By Dan Reed of Just Up The Pike (as seen in Friends of White Flint)
With recent news of the Metro board of directors voting to approve changing the name of the White Flint Metro Station to North Bethesda, we wanted to share Dan Reed’s 2013 article highlighting how White Flint got its name.
Some call it White Flint, while others call it North Bethesda. One hundred years ago, they called it Windham. The White Flint Partnership, a coalition of area landowners seeking to transform Rockville Pike from a suburban strip into an urban downtown, are working on a branding scheme for the area. However, developers and residents alike disagree on whether to call it White Flint, North Bethesda, or something else. So where did these names come from, anyway?
In the early 20th century, Rockville Pike was a rural highwayand the area between today’s Rockville Town Center and Bethesda was rolling countryside, dotted with small villages. After Rockville, the biggest nearby towns were Kensington and Garrett Park. Annual maps from the United States Geological Surveyshow three tiny settlements in what’s now the White Flint Sector Plan area, each containing just a few houses. There was Montrose, located near the intersection of Montrose Road and Old Georgetown Road; Randolph, on Randolph Road near what today is Loehmann’s Plaza Shopping Center; and Windham, near the current intersection of Parklawn Drive and Boiling Brook Parkway.
Some of these place names persisted for decades, appearing on USGS maps as late as the 1970’s. However, others were more short-lived. Autrey Park, located near Rockville Pike and Edmonston Road, was wiped away after Rockville annexed it. Beane, a village at Old Georgetown Road and Grosvenor Lane, was renamed Mount Zion Church after its main landmark, before disappearing altogether after World War II. Windham’s last appearance on the USGS map was in 1923.
Seven years later, the White Flint Country Club opened on Rockville Pike near Nicholson Lane. That’s the first known use of the name, according to Clare Lise Kelly, research and designation coordinator for historic preservation at the Montgomery County Planning Department. The name was a reference to the white quartz rocks which can be found throughout Montgomery County.
By the 1950’s, suburban development took off along Rockville Pike, and with it came new uses for “White Flint.” Homebuilders laying out new subdivisions around the mall made references to the country club, like White Flint Drive, which was built between 1957 and 1959. The adjacent White Flint Park, which once held many of its namesake rocks, opened in 1978. Meanwhile, family-owned developer Tower Companies bought the country club in the 1960’s, according to Arnold Kohn, a lawyer for the company. Tower partnered with Lerner Enterprises to build White Flint Mall, which opened in 1977.
North Bethesda came a little later. It’s named for Bethesda, which was named in 1871 after a church named for a Biblical healing pool in Jerusalem, which in turn got its name from the Aramaic word for “house of mercy.” However, the Postal Service only recognized North Bethesda as an official mailing address in the 1990’s, a distinction White Flint doesn’t have. Other than a few scattered around the White Flint Mall property, and one in front of the Garrett Park post office, you won’t see many white flint rocks in White Flint, but the name remains as it has for over 80 years. How long it’ll stick around is another story.
12/9/21 Update: Metro has unanimously approved changing the White Flint Metro Station name to “North Bethesda.”
Metro’s board of directors will vote Thursday, December 9, on a proposal to rename the White Flint Metro station “North Bethesda,” per Friends of White Flint.
A social media post on the Friends of White Flint Facebook page states that, “Metro’s staff is recommending to its board of directors to approve the name change. In writing why they acknowledged that currently North Bethesda does not have much of a “sense of place.”
“That said, noteworthy developments such as Pike & Rose have started to adapt the namesake into their branding and identify as being located in the city of North Bethesda. We will continue to see this take hold throughout the county. Should the Board wish to approve the jurisdiction’s request, it is likely that the new name will become synonymous with the surrounding community over time and customers will find it sufficient for wayfinding.”
Friends of White Flint, Councilmember Andrew Friedson, and County Executive Marc Elrich have led the charge to change the station’s name.
Community Asked to Weigh in on Proposed Name Change of White Flint to North Bethesda
The Montgomery County Department of Transportation is asking the community to weigh in on the proposed name change of the White Flint Station Metro station to North Bethesda.
Metro’s public survey is available here: newstationnames2021.questionpro.com
Responses will be accepted through Tuesday, Sept. 28 at 5 p.m.
Tweet from MDOT below:
Community asked to weigh in on the proposed name change of White Flint Station to North Bethesda.
Metro's public survey is available here, https://t.co/IjFjKujiJ7
Responses will be accepted through Tuesday, Sept. 28 at 5 p.m. @MontgomeryCoMD @wmata @TheMoCoShow @montgomeryplans pic.twitter.com/Q94hpsIdVE— MCDOT (@MCDOTNow) September 21, 2021
Marc Elrich Submits Letter to WMATA Requesting White Flint Metro Station to be Renamed ‘North Bethesda Metro Station’
Per Montgomery County:
Last week, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich submitted a letter to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) requesting the renaming of the White Flint Metro Station to be named the “North Bethesda Metro Station.”
Beginning in 2020, the County collaborated in station retitling efforts with the Greater Bethesda Chevy Chase Chamber of Commerce, the Friends of White Flint, the White Flint Downtown Advisory Committee, and other community leaders. A public meeting, sponsored by the above groups as well as the County Executive and the District One Councilmember Andrew Friedson, was held on March 31, 2021 where the new designation of “North Bethesda” was selected.
“The development of the North Bethesda Metro Station is not only critical to the future economic growth of Montgomery County but the entire state and region,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “Thanks to our State Delegates in Districts 16 and 18, we have secured $250,000 toward the renaming costs. In addition, the County will contribute $50,000, and there is a commitment that remaining costs will be paid by the key property owners in the immediate vicinity of this station. The choice of ‘North Bethesda’ was the consensus of this community. I expect for generations to come the name ‘North Bethesda’ will be known as an epicenter in the bio/life sciences and quantum computing industries supported by private sector companies, academics, and federal agencies developed in a 21st-century sustainable and equitable location.”
“The Metro station is crucial to the viability of this area and our community’s vision for it,” District 1 Councilmember Andrew Friedson said. “We need a Metro station that reflects that vision and helps our economic development, regional competitiveness, and placemaking efforts so the Pike District and North Bethesda becomes an even more vibrant, walkable, and livable destination.”
“The entire Montgomery County House and Senate Delegations recognize the economic potential of ‘North Bethesda.’ Rebranding the Metro station is crucial to achieving that success and we were pleased to fight to obtain that state investment,” said Marc Korman, Delegate from District 16.
In 2010, Montgomery County completed a comprehensive update to the White Flint Sector Plan. Since that time, much has changed in North Bethesda including the former White Flint Mall which was dismantled between 2017 and 2020. A key goal for the community – both residential and business – is identity; and White Flint is no longer a relevant name or term used.
“Friends of White Flint believes the name ‘North Bethesda’ honors the history of this remarkable neighborhood and heralds a spectacular future as a walkable, transit-oriented, vibrant community,” said Amy Ginsburg, executive director of Friends of White Flint.
“Renaming the Metro station has been an imperative goal of the White Flint Downtown Advisory Committee to support current and future branding efforts of both the Pike District and greater North Bethesda,” said White Flint Downtown Advisory Committee Chairperson Andy Shulman. “We are pleased with the consensus amongst community, government and property stakeholders around the name ‘North Bethesda’ for the station.”
Friends of White Flint’s Official Position on Renaming of White Flint Metro Station
Friends of White Flint is dedicated to implementing the White Flint Sector Plans as approved by the Montgomery County Council and overwhelmingly supported by the community. We represent a broad diversity of backgrounds and interests; residents, businesses, and property owners all participate in Friends of White Flint.
Friends of White Flint’s Official Position on Renaming of White Flint Metro Station:
“Over the past month or so, Friends of White Flint has worked hard to gather community and stakeholder input on the renaming of the White Flint metro station.
More than 60 resident and business community members shared their thoughts during an online meeting hosted by County Executive Marc Elrich, District 1 Councilmember Andrew Friedson, and The Greater Bethesda Chamber, and Friends of White Flint. The Friends of White Flint board also met and thoughtfully discussed the issue.
Below you will find our official position on the renaming of the White Flint metro station, but for those of you who just want to know the bottom line, we believe the name of the metro station should be North Bethesda to reflect the community’s preference, history, and redevelopment plans.
Dear County Executive Elrich and Councilmember Friedson:
Friends of White Flint wants to first thank you for the time and effort you’ve devoted to renaming the White Flint metro station. From sponsoring a public meeting to working with stakeholders, you have both shown much-appreciated leadership on this initiative.
County Executive Elrich, Councilmember Friedson, Friends of White Flint, and the Greater Bethesda Chamber of Commerce held a public meeting to gather community input on the name of the metro station on March 31. More than sixty residents and business owners attended this meeting, and there was a robust discussion. While at the start of the meeting, participants were evenly divided between keeping the White Flint name and changing the name, by the end, there was consensus that the name ought to include “North Bethesda.” While some believed ‘Pike District’ or ‘White Flint’ should be included in the name after ‘North Bethesda’, there was genuine consensus that the name should lead with ‘North Bethesda’.
Following the public meeting, the Friends of White Flint board of directors met on April 22nd to discuss the name of the metro station. As you know, the board is composed equally of property owners, businesses, and residents in the White Flint 1 and 2 Sector Plan areas. After a lengthy discussion, the Friends of White Flint board voted to recommend support for the name ‘North Bethesda’.
Friends of White Flint believes ‘North Bethesda’ should be the name for a variety of reasons, as outlined below:
- North Bethesda is the name for which there is consensus. Even residents, business, and property owners who wanted a different name are willing to accept and support the name North Bethesda. Community consensus among residents, property owners, and businesses is rare and remarkable, and we want to support and respect that consensus.
- Naming the station North Bethesda does not preclude the use of other names in the area, such as continuing to brand the Pike District as the urban center of North Bethesda. Pike District of North Bethesda, White Flint of North Bethesda, Pike & Rose of North Bethesda, Rose Village of North Bethesda, etc., are all possible when the station is named North Bethesda.
- North Bethesda builds on the national visibility and prestige of Bethesda, making it easier to attract businesses, residents, retailers, residents, and financing to our community. Both Visit Montgomery and MCEDC believe North Bethesda ought to be the name of the metro station and have offered to support the change.
- Many residents and businesses already use the name North Bethesda. In fact, the census tract for our area is called North Bethesda. Because this name is widely used, and has been for many years, there is a compelling logic to naming the station North Bethesda.
The name North Bethesda both builds on the great history of our community and portends a grand future for our neighborhood. We ask the county to request that WMATA changes the name of the station to North Bethesda.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss this matter, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected] or 301-919-1609.”
Community Meeting to Discuss Potential Name Change of White Flint Metro Station
A virtual meeting will take place tonight to discuss the potential name change of the White Flint metro station.
“Join County Executive Marc Elrich, Councilmember Andrew Friedson, The Greater Bethesda Chamber, and Friends of White Flint for an online meeting to discuss the possible re-naming of White Flint metro on Wednesday, March 31 at 7 pm.”
Register for the meeting here.
Lord & Taylor, the Last Remnant of White Flint Mall, Has Permanently Closed
Back in May, we let you know that Lord & Taylor had announced plans to close their location in the former White Flint Mall area.
After months of inventory sales, it appears that this Lord & Taylor location has finally shut its doors for good. The parking lot is empty, this location is no longer listed on the Lord & Taylor website, and google lists the location as permanently closed.
When White Flint Mall first opened in 1977, Lord & Taylor was one of its anchor stores, along with Bloomingdale’s, and I. Magnin (later replaced by Borders Books).
In the mid 2010s, there was a legal dispute between Lord & Taylor and White Flint Mall; Lord & Taylor alleged that plans to redevelop the mall were in violation of Lord & Taylor’s rental agreement. The store was eventually allowed to remain and redevelopment was halted. The mall around Lord & Taylor was demolished and the store was the only part remaining.
In 2018, the White Flint Mall property was briefly under consideration for a new Amazon headquarters.
What can we expect for the future of the White Flint Mall property?
In 2012, it was proposed that the area would be redeveloped to have a large, open air plaza with residences, office space, and retail. A 2019 Montgomery Planning Board document has made references to this plan, in addition to discussing the possibility of a new elementary school, and an extension of a current park in the are. No updated plans or a timeline of this development are publicly available at this time.
By: Michelle Katz @pike.and.rozay
