Comments on: Beltway Plaza; Greenbelt, Maryland

By: Lil

Lil — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 01:33:11 +0000

Grew up in springhill lake apts- back in the 70’s the back parking lot is where the carnival came, there was an A&P and a small theater (Young Frankenstein played there) and a barber shop run by a friends grandfather- it was a good place to grow up then

By: MrG

MrG — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 08:02:50 +0000

About BPM:

I have shopped here for about 20 years & always had a decent time there. I remember Golden Dome (both locations( back during the Street Fighter/Mortal Kombat craze & that place was always jumping on the weekends. I also remember Best, the original Waxie Maxie’s, TJ’s Roadhouse before it got torched & Video Village.

Unfortunately that “Main Street” proposal may actually go through because FYE is closing sometime in January & Kay Jeweler’s is doing the same thing. The arcade (now known as Fun Center) is pretty much dead. They haven’t gotten any new machines in 5 years. The top level is a ghost town.

As for the slope, the retaining wall & concrete parking is really starting to show signs of inevitable collapse. I have family that grew up in BH & remember when the entire BPM area was all woods. I also heard a story where one of the buses from the PG county bus lot supposedly fell down the slope, is this true anyone? I hate to see that slope collapse & see 27 buses land on the Target location all mangled.

Yes the mall has become somewhat of a joke. The renovated theatre, Giant, Target & GameStop pretty much keep this place afloat. Bennigan’s became William’s Bistro.

Will BPM become a “dead mall” in the near future?? Let’s hope not.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 01:27:07 +0000

I grew up within walking distance to what is now known as Beltway Plaza. It’s interesting to read everyone’s version of reality. Originally the small strip mall at the west end of the current property was occupied by the A&P Grocery store, a dry cleaners, a single screen movie theater, a liquor store, a High’s dairy store, and a Drug Fair. When S.Klein’s moved in at the far eastern end of the property there was a vast wasteland of parking between the two – the only other building was the “Blue & White” diner just outside S.Klein’s to the west… this is where the bus stop was. When the finally tried to make a silk purse from a sow’s ear, they connected the two ends with the mall which was never an open mall. (PG Plaza was the one the was open and later enclosed.)

By: Steve W.

Steve W. — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:48:20 +0000

Kurt, yep I got it backwards. A&P to the left, Drug Fair to the right.

By: Brian

Brian — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 19:36:09 +0000

I grew up in Adelphi about 10 mins away from Beltway Plaza. During the 80’s I only went to this mall to hang out with my friends either at the Golden Dome Arcade or going to the AMC movie Theatre. Most of the big movies of the time I saw at this mall. I don’t live in the area anymore, I just go back to visit once or twice a year. Unfourtunately if the big department stores leave Beltway it will have the same fate as Landover Mall.

By: jonesy

jonesy — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 18:05:16 +0000

This is a FASCINATING website/blog. I was doing a little bit of research because i’m considering purchasing property in greenbelt. i’m continuously surprised at how few people realize the value of greenbelt, location-wise. there are SO many arteries that run through and around this town. 295/495/rt1/201/193… that’s what i really like about it.

re: springhill lake… the complex is now called “empirian village” (insert eyeroll here). the apt management is trying to beautify the complex, with mixed success. i think, in their hurry to look good externally, they are doing rather shoddy work. residents of the complex will attest to that.

all in all, the mall itself has long fascinated me, for many of the reasons already stated. it has the makings of a decent mall but it just seems so… forgotten? blase? like a throw-away mall. not sure how to describe it.

i think the atrocious double-decker parking needs to GO, at a minimum. there is plennnnty of parking at the mall (including the now-neglected parking space behind the mall, which actually has tall grass/weeds growing there, yuck).

i’d like to see a town center in greenbelt. i think the property values would sky-rocket, and it would actually be a nice juxtaposition against beloved, historic greenbelt. i love historic greenbelt and am happy that it hasn’t changed.

so, whether town-center style or otherwise, the mall absolutely NEEDS an upgrade. it is a major eyesore. as for empirian village… *sigh*… who knows? it might actually become decent.

By: Kurt

Kurt — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 06:55:20 +0000

@Kellie Maykrantz(Katz) Bergen, Mantrap was cool. Great music and a real laid back mood. You don’t find places like that anymore.

Anyone remember Electric Head over in Hollywood?

By: Kurt

Kurt — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 06:53:53 +0000

@Peggy Coleman, I believe the food place was called Pizza Inn. I remember going there with my Mom and older Sister on Saturdays.

By: Kurt

Kurt — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 06:45:18 +0000

@steve w., Adding my 2 cents. I grew up there as well, and worked at Drug Fair for about a year back in 1981-82, and it was located at the right end of the old stripmall. There is a Sears appliance store there now. Where the Giant is now was A&P. Also adding to the S.Klein story. I remember they had regular power failures and before it was Best Products, it was Basco (I worked there as well).

Great memories.

Kurt.

By: Steve W.

Steve W. — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 20:52:51 +0000

Darn Kellie I just may have been one of your customers! Mantrap was my first experience with a non-traditional barber. When I walked in I had not had a haircut in 2+ years. This would have been late summer/early fall in 1974.