Frederick Towne Mall was first announced in 1970; early plans called for the mall to be between 350,000 and 400,000 square feet, but plans were later pushed to 630,000 square feet, with a central second floor for service tenants. An opening date was set for April 1971.[5] By March 1971, anchors had been announced to include Montgomery Ward, J.C. Penney, and Eyerly's, with Wards set to open in fall 1971, followed by the rest of the mall "in about a year". Other tenants announced included McCrory's, Peoples Drug, Thom McAn, RadioShack, Foxwood Casuals, Chess King, General Nutrition Centers, Kay Jewelers, and Walden Books.[6]
The area surrounding the mall eventually intensified with low income housing, as did violent crime in the surrounding area. After a series of well-publicized events earned the mall a reputation for crime and frequent fights, mall tenants began relocating to a safer retail district across the city near the competing Francis Scott Key Mall, which opened in 1978.
The Montgomery Ward store closed in 2001 due to bankruptcy and was later replaced in 2004 by The Home Depot.[7] The then vacant J.C.Penney was replaced with Boscov's in 2003.[8] In 2005, Gentlemen's Choice Barber Shop, the last remaining original tenant, moved out.[9]
In 2006, proposals were made to redevelop the mall into a mixed use site.[10] However, by 2009, economic issues caused by the Great Recession ended the possibility of mixed use redevelopment for the time.[11]
By 2007, the reputation for crime the mall gained increased, as a woman was robbed and beaten while exiting The Bon-Ton department store.[12] The Hoyts Cinemas 10 closed in 2009 following the stabbing and murder of a man inside the theater.[13]
In November 2010, it was announced that the Bon-Ton store and their furniture gallery would be closing within the next few months. They closed in January 2011, leaving the mall without any original anchor stores. John's Hallmark, the last interior tenant, closed its doors in April 2013; however by this time it was selling merchandise out of its back door due to the closure of the mall's interior to the public in early April.[14] At this time, it was announced that Walmart had plans to open on the site, following demolition of the mall; however, these plans were cancelled in 2016.[15][16]
In 2014, just a year after the closure of the mall, three men were charged with burglary and trespassing after breaking into the mall by prying one of its doors. Officers went inside and arrested the three men. Their motive for breaking into the mall remains unclear.[17]
Since 2015, the land has been planned for redevelopment.[18] In 2016, work started on a redevelopment called Frederick Towne Center. Boscov's and Home Depot will be kept and the mall in between demolished. The new site plan would include a Walmart of size 155,000-square-foot.[19] In September of that year, however, Walmart cancelled their plans for redevelopment.
Shortly afterwards, the owner of the property considered selling the mall. On November 23, 2016, there was an auction for the site between December 6 to 8 with a starting bid of $2.5 million.[20] On February 24, 2017, the property was sold to a private investment company, headed by urologist Mohammed Mohiuddin.[21]
On November 11, 2019, it was officially announced that the mall was being renamed District 40 and may include tenants with business such as go-karts, a bowling alley, a video arcade, a trampoline park, and restaurants.[22] According to the report, Home Depot, which is connected to the old mall, is technically not included in the property and Boscov's still has a lease, but no further details were disclosed about the future of the store.[23]
Warehouse Cinemas would be the first tenant of District 40, opening in summer of 2020 at the former Hoyts Cinemas 10 site and taking up an entire wing of the mall, completely renovating the area.[24] In July 2020, Taj Mahal Indian Restaurant opened in the former Ground Round site.[4] Frederick Furniture opened up the same summer.[25]
In July 2022, it was announced that Big Country Lanes Bowling Alley would replace the former Bon-Ton using the liqudated assets of the defunct Terrace Lanes Bowling Alley, which had closed earlier that year.[26]
As of 2025, both Home Depot and Boscov's still operate at the site, being the only two anchor stores operating out of the former mall. A new junior anchor tenant known as Spinners Pinball Arcade was announced to take up a large space on the northern side of the mall near Warehouse Cinemas. Spinners Pinball Arcade leased the location in 2023, began renovation in 2024, and opened on January 21, 2026.[27][3]
In April of 2026, plans began developing for a new tenant known as Sky Jump Adventure Park to open a trampoline park in the former Bon-Ton anchor space as Big Country Lanes Bowling Alley was unable to get final approval for the project and has since relocated its plans to the former Big Lots building across the street.
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TransIT bus: 10, 40, 50, 51, 80
