The shopping center, whose first store opened in 2005, was developed by theChevy Chase Land Company, a privately owned development corporation that has owned the land for more than a century.
The land where The Collection now sits was acquired in the 19th century by the Chevy Chase Land Company, co-founded in 1890 byFrancis G. Newlands. The company sold the parcel in 1903 to buyers who subsequently sold it to astraw buyer for African American investors with a plan to sell plots to other African Americans as part of a subdivision calledBelmont.[5][6] When Newlands and his partners learned of this, they helped to block the transfer of theland title. Two decades later, they successfully lobbied to erase the subdivision from the property books ofMontgomery County, Maryland, and thereby regained the land.[7][8]
In 1953, the company built a shopping strip on the site dubbed the Chevy Chase Center.[9] In the 1970s, it was demolished, and for three decades, the land was a parking lot.[10]
In the 1990s, the Chevy Chase Land Company began planning a new shopping center on the plot. This one would focus on luxury retailers, in an attempt to build on the success of nearby high-end department stores:Saks Fifth Avenue a block to the north,Bloomingdale's across the street, andLord & Taylor a few blocks away.
It took a decade to bring The Collection project to fruition, due to community opposition and county zoning requirements.[10] Designed byBill Hellmuth, president of the global architecture firmHOK,[1] the project was set on 112,000 sq ft (10,400 m2) of land.[2] It incorporates a 9,000 sq ft (840 m2) park.[citation needed]
But after 2008, the shopping center's profits began to wane.[9] Piazza Sempione closed in April 2011 and was replaced by Mexican restaurant Mi Cocina, which closed in November 2014.[24][25] Barneys CO-OP closed in 2012. Dior, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton closed in 2016.
By then, the Chevy Chase Land Company was already planning an expansion of The Collection, as well as a shift to more casual stores and restaurants. The shopping center was updated between 2017 and June 2019, adding outdoor restaurant seating and a tiered plaza. Total retail space rose to 194,646 square feet.[9]
