COLLEGE GROVE CENTER
Route 94 and College Avenue
San Diego, California

The first shopping mall in San Diego was built on a 56 acre site, located 5.7 miles northeast of the center city. Developed under the supervision of George A. Scott, president of the San Diego-based Walker Scott department store chain, COLLEGE GROVE CENTER opened for business during 1960.

Encompassing approximately 635,000 leasable square feet, the open-air complex consisted of an upper retail level and mallway and service basement. This lower level featured an outward-facing group of stores that were accessed from the southeast parking lot.

COLLEGE GROVE CENTER was anchored by a 2-level (186,300 square foot) Walker Scott, the flagship of the chain, and 2-level (36,900 square foot) J.C. Penney.

Inline stores included a J.J. Newberry 5 and 10, Long's Drugs, Pick 'n Save supermarket and bowling alley. There were also the "Park-A-Tot" child care center, "Helistop" heliport and a 75 foot moving sidewalk.

Commercial competition came along quickly. MISSION VALLEY CENTER [March 2009 archive], 5.5 miles northwest in San Diego, was dedicated in February 1961. GROSSMONT CENTER [March 2009 archive], 3.3 miles northeast in La Mesa, held its grand opening in the fall of 1961. PLAZA BONITA, 5.6 miles south in National City, was completed in 1981.

The first expansion of COLLEGE GROVE CENTER was done in the late 1970s, when a 1-level (73,800 square foot) Mervyn's was added to the northwest corner of the mall. The existing Long's Drugs was also doubled in size.

By the early 1980s, the center had become a rundown, past its prime property. Its electrical wiring was inadequate, air conditioning broken down and the roof was leaking. Its owner proposed a facelift type renovation for the structure. The City of San Diego had other ideas.

Under the auspices of the San Diego Redevelopment Agency and San Diego-based William Stone and Associates, a more comprehensive remodeling was proposed. In a 1986 plan, they envisaged the existing center being renovated into a 4-anchor, fully-enclosed mall.

A revised plan, for a scaled-down open-air complex, was approved May 19, 1986. Work got underway in June 1987. The totally revamped shopping center was officially dedicated in November 1988. Along with all of the reconstruction came a new mall moniker; MARKETPLACE AT THE GROVE.

Before work commenced on the rebuilding of the mall, Walker Scott had been shuttered. The store structure was demolished, with the 36,600 square foot Mann Grove 9 multiplex erected in its place. At the time the largest multiplex in San Diego County, it was dedicated in December 1988.

Mervyn's, J.C. Penney and Pick 'n Save had remained in their respective spots. New additions to the center included Charlotte Russe, a Food Court and outparcel Grove Bowling Center.

MARKETPLACE AT THE GROVE was initially a success, but its lack of new anchor stores contributed to its eventual decline. By 1997, the center was 50 percent vacant. It became known, in So-Cal retail circles, as "Marketplace At the Grave".

Enter Phoenix-based Vestar Development. In October 1998, they closed on the purchase of the stuggling shopping center. The second major reconfiguring of structure got underway in November.

This time around, what remained of the circa-1960 mall was demolished, leaving only Mervyn's, Long's Drugs and the outparcel Bowling Center structure. The orientation of the shopping complex was turned inside-out.

A split-level -630,000 square foot- power center was built. Along with the existing Mervyn's, its anchors were a 1-level (130,000 square foot) Sam's Club, 1-level (110,000 square foot), Irvine ["ir-viyn"], California-based Home Base (a home improvement store) and 127,200 square foot Wal-Mart. The retail mix included twenty-three other inline stores.

This repositioning culminated in the shopping center reclaiming its original name, COLLEGE GROVE CENTER. It was officially dedicated in March 2000. Home Base closed (along with the chain) in 2001. Its space was taken by Target in 2003.

COLLEGE GROVE CENTER changed hands in June 2003, with Beachwood, Ohio-based Developers Diversified Realty assuming ownership. Apparently, the shopping center was sold again, in February 2009.

Specific details are unclear, with inconsistent reports abounding on the world wide web. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin-based Kohls Corporation either purchased the Mervyn's (shuttered in early 2009) or else bought the entire shopping center outright.

Sources:

Comment post by Randy
www.sandiego.gov
infodome.sdsu.edu
www.silverscreens.com
ww.ddr.com (Developers Diversified Realty)