Photo by eyescorpion

After a deal to extend its lease by one year fell through, the Barnes & Noble bookstore that anchors the western end of Union Station will be closing at the end of February, the company tells DCist.

Barnes & Noble was negotiating with Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp., a New York-based developer that manages Union Station’s retail space, to stay in its space for an additional year. The bookseller briefly planned to close the location last October after it declined an offer from Ashkenazy, which has long-term plans to redevelop Barnes & Noble’s space, to move the store to a different location in the station. The announcement elicited a raft of stories and public outcries that persuaded Barnes & Noble and Ashkenazy to reverse the decision a day later and tentatively agree to a one-year extension of the bookstore’s lease.

But that deal fell through when Ashkenazy reversed course again and backed out of the lease extension, Barnes & Noble spokeswoman Mary Ellen Keating writes in an email. “An agreement was reached by both [Barnes & Noble] and the landlord, but prior to having the agreement fully executed the landlord changed their mind,” she says.

Now, Barnes & Noble will be leaving Union Station at the end of next month. Ashkenazy did not return calls seeking comment.