Photo by Kevin H.

The Los Angeles Times reported this morning that the Walt Disney Co. plans to shutter most of its ESPN Zone stores, and the Wall Street Journal has since confirmed that among those to close will be the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore locations.

The D.C. ESPN Zone has been operating out of a prime piece of real estate at 11th and E streets NW since 2000. We’ve got calls into spokespeople for the restaurant chain, but the Journal speculates that the recession, combined with increasingly high rents for the spacious sports-focused eateries, are likely to blame.

ESPN Zone, an arcade-style restaurant used as a brand extension for the popular sports network, becomes a victim of the economic downturn, where consumers increasingly cut back on visits to restaurants. The locations took up pricey real estate, like the high-profile Times Square spot at 42nd Street and Broadway, which make it difficult to operate the chains profitably.

“The overall economics of continuing this operation were very challenging,” ESPN Zone General Manager Dominic Minniti said.

The restaurants are expected to cease operations on June 16.