On July 15, 1962,
The Washington Post and Times-Herald published a sketch of the department store of the
S. Klein chain, to be constructed in the Beltway Plaza Regional Shopping Center in
Greenbelt, Maryland. At the time the two-story and basement structure would be the largest Washington suburban department store and was expected to open the following Easter. Maryland Governor
J. Millard Tawes witnessed the signing of the 30-year lease (the store would last only 13) between the plaza developer and S. Klein. The store opened on Oct 17, 1963. The Beltway Plaza property is home to some perilous slopes that have periodically given way. During construction of the store, in December 1962, five men died and 11 were injured in a basement earth slide and the mall was forced to close for a short period in 1966. S. Klein was at Beltway Plaza until 1975, when the chain decided to close the store.
The Washington Post of Feb 6, 1975 (p. G14) reported: S. Klein Department Stores, a New York retailer that was a pioneer in the discount business, is closing its two big Washington area stores within six weeks, industry sources said yesterday. Officers of the company, a subsidiary of
McCrory Corp., refused to conform or deny the reports. In the weeks prior to September 11, 2001, all five of the terrorists who hijacked
American Airlines Flight 77 and flew it into the Pentagon had frequently visited Beltway Plaza mall, including Giant Food, Gold's Gym, and Burlington Coat Factory. ==References==