Rosenthal Dealership on Columbia Pike Closing Tonight

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by ARLnow.com June 15, 2012 at 5:15 pm 12,749 88 Comments

Today’s the last day in business for the Rosenthal Chrysler Jeep dealership and service center at 3400 Columbia Pike.

According to an employee who answered the phone, the dealership will close permanently after tonight. Employees are either being transferred to other Rosenthal dealerships or were given advance notice that they should seek other employment, we’re told.

The Rosenthal site, at the corner of Glebe Road and Columbia Pike, is set to be redeveloped into a multi-family residential complex. The plans for the complex includes a six-story building with 245 apartments, 44 townhouses, 12 stacked flats and retail space on the ground floor.

The Arlington County Board approved the redevelopment last month.

Photo via Google Maps

thelevyisdry

That would explain why I didn’t get my regular oil change coupon.
- Arlington, Northside
  
  It is sad, will no longer be able to get warrenty work done on my Jeep anywhere inside the Beltway on this side of the river. 🙁
  - V Williams
    
    Wow, I was completely blown when I pulled up this morning to get my oil changed and everything was closed. Would be nice to know whether other dealerships will honor packages/incentives purchased with vehicle.
Southie

Hello Street Car!
- Mike
  
  yepper!
Eric

Automobile dealerships and streetcar lines generally don’t go together on the same street.
- nom de guerre
  
  How about a streetcar dealership? Or is that a clown question, bro?
  - Monopoly Man
    
    Brilliant! Where do I invest kind sir?
    - nom de guerre
      
      http://www.chris.zimmerman.com or arlingtoncountyboard.com
Arlwhenver

You can take your Dodge, Chrysler or Jeep vehicle to Springfield (Safford) or south of the Beltway on Route 1 (Ourisman) for service and repair. This is smart growth. Condos, apartments and bistros — not much else.
- South Awwlington
  
  I don’t think you can successfully argue that this car dealership is closing because of smart growth.
  
  I think you can successfully argue that this car dealership is closing because the land it sits on simply became to valuable to the owners to remain a car lot.
  
  This happens all over the Country and not only in areas that follow smart growth planning principles.
  - Arlington, Northside
    
    “Smart Growth” made it too valuable. 🙁
- John K.
  
  Also taverns, gyms, and dry cleaners!
  - Nick81
    
    Don’t forget fro-yo shops!
- drax
  
  Bike dealerships.
  - er,wait
    
    THAT would be perfect.
Devil’s Advocate

But you soon will be able to have your Audi serviced on Columbia Pike…:)

Methinks the Rosenthal family own that dealership too.
- Jay W
  
  I used to work there & I said this would happen soon. Rosenthal does own the Audi in Alexandria that they are moving to Columbia Pike in the old Browns Nissan
  - brian
    
    I remember one sports car in there back in 2001, that had a “dealer markup”, and it was like 10k over invoice. Nice market adjustment.
    
    I would never buy from there.
    - CrystalMikey
      
      That kind of thing happens at pretty much every dealership. Not unique to Rosenthal at all.
    - Arlington, Northside
      
      Prowlers had that markup EVERYWHERE when they first came out. They could not move them a year and a half later.
Roover

get it outta here. Glad to see new development probably the most important intersection on the Pike. It will be a major improvemwent!!
- Mike
  
  The REAL money will be made at the corner of George Mason and the Pike… ya’ know, where my boy with the Uncle Sam hat dances all day.
  
  BTW, you’d never see that along Lee Hwy. I would play dumb and ask why, but why as why.
  
  Change is and even if the police want to ignire it, the new commercial property owners won’t.
  
  Like I said, change is good.
  
  Very good.
  - SoArl
    
    I’ve always called that guy Uncle Sam, too! is he stil there? I havent’ seen him lately.
    - LuLu
      
      The Uncle Sam guy has been there lately, he just hasn’t been wearing his hat.
      - bringmetheyuppies
        
        his hat got stolen. Told him I’d buy him a new one when they arrived in stores for 4th of July.
      - Bad Jokes
        
        “his hat got stolen. ”
        
        Man that is low….
      - PR
        
        We should get him a selection of seasonal hats. Elf hat for Christmas, green bowler for St Patty’s, Jester hat for mardi gras, etc.
      - Mike
        
        y’all jus’ funny!
Mc

Still too many used car dealers in Arlington, but a welcome development.
Barry

So how many hours will I have to wait in line to buy fuel for my Prius because the non-resident ‘planners’ at 2100 Clarendon Blvd, who live in McLean, Annandale, etc,. want to replace all Arlington’s service stations with upscale condos, restaurants and retail?
- drax
  
  Lame.
- Annadalian
  
  I would LOVE it if some of annandale’s services stations could be replaced by condos and fro yo shops.
- Spectator
  
  Perhaps the condo will have a gas station under it like the church in Roslyn.
Joey

Oh cool another mixed use building
- Bad Jokes
  
  But will it have a black box theater ???
  - WeiQiang
    
    that’s a clown question, brah
    - Bad Jokes
      
      I hear that if you go into a black box theater that you never come out…kind of like light in a black hole or money going into 2100 Clarendon Blvd…just what I have heard…..
1234

Lets just hope they’re closing the used car lot on the other side of glebe as well.
- South Awwlington
  
  Lol which one, there’s like 7 or 8.
Jeep

Can’t stand in the way of progress, I know, but as a Jeep owner, this kind of sucks. I go to this place all the time (seriously). Anyone who owns a Jeep knows that you have to be prepared to take it in all the time. Ok, it isn’t that bad. But I do go pretty often and it is going to be a huge pain to not have them nearby.

Rosenthal, too bad you didn’t move the Jeep dealer to another inside-the-beltway location, maybe at another one of your dealerships. Or at least offer a service department.
- chuck
  
  If you asked them, you’d know that they are opening another Jeep location inside Arlington, they just are able to reveal the location at this time.
  - Jeep
    
    Was basing that on an email they sent out — they said they lost their lease and they are done. (I am guessing the email was not perfectly accurate in talking about a lease.)
    
    But hope you are right.
    
    I’m getting sick of smart growth, if it means I have to get basic services done in other towns and counties. Not that easy to do when you work downtown full time. The community I grew up I’m had a policy of no growth. I now see some benefits to that.
    - big_spaniel
      
      Now you have to go out to somewhere in Faixfax to get your lawn mover fixes.
      
      Yes. I still do cut my own grass. Thank you.
    - Suburban Not Urban
      
      Ah – one more enlighted one – that 100 froyo shops and stores that don’t actually want to have window displays at ground level only 15 feet from the street and major stretches of street where the sun only touches for 15 minutes at noon is not such a good concept.
    - I’m confused
      
      getting a Jeep serviced at the dealer is a basic service?
      
      I’m betting there are hundreds of small towns around the USA without Jeep dealerships any closer than you will have now.
      - Arlington, Northside
        
        And the small towns have little density in the way of what ever is the closest dealership, additionally they have far few vehicles that need to be serviced. The loss of the local dealers are a hardship consequence of our smart growth/revitilization in Arlington.
- LuLu
  
  This totally sucks. I bought my car there in 2005 and have been taking it there faithfully. Rude of them not to say goodbye, isn’t it? Wonder where Harry Stein ended up?
  - Arlington, Northside
    
    I wonder where Larry will land. He has been watching over my Cherokee for over a decade now, and the Wrangler for a while before that.
  - jane2012
    
    LuLu (and everyone else) – Harry Stein now works at:
    
    Safford Chrysler Jeep Dodge of Springfield
    6801 Commerce St Springfield, VA 22150
    
    Service: (703) 866-1700
    
    Give him a call! He loves his Rosenthal customers.
    -Jane
  - HARRY
    
    Hey Lulu I have landed on my feet at Safford Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge (703)866-1750 6801 Commerce Street Springfield Va 22150 Make sure you ask for Harry Stein
- HARRY
  
  The technicians moved down here with me at Safford Jeep Chrysler Dodge 6801 Commerce Street Springfield 22150 (703)866-1750 ask for HARRY STEIN
  - Jane2012
    
    Great news! Thanks for the update Harry!
    - Jane2012
      
      We miss our great, local service.
      - jeep customer
        
        I found Larry at Farrish Jeep ii the Fairfax circle along with other Rosenthal techs.
Larry

Sooner than you think you will be driving miles for every service that’s available now near your neighborhood.
- onjulic
  
  Not fro-yo!!
charles

CORRECTION: a six-story building with 245 apartments, 44 townhouses, 12 stacked flats and retail space with no set-back so Columbia Pike continues the thoughtless and unattractive trend toward canyon, thanks to the thoughtless and tasteless Arlington Planning Office.
- onjulic
  
  Whoa! With a streetcar, it won’t be “unattractive”! (Buses are “unattractive.”) Let’s get rid of CW Fields Plumbing and the Broiler and that dump next to it, next! (Although I like the Broiler, I know it doesn’t appeal to the fro-yo crowd.)
  - jackson
    
    I will not tolerate any talk of closing or moving Broilers. None!
- drax
  
  Set-backs suck.
- Josh S
  
  Six storeys does not a canyon make.
Roover

South Arlington baby!!!! Were the best!!!
BluemontBocce

Hopefully there will be room for a bocce court.
PikeHoo

Good riddance! Any way we can get a package demo deal with that slimy used car lot across the street from Rosenthal?
- SoArl2
  
  That slimy used car lot is also Rosenthal, and they’ve started moving cars off of that lot as well. That said, that lot isn’t part of the redevlopment and nobody seems to know what the plan is for that lot.
LarryK

Yes, we are going to be overwhelmed with restaurants and upscale retain. Plan on driving a long way to have your dog’s rabies vaccination renewed.
- jackson
  
  Rosenthal did that? I had no idea!
JandA

Know how far you have to drive to find a hardware store? Any others left in Arlington besides in Cherrydale and Westover? I am sick and tired of stupid growth.
- Arlington, Northside
  
  Bill’s True Value at 2213 N. Buchanan Street by the corner of Rt.29 and Glebe.
  - I’m confused
    
    You know if its not the size of a Home Depot its not really a hardware store, right?
    - Arlington, Northside
      
      Home Depot is a mini lumber yard and home goods store, not a Hardware Store.
    - Spectator
      
      Can’t really call Home Depot a hardware store; perhaps a store with hardware. The staff have little or no experience or knowledge for answering customer questions; a true hardware’s staff does.
Sheriff Gonna Getcha

I hope they price the 2 bedrooms at $3200/month, my Dad wont pay for me to live in anywhere that costs less than that because he is afraid my 3-series will get scratched or broken into.
- Roover
  
  yeah right. Get outta here with that!!!!
ArlForester

I wonder who will win the battle for the first unsuccessful restaurant to set up shop there. It would be kind of awesome if a Five Guys went in since their original location was at that intersection.
- Arlington, Northside
  
  Only if Brenner’s Bakery made a return too!
  - Bluemontsince1961
    
    I second a return of Brenner’s. I miss them, they had some great stuff!
FourMileRunner

Don’t worry about Smart Growth or Growth in general at the Rosenthal site. The good residents of Douglass Park are determined to put the kibosh any anything that results in ten more vehicles driving down their streets.
aNN

A large piece of my life gone. Worked there 9 years in various office positions. Of course, I’m in Oakton now! But work in Rosslyn. Back to SA in a heartbeat if I could afford it!
YTK

Wow– I remember when they started to build it. I remember the first Corvette there, AND the 1962 Corvette Mako Shark that was there for a few days. Bought a 1968 Camaro there too– wish I still had it.
- John Snyder
  
  In the market for a cheap car, they showed me a Chevette with racing stripes. That is just so wrong.
  - nom de guerre
    
    We called the Chevette Shove Its. Chevettes were almost as iconic as the Pacer and the Gremlin.
    - Tabs
      
      Don’t forget the orange Pinto.
      - nom de guerre
        
        Was that before or after it burst into flames?
    - YTK
      
      HAHAHA! So did Sis and I !! She even OWNED ONE!!!
Dr_Klahn

Or that head-turner the Citation (why would you name a crappy compact after a synyonym for a traffic ticket?)
kelly pickner

Im so glad they closed that place Rose Wolf the controller was a fat rude monster the tag and title clerk was sleeping with the gm it was horrible !!!!

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