Friars and Fashion Valley Roads
San Diego, California
San Diego County's eighth shopping mall was developed on 78 acres, located 3 miles north of the Centre City. The plot was adjacent to the 7.1 mile Cabrillo Parkway. This highway, dedicated in February 1948, was the first expressway in Greater San Diego.
The land on which the FASHION VALLEY mall was constructed was the site of Westgate Park, which occupied the northeast corner of the site. Opened April 28, 1958, the stadium served as the home field for the Pacific Coast League San Diego Padres. The team moved to larger quarters, at the new San Diego Stadium, in 1968.
FASHION VALLEY was designed by four firms; William Pereira & Associates, Charles Luckman Associates, Killingsworth, Brady & Associates and McLellan, Cruze, Gaylord & Associates. Plans for the complex were announced in December 1967, with an official groundbreaking held in the following year.
The 50 million dollar, open-air complex was the second retail mall endeavor for El Segundo-based Ernest W. Hahn, Incorporated (the first being LA CUMBRE PLAZA in Santa Barbara). Hahn built the FASHION VALLEY mall as part of a joint venture with Los Angeles' Westgate California Realty Company.
Three department stores held soft openings on September 6, 1969; a 3-level (169,100 square foot), Los Angeles-based The Broadway, 3-level (171,600 square foot), Los Angeles-based J.W. Robinson's and 2-level (80,000 square foot), Long Beach-based Buffums'. Two shoe stores also opened at this time; Thayer-McNeil and Florsheim. Thirty-six inline stores debuted on October 13, 1969.
When fully-realized, the single-level mall covered over 1 million leasable square feet and contained eighty stores and services. These included Joseph Magnin, Grodin's, John Hogan, See's Candies, Finell's Jewelers and a 2-level (30,700 square foot) F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10. One of the last stores to open was a 2-level (253,200 square foot) J.C. Penney, which was dedicated on November 18, 1970.
An outparcel strip plaza, West Village Shops, was built in the northwest corner of the mall site. It housed the American Multi-Cinema Fashion Valley 4. Noteworthy as the first four-screen cinema in San Diego County, it showed first features on June 3, 1970. Later in the decade, the East Village Shops store strip was built northeast of the mall.
The first expansion of FASHION VALLEY was dedicated in the early 1980s. A 15 million dollar North Wing consisted of two retail levels. It was anchored by a 3-level (150,400 square foot) Nordstrom, 3-level (105,100 square foot) Neiman Marcus, and included forty-two inline stores and three parking garages.
Nordstrom became one of the first operational North Wing stores on August 27, 1981. The grand opening was hosted by Edith Head, renowned Paramount Studios costume designer. It included live music, hor d'oeuvres, a fashion show and wine tasting. Festivities resumed on August 28th. A continental breakfast was followed by an official ribbon cutting, with entertainment provided by a mime troupe. The Centre City Ballet performed on August 29th.
Neiman Marcus also threw an elaborate grand opening ceremony. Their store was dedicated with "A Night In Monte Carlo," an invitation-only benefit. This included a formal dinner, casino games, live music and dancing.
FASHION VALLEY now encompassed 1,305,000 leasable square feet and contained 124 stores and services. It trumped Carlsbad's PLAZA CAMINO REAL as the largest shopping center in Greater San Diego. This title was held until 1983, when MISSION VALLEY CENTER was enlarged to 1,572,800 leasable square feet.
Competitors of FASHION VALLEY were the aforementioned MISSION VALLEY CENTER (1961) {less than a mile east}, UNIVERSITY TOWNE CENTRE (1977) {7.3 miles northwest} and HORTON PLAZA (1985) {3.6 miles southwest}, all in San Diego.
Ernest W. Hahn sold all interest in FASHION VALLEY to the London-based Imperial Tobacco Corporation in 1985. In turn, a fifty-percent share was sold to the New York City-based Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States in 1986. They established a 100-percent stake in the complex in May 1995 and sold a fifty-percent share to the Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group in October 2001.
Meanwhile, the first anchor store rebranding had taken place in the early 1990s. Buffums' closed for good in May 1991. It re-opened, as an I. Magnin, on September 27, 1992. This store lasted until January 1994. On March 31, 1995, Saks Fifth Avenue assumed the space. Meanwhile, J.W. Robinson's at FASHION VALLEY had morphed into a Robinsons-May on January 31, 1993. The Broadway was "Macy-ated" on May 1, 1996.
FASHION VALLEY, San Diego's preeminent style-conscious shopping venue, was in need of a makeover in order to remain competitive. A renovation plan was conceptualized in 1992 and submitted for city approval early in 1993. Official sanction was granted in November 1994, with construction commencing in January 1996.
FASHION VALLEY now encompassed 1,305,000 leasable square feet and contained 124 stores and services. It trumped Carlsbad's PLAZA CAMINO REAL as the largest shopping center in Greater San Diego. This title was held until 1983, when MISSION VALLEY CENTER was enlarged to 1,572,800 leasable square feet.
Competitors of FASHION VALLEY were the aforementioned MISSION VALLEY CENTER (1961) {less than a mile east}, UNIVERSITY TOWNE CENTRE (1977) {7.3 miles northwest} and HORTON PLAZA (1985) {3.6 miles southwest}, all in San Diego.
Ernest W. Hahn sold all interest in FASHION VALLEY to the London-based Imperial Tobacco Corporation in 1985. In turn, a fifty-percent share was sold to the New York City-based Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States in 1986. They established a 100-percent stake in the complex in May 1995 and sold a fifty-percent share to the Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group in October 2001.
Meanwhile, the first anchor store rebranding had taken place in the early 1990s. Buffums' closed for good in May 1991. It re-opened, as an I. Magnin, on September 27, 1992. This store lasted until January 1994. On March 31, 1995, Saks Fifth Avenue assumed the space. Meanwhile, J.W. Robinson's at FASHION VALLEY had morphed into a Robinsons-May on January 31, 1993. The Broadway was "Macy-ated" on May 1, 1996.
FASHION VALLEY, San Diego's preeminent style-conscious shopping venue, was in need of a makeover in order to remain competitive. A renovation plan was conceptualized in 1992 and submitted for city approval early in 1993. Official sanction was granted in November 1994, with construction commencing in January 1996.
The project was the largest build-over mall remodel in United States history. Existing stores remained open for business during the 220 million dollar reconstruction. The Broadway-Macy's was expanded to 199,100 square feet, Robinsons-May to 211,600 square feet and Nordstrom to 220,400 square feet (taking out a section of the adjacent, west parking garage in the process).
A 280,000 square foot Second Level was added to the original mall structure, bringing it inline with the 2-level North Wing. The new upper floor added ninety-seven stores and services to the retail roster. It included the 8-bay Cafe Terrace, a cosmopolitan version of the traditional shopping mall food court, as well as an 18-screen megaplex theater.
During the massive renovation, Riverwalk Drive, running along the south side of the mall, was rerouted. The street was moved southward, with an expanded sewer line installed under an elevated guideway for the 6.1 route mile Mission Valley West extension of the San Diego Trolley.
A Mission-Mediterranean motif was used for the remodeling of FASHION VALLEY. Valet parking areas were installed at the main entrances off Friars Road and Riverwalk Drive. The mall structure was graced with columns, towers, curving stairways, ramps and new landscaping. Moreover, five new parking garages were built on the south side of the complex.
When construction dust finally settled, FASHION VALLEY spanned around 1,735,900 leasable square feet and housed 210 stores and services. The size of the complex surpassed that of MISSION VALLEY CENTER. FASHION VALLEY was, once again, the largest shopping center in -or around- San Diego.
A 50-dollar-per-plate re-opening celebration was held on October 9, 1997, featuring entertainment from Bruce Hornsby and the Range. The San Diego Trolley's Fashion Valley Transit Center station was dedicated on November 23, 1997. It was connected -via skywalk- to the mall's southwest parking garage. The American Multi-Cinema Fashion Valley 18 showed first features on May 23, 1998.
Robinsons-May was shuttered in March 2006. The store re-opened, as San Diego's first Bloomingdale's, on November 18th. Saks Fifth Avenue was shuttered on July 17, 2010. The building was subdivided. Half of the first level was sectioned into inline stores such as Burberry, Salvatore Ferragamo, Emporio Armani and Ted Baker. The remainder of the first level, and all of the second, became a (62,800 square foot), Los Angeles-based Forever 21.
A 280,000 square foot Second Level was added to the original mall structure, bringing it inline with the 2-level North Wing. The new upper floor added ninety-seven stores and services to the retail roster. It included the 8-bay Cafe Terrace, a cosmopolitan version of the traditional shopping mall food court, as well as an 18-screen megaplex theater.
During the massive renovation, Riverwalk Drive, running along the south side of the mall, was rerouted. The street was moved southward, with an expanded sewer line installed under an elevated guideway for the 6.1 route mile Mission Valley West extension of the San Diego Trolley.
A Mission-Mediterranean motif was used for the remodeling of FASHION VALLEY. Valet parking areas were installed at the main entrances off Friars Road and Riverwalk Drive. The mall structure was graced with columns, towers, curving stairways, ramps and new landscaping. Moreover, five new parking garages were built on the south side of the complex.
When construction dust finally settled, FASHION VALLEY spanned around 1,735,900 leasable square feet and housed 210 stores and services. The size of the complex surpassed that of MISSION VALLEY CENTER. FASHION VALLEY was, once again, the largest shopping center in -or around- San Diego.
A 50-dollar-per-plate re-opening celebration was held on October 9, 1997, featuring entertainment from Bruce Hornsby and the Range. The San Diego Trolley's Fashion Valley Transit Center station was dedicated on November 23, 1997. It was connected -via skywalk- to the mall's southwest parking garage. The American Multi-Cinema Fashion Valley 18 showed first features on May 23, 1998.
Robinsons-May was shuttered in March 2006. The store re-opened, as San Diego's first Bloomingdale's, on November 18th. Saks Fifth Avenue was shuttered on July 17, 2010. The building was subdivided. Half of the first level was sectioned into inline stores such as Burberry, Salvatore Ferragamo, Emporio Armani and Ted Baker. The remainder of the first level, and all of the second, became a (62,800 square foot), Los Angeles-based Forever 21.
These store openings were accompanied by a 15 million dollar, mall-wide
face lift, This project added fountains, soft seating areas, lighting, flooring and landscaping.
The Cafe Terrace Food Court was also spruced-up. The renovation got underway in July 2010 and was completed in September 2011. Forever 21, taking most of the vacant Saks space, debuted on December 17, 2011 and closed for good in December 2024.
Sources:
Sources:
The San Diego Union-Tribune
The Times-Advocate (Escondido, California)
http://www.retailtraffic.com
https://www.mallscenters.com
http://www.cahighways.com
https://www.cinematreasures.org
http://www.sandiegomagazine.com
http://shopfashionvalley.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
https://shopfashionvalley.com
http://www.sandiegometro.com
https://www.simon.com / Simon Property Group
Comments from "Hushpuppy212" and Randy
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