Security Square Mall has lived through almost every big change that hit American malls from 1972 to 2025. You can still see that history inside: a church now uses space where a department store once stood, a health clinic serves people where shoppers once browsed, and the food court is still there after the major anchor stores that were meant to fill the mall with customers are gone.
The mall is in Woodlawn, in western Baltimore County, near two of the region’s largest federal employment campuses. That location helped it keep people coming even after many national chains left.
Independent shops, local businesses, community groups, and bus riders continued to use the mall after Sears closed and after Baltimore County started buying parts of the site for redevelopment…