Another Bay Area old-timer, Southland Mall in Hayward has been around since 1964. This directory is in the style of a Taubman mall. Although the mall was developed by Taubman, I'm not sure if they owned it at the time. This directory comes from the late Eighties.
Scott
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Bayshore Properties was the name of the company that developed and owned Southland, SunValley, Eastridge, and Hilltop malls. Somewhere along the way Taubman came along as either a partner or something and took it all over later, if I recall. By the time Stoneridge came along I think it was just Taubman.
In the case of Southland and SunValley, the Sears stores were built several years prior to the rest of the mall. You can especially see this in the Concord store. SunValley opened in '67, but Sears' exterior clearly has a late fifties design, unless they've totally renovated it since.
I also believe that the original name for Southland was supposed to be "Palma Ceia". In fact that may have been the name when it was just Sears. Perhaps when it came time to build the mall, the developers had a thing for LA, who knows?
I verified the directory was from January 1986. At that time, the mall was owned by Equity Properties and Development. Incidentally, Taubman had an office in the Southland office building outside the mall. Perhaps they were part owner.
I also have a story from Architectural Record magazine in 1965 about the development of Southland by Taubman. Stay tuned... I'll post much of the article later (especially the pictures). It doesn't mention anything about Bayshore Properties so it'd be interesting to find the connection.
I know Palma Ceia is the name of a neighborhood south of Southland... how in the world do you know this stuff? :)
Scott
Maybe Bayshore Properties was the leasing agent, but I DO remember the name. Or maybe they operated the mall locally for Taubman. Again, it was undoubtedly a partnership.
I graduated from CSU Hayward and while hanging out in the Library one day found some books about Hayward history. One of them talked about the "new Palma Ceia development" just off the Nimitz Freeway(then Hwy 17) featuring a new Sears store.
The Palma Ceia neighborhood you speak of probably was part of that development. But I'll lay you odds that Southland isn't the only mall that had a different "working title" while on the drawing boards.
Speaking of history, there are plenty of old postcards around depicting the shopping center that Southland essentially replaced, which was the old "Hayward strip" on Foothill Blvd. Very much a first generation postwar development laid out like an old main street with parking in the back. It's still there, but the chains are long gone.
Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek is the only place in the Bay Area I can think of that had that format, but there are plenty more examples of it in Southern California.
And fifty years later, it's coming back via places like Bay Street Emeryville and Santana Row.
No doubt you are right about Bayshore Properties. I very much appreciate your excellent memory! This is the stuff you can't get just anywhere. :)
Speaking of the Hayward Strip off Foothill. Boy, did that used to be the place to shop. A fashionable Capwell's and nice shops. It really died when the mall craze kicked in (not to mention, horrendous traffic and Capwell's closing). I'm happy to say it is revitilizing, with a new cinema coming and a facelift. Not exactly Walnut Creek, but better than what it was just a year ago. I just never thought of it like Broadway Plaza until you brought it up.
Thanks tons for sharing your memories!
Scott
Like Hayward’s Foothill Blvd., Salinas also has a strip. Called Old Town, it entails a couple of blocks that are anchored on the north end by the Steinbeck Center. The street down the middle is one-way and there are parking lots behind the buildings. The store selections are mediocre and Salinas has tried to attract tourists with restaurants and bars. That makes sense considering their proximity to the Steinbeck. Continuing on the access road to the south, you will arrive at another section of strip malls that are bleaker than Old Town. They also have large parking lots in the rear.
Most people avoid the older sections of Salinas and shop in the north area anchored by Northridge Mall, Target, and Home Depot on one side of Highway 101 or at the stores anchored by Wal-Mart on the other side of the freeway. Northridge is an odd bird because to walk from on end of the mall to the other you have to cross through J.C.Penney as it is in the middle of the mall. I’m guessing it is a relic of an earlier time and anchored a previous mall before it expanded.
I remember the area under Penney's as being a bumper-car ride and a large arcade. It was very popular with pre-teens and teenagers in the 1970s-early 80s. I also remember a store (similar to a Walgreens and I believe also began with a "W") that had an open-counter dining area near the aviary. It was a great place to grab a milkshake then head into the mall to see the birds in the aviary.
I, too remember that open counter diamond area near the aviary. It was Woolworth's. As a child my mother would take me to the mall while my brothers were at school We would shop and eat at Woolworths. I LOVED the pizza there. Thin, very little cheese with pasty tomato sauce. Horrible by and standards but that of a child in the 1970s... and the memory of a man in 2009. also, the there were two candy stands in the middle walk area. One sold long red licorice ropes that I would get with every visit. The other sold candy and nuts and was called "The Nut House"
Somebody's gotta have pics of the old layout from the 70s. I'd love to see pics of the Le Mans speedway downstairs, the rest area outside of Liberty House (with the sunken in seating area and that big crystal sculpture. It would be cool to see some pics from inside the Liberty House.
My sister-in-law worked at liberty house in the 70s but she doesn't have any pics. I already asked.
If I could experience only one thing from the Southland Mall of my early childhood it would be to stand at that bizarre “shower head” in the ceiling, mesmerized by the liquid rain-strangeness & smell of bromide; then turn around and follow the water feature along the turquoise blue tile flume to the tiny drawbridge in front of the toy store. Before stepping in to buy every original Star Wars action figure on the shelves (and secure financial independence today) I would listen carefully for the birds chirping crazily all the way down at the other end of the concourse.
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