The 10 million dollar SOUTHGATE CENTER encompassed around 340,000 leasable square feet and contained thirty-eight stores and services. It was anchored by the city's second Rhodes store (the first being located at COUNTRY CLUB CENTRE). In 1965, the parking area at SOUTHGATE could accommodate 4,500 autos at one time.
SOUTHGATE CENTER TENANTS 1962:
RHODES (with Beauty Salon) / LUCKY STORES supermarket / S.H. KRESS 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / J.C. PENNEY (dry goods only) / Arden's / Career Girl ladies' wear / College-Hi young men's wear / Connell's Shoe Repair / Corfee Cleaners / Dobbert Beauty Shop / Eagleson's men's wear / Farmer & Merchant's Bank / Firestone Tire & Auto (outparcel) / Flagg Brothers Shoes / Foreman & Clark apparel / Gallenkamp Shoes / Green & Heyden Shoes / Hartfield's ladies' wear / Hart's restaurant / House of Fabrics / Jay-Vee Shops ladies' wear / Karmelkorn / Kay Jewelers / Kid-E-Korral children's wear / Kirby Shoes / Leed's Qualicraft Shoes / Marlene's ladies' wear / Martin's Cake Box bakery / McCurry Photo & Gifts / National Shirt Shops / Roos-Atkins men's wear / Sacramento Electric Company home appliances / See's Candies / Singer Sewing Center / Southgate Barber Shop / Southgate Beauty Shop / Southgate Record Shop / Thrifty Drugs / West Coast Savings & Loan Association / Zim's Restaurant (outparcel)
SOUTHGATE took a direct hit from FLORIN CENTER, a newer, larger -and fully-enclosed- mall that was built less than a mile away. After the dedication of FLORIN, SOUTHGATE was relegated to secondary status. Big time tenants either closed or moved out, leaving the complex in a downward spiral. As a result, its open mallway would never be enclosed and climate-controlled.
Drawing from Blumenfeld Enterprises
The shopping hub was revived in the mid-1980s. New stores were built (in light gray) and existing structures refurbished. The repositioned mall took on the name of an adjacent retail complex. It was known, henceforth, as SOUTHGATE PLAZA.
The renaming of SOUTHGATE CENTER as a PLAZA created some confusion.
A 25,000 square foot mini-mall, also known as SOUTHGATE PLAZA, was
located along Florin Boulevard, just .3 mile northwest of the regional-
class SOUTHGATE PLAZA. In a state of disrepair by the 21st century, the
mini mall caught fire in December 2023 and was demolished.
Photo from https://www.showcase.com