A southward view of the original, open-air concourse of STONESTOWN CENTER. The palm trees had been shipped from Los Angeles.
A 1950s-vintage snapshot of the south end of the mall. The "JM" trademark, seen on the store in the middle of the photo, indicates Joseph Magnin. This specialty retailer opened at STONESTOWN in early 1953. The chain was a San Francisco tradition during the mid-century years.
Photo from Plastichrome by Colourpicture Publishers, Incorporated
In this vintage view, we see the "Magnins" north facade and porte cochere entry.
Photo from Architectural Record magazine / December 1953 / Roger Sturtevant
Photo from Architectural Record magazine / December 1953 / Roger Sturtevant
Anchoring the south end of the original mall was a Butler Brothers department store. This chain, based in Chicago, was a major wholesale supplier. In 1951, they began opening retail stores
under the Butler Brothers name. By 1962, there were eight locations;
Lakewood, Alhambra, Ontario, Van Nuys and San Francisco, CA, Euclid and
Cincinnati, OH and Seattle, WA. The STONESTOWN store opened for business in August 1952.
Graphic from Butler Brothers
