King of Prussia 

A project to physically join the PLAZA and COURT malls got underway in January 2013. A 140,000 square foot connecting structure (dark gray) would house inline stores and include a third mall food court. The project was completed in August 2016. 


KING OF PRUSSIA
West Delkalb Pike / US 202 and Goddard (Mall) Boulevard
Montgomery County (Town of Upper Merion), Pennsylvania

Indianapolis' Simon Property Group established an eighty percent share in Kravco Investments in November 2003, with the name of the entity being changed to Kravco Simon Investments. This company owned the PLAZA and COURT malls.

Remodeling projects at the PLAZA property involved a renovation of The Garden Food Court (carried out between January and June of 2011) and an interior face lift of J.C. Penney. In September 2006, the octagonal anchor store in the PLAZA was rebranded as a second Macy's location, known as Macy's Plaza.

This store was shuttered in July 2007. It was demolished in July 2011, with a 2-level (100,000 square foot) section of stores being built in the space. The ten-tenant addition featured a remodeled mall entrance, expanded parking garage and new locations for Forever 21 and H & M.

In August 2011, the Simon Property Group established a 96 percent ownership share in the two KING OF PRUSSIA MALLS...removing most involvement of the Kravco entity. In November, they announced an expansion of the malls which got underway in January 2013. 

 The two retail hubs were physically connected via a forty-eight-store structure. This encompassed 140,000 leasable square feet and include the upscale Savor Food Court. The merged mall was officially dedicated on August 18, 2016. It now encompassed approximately 2,651,600 leasable square feet, with a retail roster of over 400 stores and services. A new name had been also been bequeathed; KING OF PRUSSIA.

As the expansion was being built, a major anchor store change took place. Sears Holdings announced, in January 2014, that they would be leasing 75,000 square feet of the upper level of the KING OF PRUSSIA Sears to Dick's Sporting Goods. This store held its grand opening November 7, 2014. Sears, by then downsized into its lower level, closed for good in January 2015. 

Irish fashion retailer Primark renovated a 2-level (80,700 square foot) section and opened for business on November 25, 2015. This was the first United States location for Primark, which operated over 250 stores in eleven Western European nations. By 2018, the chain expected to have seven stores in operation in the United States.  

Another anchor alteration played out in 2017. Plano, Texas' J.C. Penney chain announced the closing of 120 mall-based stores in March. The KING OF PRUSSIA store, a tenant since August 1963, was among these. A liquidation sale commenced April 17, with the store going dark in June. 

 

Lord & Taylor shuttered their KING OF PRUSSIA store on February 27, 2021. The building is being renovated by the Netflix streaming service. They are creating Netflix House, an experiential entertainment venue. The 120,000 square foot facility will include show-themed set replicas and restaurants, escape rooms, mixed reality games, a playground, theater and gift shop. Netflix House will open two locations during 2025; one at the KOP mall and another at GALLERIA DALLAS.

Sources:                                               

The Philadelphia Inquirer

J.C. Penney Company Annual Report 1963

http://www.philadex.com

"Paradox Unbound, My Pilgrimage To King Of Prussia Plaza" / Mitch Glaser http://www.mitchglaser.com

https://tehistory.org / Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society

History Quarterly Digital Archives / April 1991

http://www.mainlinemedianews.com

http://www.bizjournals.com / Peter Van Allen

Comment posts by David Meehan , "Go Nordrike!" and Matthew Terry

http://www.primark.com

http://www.cinematreasures.org

"King Of Prussia Plaza" and "Court At King Of Prussia" articles on Wikipedia

San Jose's Valley Fair Center

VALLEY FAIR CENTER was one of the first major post-war shopping hubs in -or around- the Silicon Valley. The open-air complex was located 6 miles southwest of center city San Jose.

Photo from http://www.flickr.com / "HmDavid"

Graphic from R.H. Macy & Company

The mall was developed in conjunction with BAY FAIR CENTER in San Leandro, California. A single logo was used to promote both shopping hubs, which included either a "V" (for VALLEY FAIR) or "B" (for BAY FAIR).

Graphic from R.H. Macy & Company

VALLEY FAIR CENTER

Stevens Creek Boulevard and California Route 17 (Interstate 880)

San Jose, California

One of the earliest shopping mall projects of Austrian architect Victor Gruen, VALLEY FAIR CENTER was built on a 41-acre tract, located 5.5 miles southwest of San Jose's Central Business District. Ground was broken for the first mall phase on July 20, 1955. 

 

The open-air complex was developed by a joint venture of Macy's California and San Francisco's Capital Company. While the inline store section was designed by Victor Gruen, its anchor department store was designed by San Francisco's John Savage Bolles.

A 3-level (157,300 square foot) Macy's became the first operational VALLEY FAIR store on August 10, 1956. The grand opening was attended by Ernest L. Malloy (Macy's California president) and Harry McClelland (Capitol Company president). A ceremonial ribbon was cut by Joseph C. Kresse (Macy's Valley Fair manager) and Joan Beckett, "Miss California 1956."

Sommer & Kaufmann Shoes opened on March 22, 1957. Eight inline stores began business on April 5th; C.H. Baker Shoes, Leeds Qualicraft Shoes, Thom McAn Shoes, Webster's Shoes, Grodins, See's Candies, Kathy Don children's wear and 2-level F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10. Joseph Magnin welcomed first shoppers on August 8th. When fully-realized, the 488,000 square foot shopping hub featured fifty-five stores and services. 

VALLEY FAIR CENTER was known for the carnival rides that had been installed on the roof of Macy's. Included were a 40-foot ferris wheel, merry-go-round and mini-train. These attractions were removed in late 1957. The mall was adjacent to an 8.8 mile stretch of the California Route 17 / San Jose-Los Gatos Freeway. This thoroughfare opened to traffic on May 1, 1959. 

In December 1965, Macy's California established full ownership of the shopping center. A 78,600 square foot fourth level had been added to the Macy's, taking space previously used for the "rooftop fair." The store now encompassed 235,900 square feet. By 1970, the shopping hub was officially promoted as VALLEY FAIR MALL. 

Competing shopping centers were springing up in -and around- San Jose. These included EASTRIDGE MALL (1971) {6.9 miles east, in southeast San Jose}, OAKRIDGE MALL (1973) {6.4 miles southeast, in San Jose}, VALLCO FASHION PARK (1976) {3.3 miles west, in Cupertino} and SUNNYVALE TOWN CENTER (1979-2007) {5.5 miles northwest, in Sunnyvale}.

The original South Bay shopping hub is promoted in this vintage yuletide advertisement.
Drawing from www.cestcop.com/macys.htm

A nighttime shot of the VALLEY FAIR CENTER Macy's, showing its high-end Mid-Mod design. The store was the fifth unit in the San Francisco-based Macy's division.
Photo from http://www.flickr.com / "HmDavid"

Rooftop carnival rides were a feature of the original VALLEY FAIR CENTER Macy's. These were removed in 1957, with the space becoming a fourth retail level in 1964.
Drawing from http://www.cestcop.com/macy

North Court in the original, open-air VALLEY FAIR CENTER. The mosaic-tiled tower on the left was part of an exhaust system for a subterranean shipping and receiving area.
Photo from the Milligan News Agency

Stevens Creek Plaza

A circa-'65 physical layout of Santa Clara County's adjacent shopping plazas. VALLEY FAIR had opened in 1956. STEVENS CREEK PLAZA, added to a previously-existing Emporium store, came along in 1964. The centers were accessed by the California Route 17 / San Jose-Los Gatos Freeway, which had been completed in 1959.

STEVENS CREEK PLAZA TENANTS 1965:

THE EMPORIUM (with Stickney's Hick'ry House Restaurant and freestanding Tire Center) / I. MAGNIN / Bloom's Florsheim Shoes / Burk's Luggage / Ferguson Music House / Granat Brothers Jewelers / Marcus Furs / Mark Fenwick ladies' wear / Roos-Atkins / Safeway supermarket / Super S Drug / Wells Fargo Bank (outparcel) 

A circa-1965 aerial view of the shopping venues. VALLEY FAIR CENTER is seen in the center, with STEVENS CREEK PLAZA occupying the upper left corner.
Photo from the Milligan News Agency

The south facade of Emporium Santa Clara, which was the third branch of the San Francisco-based chain. Originally a freestanding store, it was incorporated into STEVENS CREEK PLAZA in the mid-1960s.
Photo from http://www.flickr.com / Arnold Del Carlo 

San Francisco-based I. Magnin opened its STEVENS CREEK PLAZA location in April 1964.
Photo from http://www.flickr.com / Arnold Del Carlo


STEVENS CREEK PLAZA
Stevens Creek and Winchester Boulevards
Santa Clara, California

This tiny shopping complex evolved from the 3-level (231,000 square foot) Emporium Santa Clara department store, which opened on March 8, 1957. A branch of the Bay Area-based Emporium chain, the freestanding store sat on a 24-acre plot, situated west of VALLEY FAIR CENTER. 

 

STEVENS CREEK PLAZA was an open-air mall of fourteen stores and services. It was added to the existing Emporium. Tenants opened for business in April 1964 and included Roos-Atkins, Mark Fenwick ladies' wear, Werner Shoes, Granat Brothers Jewelers and a 2-level (32,000 square foot) I. Magnin.

 

A (22,300 square foot) Safeway supermarket, built on a pad west of  The Emporium, had opened for business in January 1957. A (19,100 square foot) Safeway Super S Drug, added to the west side of the Safeway market, was completed in October 1963. This store was rebranded as a Safeway Drug Center in June 1966 and Seattle-based Pay 'n Save Drug in September 1971.

Competing shopping malls sprang up in the region during the 1970s. These included EASTRIDGE CENTER (1971) {6.9 miles east, in San Jose}, OAKRIDGE MALL (1973) {6.4 miles southeast, also in San Jose}, VALLCO FASHION PARK (1976) {3.3 miles west, in Cupertino}, and SUNNYVALE TOWN CENTER (1979-2007) {5.5 miles northwest, in Sunnyvale}.

Valley Fair  / Westfield Valley Fair

A circa-1987 site plan depicting the recently-merged malls, now known as simply VALLEY FAIR. During the connecting-renovation project (indicated in light gray), most of the original VALLEY FAIR CENTER had been torn down. Only its Macy's remained. The old STEVENS CREEK PLAZA was retained, renovated and incorporated into the new complex. The expressway running by the mall had just been designated as Interstate 880.

A circa-2002 site plan shows all of the changes done to the mall since the 1980s. The 1986 structure (in black) has been expanded with a second mallway (in medium gray) linking a new Nordstrom with the original Macy's (now a Women's Store). Three parking garages have also been added. WESTFIELD SHOPPINGTOWN VALLEY FAIR now encompasses 1,473,500 leasable square feet.

WESTFIELD VALLEY FAIR in 2014. The mall has just emerged from a minor redo, where two sections were remodeled. Near Nordstrom, a "Luxury Collection" was created. On Level 2, the existing Food Court was refashioned into a "Dining Terrace."

The uber upscale Luxury Collection wing features "fashion forward" and "first-to-market" names such as Cartier, TAG Heuer and Wolford.
Drawing from www.westfield.com / The Westfield Corporation

The new Dining Terrace features Pizza Vino Bar, Super Duper, Chicken Wow, Old Port Lobster and Panda Express...to name a few.
Drawing from www.westfield.com / The Westfield Corporation

If the mall wasn't already big enough, it was when a 1.1 billion dollar expansion was completed. A long-delayed remodeling got underway in 2016. By 2020, a 2,200,000 square foot buying behemoth featured a fourth anchor (Bloomingdale's). There were also a third major shopping concourse, two high-tech "digital garages" and a movie theater (the first in the mall's 60-year history).

The new VALLEY FAIR Bloomingdale's was dedicated, along with the mall expansion, in March 2020. 

Photo from https://westfieldus.app.box.com / Christina Mendez

VALLEY FAIR 

Stevens Creek Boulevard and California Route 17 (Interstate 880)

San Jose, California

VALLEY FAIR MALL was sold to El Segundo, California-based Ernest W. Hahn, Incorporated. In November 1980, the company's assets were acquired by Calgary's Trizec Corporation, Limited. In the fall of 1996, a new entity, known as Trizec-Hahn, was created. 

Meanwhile, in 1985, Trizec had acquired STEVENS CREEK PLAZA. They started a large-scale renovation of the PLAZA and the adjacent VALLEY FAIR MALL. The bulk of VALLEY FAIR was razed, leaving only Macy's and its parking garage standing. The department store, expanded by 160,000 square feet, would now comprise 396,000 square feet.

A 100 million dollar, 2-level mall concourse was built. This linked Macy's with the Emporium and I. Magnin at the old STEVENS CREEK PLAZA. At the center of the center was a 2-level (168,000 square foot) Nordstrom. Renamed simply VALLEY FAIR, the amalgamated mall encompassed 1.2 million leasable square feet. 112 stores -out of an eventual 175- were dedicated on October 15, 1986.

Major retail complexes in the VALLEY FAIR trade area now included WESTGATE MALL (1960) {2.9 miles southwest, in Campbell} and GREAT MALL OF THE BAY AREA (1994) {6.4 miles northeast, Milpitas}.

Anchor stores at VALLEY FAIR changed nameplates during the 1990s. I. Magnin closed in May 1992. Its building was leased as Copeland Sports, which eventually morphed into Sports Authority. The Emporium was expanded with an additional (85,000 square foot) third level, for a grand total of 316,000 square feet. This store was rebranded as a Macy's Men's & Home Store in 1996.

In 1998, TrizecHahn sold VALLEY FAIR to a joint venture of Australia-based Westfield Holdings (now Westfield, Incorporated) and the Maryland-based Rouse Company. Westfield soon established full ownership of the venue and renamed it WESTFIELD SHOPPINGTOWN VALLEY FAIR. This was truncated to WESTFIELD VALLEY FAIR in June 2005.

Meanwhile, a major expansion had begun in late 1998. The project, encompassing three phases of construction, included two parking garages and a new 3-level (225,000 square foot) Nordstrom. A fifty-store, wrap-around concourse (built north of the existing mall and connecting the original Macy's and second Nordstrom) was dedicated in 2001. The circa-1986 Nordstrom was then sectioned into thirty store spaces. The renovated retail hub was re-dedicated on May 22, 2002.

2006 brought news of a third major expansion of the 1,475,600 square foot, 262-store, WESTFIELD VALLEY FAIR. The project was to add 650,000 leasable square feet in a second wrap-around concourse of seventy-two stores. This would be built on the south side of the existing mall, replace a parking garage, and connect the two Macy's stores.

Two new anchors, a 2-level (120,000 square foot) Neiman Marcus and 3-level (150,000 square foot) Bloomingdale's, would be included in the new concourse. Moreover, the existing Safeway supermarket and CVS Drug, outparcels of the circa-1964 STEVENS CREEK PLAZA, would be relocated to new structures and a parking garage would be built to replace the parking structure being demolished.

The project was approved by the local government in November 2007. However, The Great Recession derailed the prospective renovation. It was put on indefinite hold in May 2009. In the meantime, a refurbishment of two sections of the existing mall was carried out. Work started in September 2012. The Food Court on Level 2 was gutted and rebuilt as a more upscale "Dining Terrace." It encompassed 23,000 square feet and eighteen eateries.

On Level 2 of the mall, just east of Nordstrom, tenants were relocated to other spaces in the mall. The concourse became a "Luxury Collection" of high-end retailers, with names such as Cartier, Burberry, TAG Heuer, Wolford, Prada and Zara. These new sections of WESTFIELD VALLEY FAIR were officially dedicated November 1, 2013.

In 2015, the long-awaited expansion of the mega mall was revived. The original plan for two new anchor stores was amended to include only a 3-level (150,000 square foot) Bloomingdale's. Construction commenced in early 2015 on a high-tech "digital garage," which was replacing an existing structure at the northeast corner of the mall site.

The new garage was dedicated in late 2015. Following this, an existing parking structure at the front of the shopping hub (running along  Stevens Creek Boulevard) was demolished; this to provide room for the new Bloomingdale's, Outdoor Dining Terrace and second "digital garage." A state-of-the-art cinema would also to be installed in another area of the mall. 

On January 19, 2019, the Kerasotes San Jose Showplace ICON cinema opened for business. The mall addition and new Bloomingdales were officially dedicated on March 5, 2020. WESTFIELD VALLEY FAIR now spanned around 2,200,000 leasable square feet and housed 272 stores, restaurants and entertainment venues. 

Westfield's American and European property portfolio had been merged into the holdings of Paris-based Unibail-Rodamco in June 2018. A new company, known as Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, was created. Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield began selling its American mall properties off in 2022.  

Sources:

The Peninsula Times-Tribune (Palo Alto, California)

The San Francisco Business Chronicle 

The Oakland Tribune

The San Bernardino County Sun 

The Santa Maria Times (Santa Maria, California)

www.renewvalleyfair.com

www.cestcop.com / Mike Carrol Productions

https://www.groceteria.ca

http://www.bigmallrat.com

http://www.westfield.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)

Santa Clara County tax assessor website

www.cahighways.org                                                           

www.reuters.com

https://www.mercurynews.com

"Westfield Valley Fair" article on Wikipedia

Los Angeles' Del Amo Center

DEL AMO CENTER was developed on property lying 21 miles southwest of downtown Los Angeles. In an historic aerial view of the mall, Sears Torrance faces the Hawthorne and Sepulveda Boulevards intersection.

Photo from Cal State University Dominguez Hills Archives

Graphic from The Del Amo Estate Company

Sears Torrance covered over 263,000 square feet and included a Garden & Patio Shop, freestanding Auto Center and two Peggy Kellogg Snackettes.

Photo from Sears, Roebuck & Company

A newspaper article from October 1959 extols the many features of the new Sears.

Advert from The Del Amo Estate Company

The Penney's at DEL AMO CENTER covered three floors and around 70,000 square feet. 

Drawing from the J.C. Penney Company

DEL AMO CENTER
Sepulveda and Hawthorne Boulevards
Torrance, California

The eleventh shopping mall in Los Angeles County was developed by the Del Amo Estate Company and designed by Los Angeles' Welton Becket & Associates and the Stiles & Robert Clements firm. The open-air complex was situated on 78 acres of a 200-acre site; this located 20.5 miles southwest of center city Los Angeles, in suburban Torrance.

Ground was broken for DEL AMO CENTER in December 1957. Two department stores anchored the original complex. A 4-level (225,000 square foot) The Broadway opened for business February 16, 1959, with Sears' 2-level (284,000 square foot) store making its debut on October 1, 1959.

The mall proper was built in two phases. The first developed the West Mall block, which contained seven tenant spaces. Its 3-level (70,000 square foot) J.C. Penney opened for business on March 16, 1961. Other West Mall stores were Silverwood's, Ontra Cafeteria and a 2-level (21,000 square foot) F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10. 

Construction of the two East Mall store blocks commenced in the spring of 1960. Ten new stores and services welcomed customers in May 1961, with store dedications continuing into November. East Mall tenants included Thom McAn Shoes, Del Mar Accessories and Foreman & Clark.

There was also a (71,000 square foot) Convenience Center in the northeast parking area which included Thrifty Drug and a (35,000 square foot) Magic Chef Market. The store, which featured a gourmet restaurant and Homemaker's Bazaar, commenced operation on June 9, 1960. 

Stores continued the open at DEL AMO CENTER through 1962. When fully-realized, the complex encompassed six store blocks and covered approximately 984,000 leasable square feet. It housed forty stores and services and had free parking accommodations for 7,000 autos at one time.

Other South Bay shopping hubs included PENINSULA CENTER FASHION MALL (1961) {3.8 miles southwest, in Rolling Hills Estates} and COURTYARD MALL (1981) {3.9 miles southwest, also in Rolling Hills Estates}. These provided a minimum of competition to DEL AMO CENTER, which was much larger.

A (24,400 square foot) Joseph Magnin opened at DEL AMO CENTER in March 1965. The store was installed in previously-existing East Mall space. A second outparcel structure, in the southeast section of the mall site, housed a Two Guys discount mart, which opened in 1973. It became a FedMart in mid-1977 and was rebranded by Target on April 17, 1983.

The 600' by 40' mallway at the original DEL AMO CENTER. The original facility housed 40 stores and services. The mall's Woolworth's, in the West Mall store block, is seen on the left.
Photo from Cal State University Dominguez Hills Archives

A 1962 view of the freestanding Convenience Center. It contained six retail tenants, including Thrifty Drug and a Magic Chef Market grocery. In later years, it would house a megaplex cinema and fitness center.
Photo from Cal State University Dominguez Hills Archives

A second view of the DEL AMO Convenience Center. 

Photo from Cal State University Dominguez Hills Archives

The Magic Chef at DEL AMO was -reputedly- the first supermarket in the nation to combine a gourmet restaurant, coffee shop, delicatessen, on-premises bakery, liquor, health food section and other departments in one super store. 

Graphic from Magic Chef Markets  

The genesis of what has become the nation's sixth-largest shopping mall. In 1961, the shiny new DEL AMO CENTER housed twenty-eight stores and services beneath its open-air canopies. The 40 million dollar complex encompassed 1,150,000 leasable square feet and provided free parking for 7,000 autos. 

DEL AMO CENTER TENANTS 1961:

THE BROADWAY (with Beauty Salon and Chafing Dish restaurant) / SEARS (with Snackette, Catalog Department and freestanding Garden and Auto Centers)  

IN WEST MALL:

J.C. PENNEY / F. W. WOOLWORTH 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / Leed's Qualicraft Shoes / Lerner Shops ladies' wear / Ontra Cafeteria / Silverwood's 

IN EAST MALL: 

Children's Shoe Corral / Del Mar Accessories / Foreman & Clark men's wear / Gallenkamp Shoes / International House of Pancakes / Leroy's Jewelers / Morgan's Jewelers / National Shirt Shops / Singer Sewing Center and Fashion Fabrics / Tamara's ladies' wear / Thom McAn Shoes / Tot Toggery / Toy World / Young Maternity

IN CONVENIENCE CENTER:

THRIFTY DRUG (with luncheonette) / MAGIC CHEF MARKET (with gourmet restaurant, coffee shop, delicatessen, on-premises bakery, liquor department, health food section, flower shop, donut shop and Homemaker's Bazaar) / Curl'N Comb Beauty Salon / Del Amo Barber Shop /  Model Finance Company / Vogue Cleaners & Launderers

Bullock's Fashion Square (Del Amo)

The first fifteen stores in BULLOCK'S FASHION SQUARE (DEL AMO) opened in September and October of 1966. By the time of this 1967 plan, the seventeen-store open air complex was complete. It encompassed approximately 342,000 leasable square feet. Its larger open-air counterpart, DEL AMO CENTER, occupied a land parcel south of West Carson Street.

BULLOCK'S FASHION SQUARE (DEL AMO) TENANTS 1967:

BULLOCK'S DEL AMO (with The Tea Room, Men's Grill and beauty salon) / I. MAGNIN / DESMOND'S / Alpert's Shoes / Bell's Gifts / C.H. Baker Shoes / Chandler's Shoes / Country Club Fashions ladies' wear / Crocker-Citizen's Bank (outparcel) / Draper's ladies' wear / Field's fashions for young ladies / Gentry, Limited men's wear / / Music Man Del Amo (sheet music, instruments, records & electronics) / Polka Dot ladies' wear / Ranchito Grill / Slavick's Jewelers 

BULLOCK'S FASHION SQUARE (DEL AMO)
West Carson Street and Hawthorne Boulevard
Torrance, California

A 57-acre site directly north of DEL AMO CENTER was developed, by the Los Angeles-based Bullock's Realty Company, as an open-air shopping venue. It was the third of their Southern California BULLOCK'S FASHION SQUARE shopping centers.

In order of their completion, these were BULLOCK'S FASHION SQUARE (Santa Ana), BULLOCK'S FASHION SQUARE (Sherman Oaks), BULLOCK'S FASHION SQUARE (Del Amo) and BULLOCK'S FASHION SQUARE (La Habra).

Fifteen stores in BULLOCK'S FASHION SQUARE (Del Amo) were in operation at the mall's official grand opening, which was held October 31, 1966. Stores included a 4-level (250,000 square foot) Bullock's Del Amo, Desmond's, Ranchito Grill, Music Man Del Amo and Gentry Limited. The sixteenth -and final- store, a 1-level (25,000 square foot) I. Magnin, held its grand opening March 6, 1967.

In 1969, the complex was sold to Los Angeles-based developer Guilford Glazer, who initiated a redevelopment project in March 1970. This renovation enclosed the existing BULLOCK'S FASHION SQUARE and added an 800,000 square foot East Wing. Its 2-level (160,000 square foot) Montgomery Ward was dedicated April 28, 1971, with a 2-level (150,000 square foot), New York City-based Ohrbach's serving its first patrons August 9 of the same year.

New mall tenants included Karmelkorn, an F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10 and the United Artists Del Amo 4 multiplex. This venue showed its first features on August 18, 1971. A new name was also bequeathed. The shopping venue would be known, henceforth, as DEL AMO FASHION SQUARE.

Montgomery Ward anchored the east end of a greatly enlarged DEL AMO FASHION SQUARE. The store, the first operational tenant in the expanded -and enclosed- mall wing, opened in April 1971.
Photo from J. Paul Getty Trust / Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles / Julius Shulman

Ohrbach's, also a part of the new wing, opened in August 1971. DEL AMO FASHION SQUARE now encompassed approximately 1,100,000 leasable square feet and housed 160 stores and services.
Photo from Los Angeles Public Library / Ralph Morris

Del Amo Fashion Center

 

 

In 1975, there were two individual shopping malls at the Del Amo site; DEL AMO CENTER (on the south) and BULLOCK'S-DEL AMO FASHION SQUARE (on the north). The FASHION SQUARE mall was expanded and enclosed in 1970-'71. DEL AMO CENTER would remain open-air until the early 1980s.

 

Two DEL AMO malls were merged into one super-sized center between 1978 and 1981. Original venues are shown in black; a new connecting concourse is indicated in light gray. With this addition, DEL AMO FASHION CENTER is the largest enclosed mall in the USA. The Los Angeles Times proclaimed it "King of the Malls." The complex covered 2,650,000 leasable square feet, housed 335 stores, and maintained free parking for 12,000 autos.

 

A circa-2009 layout. A lot had changed since 1981. A freestanding movie megaplex, the Mann 9 Theatres, was in operation between 1991 and 2000 (in space now occupied by LA Fitness). Macy's rebranded three anchor stores between 1996 and 2006. The 1971 addition to the northern FASHION SQUARE section was razed and replaced with an Outdoor Promenade (in medium gray) in 2005-2006.

 

In this circa-2017 plan, we see a renovated and expanded DEL AMO FASHION CENTER. The remainder of the FASHION SQUARE section has been demolished and replaced by a 2-level upscale enclosed mall (in medium gray). It is anchored by a newly-built Nordstrom. Levels 2 and 3 of the old The Broadway have been repurposed as a Dick's Sporting Goods.

The 2-level, Outdoor Promenade, which was dedicated in September 2006. Its thirty-five stores include Metro Park, Guess and Levi's.

Photo from www.rtkl.com / RTKL Associates, Incorporated

There were also Eddie Bauer, Free People and Urban Outfitters. Sit-down restaurants included Lazy Dog Cafe and P.F. Chang's China Bistro.

Photo from www.rtkl.com / RTKL Associates, Incorporated

A rendering of the northwest corner of  DEL AMO FASHION CENTER. The mega mall was expanded and refurbished between 2013 and 2017. 

Drawing from www.simon.com / Simon Property Group

Another rendering, this of the new upscale enclosed mall. This shows the entry into the 2-level area, as it would appear when coming from the center's Outdoor Promenade.
Drawing from www.simon.com / Simon Property Group

Common area in the DEL AMO complex was also refurbished as part of the 2010s renovation. In this drawing, we see the North Entrance of the Macy's Men's & Home Furniture store. The Patio Cafes (food court) appears in the foreground.
Photo from www.simon.com / Simon Property Group

DEL AMO FASHION CENTER
West Carson Street and Hawthorne Boulevard
Torrance, California

Developer Guilford Glazer acquired DEL AMO CENTER in 1977. In September, he announced a plan to link the mall and the fully-enclosed DEL AMO FASHION SQUARE into a single entity. This would be done with an enclosed concourse extending south from FASHION SQUARE, over West Carson Street, and connecting to a 2-level (171,400 square foot), Los Angeles-based J.W. Robinson's (which was being added to DEL AMO CENTER).

Construction commenced on the 20 million dollar project in 1978. The amalgamated mall, christened DEL AMO FASHION CENTER, was dedicated on November 20, 1981. With 3 million leasable square feet and 355 stores, it was the largest enclosed shopping center in the United States; a distinction held until the dedication of Minnesota's MALL OF AMERICA, in August 1992.

Regional competitors included CARSON MALL / SOUTHBAY PAVILION (1973) {4.9 miles northeast, in Carson} and SOUTH BAY GALLERIA (1985) {2.3 miles northwest, in Redondo Beach}.

J.C. Penney had, by the late 1980s, been expanded into a 163,300 square foot operation. Anchor nameplate changes got underway in 1987. Ohrbach's was shuttered and re-opened, as a Stor Furnishings, International, in mid-1989. Following this store's closing in 1992, the building was divided between Marshalls (Level 1) and T.J. Maxx (Level 2). T.J. Maxx opened in September 1993; Marshall's in December of the same year.

I. Magnin at DEL AMO FASHION CENTER closed in 1989, with its space sectioned into two restaurants and The Good Guys!, a Brisbane, California-based electronics outlet. Robinson's morphed into Robinsons-May in January 1993. Bullock's was "Macy-ated" in November 1995. The Broadway went dark in November 1996. Its store was divided between Jo-Ann Fabrics (Level 1) and a Macy's Home & Furniture (Levels 2 & 3). The Macy's store opened in July 1999, with the Jo-Ann location holding its grand opening in November.

Meanwhile, a second motion picture venue had opened at the mall. The Mann Del Amo 9 multiplex debuted on March 22, 1991. The theater, an eastern outparcel, operated concurrently with the in-mall United Artists multiplex, on the north end of the shopping hub.

A new century brought more anchor store changes. Montgomery Ward closed in early 2001. Its building was never retenanted. Robinsons-May was rebranded as the mall's third Macy's in September 2006. In the meantime, the shopping center had changed hands. The Arlington, Virginia-based Mills Corporation bought the complex in July 2003 and sold a 50-percent share to J.P. Morgan Fleming Asset Management. In turn, the assets of The Mills Corporation were acquired by the Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group in April 2007.

A 160 million dollar mall renovation got underway in February 2005. The eastern half of the circa-1971 DEL AMO FASHION SQUARE was demolished, including its vacant Montgomery Ward. A 2-level (thirty-five-store) "Outdoor Promenade" was built, which was anchored by the American Multi-Cinema Del Amo 18.

This new lifestyle wing was dedicated September 14, 2006. Inline stores included Cohiba Cigar Lounge, Lazy Dog Cafe, RA Sushi Bar, Urban Outfitters, P.F. Chang's China Bistro, Anthropologie and the Lucky Strike Lanes bowling alley.

In late 2013, the mall housed 314 stores and services, with three separate Macy's locations. The store in the upper levels of the old The Broadway, listed on the Macy's website as the Macy's Del Amo Home Store, was labeled as Macy's Home & Furniture on the Simon Property Group's DEL AMO FASHION CENTER website.

The old Bullock's was listed as Macy's Del Amo Fashion Center (its address being 21600 Hawthorne Boulevard). Simon said the store was Macy's North. The Macy's that had originally opened as a J.W. Robinson's was listed as Macy's Del Amo Fashion Center (at 21760 Hawthorne Boulevard) on www.macys.com. On the Simon site, the same store was Macy's South.

To clear up confusion and consolidate operations, Macy's Inc. announced that, as of late 2014, the three stores would be merged into two. The original Bullock's would become a Macy's Women's, with the old J.W. Robinson's being refashioned into a Macy's Men's & Home. The original Home & Furniture, operating in the upper levels of the old the Broadway, would be shuttered.

As the DEL AMO Macy's operations were reconfigured, a major reworking and refurbishment of the mall was undertaken. The Simon Property Group had originally announced said project in August 2010, but was close-lipped until July 2013, when a more detailed plan was presented.

The 200 million dollar DEL AMO FASHION CENTER renovation was to be done in three phases. The first entailed a relocation of the existing Food Court southward, into a space just north of the J.W. Robinson's / Macy's Men's & Home. The 10-bay culinary complex, officially known as Patio Cafes, included Panda Express, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Sbarro the Italian Eatery, Ginza Grill and Blaze Pizza. These opened for business between December 2013 and May 2014.

At the same time, tenants such as Old Navy, Vans, Hollister, Frederick's of Hollywood, Pac Sun and American Eagle Outfitters moved from the original BULLOCK'S FASHION SQUARE mall into quarters located in other sections of the complex.

Phase Two of the remodeling entailed demolition of the vacant BULLOCK'S FASHION SQUARE structure. This was completed in early 2014. The Bullock's / Macy's Women's building was retained, renovated and worked into a 2-level, "upscale enclosed mall." This would be anchored by a 2-level (138,000 square foot) Nordstrom, a relocation of a circa-1985 store at SOUTH BAY GALLERIA.

The new mall section would encompass approximately 538,000 leasable square feet and ninety-five inline stores. A multilevel parking garage, adjacent to the new Nordstrom, was also built. Sections of the existing mall were renovated with new interior decor, signage and landscaping to make them more consistent with new construction.

Nordstrom welcomed its first shoppers on October 9, 2015. Fifty-five inline stores opened on the same day. These included Kate Spade, Lane Bryant, Zara, Victoria's Secret, Vera Bradley, Nyx Cosmetics and H & M. By November 2015, twenty more upscale enclosed mall retailers had opened their doors.

Phase Three of the renovation was centered on the circa-1961 DEL AMO CENTER section. It was thoroughly remodeled, with new flooring, handrails and mall entrances installed. This final phase of reconstruction was completed in 2016. The vacant upper levels of the old The Broadway building became a Dick's Sporting Goods in the spring of 2017. 

DEL AMO FASHION CENTER now consisted of three distinct shopping districts; the new upscale enclosed mall, circa-2006 outdoor village (a.k.a. outdoor promenade) and circa-1960 value-oriented enclosed mall (the old DEL AMO CENTER) The gargantuan complex encompassed approximately 2,608,000 leasable square feet and contained a whopping 240 stores and services. Sears, a charter DEL AMO anchor, went dark on September 6, 2020. The store had operated at the mall for over 60 years. 

Sources:

The Torrance Herald (Torrance, California)

The Torrance Press (Torrance, California)

The Press-Herald (Torrance, California)

The Daily Breeze (Hermosa Beach, California)
Cal State University Dominguez Hills Archive website
www.macy's.com

www.simon.com / Simon Property Group
www.delamofashioncenter.com
www.cinematreasures.org
http://www.movie-theatre.org / Mike Rivest
Los Angeles County tax assessor website
www.chainstoreage.com

FAIR USE OF DEL AMO CENTER PHOTOGRAPHS:

The images from the Cal State University Dominguez Hills Archive illustrates a key moment in the mall's history that is described in the article. The images are not replaceable with a free-use or public-domain images. The use of the images does not limit the copyright owners' rights to distribute them in any way. The images are being used for non-profit, informational purposes only and their use is not believed to detract from the original images in any way.

Arizona's Scottsdale Fashion Square

SCOTTSDALE FASHION SQUARE was developed on a site located 13 miles northeast of the Arizona State House. Originally an open-air complex, it was implemented in stages between 1959 and 1962.

Photo and Graphic from Harry Lenart and Coldwell Banker & Company

Talk about humble beginnings! Here we see the first segment of what would become SCOTTSDALE FASHION SQUARE. There were only four tenants in business in 1959; a liquor store, barber shop, camera shop and A.J. Bayless supermarket.
Photo from www.azcentral.com

Phoenix's Goldwaters chain built their second branch at SCOTTSDALE FASHION SQUARE. The exterior of the 2 million dollar store featured large Italian tile mosaic panels crafted by artisan Sheila Dean.     

Drawing from Goldwaters, Incorporated

The original SCOTTSDALE FASHION SQUARE is depicted in a circa-1962 plan. The section shown in black was completed in 1959-1960. The remainder (in dark gray) was inaugurated in 1961 and '62. When fully-realized, the mall spanned approximately 228,000 leasable square feet and contained twenty-two stores and services. Free parking was provided for 2,000 autos.

SCOTTSDALE FASHION SQUARE TENANTS 1962:

GOLDWATERS (with Antoine Beauty Salon and Barber Shop) / A.J. BAYLESS supermarket / Baron's Restaurant / Bostrom's ladies' wear / Burnett's Books & Records / Expectation Shops / Fashionette / Fashion Square Barber Shop / First National Bank of Arizona  (outparcel) / Goot Shoes / Goldwaters Men's World / Holiday House ladies' wear / Jenni ladies' wear / Joy's Sportswear / Kamera Korner / Liquor Oasis / Michele's Beauty Salon / Pancho's Gift Shop / Pinney & Robinson / Rosenzweig's Jewelers / Ryan-Evans Drug (with luncheonette) / Switzer's ladies' wear (with beauty salon) / Waltah Clark's Hawaiian Shop 

 

Baron's Restaurant was an original FASHION SQUARE tenant.

Drawing from Harry Lenart and Coldwell Banker & Company

SCOTTSDALE FASHION SQUARE
East Camelback and North Scottsdale Roads
Scottsdale, Arizona

Greater Phoenix's sixth open-air mall was developed by a joint venture of Scottsdale's Harry Lenart and Coldwell Banker & Company. The complex was built on a 32.2-acre plot, situated 13 miles northeast of the Arizona State Capitol, in suburban Scottsdale. The site, formerly farm fields, had been utilized for a rodeo stadium by the Scottsdale Jaycees in the mid-1950s.

A small shopping plaza was built on the eastern half of the parcel. Its (28,700 square foot) A.J. Bayless Market opened its doors on January 15, 1959. The plaza included Kamera Korner, Liquor Oasis, and a barber shop. Ryan-Evans Drug commenced operation on January 30, 1960. 

In August 1960, construction got underway on an adjacent open-air mall. Designed by Edward L. Varney Associates of Phoenix and John Schotanas, it consisted of a single retail level -with basements- anchored by a 2-level (70,000 square foot), Phoenix-based Goldwaters. This store held its grand opening on October 9, 1961. 

The first four operational inline stores were Switzer's, Rosenzweig's Jewelers and Burnett's Books & Records. These debuted on October 30, 1961. Jenni (Jennifer's ladies' wear) opened its doors on November 16th. 

Five additional stores were dedicated on February 15, 1962; The Expectation Shop, Fashionette, Goot Shoes, Pancho's Gifts and Waltah Clarke's Hawaiian Shop. Baron's Restaurant welcomed its first diners later in February 1962. With its completion, SCOTTSDALE FASHION SQUARE encompassed approximately 228,000 leasable square feet and housed twenty-two stores and services. 

Ground was broken for a mall expansion in November 1972. The open-air West Wing extension would consist of two retail floors; a Ground Level and partial Upper. The addition was anchored by a 2-level (50,000 square foot), Phoenix-based Diamond's, which opened for business on March 17, 1974. With its completion, the shopping hub housed forty-nine stores and spanned approximately 360,000 leasable square feet.

In the early years, the primary retail rival of SCOTTSDALE FASHION SQUARE was the fully-enclosed LOS ARCOS MALL (1969) {3 miles south, also in Scottsdale}.

Camelview Plaza

A fully-enclosed shopping and office complex was built adjacent to the FASHION SQUARE mall in the early 1970s. CAMELVIEW PLAZA, and its 10-story Bank of Arizona tower, encompassed around 361,000 leasable square feet. At its official dedication in 1974, CAMELVIEW PLAZA was anchored by a Texas-based Sakowitz specialty fashion store.
Drawing from Business Realty of Arizona, Incorporated

A freestanding movie house, the Harkins Cinema Seven Twin, pre-dated the adjacent mall. The theater were completed in June 1973, almost a year before the dedication of the first stores in CAMELVIEW PLAZA. 
Photo from Harkins Theatres

A CAMELVIEW PLAZA logo montage features trademarks of stores and services in operation at the mall during the 1970s.

The shopping concourse at SCOTTSDALE FASHION SQUARE was expanded westward in 1974 (in medium gray). A Diamond's department store was built on the west end. CAMELVIEW PLAZA -the mall next door- had also been dedicated in 1974. Its new Bullock's (in light gray) had just opened for business at the time of this circa-1977 plan.

CAMELVIEW PLAZA TENANTS 1977:

BULLOCK'S (with Home Store) / SAKOWITZ (with Tastemaker Gourmet Shop and Strawberry Patch Beauty Circle hair styling salon) / Cinema Seven Twin (outparcel) / CamelView Hairstylists / CamelView Terrace Restaurant /  Courreges ladies' wear / Dave Roark's Lounge / E.F. Hutton & Company / Hanny's apparel / Lee Optical / Lillie Rubin ladies' wear / Paul Johnson Jewelers / Patti's Pinafore Patch children's wear / Robert French portrait studio / Scottsdale Artists' League Gallery / The Arizona Bank / The Magic Pan Creperie / Unicorn Oriental Gallery / Vidal Sassoon Salon / Waldenbooks

CAMELVIEW PLAZA
East Camelback Road and North 68th Street
Scottsdale, Arizona

In June 1970, plans for a second East Camelback Road mall were announced. The fully-enclosed complex would be developed by Chicago's John F. Cuneo, under the auspices of Business Realty of Arizona, Incorporated. Chicago's Belli & Belli architects would design the structure, which would occupy a 26.9-acre parcel directly west of -and next door to- SCOTTSDALE FASHION SQUARE. 

CAMELVIEW PLAZA would include the 10-story Bank of Arizona office tower. This (100,000 square foot) structure was completed in June 1972. It was followed by the Harkins Cinema Seven Twin, a northeast parking area outparcel, which showed its first features on June 17, 1973.

The retail mall was the final segment of the project to be completed. It included a 2-level shopping concourse and 2-level, subterranean parking garage. Anchoring CAMELVIEW PLAZA was a 2-level (110,000 square foot), Houston-based Sakowitz, which was the chain's first foray outside of Texas. This store held its grand opening, as part of a Gala of the Yellow Roses charity ball, on February 11, 1974. Charter inline tenants included Margo's la Mode ladies' wear, Lillie Rubin ladies' wear, Dave Roark's Lounge and Waldenbooks.

A  multilevel parking garage and second anchor store were added to the complex. Los Angeles-based Bullock's opened its 2-level (160,000 square foot) store on January 31, 1977. CAMELVIEW PLAZA now encompassed approximately 521,000 leasable square feet and housed twenty retail tenants.

Scottsdale Fashion Square

A FASHION SQUARE logo montage is made up of trademarks of various mall stores. These were in operation during the 1960s, '70s and '80s. 

A rendering shows the proposed Palm Court that was being added to the FASHION SQUARE as part of a 1988-1991 renovation. When completed, said court extended for three floors and included a glass roof retractable skylight.

Drawing from the Westcor Company 

The malls, following their 4-year renovation. As part of the 150 million dollar project, FASHION SQUARE was fully-enclosed, with 2 retail levels added. Its east anchor was enlarged, a new Dillard's store erected, and parking garage built. A 2-level connecting concourse now linked both malls. On the CAMELVIEW end, the Bullock's store was expanded. Post-renovation, the married malls cover approximately 1.4 million leasable square feet and contain 175 stores. 

Dillard's has maintained a FASHION SQUARE presence since 1984, when they acquired the Diamond's chain. Between 1986 and 1998, Dillard's bounced around the mall(s) so many times that it is difficult to keep up with all of the changes (until now, at least). Four past and present anchor boxes have housed Dillard's stores. There was even a virtually forgotten "double-header" operation for 3 and a half years.