MAJOR SAN FRANCISCO-OAKLAND-SAN JOSE MALLS & SHOPPING CENTERS:

1. WESTLAKE TOWN & COUNTRY CENTER -1951 / open-air / WESTLAKE CENTER / Daly City

2. BROADWAY PLAZA -1951 / open-air center city shopping complex  / Walnut Creek

3. STONESTOWN CENTER -1952 / open-air / STONESTOWN GALLERIA -1987 / enclosed / San Francisco

4. HILLSDALE CENTER -1954 / open-air, enclosed 1982 / San Mateo

5. VALLEY FAIR CENTER -1956 / open-air, enclosed 1970 / San Jose / merged with STEVENS CREEK PLAZA 1986 / WESTFIELD SHOPPINGTOWN VALLEY FAIR -1998 / WESTFIELD VALLEY FAIR -2005 / San Jose & Santa Clara

6. STANFORD CENTER -1956 / open-air / Palo Alto

7. BAY FAIR CENTER -1957 / open-air, enclosed 1972 / San Leandro

8. SAN ANTONIO CENTER -1957 / open-air / Mountain View

9. EL CERRITO PLAZA -1958 / open-air / El Cerrito

10. SOUTH SHORE CENTER -1958 / open-air / ALAMEDA TOWNE CENTRE -2004 / ALAMEDA SOUTH SHORE CENTER -2011 / Alameda

11. CORTE MADERA CENTER -1958 / open-air strip center / CORTE MADERA TOWN CENTER -1986 / Corte Madera

12. WESTGATE CENTER -1960 / open-air / WESTGATE MALL -1989 / enclosed / Campbell

13. FREMONT HUB -1962 / open-air / Fremont

14. LARWIN PLAZA -1962 / open-air / VALLEJO PLAZA -1994 / Vallejo

15. KAISER CENTER -1963 / enclosed office & retail gallery / Oakland

16. STEVENS CREEK PLAZA -1964 / open-air strip center added to circa-1957 Emporium department store / merged with VALLEY FAIR CENTER -1987 / Santa Clara

17. SOUTHLAND CENTER -1965 / The Bay Area's first enclosed mall / SOUTHLAND MALL -2002 / Hayward

18. NORTHGATE CENTER -1965 / open-air / MALL AT NORTHGATE -1987 / NORTHGATE MALL / enclosed / San Rafael

19. MACARTHUR BROADWAY CENTER 1965-2010 / enclosed mini-mall / Oakland

20. MAYFIELD MALL 1966-1984 / enclosed / Mountain View

21. COUNTY EAST CENTER -1966 / open-air / COUNTY EAST MALL -1988 / enclosed mall / SOMERSVILLE TOWNE CENTER -2004 / Antioch

22. EASTMONT CENTER -1968 / open-air / EASTMONT MALL -1970 / enclosed / EASTMONT TOWN CENTER -2001 / Oakland

23. SUNVALLEY CENTER -1967 / enclosed / Concord & Pleasant Hill

24. ALMADEN FASHION PLAZA -1967 / open-air / San Jose

25. FREMONT FASHION CENTER -1968 / open-air / GATEWAY PLAZA -1991 / Fremont

 

26. ALCOSTA MALL 1968-1995 / open-air / Contra Costa County (San Ramon)

27. SERRAMONTE CENTER -1969 / enclosed / Daly City

 

28. EASTRIDGE CENTER -1971 / enclosed / Santa Clara County (San Jose)

 

29. OAKRIDGE MALL -1971 / enclosed / San Jose

30. TANFORAN ["tan-for-ann"] PARK CENTER -1971 / enclosed / SHOPS AT TANFORAN -2001 / San Bruno

31. HILLTOP MALL -1976 / enclosed / Richmond

32. OLD MILL CENTER 1976-1989 / enclosed mini-mall / Mountain View

33. VALLCO FASHION PARK -1976 / enclosed / CUPERTINO SQUARE -2007 / VALLCO SHOPPING MALL - 2009 / Cupertino

34. WILLOWS CENTER -1977 / open-air / Concord

35. SUNNYVALE TOWN CENTER 1979-2007 / enclosed / Sunnyvale

36. STONERIDGE CENTER -1980 / enclosed / Pleasanton

37. NEWPARK MALL -1980 / enclosed / Newark

38. SOLANO MALL -1981 / enclosed / WESTFIELD SHOPPINGTOWN SOLANO -1999 / WESTFIELD SOLANO -2005 / Fairfield

39. SAN MATEO FASHION ISLAND 1983-1996 / enclosed / BRIDGEPOINTE CENTER -1998 / open-air / San Mateo

40. VILLAGE AT CORTE MADERA -1985 / open-air / Corte Madera

41. BLACKHAWK PLAZA -1989 / open-air / Danville

42. GREAT MALL OF THE BAY AREA -1994 / enclosed / Milpitas

[Structures indicated in bold italic have been completely demolished. Those in green have full articles on the MALL HALL OF FAME site]

San Francisco's Stonestown Center

The "Big E Stonestown" store was the Emporium chain's first suburban branch. It became the mall's first operational tenant in July 1952. In the early days, the store included a Travel Bureau, Public Auditorium, Beauty Salon, Optometrist and Buffet Bakery. There was also a kiddie ride area on the roof.  
Drawing from the Emporium-Capwell Company

STONESTOWN CENTER was the nucleus of the massive Stonestown residential development. The mall was formally dedicated in November 1952. It covered around 765,000 leasable square feet and housed over fifty stores and services. Open-air in format, the complex consisted of two sections divided -on the south end- by Winston Drive.

A southward view of the original, open-air concourse of STONESTOWN CENTER. The palm trees had been shipped from Los Angeles.

A 1950s-vintage snapshot of the south end of the mall. The "JM" trademark, seen on the store in the middle of the photo, indicates Joseph Magnin. This specialty retailer opened at STONESTOWN in early 1953. The chain was a San Francisco tradition during the mid-century years. 
Photo from Plastichrome by Colourpicture Publishers, Incorporated

In this vintage view, we see the "Magnins" north facade and porte cochere entry. 

Photo from Architectural Record magazine / December 1953 / Roger Sturtevant

Another vintage view shows the store's high-end Mid-Century Modern decor.
Photo from Architectural Record magazine / December 1953 / Roger Sturtevant

 

 

Anchoring the south end of the original mall was a Butler Brothers department store. This chain, based in Chicago, was a major wholesale supplier. In 1951, they began opening retail stores under the Butler Brothers name. By 1962, there were eight locations; Lakewood, Alhambra, Ontario, Van Nuys and San Francisco, CA, Euclid and Cincinnati, OH and Seattle, WA. The STONESTOWN store opened for business in August 1952.

Graphic from Butler Brothers

In the late '60s, Joseph Magnin (in dark gray) had moved to a new store on the north end of the mall. The Butler Brothers (later City of Paris and Liberty House) store on the south end was razed in the mid-1970s. San Francisco-based Bullock's North opened a store in October 1977. This was connected to the mall proper by a glass-enclosed section built over Winston Drive.

The STONESTOWN Bullock's was a branch of a Northern California division of the Los Angeles-based chain. This store, and the entire Bullock's North operation, closed down in 1983.

The mall between the north and south anchor stores was rebuilt in the 1980s. A second level and basement parking deck were installed. A revitalized complex, now known as STONESTOWN GALLERIA, was dedicated in October 1987. Nordstrom assumed the vacant Bullock's space soon after.

The STONESTOWN GALLERIA website was using this logo at the turn of the 21st century.

Graphic from http://www.stonestowngalleria.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)

STONESTOWN GALLERIA TENANTS 2000:

MACY'S / NORDSTROM (with Cafe Nordstrom and Espresso Bar) / Abercrombie & Fitch apparel / Aeropostale apparel / Aldo Shoes / Amazing Flowers / Anchor Blue apparel / Ann Taylor ladies' wear / Athlete's Foot / Auntie Anne's Pretzels / Aveda / Bailey, Banks & Biddle jewelers / Banana Republic apparel / Bank of America / Bank of the West (outparcel) / Bare Escentuals cosmetics / Bath & Body Works cosmetics / Beauty Store Stonestown / Bebe ladies' wear / Ben Bridge Jeweler / Body Options / Borders Books / Boudin Bakery & Cafe / Bowerman's Pharmacy (outparcel) / Broadway Eyeworks / Brookstone electronics / California Federal Bank (outparcel) / California Orchards / Cambridge Soundworks / Candleman / Carimar / Car-Lene Research / Cathy Jean Shoes / Chevy's Mexican Restaurant / Chico's ladies' wear / Cingular Wireless / Claire's Boutique accessories / Contempo Casuals ladies' wear / Copeland's Sports Superstore / D4 Hair (outparcel) / Eddie Bauer apparel / Electronics Boutique / Enzo Angiolini ladies' wear / Eppler's Bakery / Esprit / Express ladies' wear / Fitness USA / Foot Locker / Franklin Mint / Gap Kids children's wear / Giants Dugout / Gingiss Formalwear / GNC / Godiva Chocolatier / Guess? apparel / Gymboree children's wear / Heal - Sew Quik / Hold Everything / Howard's Shoes for Children / Illuminations / J. Crew apparel / Jewelry Box / Kay-Bee Toys / Lady Foot Locker / Leather Expo / Lechter's Housewares / Lenscrafters - Eye Exam 2000 / Let's Talk Cellular / Limited Too ladies' wear / Malm Luggage / McDonald's hamburgers (outparcel) / McWhorter's / Mr. Rags / Mrs. Field's Cookies / Natural Wonders / Naturally Yours (kiosk) / Nine & Company / Nine West ladies wear / Occhiali da Sole (kiosk) / Olive Garden Restaurant / Papyrus stationers / Park Cafe / Perfect Fingers / The Picture People / Pottery Barn housewares / Regis Hairstylists / Ritz Camera One Hour Photo / Sanrio Surprises / See's Candies / Select Comfort bedding / Silver City / Structure / Suncoast Motion Picture Company / Sunglass Hut / Sunshine Health Foods / Swatch / Sweet Factory / Talbots ladies' wear / The Bombay Company home accessories / The Disney Store / The Gap apparel / The Good Guys! home electronics / The Limited ladies' wear / Things Remembered / Tower Records & Video / Track 'N Trail / United Artists Twin Cinemas (outparcel) / United Airlines (outparcel) / Victoria's Secret lingerie / Victoria's Secret Bath & Fragrance / Watch Station / Weight Watchers (outparcel) / Wells Fargo Bank (outparcel) / The Whitehall Company Jewelers / Williams-Sonoma housewares / Zutopia

CAFE FOOD COURT:

California Crisp / Great Steak & Fry / Muscle Beach Lemonade / Panda Express / Sbarro the Italian Eatery / Sorbal Korean Cuisine / Starbucks Coffee (kiosk) / Sundaes Yogurt Plus / Surf City Squeeze / Tortola

We zoom forward in time to the STONESTOWN GALLERIA of 2012. By this time, the old Joseph Magnin store, on the north end, has gone through five tenant changes. Its latest leasee, Fitness USA, will soon close and be replaced by another gym facility.

Although termini may have changed over the years, the M Ocean View route of the San Francisco Municipal Railway (or Muni) has serviced the STONESTOWN mall since its inception, in 1952.
Photo from Wikipedia / "Pi.1415926535 "

Nordstrom presided over the south end of the STONESTOWN complex for over 30 years. The luxury department store welcomed first shoppers in April 1988. The final sale took place in September 2019. Much of the vacant building has been taken by an expanded Target store.

Photo from www.ggp.com / General Growth Properties

Macy's anchored the north end of the mall for nearly 22 years. The store was shuttered in early 2018. The building has been reconfigured with new tenants, such as Whole Foods Market, Sports Basement and a state-of-the-art Regal megaplex.
Drawing from www.ggp.com / General Growth Properties

Redevelopment and repurposing of the Macy's and Nordstrom buildings was complete in late 2024. The mall, which has been slightly expanded, now contains approximately 896,200 leasable square feet and 109 tenant spaces.

STONESTOWN CENTER
20th Avenue and Winston Drive
San Francisco, California

San Francisco's first mall-type shopping center was developed by the Stoneson Brothers, under the auspices of the Stoneson Development Corporation. The complex was designed by Welton Becket & Associates, of Los Angeles. STONESTOWN CENTER was situated on a 40-acre parcel, located 6 miles southwest of San Francisco's Union Square, in the Lakeside district of the city. The site was formerly a cabbage patch.

Promoted as "a city within a city," STONESTOWN CENTER was originally open-air in format. It consisted of a main retail level and service basement, which included a small concourse of stores. There was a total of 700,000 leasable square feet and over fifty tenant spaces.

A 3-level (200,000 square foot), Bay Area-based Emporium department store held its grand opening on July 16, 1952. Robert G. Wilhem ("Big E" store manager) acted as Master of Ceremonies. The dedication was attended by J.B. Deasy (of Stoneson Development), E.C. Lipman (President of Emporium-Capwell) and John Ricky (proprietor of the adjacent Red Chimney restaurant). A ceremonial ribbon was cut by John J. Sullivan (Acting Mayor of San Francisco).  

Two inline tenants opened for business along with the Emporium; Robert S. Atkins apparel and the aforementioned Ricky's Red Chimney Restaurant. A 2-level (64,000 square foot) Butler Brothers department store was situated at the southwest corner of the complex, across Winston Drive from the main shopping concourse. This mercantile welcomed first customers on August 27, 1952. The mall proper was officially dedicated on November 6th.

Charter tenants included Walgreen Drug, Stonestown Market, Gallenkamp Shoes, Chandler's Shoes, Bruce Bary young men's wear, Byron's Shoes, Singer Sewing Center, Bank Of America and an F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10. A 2-level (23,800 square foot) Joseph Magnin opened in March 1953.

In 1960, Butler Brothers was shuttered. The STONESTOWN store became a branch of the San Francisco-based City Of Paris chain. Other mall tenants during this time frame included a Portals Of Music record store and subterranean Golden Venus Health Club.

In the late 1960s, The Emporium at STONESTOWN was expanded with a full third floor. The store now encompassed 268,000 square feet. At around the same time, Joseph Magnin relocated into  a 2-level (41,800 square foot) building. This was constructed on the north end of the mall, adjacent to The Emporium.

More changes transpired during the 1970s. A single-screen theater, the United Artists Stonestown Cinema, was built as a northwestern outparcel. It showed its first feature in November 1970 and was twinned 2 years later, assuming the name United Artists Stonestown Twin.

The City of Paris closed, along with the chain, in 1971. The STONESTOWN store re-opened as City of Paris by Liberty House in 1972, but closed in April 1974. It was torn down in 1976. A 3-level (160,500 square foot), Bullock's North (a Northern California branch of the Los Angeles-based chain) opened on October 29, 1977. It was connected to the main mall via an elevated, glass-enclosed walkway over Winston Drive.

Shopping centers in the vicinity of STONESTOWN included WESTLAKE TOWN & COUNTRY CENTER (1951) {1.7 miles southwest, in Daly City}, SERRAMONTE CENTER (1969) {3.6 miles southeast, also in Daly City} and TANFORAN PARK CENTER (1971) {6.8 miles southeast, in San Bruno}.

In 1980, The Emporium was rebannered as an Emporium-Capwell. By mid-decade, the open-air STONESTOWN mall was showing its age. A major renovation, designed by architect John Field, was undertaken in 1985. The shopping center lying between the two anchor stores was rebuilt as a 2-level, fully-enclosed facility.

The service basement became a subterranean parking deck. Winston Drive, which divided the mall into two sections, was depressed into a small tunnel structure that now took it beneath the ground level of the complex. A refurbished retail center, known as STONESTOWN GALLERIA, held its grand re-opening October 28, 1987. The old Bullock's, vacant since 1983, was also remodeled. It opened as a Nordstrom on April 15, 1988.

Joseph Magnin's STONESTOWN store had been shuttered in September 1984. The building was divided into two retail spaces. The first floor opened, as a The Good Guys! electronics outlet, in August of 1988. The second floor was devoted to Tower Records, which began business in November of the same year.

The official name of Emporium-Capwell stores reverted to the Emporium banner in 1990. Macy's rebranded the STONESTOWN location on February 22, 1996. The Good Guys! was rebranded by CompUSA in 2003, with the combo electronics and record store being shuttered in 2005. The building was, then, renovated into a fitness club.

With these modifications, STONESTOWN GALLERIA encompassed 862,000 leasable square feet and housed over 130 stores and services. Chicago-based General Growth Properties established full ownership of the mall in August 2004.

Borders Books, a tenant in the south of Winston store block, was joined by a Trader Joe's specialty grocer on December 10, 2008. The (35,700 square foot) Borders store was shuttered September 9, 2011. Sports Authority renovated the space and opened on August 17, 2012. This store closed, along with the chain, in July 2016. Target leased the vacant space and dedicated a small-format discount store on July 23, 2017.

 

Brookfield Property Partners, based in Hamilton, Bermuda, had acquired a share of General Growth Properties in 2016. In August 2018, Brookfield established 100 percent ownership of the corporation. Hence, STONESTOWN GALLERIA became part of the Brookfield retail center portfolio.

Macy's pulled the plug on their STONESTOWN store in March 2018. The building was redeveloped with retail, restaurant and entertainment venues. The first operational tenant, the Regal Stonestown Galleria ScreenX, DX & RPX, showed first features on May 21, 2021. A (72,200 square foot) Sports Basement welcomed its first shoppers on August 24th. The official dedication of a (45,600 square foot) Whole Foods Market took place on January 12, 2022.

On the opposite end of the mall, Nordstrom closed for good on September 13, 2019. The adjacent Target expanded into Level 1 of the vacant building. The enlarged discount store now encompassed 90,000 square feet. Lower Level 1 space in the Nordstrom building was reconfigured as a Round 1 Bowling & Amusement Center. It opened for business on November 9, 2024.

Sources:

The San Mateo Times (San Mateo, California)
"Dual Anchor Shopping Centers 1952-1965" / Richard Longstreth
http://ohp.parks.ca.gov / "San Francisco Modern Architecture & Landscape Design, Historic Context Statement" / Mary Brown
Draft Environmental Impact Statement / "Proposed Stonestown Shopping Center Renovation Project" / October 1976
http://www.outsidelands.org
http://www.sfchronicle.com
http://www.stonestowngalleria.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)

https://www.stonestowngalleria.com

"Bullock's" and "Nordstrom" articles on Wikipedia

The West Bay's Hillsdale Center

HILLSDALE, one of the earliest suburban shopping malls in the Bay Area. It was -and still is- promoted as The Heart of the (San Francisco) Peninsula.

The first structure built at the HILLSDALE mall site was an Andrew Williams Store grocery, which opened in January 1942. It was expanded and rebranded, as a Mayfair Market, in 1951. Here we see said store decked out for the yuletide season.
Photo from http://hillsdale.com

A freestanding Sears was the second operational HILLSDALE building. This Late Moderne-style store was dedicated in March 1951.
Photo from "Shopping Can Be Fun" video / George H. Kelley

Construction got underway on the HILLSDALE CENTER mall in December 1953, with an official dedication held in November 1954. Here we see the South Wing of the original open-air complex.
Photo from http://hillsdale.com

Macy's California dedicated a 155,000 square foot location as part of the grand opening of HILLSDALE CENTER. It was the nation's very first shopping mall-format Macy's store.

Beniamino Benvenuto Bufano (1890-1970) created several sculptures for the mall. Here we see him checking out his Bufano Bears.

Photo from "Shopping can be Fun" video / George H. Kelley

A mid-'50s footprint of HILLSDALE CENTER, showing the original mall and its three outparcels; Mayfair Market, Sears and the Farmers Market (which stood on the north end of the facility). The area shown as "Future Development" would eventually contain two additional North Wing store blocks.

HILLSDALE CENTER TENANTS 1955:

HILLSDALE MALL 

MACY'S (with Garden Restaurant and Cloud Room Cocktail Lounge) / SEARS (outparcel, with attached Auto Center) / J.J. NEWBERRY (with luncheonette) / American Trust Bank / Barber Shop / Camera Photo / C.H. Baker Shoes / Chandler's Shoes / Collins Pharmacy (with luncheonette) / Cray Cleaners / Cretan's Fashion Jewelry / Duds For Men / Ellingson Liquors / Ellingson's Sport Center / First Western Bank / Hagen's ladies' wear / Gallenkamp Shoes / H. Liebes ladies' wear / Hagen's / Harris & Frank / Hartfield's / Hearth & Home Housewares / Hillsdale Hosts / House of Fabrics / Kay Burt / Kay Jewelers / Leed's Qualicraft Shoes / Laurel Shoes / LoReene's Bakery (outparcel) / Mayfair Market (outparcel) / Melart's ladies' wear / Mill End Shop / Minudi / Moar's Cafeteria / Mode O'Day Frock Shop / National Shirt Shops / Peninsula Music / Pink Cricket / See's Candies / Shaw's Confections (outparcel) /  The Colony ladies' wear / Thom McAn Shoes / Varsity Shop / 

LOWER MALL:

Gem Shoe Repair / Hillsdale Hairstylists / Kiddie Cartoons / Peninsula Room / Security Insurance Agency / US Post Office

FARMERS MARKET:

Archie's Burger Pit / Dietz Meats / Doug's Fountain restaurant / Hillsdale Liquor Store / Lloyd's Groceteria / Pauline's Kosher Style Food / Petrini's Market / The Little Shadows German Food / The Whistling Oyster 

ALSO IN FARMERS MARKET BUILDING:

Barry's Super Rexall / David D. Bohannon Organization / First Western Bank

The Farmers Market at HILLSDALE was a multi-faceted food facility. Encompassing 65,000 square feet, it featured twenty-two departments; these selling groceries, produce, meats and gourmet fare.

Photo from http://hillsdale.com

There was also an extensive selection of prepared foods. Here we see the Whistling Oyster, one of many vendors. After purchasing meals, patrons were seated in a landscaped, indoor-outdoor Dining Patio.
Photo from http://hillsdale.com

The Bay Area-based Emporium chain added an anchor store to the HILLSDALE mall, which was built on a pad adjacent to the Farmers Market. Here we see a circa-1962 advert announcing the "Big E" grand opening.
Advert from the Emporium-Capwell Company / Scott P. / "BigMallRat"

This image, from the 1960s, shows the Macy's Court at the center of the complex. Apparently, a fairy tale-themed promotion is underway at the shopping center.
Photo from http://hillsdale.com

Proceeding along the Hillsdale Mall, we come to a large fountain at the far end of the North Wing. The eastern entrance into the Farmers Market is straight ahead (across 31st Avenue). The Emporium store is seen on the right, with a Petrini's Market gourmet grocer on the left.
Photo from http://hillsdale.com

The single-screen Hillsdale Cinema debuted in December 1966. The venue was located on a pad north of the mall proper (and across the South El Camino Real thoroughfare).
Photo from http://hillsdale.com

In this image from the 1970s, we see Hillsdale Boulvard, which cuts through the south end of the mall site. On the left is Sears, which operated in this location between March 1951 and November 1996. House of Fabrics, on the right, has assumed the Mayfair Market space.

Photo from http://hillsdale.com

In 1981 and '82, the complex was given a major makeover. It was fully enclosed, an upper level was built on top of the first, and two anchor stores were added; Mervyn's and Nordstrom. This circa-1983 plan also shows a renovation and expansion of Sears, which had been completed in 1966.

An interior view of the newly-enclosed shopping hub.
Photo from http://hillsdale.com

At the time of this circa-1995 plan, The Emporium's days are numbered, as are those of the 1950s-vintage Sears. The latter would soon relocate. The latest thing at HILLSDALE is the Food 31 Court, which was a redress of the old Restaurant Court in the north store block.

In this image, and the four that follow, we have contemporary views of some of the sculptures created for HILLSDALE  by "Benny" Bufano. Above is "Bears."
Photo from www.shophillsdale.com

Here, we have "Golden Bear." The eleven Bufano sculptures were fashioned out of highly-polished terrazzo. They were officially unvieled on October 14, 1956.
Photo from Wikipedia / "Mliu92" 

One of two "Cat" sculptures is seen in the lower right of this image. When the open-air center was enclosed in the early 1980s, all statuary was moved to new locations inside the mall.
Photo from www.shophillsdale.com

The title of this work is "Seal." Animal sculptures were a standard feature in several of America's early shopping malls. They were used extensively at Greater Detroit's NORTHLAND CENTER, Atlanta's LENOX SQUARE and Greater Miami's NORTHSIDE CENTER.
Photo from Wikipedia / "Mliu92" 

 

Bufano's "Saint Francis of Assisi On Horseback" portrays a human figure.

Photo from Wikipedia / "Mliu92" 

Built as a Mervyn's in 1981-1982, this store sat vacant between December 2008 and September 2011. The Cheesecake Factory became the first of three tenants to reoccupy the space. H & M was dedicated in September 2011, followed by Forever 21, which opened the following November (and closed in late 2019).
Drawing from www.hillsdalecenter.com

 

A circa-2012 plan shows the reconfigured Mervyn's space. After nearly 60 years and several expansions, HILLSDALE remains a viable retail center. It has weathered competition from SAN MATEO FASHION ISLAND (1983) and eventually eclipsed that center, which was demolished in 1996.

In this three-unit photo set, we see contemporary views of the mall's interior. The snapshot above was taken in the Macy's Court. Nameplates for Brookstone and Victoria's Secret may be seen. The Bufano "Penguins" sculpture is on the left.
Photo from http://hillsdale.com

Tokyo-based Uniqlo ["yoo-nee-klo"] is a trendy ladies', men's and children's apparel retailer. The HILLSDALE store welcomed its first shoppers in October 2013.
Photo from http://hillsdale.com

M.A.C. Cosmetics operates a store in the Lower Level of the South Wing.
Photo from http://hillsdale.com

A vacated Sears was originally going to be renovated and re-opened as a Target. This plan was rethought, with a revised plan announced in early 2015. The northern 13 acres of the mall site would be redeveloped as the open-air North Block Plaza.
Drawing from http://www.cityofsanmateo.org 

Construction commenced in mid-2016. Everything in the northern sector was bulldozed, except for an Outback Steakhouse (in black). Around 300,000 square feet of retail, food service and entertainment venues (in light gray) were open for business by December 2019.

HILLSDALE CENTER

South El Camino Real and Hillsdale Boulevard
San Mateo, California

Promoted as "The Heart of the Peninsula", HILLSDALE CENTER was the second post-war shopping complex built in San Francisco's West Bay suburbs. The venue was situated on a 50-acre site, located 21.9 miles south of San Francisco's Union Square, in the satellite city of San Mateo.

The land, once part of the Burleigh H. Murray Ranch, had been acquired by developer David D. Bohannon in 1939. By 1941, an eighty-four unit subdivision, with neighborhoods known as Hillsdale and Park Western, was completed. Five other housing plats would follow.

A freestanding grocery store was the first structure built on a prospective shopping center site. The (15,800 square foot) Andrew Williams Store opened for business January 30, 1942. It was rebranded as a Mayfair Market in 1951. A 3-level (67,500 square foot) Sears began business March 22, 1951.

By December 1953, an open-air mall was under construction. Its inline store portion was designed by Los Angeles-based Welton Becket & Associates and comprised 2 levels; a Central Mall and Lower Mall. Anchoring the facility was a 3-level (155,000 square foot) Macy's, the first suburban shopping center branch of the Macy's California division. This store, designed by San Francisco's John Savage Bolles, held its grand opening on November 19, 1954.

The 488,000 square foot mall, also dedicated November 19, 1954, housed fifty-three stores and services. These included Harris & Frank apparel, Baker's Shoes, Moar's Cafeteria and a J.J. Newberry 5 & 10. A kiddie ride amusement park had been set up in the northwest section of the parking lot. On the far north end of the complex (across 31st Avenue) was the twenty-two-department Farmer's Market. This featured an early version of an international food court, along with a grocery, produce section, salad bar, hickory smoke barbeque and butcher shop.

A 4-level (206,000 square foot), Bay Area-based Emporium opened September 12, 1962. Adjacent to the Farmer's Market, it was the chain's fourth suburban branch. In 1964, Macy's was expanded with a fourth level. This enlarged the store to 220,000 square feet.

Later in the 1960s, two multilevel parking garages were built. One was connected to the Emporium store, the second was built west of the mall. At around the same time, Sears was remodeled and expanded. The (209,200 square foot) store held its grand re-opening in August 1966. With these improvement, HILLSDALE CENTER encompassed approximately 955,000 leasable square feet.

The single-screen General Cinema Corporation Hillsdale Cinema showed its first feature December 23, 1966. It was a peripheral structure, located across El Camino Real from the Emporium. The venue was twinned in November 1971, quaded in the late 1970s, and shuttered in 1998.

Shopping malls in the HILLSDALE trade area included STANFORD CENTER (1956) {9.3 miles southeast, in Palo Alto} and TANFORAN PARK CENTER (1971) {9 miles northwest, in San Bruno}.

The next major addition to HILLSDALE CENTER was something of a keeping-up with the malls measure. In the late 1970s, Ernest W. Hahn, Incorporated was planning its SAN MATEO FASHION ISLAND {1.6 miles northeast, in San Mateo}. In November 1980, a major expansion of HILLSDALE CENTER was approved by the local government.

By March 1981, construction was underway. The existing mall was enclosed with an upper level of retail added. Moreover, a new Restaurant Court was installed in the Farmer's Market structure, with a pedestrian bridge extended over 31st Avenue. Phase 1 of the renovation was dedicated on November 18, 1981.

The Phase 2 project added a 3-level (150,000 square foot) Nordstrom. This store welcomed its first shoppers on September 24, 1982. A 2-level (80,000 square foot) Mervyn's, began business on October 15 of the same year. Macy's enlarged their store to 245,300 square feet and a third parking garage was built in the east lot.

The shopping hub now spanned approximately 1,230,000 leasable square feet and housed over 120 stores and services. Its parking facilities could accommodate 5,800 autos. As part of the remodeling, the official name of the complex was changed to HILLSDALE MALL.

Sears demoted its store to a Furniture & Appliance Clearance Center in 1991. In February 1996, The Emporium was shuttered. Sears took this opportunity to open a new full-line store in the vacant building. A grand opening was held November 2, 1996. Soon after, the old Sears was demolished and replaced with a strip plaza known as HILLSDALE SOUTH. Tenants included Barnes & Noble, Romano's Macaroni Grill and a CompUSA-The Good Guys-Tower Records Megastore. These opened for business during 1998. By the dawn of the 21st century, the shopping complex would, once again, be known as HILLSDALE CENTER.

Mervyn's was shuttered December 27, 2008. After sitting vacant for over 2 years, the store was renovated and retenanted. The first of three new tenants, a 1- level (9,000 square foot) The Cheesecake Factory, opened September 19, 2011. This was followed by a 1-level (19,000 square foot) H & M, on September 27. A 2-level (52,000 square foot) Forever 21, which relocated from a smaller location in the mall, opened in November.

The HILLSDALE SOUTH strip center was also remodeled, with Trader Joe's and Old Navy (another relocated tenant) taking up the bulk of the old CompUSA space. These stores began business in the summer of 2011.

In early 2013, a prospective renovation of the north store block was announced. Cost Plus World Market and the existing Food Court would be replaced by a state-of-the-art, 9-screen megaplex. Sears would vacate the mall. Its store would be gutted and rebuilt as a 3-level (174,000 square foot) Target.  Moreover, an open-air Food Court would be installed on the Upper Level of the mall.

In December 2013, it was announced that the north store block renovation was being indefinitely postponed. A revised plan came to light in early 2015. It was decided that installing another large anchor store, such as Target, would not be in the mall's best interest. Instead, an open-air North Block Plaza was proposed.

This area would be surrounded by trendy restaurants and boutiques, a bowling center and upscale Cineopolis megaplex. A fitness center would be included on a lower level, with the existing Food Court relocated to an upper floor. This would span 31st Avenue and connect with the mall proper.

Sears shuttered their HILLSDALE store April 10, 2016. Demolition commenced in May of the same year. Construction of the 290,000 square foot North Block was soon underway. The new Dining Terrace opened for business November 17, 2018, with the Cineopolis Luxury Cinemas San Mateo having a soft opening on November 22, 2019. The Pinstripes Bistro, Bowling & Bocce facility was dedicated December 2 of the same year. With their completion, HILLSDALE CENTER encompassed approximately 1,354,800 leasable square feet.

Sources:

The Times (San Mateo, California)
The San Mateo Daily Journal 

The San Francisco Examiner
"Dual Anchor Shopping Centers 1952-1965" / Richard Longstreth
"Shopping Can Be Fun" video / Photographed and produced by George H. Kelley / 1957
http://www.shophillsdale.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
http://hillsdale.com

https://www.sfgate.com
https://www.burlingameproperties.com
http://news.theregistrysf.com (The Registry: Bay Area Real Estate)

The West Bay's Stanford Center

Next in line in the succession of Bay Area shopping centers was Palo Alto's STANFORD. Built by the university of the same name, it was open-air in format. The complex was officially dedicated in February 1956.

Graphic from Stanford University / Broadway-Hale Stores