Hunt Valley Mall was planned as early as 1979, but its construction was opposed both by local residents, citing spreading suburbification and the potential for runoff into Loch Raven Reservoir, and by the Baltimore County government, who preferred that development be focused in Owings Mills and White Marsh. Despite this, and the Baltimore County executive at the time, Donald Hutchinson, refusing to attend the opening ceremony, the mall opened on September 17, 1981. It was developed by Myles H. Tanenbaum and Kravco Company of King of Prussia, PA, and designed by Leonard Kagan of RTKL Associates. Some of Hunt Valley's "sister malls" were Valley Hills Mall, Beachwood Place, White Marsh Mall, Charleston Town Center and Stratford Square Mall, after which it was modeled. The mall had space for four anchor tenants, but Sears and Bamberger's, which became Macy's in 1986, were the only ones to open, leading the mall to a fate that paralleled Seaview Square Mall in Ocean Township, New Jersey. Other major department stores were in negotiations with the mall, such as Hutzler's, which was slated for the location across from the food court, and JCPenney. Hunt Valley Mall's non-anchor stores included Hair Cuttery, Chess King, CVS, Piercing Pagoda, Kay Bee Toys, Sun Coast Video, Listening Booth Music, Florsheim Shoes, Hess Woman's Apparel, Art Explosion, Merry Go Round, Hudson Trail Outfitters, Deb, Paul Harris, The Wild Pair, Sir Walter Raleigh Inn and others. There were two sets of escalators as well as a prominent glass elevator at the center of the mall. Small zigzag-shaped waterfalls were at opposite ends of the mall. When Macy's closed the former space was split into Dick's and Burlington Coat Factory on the upper and lower floors, respectively, removing the elevators and escalators inside the store space. Once this happened, the stairs at the rear mall entrance were replaced with escalators, which remained in place after redevelopment. Hunt Valley's official mascot was Hunter the Valley Bear.
Transit connections
In 1997, the Baltimore Light Rail was extended north from its then-terminus at Timonium station to Hunt Valley station in the parking lot of Hunt Valley Mall. There were hopes that this would increase business to the struggling mall. Increased lighting, security officers and off duty police were added to ward off any additional crime. Prior to the light rail's extension, the mall was served by Maryland Transit AdministrationBus Route 9. Today, this route operates to the nearby International Circle.
Downfall and rebirth
Hunt Valley Mall never recovered from its inauspicious opening. Its success over the following two decades was limited, and as a result, many of the merchants failed by the end of the 1990s. Competition from White Marsh, which opened a month earlier, as well as Golden Ring Mall, Columbia Mall, Towson Town Center and Owings Mills Mall did not help matters either. This resulted in plans being made to convert the mall into an outdoor town center with big-box stores. As of June 23, 2017, the original Sears store in the Hunt Valley Towne Centre, an original part of the Mall that was one of 235 properties Sears Holdingsspun off into Seritage Growth Properties in 2015, is closing, as part of Sears' announcement of closing 20 stores across the United States. Part of the first level of the former Sears is expected to become Michaels and HomeGoods.
In fiction
Hunt Valley Mall was an inspiration for the fictional "S'Wallow Valley Mall and Pizza Court" in Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie.
