Contra Costa Boulevard and Willow Pass Road (Sunvalley Boulevard)
Concord, California
The East Bay's fourth interior mall was originally envisaged by Phoenix's Del Webb Construction Company. Del Webb was acquired by Bayshore Properties of San Francisco, which was a joint venture of Michigan's A. Alfred Taubman, Chicago's Arthur Rubloff and New York City's Charles Allen, Junior. Bayshore Properties went on to develop SUNVALLEY CENTER. Israeli architect Avner Naggar designed the retail hub.
Ground was broken at a 106-acre site on July 20, 1965. This land parcel was located 27 miles northeast of San Francisco's Union Square, in the Contra Costa County suburb of Concord. A 3-level (241,000 square foot) Sears became the first operational SUNVALLEY CENTER store on October 19, 1966.
An official dedication for SUNVALLEY CENTER was held on August 3, 1967, with over forty stores and services making their debut. Entertainment at the ribbon-cutting ceremony was provided by Tony Martin, star of stage and screen, and Del Courtney's Band.
A 3-level (266,000 square foot) J.C. Penney was inaugurated as part of the August 3 grand opening. The store featured a beauty salon, coffee shop, photo studio and freestanding Penneys Auto Center. Its furniture department featured the latest Mediterranean, Early American, French Provincial, American Contemporary and Danish Modern styles.
Penneys was joined by the 3-level (233,000 square foot) Macy's Concord on August 17th. Designed by San Francisco's John Savage Bolles, the store's attributes included a beauty salon, community room, Lyon's Coffee Shop and freestanding Macy's Auto Center.
Courts and concourses at SUNVALLEY CENTER were decorated with an impressive array of artwork. "Roosters & Hens" was crafted by Israel's Bezalel Mann; "Yak" and "4 & 20 Blackbirds" by Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan's Joseph Anthony McDonnell. John Augsburger, of San Luis Obispo, California, created "Dills & Dandelions." Tile murals in the mall's Great Hall were done by Bay Area resident Janet Bennett.
When fully-leased, SUNVALLEY CENTER contained 128 stores and services.
These included Spencer Gifts, Kushin's Shoes, H. Liebes ladies' wear, B.
Dalton Bookseller, Florsheim Shoes, Docktor Pet Center, Walgreen Drug and Music Box Records. A (14,700 square foot) S. H. Kress Variety Fair store included a Whirly-Q-Luncheonette.
The General Cinema Corporation Sunvalley Cinema was situated on the 1st Level concourse. The venue, which showed its first feature on August 9, 1967, was twinned in the 1970s. Adjacent to the Cinema was the World's Fare Restaurant. This collection of eleven eateries was a forerunner of the shopping mall food courts of the 1980s.
Encompassing an astounding 1,255,000 leasable square feet, the 2-level mall was heralded as the nation's largest enclosed shopping center. However, within months, it would be surpassed by Denver's new CINDERELLA CITY MALL and Chicagoland's YORKTOWN CENTER.
Shopping hubs in the vicinity of SUNVALLEY CENTER included BROADWAY PLAZA (1951) {4.6 miles south, in Walnut Creek}, COUNTY EAST MALL (1966) {11.9 miles northeast, in Antioch} and HILLTOP MALL (1976) {14.4 miles northwest, in Richmond}.
The SunValley Ice Arena was installed in 1st Level space adjacent to J.C. Penney, with a grand opening held on November 7, 1969. The only major expansion ever done to SUNVALLEY CENTER added a 3-level (180,000 square foot), Bay Area-based Emporium-Capwell. This store began business on February 5, 1981. Two parking garages were also constructed; the first adjacent to the new Emporium-Capwell, the second, located in the mall's southwest parking area. The Ice Arena closed for good on January 31, 1989.
The General Cinema Corporation Sunvalley Cinema was situated on the 1st Level concourse. The venue, which showed its first feature on August 9, 1967, was twinned in the 1970s. Adjacent to the Cinema was the World's Fare Restaurant. This collection of eleven eateries was a forerunner of the shopping mall food courts of the 1980s.
Encompassing an astounding 1,255,000 leasable square feet, the 2-level mall was heralded as the nation's largest enclosed shopping center. However, within months, it would be surpassed by Denver's new CINDERELLA CITY MALL and Chicagoland's YORKTOWN CENTER.
Shopping hubs in the vicinity of SUNVALLEY CENTER included BROADWAY PLAZA (1951) {4.6 miles south, in Walnut Creek}, COUNTY EAST MALL (1966) {11.9 miles northeast, in Antioch} and HILLTOP MALL (1976) {14.4 miles northwest, in Richmond}.
The SunValley Ice Arena was installed in 1st Level space adjacent to J.C. Penney, with a grand opening held on November 7, 1969. The only major expansion ever done to SUNVALLEY CENTER added a 3-level (180,000 square foot), Bay Area-based Emporium-Capwell. This store began business on February 5, 1981. Two parking garages were also constructed; the first adjacent to the new Emporium-Capwell, the second, located in the mall's southwest parking area. The Ice Arena closed for good on January 31, 1989.
Meanwhile, on December 23, 1985, a small plane headed for the nearby Buchanon Airfield crashed into the roof of the SUNVALLEY Macy's. The three persons inside the plane were killed instantly, with eighty-four mall patrons injured by debris and ignited airplane fuel. Four mall customers eventually died as a result of the disaster.
The Emporium-Capwell chain was liquidated in the mid-1990s. The SUNVALLEY store became a Macy's Men's & Home. The original Macy's was refashioned into a Macy's Women's. In the 2010s, a Convenience Center adjacent to the north end of the mall was retenanted. A vacant Mervyn's space re-opened, as a Safeway supermarket, on February 17, 2012. Additional retail area was reconfigured as a new Nordstrom Rack, which welcomed first shoppers on September 12, 2013.
The Emporium-Capwell chain was liquidated in the mid-1990s. The SUNVALLEY store became a Macy's Men's & Home. The original Macy's was refashioned into a Macy's Women's. In the 2010s, a Convenience Center adjacent to the north end of the mall was retenanted. A vacant Mervyn's space re-opened, as a Safeway supermarket, on February 17, 2012. Additional retail area was reconfigured as a new Nordstrom Rack, which welcomed first shoppers on September 12, 2013.
Soon after, the mall's northwest corner was reconfigured. BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse opened on October 19, 2009. Lucille's Smokehouse BBQ debuted on May 2, 2013, followed by a Round 1 Bowling & Amusement Center. This facility was dedicated on August 19, 2016. In December 2020, the mall's proprietor, Taubman Centers, merged with the Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group.
Sources:
The East Bay Times (San Jose, California)
The Oakland Tribune (Oakland, California)
The East Bay Times (San Jose, California)
The Oakland Tribune (Oakland, California)
The Concord Transcript (Concord, California)
www.cinematreasures.org
www.cinematreasures.org
www.check-six.com/Crash_Sites/SunValley_Mall
http://www.shopsunvalley.com
http://www.shopsunvalley.com
http://taubmancenters.com
https://www.fsrmagazine.com
http://claycord.com
https://www.sears.com
https://www.fsrmagazine.com
http://claycord.com
https://www.sears.com
Scott P. / "BigMallRat
Comment posts by "Paul" and "Randy"
