.
On December 11, 2007, the reputation for crime the mall increased, when a woman was robbed and beaten while exiting Bon-Ton. The Hoyts Cinemas closed two years later, by June 22. 38 storefronts were vacant at this time.
On November 8, 2010, it was announced that Bon-Ton and their furniture gallery would be closing at the end of January 2011. After its closure, this left the mall without its original anchors. John's Hallmark, the last interior tenant, closed its doors in April 2013; however, by this time it was selling merchandise out of its back door due to the closure of the mall's interior to the public in early April.
In May 2014, FBI training sessions were held on the property. On August 10, three men were charged with burglary and trespassing after breaking into the mall by prying one of its doors. Officers went inside and arrested the three men. Their motive for breaking into the mall remains unclear.
On July 18, 2013, it was announced that Walmart had plans to open on the site. In October 2014, the land was approved for redevelopment as Frederick Towne Center. Boscov's and Home Depot would be kept and the mall in between would be demolished. The new site plan would include a Walmart. Work on redevelopment began on in 2016, with an expected completion of 2017. However, Walmart canceled their plans for redevelopment in September of that year.
Shortly afterwards, the owner of the property considered selling the mall. On November 23, 2016, there was an auction for the site between December 6to 8, with a starting bid of $2.5million. On February 24, 2017, the property was sold to a private investment company, West Frederick Center LLLP, headed by urologist Mohammed Mohiuddin.
2019–present: Redevelopment as District 40
On November 11, 2019, it was officially announced that the mall was being renamed District 40 and may include tenants with business such as go-karts, a bowling alley, a video arcade, a trampoline park, and restaurants. According to the report, Home Depot, which is connected to the old mall, is technically not included in the property and Boscov's still has a lease, but no further details were disclosed about the future of the store.
By June 30, 2020, Frederick Furniture opened. On July 9, Taj Mahal Indian Restaurant opened in the former Ground Round site. On September 4, Warehouse Cinemas opened in the former Hoyts Cinemas 10 site, taking up an entire wing of the mall and completely renovating the area.
In July 2022, it was announced that Big Country Lanes Bowling Alley would replace the former Bon-Ton using the liquidated assets of the defunct Terrace Lanes Bowling Alley, which had closed earlier that year. In December 2025, Big Country Lanes Bowling Alley deemed the location "unworkable" and has since relocated its plans to the former Big Lots building across the street.
As of 2026, both Home Depot and Boscov's still operate at the site. A new junior anchor tenant known as Spinners Pinball Arcade was announced to renovate and use the former Bon-Ton space towards the back of the mall. Spinners leased the location in October 2023 and on February 20, 2024, they closed their East Street location. The new location opened on January 21, 2026. As of April 2026, Taj Mahal is being rebranded and renovated to Saffron Grill & Bar after changing ownership in December.
See also List of shopping malls in Maryland Valley Mall (Hagerstown), a mall in Hagerstown, Maryland Foxcroft Towne Center at Martinsburg, a former mall in Martinsburg, West Virginia
Explanatory notes and references
External links
Frederick Towne Mall on Deadmalls.com Warehouse Cinemas Frederick on Cinema Treasures Ode To Days Gone By Hoyts Theater closing leaves little choice Drone Flies Through The Abandon Frederick Towne Mall