Park & Shop (Cleveland Park, Washington, D.C.)
Park & Shop, also known as Sam's Park and Shop, in the Cleveland Park neighborhood of Washington, D.C., is one of the first neighborhood shopping centers (or strip malls). It opened in 1930 with 11 tenants and was anchored by two grocery stores: an A&P and a Piggly Wiggly. The center is still in operation, though largely empty since losing its anchor Target store in late 2025.[1] It was built in an L shape with dedicated parking space for shoppers in the front, a novelty at the time.[2] This stood in contrast to the limited availability and harried experience of street parking in front of stores lining busy streets.[3] The original developer was Shannon & Luchs and the architect was Arthur B. Heaton.[2]
Stores mentioned in a 1930 ad were:[4]
| Piggly Wiggly | Barker Bakery | Jimmie's Ladies Beauty & Bobber Salon |
| A&P market | Frazee-Potomac Laundry | |
| Whittlesey's Drug Store | People's Hardware Store | |
The center still exists. From 2019 to 2025, it was anchored by a Target store; since then the anchor space is vacant.[5][6][1] It is considered a model or "template" for future such neighborhood centers,[7] or even "a pioneering example of strip-mall architecture", and for that reason has been subject to historic preservation efforts.[8]
It was sold in 2020 to Asana Partners for $39 million.[9]
References
- ^ a b "Target to close in Cleveland Park after 'prolonged underperformance'". Washington Business Journal. September 4, 2025.
- ^ a b "They Paved Paradise and Put Up a Park and Shop | Boundary Stones". boundarystones.weta.org. July 17, 2017. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
- ^ Flanagan, Neil (February 11, 2014). "In 1931, a parking lot in Cleveland Park changed how Washington shopped". ggwash.org. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
- ^ "You Are Cordially Invited To Visit Park & Shop Stores (ad)". Evening star. December 5, 1930. p. 46. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
- ^ "Historic Cleveland Park Strip Mall Contends With A New Tenant: Target". WAMU. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
- ^ Jacob Kaplan, "They Paved Paradise and Put Up a Park and Shop", Boundary Stones, WETA (PBS Washington, D.C.), accessed June 27, 2020
- ^ "Finding Style in DC: Navigating DC's Shopping Scene - Cleveland Park Park n' Shop - The building's design was a template for future shopping center construction". DC Historic Sites. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
- ^ "Historic preservation of a strip mall and parking lot". Legally Sociable. July 21, 2015. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
- ^ "Sam's Park & Shop in Cleveland Park Sold". Bizjournals. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
38°56′10″N 77°03′30″W / 38.9361°N 77.0582°W