Originally published in 2006; expanded and updated in 2026.
When Stonestown Mall opened in 1952, it represented something new for San Francisco. For decades, the city's major shopping districts had been concentrated downtown, but postwar development was pushing west of Twin Peaks. New apartment complexes, subdivisions, schools, and commercial centers were transforming former open land into a suburban landscape within the city itself.
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| nnotated Apple Maps view of San Francisco showing the location of Stonestown Mall in the Lakeside district, west of Twin Peaks, positioned between the Sunset District and San Francisco State University. |
Built by the Stoneson brothers, Stonestown became the retail centerpiece of that transformation. Anchored by The Emporium's first suburban branch and designed around a pioneering pedestrian mall, it brought the convenience of suburban shopping to a city long defined by its urban core.
When Stonestown Mall was first conceived in 1948, it was proposed as a modest community hub—a supermarket and a few shops lining the roads of a new suburban neighborhood. Parking would sit in the center, surrounded by storefronts facing outward, blending retail into the residential fabric of San Francisco’s Lakeside district.
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| An early 1948 newspaper rendering of the original Stonestown Shopping Center plan—shops lined the surrounding streets with parking concentrated in the center. A far cry from the open-air pedestrian mall it would eventually become. |
The project changed dramatically when The Emporium expressed interest in opening its first suburban branch. As new neighborhoods emerged west of Twin Peaks, the department store saw an opportunity to reach customers who no longer lived near downtown. What had begun as a modest neighborhood shopping center quickly evolved into a far more ambitious retail destination.
In turn, Stonestown was redesigned to become a pedestrian-only mall. By moving parking to the perimeter and reserving the center for shoppers, the redesign created one of the Bay Area's earliest pedestrian shopping environments—a concept that would influence retail development throughout the postwar era.
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| Vintage 1952 newspaper sketch from the San Francisco Chronicle previewing the upcoming Stonestown Mall, featuring The Emporium and Bank of America as anchor tenants. |
Stonestown was only one piece of a much larger transformation taking place on San Francisco's west side. In the years after World War II, developments such as Park Merced, Lakeside, and the expanding San Francisco State College campus brought thousands of new residents to an area that had once sat at the edge of the city.
As homes, apartments, schools, and churches appeared, residents needed a commercial center to serve the growing community. Stonestown filled that role. Combining department store shopping with everyday services, it provided many of the conveniences associated with postwar suburbia while remaining within San Francisco's city limits.
For a generation of west-side residents, Stonestown became the district's de facto downtown—a place where people shopped, dined, banked, and gathered close to home.
A new era of suburban retail
The Emporium opened on July 16, 1952, becoming the first major department store branch built outside downtown San Francisco. The rest of Stonestown officially opened on November 6, 1952, creating a new kind of shopping destination for the city's growing west side.
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| From a July 1952 San Francisco Chronicle photo — The Emporium's first suburban branch at Stonestown was stylized to represent a new "indoor-outdoor" way of living. |
Original tenants included Walgreens, F.W. Woolworth, Bank of America, Butler Brothers, and the Red Chimney restaurant, creating a self-contained shopping district for residents of the growing west side.
At a time when most major shopping remained concentrated downtown, Stonestown offered a different vision of city life. Residents could drive to a department store, complete their errands, enjoy a meal, and return home without navigating downtown traffic or searching for parking. Advertisements promoted this convenience as part of a modern "indoor-outdoor" lifestyle that blended suburban comforts with urban amenities.
The formula proved successful. As west-side neighborhoods continued to grow throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Stonestown evolved from a neighborhood shopping center into one of San Francisco's most important retail destinations.
Keeping pace with a changing city
By the 1970s, shoppers had more choices than ever. Regional malls were expanding throughout the Bay Area, department stores were modernizing their locations, and consumers increasingly expected larger selections and more contemporary environments.
To stay in step with changing tastes, Stonestown underwent a major remodel to attract new retailers. The renovation included modernized exteriors, updated storefronts, and a new pedestrian bridge over Winston Drive, improving the flow between shops and parking.
Then in 1977 Bullock’s arrived—an upscale Southern California department store that brought a touch of luxury and trendiness to the west side. Bullock's built a store in the former City of Paris location, which had served as Stonestown's second department store anchor since 1960. Bullock’s helped reposition Stonestown as a regional fashion destination, not just a neighborhood shopping center.
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| From a November 1977 San Francisco Chronicle ad — representing a shift in consumer preferences, Bullock's chose to open at store at Stonestown Mall rather than downtown. |
From open-air mall to enclosed galleria
By the mid-1980s, retail trends were shifting again. Bullock’s closed in 1983, and the open-air format no longer felt modern. In 1987, the original Stonestown Mall was demolished and replaced by the fully enclosed Stonestown Galleria, a two-story indoor mall that still stands today.
Though the Emporium brand disappeared after its 1995 merger with Macy’s, its presence—and legacy—remains embedded in the layout and bones of the Galleria.
Legacy of Stonestown Mall
Long before Stonestown Galleria became one of San Francisco's busiest shopping destinations, the original Stonestown Mall helped redefine how the city grew after World War II. By bringing suburban-style shopping to the west side, it anchored a new district beyond Twin Peaks and demonstrated that San Francisco's future wasn't confined to downtown. Though the original pedestrian mall disappeared in 1987, Stonestown's role in transforming San Francisco's west side remains one of the most significant retail development stories in the city's history.
Comments
Since there have been no new news on this blog on Stonestown. Here it goes.
Since the Willie Brown was mayor and maybe during Newsomes early year, there was a some what major idea to the Stonestown mall, on what to do to it. Well that idea have been long gone and scraped.
Since then minor stuff have been done to the mall. Also tenants have come and go. What is happening now is that the Gap will be moving to another part on the upstair of the mall from it old spot. The new spot will be next to Banana Republic is. That is two spots that use to Blcak and white and American Eagle's. Who and what will take the Gap spot, when it is empty. The Giant Dugout use to be outside of Nordstorm on the upstairs, it has move next door to See's Candy. The expanive Chinese Jewely shop, that use to be at Chinatown on the corner of Washington and Stockton for a very long time, has moved to bottom floor outside of Nordstorm for four or five years now. The stuff they sell are more expanive then mall jewely shops like Zales. Also next door to it, that use be Chico's, that will become a desert shop with the kind one would get at Hungry Hunter, Outback Statehouse and the Cheese Cake Factory. Where Tablot was that spot is close up and being fixed up for whoever might want to come in. The Olive Garden has gotten a minor face lift on the outside. don't know has anything been done on the inside. Stonestown has now put up a mall sign on 19th Ave, by where 29 and 17 muni buses turns. The chvery near the mall entrance have been gone for a while, part of it is being used for Pete's Coffee. The rest is just being fixed up with no tenant yet.The old Copeland spot by Mcdonalds has become Chase and Trader Joe's. Next to it the old Border spot is now Sports Authority. But it didn't right away become Sports Authority. It was empty for a time being then a mom and pop old and bargain books came in for a like four or five months. then they left saying the rent was just too high. what I heard they went over to the TriValley. Finally the former Tower Records spot will be a fitness club, called City Sports Club which belongs to LA Fitness. I would say don't know is that a good or bad idea,the kind of people that live in the Sunset, Parkside and Ocean View. Would they get the kind of business they want. Should the Tower Record CompUSA spot haven more shop and more places to eat or something big coming in like Frys or Half Price Books.
Well that how is Stonestown now.