CHULA VISTA CENTER
H Street and Broadway
Chula Vista, California
Greater San Diego's fifth shopping mall was the second developed by Marston's-Broadway-Hale Stores. CHULA VISTA CENTER was built on a 55-acre parcel. This was located 6 miles southeast of the Centre City, in the bedroom community of Chula Vista ("pretty view"). The site was four blocks east of the John J. Montgomery Freeway, which had opened to traffic in 1951. This highway was upgraded and designated a part of Interstate 5 in 1973.
Years earlier, a regional shopping center had been proposed for land developed as Vista Square, a World War II-era housing project. The land was acquired by Chula Vista in 1944. The City Council approved a plan for a 25 million dollar shopping complex in March 1960. Demolition of sections of Vista Square commenced soon after, with construction of the mall getting underway -on a 40-acre section- in May 1961.
Broadway-Hale Stores bought the partially-completed mall in June 1962. When fully-realized, it would encompass approximately 425,000 leasable square feet -on a single level- with most stores having basements. A San Diego-based Marston's would include a fallout shelter in its basement.
Sav-On Drug was part of a freestanding structure in the mall's south parking area. It became the first operational CHULA VISTA CENTER tenant on July 7, 1962. Thirteen inline stores, and a 4-level (200,700 square foot) Marston's, were officially dedicated on November 12, 1962. A Mexican-themed grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony were held in Plaza de la Paz, at the west Marston's entrance.
Attending the celebration were Hamilton Marston (president of the Marston's Division of Broadway-Hale Stores), George Grey (store manager), Keith Menzel (Mayor of Chula Vista) and D. Xicotencatl Leyva Aleman (Mayor of Tijuana). White doves were released from a pinata, accompanied by Mariachi music.
Marston's had a 24-foot-wide "air curtain" door-less entry on its west side. The store interior was done in "warm neutral pastels." Women's, juniors and children's departments were decorated in blues, lavenders, pinks and greens. Men's and boy's departments were accented with beige and brown tones. Terrazzo was used for the store's street level, with the second and third levels being fully carpeted. Walls featured hand-painted murals.
A (35,000 square foot) S.S. Kresge 5 & 10 opened its doors on February 14, 1963. J.C. Penney's 2-level (80,000 square foot) location was dedicated on November 7th. Its freestanding Auto Center began business on June 18, 1964. When fully-leased , CHULA VISTA CENTER housed twenty-seven stores and services.
Marston's was rebranded as a Los Angeles-based The Broadway in 1964. By November, CHULA VISTA CENTER housed twenty-six stores and services. Among these were Chula Vista Beauty Boutique, Harris & Frank men's wear, Marsi's ladies' wear, Rayas men's wear, an outparcel De Falco's Food Giant supermarket and Broadway Tire Center.
By 1965, the eastern 15-acre section of the mall site was being developed. A 2-level (250,000 square foot) Sears was built, which included a freestanding Auto Center. The store's grand opening was held on February 21, 1966. The basic footprint of the mall was now established. It would remain in this configuration for over 20 years.
Retail rivals of CHULA VISTA CENTER included SOUTH BAY PLAZA (1954) {3.1 miles north} and PLAZA BONITA (1981) {1.8 miles northeast}, both in National City.
On July 26, 1981, the San Diego Trolley light rail system was inaugurated. Revenue service commenced on the Centre City-to-San Ysidro South Line. Its H Street station was four blocks west of CHULA VISTA CENTER.
Chicago-based Homart Development acquired the mall in 1986. They embarked on a 50 million dollar renovation. The mall was expanded to the south and east and connected with the main level of the existing Sears. The reconstruction was envisaged by Los Angeles' Jon Jerde Partnership. This architectural firm had also conceptualized renovations to Orange County, California's NEWPORT FASHION ISLAND and designed San Diego's HORTON PLAZA.
The thirty-five store addition to CHULA VISTA CENTER was predominantly on a single level, with the eastern section also having an upper level. Two large court areas were created; the first south of the existing The Broadway and the second being midway between The Broadway and Sears.
A Mission-Mediterranean motif was used for the addition, with existing structures refurbished to match new construction. The revitalized shopping center was officially dedicated on October 27, 1988. It now encompassed 800,000 leasable square feet, with a retail roster of seventy-two stores and services.
In the early 1990s, the center was expanded again. The first phase of the project added the Nickelodeon Chula Vista 10 multiplex, built in conjunction with a (21,000 square foot) Sav-On Drug underneath. The new theater showed first features on May 7, 1993. The second phase of the addition involved the construction of a 2-level (82,000 square foot) Mervyn's, which opened on March 10, 1994. With these improvements, the mall encompassed approximately 923,000 leasable square feet. There were 110 stores in the directory.
Chicago-based General Growth Properties bought the holdings of Homart Development in 1995, with CHULA VISTA CENTER being added to the GGP portfolio. On May 31, 1996, Macy's rebranded The Broadway, which had been operating as a Clearance Center for some time.
CHULA VISTA CENTER encountered a new competitor in October 2006, when OTAY RANCH TOWN CENTER {6.6 miles southeast, in Chula Vista} opened. The 590,000 square foot, lifestyle-format complex was also owned by General Growth Properties.
In January 2012, CHULA VISTA CENTER became one of the GGP holdings placed under the newly-formed Rouse Properties REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust). Rouse Properties, a spin off division devoted to Class B shopping centers, was sold in July 2016 to Toronto's Brookfield Asset Management. A subsidiary company, known as Brookfield Property Partners, assumed ownership and management of the mall.
Sources:
The Star News (Chula Vista, California)
http://www.sunnycv.com/steve/local/docs/doc525 (Steve Schoenherr)
http://historysandiego.edu
"Dual Anchor Shopping Centers 1952-1965" / Richard Longstreth
http://www.bcnet.com
http://www.westcoastroads.com
Metropolitan Transit Development Board
https://movie-theatre.org
http://www.ggp.com / General Growth Properties (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
http://www.rouseproperties.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
http://www.utsandiego.com
https://www.calwestliving.com
FAIR USE OF CHULA VISTA CENTER IMAGES:
The photographs from the Del E. Webb Corporation "Webb Spinner" / Sun City, Arizona Museum illustrate a key moment in the mall's history that is described in the article. The images are of lower resolution than the originals (copies made would be of inferior quality). The images are not replaceable with 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.