The San Francisco-Oakland megalopolis has had an astounding number of shopping malls over the years. Since the first one opened in 1952, there have been something like thirty-seven built within the six Bay Area counties of San Francisco (City & County), San Mateo, Marin, Sonoma, Alameda and Contra Costa.

Six Lost Malls will be covered in this section. Four have been demalled into power centers, one repurposed as a retail-office center, and another completely demolished. The Lost Malls of San Francisco-Oakland are listed as follows, with their original names used;

*WESTLAKE TOWN & COUNTRY CENTER [1951-2004]
*EL CERRITO PLAZA [1958-2000]
*LARWIN PLAZA [1962-2002]
*EASTMONT MALL [1970-1993]
*ALCOSTA MALL [1966-1993]
*FREMONT FASHION CENTER [1968-1990]

A seventh Lost Mall, SAN MATEO FASHION ISLAND, was in operation between 1982 and 1996. Its dedication, in the early 1980s, fell after our website's timeline focus. To be inducted into the Mall Hall of Fame, a shopping hub must have opened between the years 1946 and 1979.

 

On our Lost Malls of San Francisco-Oakland map, failed shopping centers are indicated with gray squares. Present-day shopping hubs are shown with black squares. Note: BRIDGEPOINTE CENTER (number 5) is a redevelopment of SAN MATEO FASHION ISLAND.

The first stretch of motor expressway in the Bay Area, the Bayshore Freeway, ran between South San Francisco and San Mateo and opened to traffic in 1949. It was extended into San Francisco proper in the early '50s, where it was officially deemed the James Lick Freeway. Hayward's SOUTHLAND CENTER [1964] was the region's first freeway-friendly shopping mall. It was -and is- adjacent to the Interstate 880-Nimitz Freeway.

San Francisco-Oakland's Lost Malls were spread throughout the East and West Bay suburbs, as are the five branches of the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) network. The current 131.4 route-mile, fifty station, system was inaugurated, with a 28-mile starter line, in September 1972. This route ran between the MacArthur and Fremont stations. Extensions opened in 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2016 and 2020. A prospective extension to downtown San Jose could be operational by 2036.

The "BART to O-A-K," or Oakland Airport Connector, operates as a 3.2-route mile Automated Guideway Transit line. It began revenue service in November 2014, connecting with the BART Coliseum-Airport station.

Major shopping hubs serviced by the BART rail system include EL CERRITO PLAZA, BAYFAIR CENTER, SHOPS AT TANFORAN, STONERIDGE CENTER and GATEWAY PLAZA (nee' FREMONT FASHION CENTER).

 

 

Graphic from the San Francisco Municipal Railway
 
The City-County of San Francisco is also served by its San Francisco Municipal Railway, or MUNI, which has been in operation since 1917. Today's 34.6-route-mile light rail network serves thirty-three stations, eighty-seven additional stops and provides access to the STONESTOWN GALLERIA mall.

The West Bay's Westlake Town & Country Center 

A vintage view of the open-air Westlake Court at WESTLAKE CENTER. The complex served as a de facto downtown for the gigantic Westlake housing development.

Photo from http://www.dalycityhistory.org

Little boxes on the hillside...

The typical Westlake tract house averaged between 1,100 and 1,400 square feet and sold for $11,000 in 1949.

Drawing from Henry Doelger, Incorporated

Lambasted by Malvina Reynolds' "Little Boxes" ditty in 1962, these abodes have stood the test of time...and even a couple of earthquakes. They are now celebrated as definitive examples of post-war, "Late Moderne" style.

Photo from www.flickr.com / "Telstar Logistics' Ticky-Tacky Photostream"

 

The WESTLAKE TOWN & COUNTRY CENTER was built in three phases. The first was completed between 1951 and 1954. The second stage -or Shopping Court- is depicted above. This structure, which extended for 750 feet, housed twenty store spaces. It was dedicated in March 1956. 

Drawing from Henry Doelger, Incorporated

The 5 million dollar expansion was anchored by a (51,000 square foot) "J.C. Penney Company" store. 

Drawing from Henry Doelger, Incorporated

The WESTLAKE mall, circa-1963. The first section of stores, completed in the early 1950s, is shown in black. The aforementioned "Shopping Court" addition appears in dark gray. The final segment, in light gray, was finished in 1959. Now fully-realized, the complex houses eighty-six stores and medical offices and provides free parking for 2,500 autos.

WESTLAKE CENTER TENANTS 1963:

J.C. PENNEY / SEARS (Catalog & Appliance) / WESTLAKE FOOD CENTER / Althea's Fashion Salon / Bank Of America / Bloom's Fine Shoes / Bob St. Claire's Westlake Liquors / Casual Aire of Westlake / Crown Drug / Fern Maternity / First Western Bank / Frank Lamont Realty / Fuller Paints / Gene's Compton's / Gene Harrington Realty / H. Liebes / Hunt's Donuts / Jay Vee Store / Joe's of Westlake restaurant / Johnson Tamale Grotto / Karl's Shoes / Kelly's Shoe Repair / King Norman Toys / Mr. H. Luggage / New England Shop / Panorama Travel Service / Park Plaza Beauty Salon / Pauson's / Pip's Drive-in / Sai Wu Chinese Food / See's Candies / Seymour Paint-Wallpaper & Glass / Singer Sewing Center / The Fashion / Town & Country Liquors / Walgreen Drug (with Walgreen Grill) / Westlake Appliance Repair / Westlake Auto-torium / Westlake Bakery / Westlake Bowl / Westlake Beauty Salon / Westlake Coffee Shop / Westlake Delicatessen / Westlake Flower Shop / Westlake Flying "A" / Westlake Home Sales, Incorporated / Westlake Jewelers / Westlake Laundry / Westlake Lounge / Westlake Medical Pharmacy / Westlake Music Center / Westlake Pet Shop / Westlake Pizza Shop / Westlake Town & Country TV / Vern's Ice Cream 

The demise of the Grants chain, in 1976, left WESTLAKE CENTER with a large vacancy. The store space was reconfigured as an enclosed Mini-Mall, whose stores began opening in August of 1976. Tenants included The Turquoise Butterfly, Plant Paradise, King of East Jewelry & Gifts and Tub & Scrub Bathique. 

Graphic from the Westlake Development Company

In 1977, WESTLAKE CENTER featured stores such as Arthur's Big & Tall men's wear, Zales Jewelers, Healthway Nutrition Center and Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream. A Loehmann's ladies' wear store had opened its doors in March 1976.

Graphic from the Westlake Development Company

In the mid-1980s, WESTGATE housed ninety-nine stores and services. Among these were Grafilo's Seafood & Lounge, Red Wing Shoes and Woman's Workout World. Gensler-Lee Diamonds welcomed first shoppers in August 1984.
Graphic from the Westlake Development Company

We zoom through time to the WESTLAKE CENTER of the 21st century. The pedestrian mall, which bisected the complex, has been excavated and replaced with an automobile thoroughfare. This demalling project was part of a massive, 3-year-long renovation.
Photo from Wikipedia / "BrokenSphere"

A circa-2009 WESTLAKE plan illustrates the early 2000s remodeling. Existing structures are shown in black, with newly-built (or substantially rebuilt) sections indicated in gray. The "synergetic community center" now houses eighty-eight stores and services and twenty-six leased office spaces.

The center's Trader Joe's is a relocation of an existing store. Cost Plus World Market occupies a second level.
Photo from www.kimcorealty.com

An aerial view of WESTLAKE CENTER, looking southward. The complex achieved its 70th year in business in April 2021.
Photo from Wikipedia / Derrick Coetzee

WESTLAKE TOWN & COUNTRY CENTER

Alemany (John Daly) and Lake Merced Boulevards
Daly City, California

San Francisco's Henry Doelger was one of America's most prolific 20th century home builders. Between the Great Depression and early 1960s, Doelger and company constructed 24,000 homes in -and around- the City by the Bay.

Doelger's crowning achievement was the creation of Westlake, one of the nation's earliest post-war housing developments. The story of this suburb began in 1945, when Doelger acquired 600 acres in Daly City. The plot, just south of the San Francisco City-County corporation line, was a combination of sand dunes, pig ranches and cabbage patches.

By 1949, families were moving into their starkly modern, rectilinear Westlake homes. A second land purchase was made, bringing the total area of the Levittown-like community to 1,200 acres. By the end of the project in 1962, 7,500 single-family abodes and 3,000 apartment units had been constructed.

Henry Doelger, Incorporated provided everything the suburbanite family might need, including churches, offices, medical facilities and restaurants. A 26-acre site, located 7.5 miles southwest of San Francisco's Union Square, was developed as an open-air shopping center; Daly City's de facto downtown

Ground was broken for the initial phase of the WESTLAKE TOWN & COUNTRY CENTER in October 1950. The first operational store, the Town & Country Food Market, opened for business on April 26, 1951. By June 1954, the 3-story Westlake Medical & Dental building was complete.

Construction commenced on a 20-unit store block in April 1955. This would house tenants such as W.T. Grant, Sears Catalog & Appliance, Karl's Shoes, First Western Bank, Franklin's Fashion, Leeds Qualicraft Shoes, Arthur's, Arcade Shoes, an (11,200 square foot) F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10 and 3-level (51,000 square foot) J.C. Penney. 

 

Twelve stores were dedicated with a three-day celebration that commenced on March 23, 1956. W.T. Grant and Henry Doelger spoke at the Grants grand opening. Music was provided by Los Caballeros, a trio of Latin singers. With completion of the addition, the mall housed sixty-two stores and services.  

The final store blocks, at the southeast corner of the complex, had been finished by late 1959. Included in this final phase was a 1-level (48,300 square foot) Food Center supermarket (a relocation on the circa-1951 unit). New inline stores included See's Candies, Sterling Furniture and Casual-Aire ladies' wear. In September 1962, plans for a 9 million dollar Macy's California unit were announced. However, said store was never built.

Major WESTLAKE CENTER competitors were STONESTOWN CENTER (1952) {2 miles north, in San Francisco} and SERRAMONTE CENTER (1969) {2 miles south, also in Daly City}.

Henry Doelger, Incorporated sold the shopping complex in April 1965, with James H. Tower, of Burlingame, California, becoming its new proprietor. Mr. Tower sold WESTLAKE CENTER to a San Francisco-based entity, known as the Westlake Development Company, in January 1973.

Meanwhile, mall stores had come and gone. The Food Center morphed into the Westlake Market, which was rebranded as a Safeway in 1967. The Grants store closed -along with the chain- in March 1976. The WESTGATE store was rebuilt into an enclosed Mini-Mall that was officially dedicated on October 6, 1976. 

 

By the early 1980s, WESTLAKE CENTER, had declined from a regional-class shopping hub into a discount venue. J.C. Penney pulled up stakes in the year 2000. In October 2002, Hyde Park, New York-based Kimco Realty entered into a joint venture with the mall's owner, the Westlake Development Company. 

 

A major overhaul was announced in October 2003. The renovation would be done in two phases. In the first, parts of the original structure were razed and a "main street" boulevard cut through the former pedestrian mall. The vacant Penney's was replaced with a 2-level (110,100 square foot) Home Depot Design Center. This store held its grand opening in the spring of 2006. A new (relocated) Trader Joe's supermarket was also built, 

 

Structures housing existing tenants, such as Safeway and Walgreen Drug, were given face lifts. The second phase of the refurbishment added an additional 96,000 square feet of retail area and a multilevel parking garage.

In the 2020s, WESTLAKE CENTER encompassed approximately 627,500 leasable square feet, with 157 store and office spaces. Tenants included Baskin Robbins, Burlington, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Fitness 19, Magic Touch Beauty Salon, a (109,000 square foot) Home Depot, (57,800 square foot) Safeway and 2-level (27,700 square foot) Target. 

Sources:

The San Francisco Examiner

The Pacifica Tribune (Pacifica, California)

The San Jose Mercury News

The Enterprise Journal (South San Francisco, California)

http://www.dalycityhistory.org
https://smcacre.gov / San Mateo County, California
http://www.kimcorealty.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
https://www.kimcorealty.com
http://www.shopwestlakecenter.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)

https://westlake.shopkimco.com

"Westlake, Daly City" article on Wikipedia

The East Bay's El Cerrito Plaza

We submit for your approval the original trademark of Contra Costa County's first mall-type shopping complex. Its first store opened for business in April 1958.

Graphic from the Albert Lovett Company  

Capwell's was the sole anchor of EL CERRITO PLAZA. The store, which encompassed 232,000 square feet, was the third branch of the Oakland-based chain.
Drawing from http://www.ibabuzz.com / "Vintage views of El Cerrito Plaza, which opened this month in 1958" / Chris Treadway

In this view, we see Blackmans ladies' wear on the left, with Leed's Qualicraft Shoes across the mallway. These were two of the original shopping hub's fifty-five stores and services.
Photo from http://www.ibabuzz.com / "Vintage views of El Cerrito Plaza, which opened this month in 1958" / Chris Treadway

Our first EL CERRITO PLAZA site plan depicts "CoCo County's" first shopping mall as it was configured in 1959. Encompassing around 420,000 leasable square feet, it consisted of a single level of retail, with a second level office mezzanine running along the southwest facade.

An ornate script-font sign was used to entice PLAZA shoppers in the 1960s and '70s.

Graphic from the Albert Lovett Company

EL CERRITO PLAZA TENANTS 1969:

CAPWELL'S (with Kirby's Restaurant & Lounge and freestanding Tire Center) / F.W. WOOLWORTH (with luncheonette) / LONGS DRUGS (with luncheonette) / LUCKY STORES supermarket / Abbey Carpet / Allstate Insurance / Betty's House & Table Gifts / Bishop's TV-Stereo / Blachman's Camera Shop / Capwell's Travel Service / Carole's / Cole National Corporation / Cow Wow Bakery / Crescent Jewelers / Eat Rite Restaurant / Foley & Bonny / Foreman & Clark clothiers / Franklin Optical / Gallenkamp Shoes / Goldman's / Hartfield's / House of Fabrics / Household Finance Corporation / Hunt's Do-Nuts / Jacuzzi / Jerri B. / Joseph's / Kin's Barbeque / Kushin's Shoes / El Cerrito Launderette / Leeds Qualicraft Shoes / Lord's / Louis Gordon Music / McPhee's Junior Bootery / Merle Norman Cosmetic Studio / Mechanics Bank (outparcel)/ Motherhood Maternity / Nacin's Shoe Repair / One Hour Martinizing / Plaza Barber Shop / Roos-Atkins / Salee Fine Hairgoods / Sandra Joy Casuals / Sandy's Restaurant / See's Candies / State Farm Insurance / Steven's Jewelers / Style House / Swenson's Ice Cream / Topps & Trowsers / Virginia Cleaners / Ziar Optometrists

 

In a 1970s view of EL CERRITO PLAZA, a gigantic BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) station is seen in the upper left. In the foreground, one can make out a Red Barn fast food restaurant.
Photo from the Smith Novelty Company / Sandor Balitoni

San Francisco-Oakland's mid-mod metro first serviced EL CERRITO PLAZA in January 1973. The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) El Cerrito Plaza station is located one block northeast of the shopping center.
Photo from Wikipedia / Noah Salzman

EL CERRITO PLAZA began to decline in the late 1970s, when it had been outpositioned by newer and larger shopping centers in its trade area. The mall's doldrums were magnified by the shuttering of its sole anchor store, in 1996. The complex was given a wrecking ball renovation in the year 2000, with a new power center emerging in 2002. In this plan, structures held over from the mall appear in black, while new construction is shown in gray.

Albertsons-Sav-On anchored the new & improved EL CERRITO PLAZA. The store encompassed 67,000 square feet.
Photo from www.regencycenters.com

In July 2007, the combo supermarket and pharmacy was rebranded by Lucky Stores. Things had come full circle, as there had been a Lucky Stores supermarket in the original EL CERRITO PLAZA.
Photo from www.regencycenters.com

Jo-Ann Fabrics operated an EL CERRITO PLAZA store between 2008 and 2025. It occupied the old Lucky Stores structure.

Photo from www.regencycenters.com

EL CERRITO PLAZA
San Pablo and Fairmount Avenues
El Cerrito, California

The first mall-type shopping hub in Contra Costa County was built on a 22.4-acre parcel. This was located 10 miles northeast of San Francisco's Union Square, in suburban El Cerrito. The shopping complex was designed by Paul Hammarberg, a well-known Bay Area modernist, and was developed by the Albert Lovett Company.

Open-air in format, EL CERRITO PLAZA encompassed approximately 450,000 leasable square feet and -when fully realized- housed fifty-five stores and services. The majority of the center consisted of a single retail level. Two southwest store blocks had upper levels which housed twenty-two office suites.

The mall site had a lengthy history. El Rancho San Pablo, an historic adobe structure, had been built there in 1836. It housed a speakeasy bar in the 1920s and casino from the mid-1930s to early 1940s. This structure burned to the ground in 1956. Meanwhile, the remainder of the land parcel had contained a greyhound -and then ostrich- racing track and makeshift trailer park. The Blumenfeld Theatres El Cerrito Motor Movies drive-in opened on October 11, 1948 and closed for good in late 1956.

Construction of a 6 million dollar Capwell's department store was underway by June 1957. One of the first operational stores at EL CERRITO PLAZA was Leed's Qualicraft Shoes, which began business on April 5, 1958. The 3-level (232,000 square foot), Oakland-based Capwell's-El Cerrito was officially dedicated on July 9, 1958. At the time, it was the largest merchandising building in Contra Costa County. 

The 15 million dollar mall was inaugurated with a 3-day Fiesta celebration, which commenced on October 23, 1958. The dedication was officiated by Mrs. Doris Hormel (Mayor of El Cerrito), and was attended by members of the El Cerrito Chamber of Commerce and El Cerrito City Council. During the festivities, Miss Donna Jacobson was crowned Queen of the El Cerrito Fiesta. 

A final group of tenants had opened their doors by March 1959. The mall now housed Longs Drugs, Lingren's Family Shoes, Crescent Jewelers, Hunt's Do-Nuts, Jackson's Party Service and Virginia Cleaners. There were also an F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10 and  Lucky Stores supermarket.

The PLAZA became accessible via the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) in the early 1970s. The 11-route-mile MacArthur-to-Richmond extension served the El Cerrito Plaza Station. This terminal, officially dedicated on January 29, 1973 was adjacent to the northeast corner of the mall site.

The decline of EL CERRITO PLAZA was a slow process which started with the 1976 dedication of HILLTOP PLAZA {5.5 miles north, in Richmond}. By the early 1990s, the mall was in a downward spiral. Capwell's had been rebranded as an Emporium-Capwell in 1979, although the store's original nameplate was not updated. A new nameplate was installed with the store's conversion to the Emporium banner, in 1990. This store went dark in January 1996 with the building never retenanted.

A ripple effect was created by the shuttering of The Emporium. Several national tenants had bailed by 1997, leaving the mall predominantly populated by mom & pop-type tenants. In early 1999, the complex had forty-one operational businesses. These included McPhee's Junior Bootery, Sizes Unlimited, Sara's Nail Salon and Mel-O-Dee Club cocktail lounge. 

With its stores pulling up stakes, maintenance was deferred. The mall became so dilapidated that the City of El Cerrito considered taking over it via eminent domain. The 1998 dedication of the community-class PACIFIC EAST MALL {.3 mile west, in Richmond}, only exacerbated the mall's decline.

Jacksonville, Florida-based Regency Centers bought the ailing shopping hub in the year 2000. They announced a demalling plan and began evicting tenants. The old Capwell's, a vacant Capwell's Tire Center and Chuck E. Cheese's structure, were razed in late 2000. Four store blocks from the original mall remained intact. These were renovated and worked into a redesigned, open-air, power center.

 

Retaining the name EL CERRITO PLAZA, the 255,800 square foot facility was dedicated in early 2002. Anchoring the new and improved PLAZA was a 1-level (67,000 square foot) Albertsons-Sav-On supermarket and pharmacy. Big box tenants included a (30,200 square foot) Ross Dress For Less, (25,000 square foot) Barnes & Noble and (30,000 square foot) Bed, Bath & Beyond.

Sources:

The Oakland Tribune

The San Francisco Chronicle
The San Jose Mercury News
Scott Parsons / "BigMallRat"

https://www.contracosta.ca.gov / Contra Costa County, California

http://www.ibabuzz.com / "Vintage views of El Cerrito Plaza, which opened this month in 1958" / Chris Treadway

http://www.elcerritoplaza.com / El Cerrito Plaza (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)

https://www.regencycenters.com / Regency Centers

Vallejo's Larwin Plaza

An early '60 trademark for V-Town's original shopping mall. The 8 million dollar complex was the first major retail center in Solano County.

Graphic from the Larwin Fund

A northward view of the open-air mallway at LARWIN PLAZA. A Sears nameplate is seen in the distance.
Photo from the Smith News Company

Also flanking the 600-foot-long shopping concourse was Thrifty Drug. It was a junior anchor of the original complex, along with Kresge's and Mayfair Market.

Photo from the Smith News Company

The LARWIN PLAZA mall had been built in two stages in the early 1960s. The first, encompassing the three southeast store blocks, was dedicated in the fall of 1962. Sears, and the remainder of the shopping hub, were completed in the following year. Free parking was provided for over 4,000 autos.

LARWIN PLAZA TENANTS 1973:

SEARS (with Garden Shop and freestanding Auto Center) / S.S. KRESGE (with luncheonette) / MAYFAIR MARKET / THRIFTY DRUG / Abbey Carpets / Allen's Shoes / Bank of America (outparcel) / Children's Boot Shop / Consumer Distributing Company / DeMares Jewelers / Eucalyptus Records & Tapes / Fabrics Galore / Goodyear Tire & Appliance / Hartfield's / Her Corner / Jay Vee Stores / Jean's Image Beauty Shop / Larwin Plaza Laundry & Dry Cleaners / Marlene's / Pat's Wig Boutique / Taie's Inn / United California Bank / Val's Liquors / Vallejo Inn

LARWIN PLAZA enjoyed its status as the only major shopping center in its region for 20 years. Things began to go downhill in March 1981, when the flashy new SOLANO MALL opened, in nearby Fairfield.

Graphic from Ernest W. Hahn, Incorporated

In an attempt to keep up with SOLANO MALL, LARWIN PLAZA was renovated and renamed. As of March 1989, the complex would be known as VALLEJO PLAZA. 

Photo from www.loopnet.com

During an early 2000s redo, a Seafood City supermarket was installed in a portion of the old Sears.

Drawing from www.ci.vallejo.ca.us / City of Vallejo, California

As part of the 2003 makeover, all storefronts were re-oriented toward the east, with those previously facing onto the shopping concourse being sealed. This, in effect, cut off the southwest store blocks from the rest of the complex. They were demolished in 2004. The 7 acres they occupied were redeveloped as Broadstone Sterling Village, which started leasing apartments in 2005.

LARWIN PLAZA
Sonoma Boulevard and Valle Vista Avenue
Vallejo, California

Solano County's first regional-class shopping center was built on a 56-acre parcel, located 25 miles northeast of San Francisco's Union Square, in the North Bay suburb of Vallejo. The center was developed by a joint venture of Vallejo's G. Wilfred Hewett and the Beverly Hills-based Larwin Fund. The Larwin Fund also built LARWIN SQUARE in Tustin and LARWIN PLAZA in the Simi Valley.

LARWIN PLAZA in Vallejo was built in two stages. Construction of three eastern store blocks began in 1961, with the mall's first stores opening in September of 1962. Plans for a 1-level (102,500 square foot) Sears were announced in December 1961. This store, which anchored the north end of the complex, was dedicated on June 5, 1963.

Encompassing approximately 500,000 leasable square feet and forty stores and services, the original LARWIN PLAZA included Smith's Clothiers of Oakland, Motherhood Maternity, Crown's Hallmark, United California Bank, Singer Sewing Center, an (11,600 foot) Hartfield's, (24,000 square foot) Mayfair Market grocery, (17,000 square foot) Thrifty Drug and (28,000 square foot) S.S. Kresge 5 & 10. 

The mall had no sizable competition for its first 20 years in business. This changed in March 1981, with the completion of SOLANO MALL {16 miles northeast, in Fairfield}. In 1986, the LARWIN PLAZA Sears was shuttered. Its area was sectioned into smaller stores, including a SavMax discount grocer.

A mall-wide face lift was completed in 1989, with the name of the complex changed to VALLEJO PLAZA. This reinvention was successful for a time. However, Michaels, Office Depot and the American Multi-Cinema Vallejo Plaza 6 pulled out of the mall between 1997 and 2001. By 2002, SavMax had also went dark.

In 2003, the shopping center received a degree of notoriety. Two Berkeley architects, Jill Stoner and Susannah Meek, proposed a green-friendly solution for dealing with the struggling retail center. They advocated flooding parking areas and razing vacant retail structures; returning the mall site to its original -White Slough- wetland state. The ladies were among the winners of the year's "Dead Malls" competition, which was sponsored by the Los Angeles Forum for Architecture & Urban Design.

Instead of being flooded and demolished, VALLEJO PLAZA was given a 17 million dollar renovation, and was successfully remarketed to the large Asian population in its vicinity. Seafood City, a Pomona, California-based Filipino specialty grocer, set up shop in a (53,000 square foot) section of the old Sears. The store began business in May 2003.

The Seafood City dedication was followed by openings for several new businesses. These included Valeria's Tropical Bakery, the Chow King and Max Of Manila restaurants, Dollar Tree, Factory 2-U and Vallejo Plaza Banquet Hall. A (39,100 square foot) dd's Discounts welcomed its first shoppers in August 2004.

By this time, one third of the mall structure (its southwest store blocks) had been demolished, clearing 7 acres for redevelopment. The parcel was sold to Alliance Communities, who built a "luxury apartment homes" complex, known as Broadstone Sterling Village. The 200-unit facility was completed in 2005.

Sources:

The Oakland Tribune  
The Napa Valley Register (Napa, California)

The Daily Republic (Fairfield, California)

The Vallejo Times-Herald (Vallejo, California)
http://www.bizjournals.com
http://www.economic-innovation.com

Solano County, California tax assessor website
City Of Vallejo Economic Development News: Second Quarter 2003 / Third Quarter 2004
www.cinematreasures.org

Oakland's Eastmont Mall

The original logo of Oakland's inner-city shopopolis. When fully-completed, the complex contained seventy-four stores and services.
Graphic from the Irwin J. Kahn Organization 

An EASTMONT logo montage features trademarks of inline stores that were in operation at the time of the mall's November 1970 grand opening. Dig the groovy, vintage Taco Bell logo!

All roads lead to Penneys! This advert promoted the grand opening of the original EASTMONT MALL anchor department store.
Advert from the J.C. Penney Company

EASTMONT MALL was developed in three phases. A combo Safeway-Firestone structure (in dark gray) opened in May 1966. A small enclosed concourse (medium gray) debuted in November 1968. Stores in a 2-level enclosed mall (light gray) were dedicated in November 1970. At this time, the mall housed approximately 612,100 leasable square feet. Free parking was provided for over 2,700 autos.

EASTMONT MALL TENANTS 1970:

J.C. PENNEY (with Cafeteria, Beauty Salon, Outdoor Shop and freestanding Auto Center) / SAFEWAY Supermarket (with bakery and snack bar) / SAFEWAY DRUG CENTER / S.H. KRESS 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / Allen's Shoes / Ardens Women's Wear / Bank of America / Beadazzled / Bonser's Children's Wear / CJ's Coffee Shop / Crescent Jewelers / Dorothe' Maternity / Eastmont Card Center / Eastmont Launderette / Eastmont Meat & Delicatessen / Firestone Tire & Auto / Flagg Brothers Shoes / Foxmoor Casuals ladies' wear / Gallenkamp Shoes / H. Salt, Esquire Fish & Chips / Import Fair / Jay Vee ladies' wear / Jewels By Jacques / Kinney Shoes / La Boutique / Lady J. Leathers / Leed's Shoes / Miles Shoes / Mobil Oil Service Station (outparcel) / Morgan's Liquors / Orange Julius / Pacific Finance / Parklane Hosiery / Persian Bazaar / Petrie's ladies' wear / Pizza Hut / Regal Shoes / Roos-Atkins men's wear / Sparkle Clean Cleaners / Taco Bell /  Taie's Inn / Thom McAn Shoes / Thomas Shoe Repair / Tie Rack / Top Drawer Fine Men's Wear  / Topps & Trowsers / Trudy's Women's Wear / Weisfield's Jewelers  
   

In September 1971, the EASTMONT Safeway Drug Center was rebranded by Seattle-based Pay 'n Save.
Graphic from the Pay 'n Save Corporation

The mall was expanded just once. A 2-level Mervyn's department store (in medium gray) was built on the southeast side of the center. This store opened for business in June 1974. The shopping complex now spanned approximately 676,100 leasable square feet.

Apparently, EASTMONT MALL was given a face lift in the early 1980s, when it was promoted as the "New Eastmont." By this time, the S.H. Kress 5 & 10 had closed and re-opened as an F.W. Woolworth. This store would shut down in late 1993.
Graphic from the Community Development Corporation

EASTMONT MALL was struggling by the mid-1990s. It became a victim of urban blight, but was resurrected from the retail graveyard by some creative remarketing. Although no longer a destination-type retail center, EASTMONT TOWN CENTER now functions as a community and civic hub.

An early 2000s view of the mall's interior. The complex was given a 6 million dollar face lift in 2008.
Photo from www.labelscar.com / "Caldor" 

Here, we see the mall's main entry, which cuts through the middle of the 1968-vintage strip shopping center.
Photo from www.labelscar.com / "Caldor" 

EASTMONT MALL
Bancroft and 73rd Avenues
Oakland, California

The fourth fully-enclosed, regional-class shopping mall in the Bay Area was designed by William Pereira and the firm of Burke, Kober, Nicolais & Archuleta, of Los Angeles. The shopping hub was developed and built by the San Diego-based Community Development Corporation, a subsidiary of the Irwin J. Kahn Organization.

The shopping center site, which had contained a Chevrolet assembly plant between 1916 and 1963, was located 13 miles east of San Francisco's Union Square, in the Eastmont district of Oakland. The first structure built as part of the project (known -at the time- as EASTMONT CENTER) was a combination Safeway supermarket-Safeway Drug Center and Firestone Tire. These stores, encompassing 66,000 square feet, opened for business on May 18, 1966. 

Additions were built on the northwest side of the Safeway-Firestone structure. A single-level retail building, which included a small enclosed concourse, was officially dedicated on November 29, 1968. Now promoted as EASTMONT MALL, the complex included A & L Records, Eastmont Card Center, Pipers Bootery, Top Drawer Fine Men's Wear and Mel's Coffee Shop. The adjacent Eastmont Mall Office Building was completed in May 1969.

Meanwhile, construction had commenced on the third shopping center phase. A 2-level enclosed mall was built, that included a parking garage on three sides. This new section of EASTMONT MALL was anchored by a 3-level (206,000 square foot) J.C. Penney, which was dedicated on October 7, 1970.

Over forty inline stores were in operation when EASTMONT MALL held its official grand opening, on November 18, 1970. By December, nearly all of the mall's seventy-four charter tenants were up and running. These included Weisfield's Jewelers, Taie's Inn, Topps & Trowsers, Pizza Hut, Persian Bazaar and an S.H. Kress 5 & 10.

 

In July 1971, it was announced that fourteen northern California Safeway Drug Centers had been sold. The EASTMONT MALL store was rebranded, as a Pay 'n Save, in September. The American Multi-Cinema Eastmont 4 Theatres made its debut on August 18, 1971. 

 

By late 1973, the mall's tenant list included Eastmont Mall Cleaners, New York Fabrics, Leonard's Custom Tailors, Zand's Steak House and Holley's Home of Unique Decor. A 2-level (64,000 square foot) Mervyn's opened for business on June 30, 1974. It was the Hayward, California-based chain's 19th location. With this store's completion, the gross leasable area of EASTMONT MALL had been expanded to approximately 676,100 square feet.

The major competitors of EASTMONT MALL were BAY FAIR CENTER (1957) {6 miles south, in San Leandro} and SOUTH SHORE CENTER (1958) {4 miles west, in Alameda}. Smaller complexes in the vicinity of EASTMONT MALL included KAISER CENTER MALL (1963) {5.5 miles northwest, in Oakland} and MACARTHUR-BROADWAY CENTER (1965-2009) {5.7 miles northwest, also in Oakland}.

EASTMONT MALL began to decline after the closing of its J.C. Penney, in June 1991. The shuttering of Mervyn's, in June 1993, exacerbated the mall's downward spiral. Soon, the center was viewed as a "blighted mall." Oakland-based Eastmont Properties acquired the failing shopping venue in 1993. Inquiries to various national chain stores failed to create any interest in leasing space in the seventy-percent-vacant complex. A new remarketing focus was devised.

The old J.C. Penney was retenanted by the Alameda County Health Department. Other spaces in the mall were leased to various government agencies and non-profit groups. A branch public library, a mall tenant since 1983, expanded into a second level in 1997.

The vacant Mervyn's was repurposed as an Oakland Police Department precinct, which opened in February 2001. This was accompanied by the completion of a reproduction "Golden Arches" McDonald's, an outparcel dedicated in mid-2001. Gazzali's supermarket, in the old Safeway space, held its grand opening on June 5, 2004.

In March 2007, the ninety-percent-leased, mixed-use mall, now known as EASTMONT TOWN CENTER, was purchased by a joint venture of the Portland, Oregon-based ScanlanKemperBard Companies and New York City's Pradium Group.

They embarked on a 6 million dollar rehab in July 2008. The interior was brightened and new lighting, skylights and seating areas installed. Moreover, escalators and escalators were replaced and parking areas received new landscaping. The complex was sold in April 2015, with the buyer being Walnut Creek, California's Vertical Ventures.

Sources:

The Oakland Tribune
Information from Scott Parsons / "BigMallRat"
http://www.labelscar.com
https://www.acgov.org / Alameda County, California

https://www.cinematreasures.org
http://www.eastmont.com / Eastmont Properties
http://www.eastbay.bizjournals.com

The East Bay's Alcosta Mall

This late '60s-vintage mini mall is the most obscure of the 400-plus retail complexes inducted onto this website. No photos can be found on the internet. It's almost as if the place never existed. Be that as it may, we were able to assemble a logo montage of ALCOSTA MALL stores.

Super S was a drug and variety store division of Safeway Stores super-
markets. An original ALCOSTA MALL store, Super S opened for business in
January 1966.
Graphic from Safeway Stores, Incorporated

After only 5 months in business, the ALCOSTA MALL Super S morphed into a Safeway Drug Center. Note how this ad indicates that the "9485 Village Parkway" store is in Dublin (the City of San Ramon would not be incorporated until the early 1980s).  
Graphic from Safeway Stores, Incorporated

San Ramon's tiny community-class shopping venue was developed in three phases. The first (in black) was completed in 1966. The second (in gray) was added in 1968. A third stage (indicated here as "future development") would be finished in -or around- 1980. 

 

The ALCOSTA Safeway market operated under its original name for over 23 years. The same could not be said for the adjacent store. It opened as a Super S and soon morphed into a Safeway Drug Center. This store lasted until September 1971, when it was given a Pay 'n Save nameplate. Within a few years, the store had been rebranded as a Safeway Liquor Barn.

Graphic from Safeway Stores, Incorporated