Heavy machinery is chipping away at the former shell of an original landmark anchor department store at Washington Square shopping center, Sears, to make way for a recent-years trend in mall development known as experience retail.
The initiative will install Dick’s House of Sport, a sports-entertainment center to open in fall 2027. In-store activity offerings will include a climbing wall, multiple golf bays with TrackMan-brand simulators and HitTrax-brand multi-sport cages that can be used for baseball, softball and soccer.
The Dick’s expansion will take shape at Oregon’s largest shopping mall and Tigard’s largest employer as part of a “multi-phased renovation project designed to refresh and modernize the property,” according to a news release from owner-operator Macerich.
The mall trend to feature non-shopping participatory facilities, such as bowling lanes, movie theaters and batting cages, offers in-person entertainment as a complement to in-store shopping, as online retailing has put pressure on the business of mall shopping alone.
“Washington Square has long been a central gathering place for our community, and we believe this refresh reflects the exciting retail mix between existing and new tenants that cater to Portland’s experience-oriented demographic,” the release quotes Maria Halstead, general manager at Washington Square, as saying. “This project creates a refreshed, welcoming environment that enhances how guests connect, shop and spend time together.”
Aside from the sports center, the Washington Square redevelopment will include “enhanced access” to the mall’s Food Court, which will be renovated starting this spring to update flooring, lighting, walls and furniture.
Throughout the mall, “interior enhancements” will feature upgrades in finishes, lighting and furnishing.
Sears, a company dating back to the late 19th century, joined the Meyer & Frank department store as the first two anchors of Washington Square’s original layout when they opened in 1973. The Sears store, later a member of a struggling national retail network, was shuttered in 2018.
Washington Square is expected to remain open during all phases of renovation. Shoppers can keep track of the project at the mall’s website, shopwashingtonsquare.com. Owner Macerich is a real-estate investment trust (REIT) based in Santa Monica, Calif., which owns 38 retail centers.
