Stoneridge Mall opened in September 1980, becoming the first regional shopping center in the Tri-Valley. More than a new place to shop, its arrival marked a milestone in the region's suburban development. After two decades of rapid growth, the communities of Dublin, Pleasanton, Livermore, and San Ramon had finally become large enough to support the kind of regional mall previously found only in older East Bay cities.
The idea itself was not new. Developers had envisioned major shopping destinations in the valley since the 1960s, as thousands of new residents arrived in master-planned communities built on former farmland and ranchland. Yet for years, the population remained just short of what was needed to support a full-scale regional center.
 |
| Annotated Apple Maps view of Pleasanton showing the location of Stoneridge Mall, positioned off Foothill and Stoneridge. |
A mall more than a decade in the making
The origins of Stoneridge Mall can be traced to 1966, when Emporium-Capwell began exploring the possibility of a major regional shopping center in Pleasanton. At the time, the Tri-Valley was growing rapidly, but residents still traveled to established malls such as Sunvalley in Concord or Southland in Hayward for department store shopping.
By 1968, plans had evolved into a full-scale proposal for a regional mall serving the entire valley. The concept was ambitious. Early plans called for multiple department stores and a shopping center large enough to serve the growing communities of Pleasanton, Dublin, Livermore, and San Ramon.
The timing, however, proved challenging. While housing developments continued to spread across the valley throughout the late 1960s and 1970s, the population base needed to support a regional mall took longer to materialize. As a result, the project remained on the drawing board for more than a decade.
By the late 1970s, conditions had finally caught up with the vision. The Tri-Valley had grown from a collection of small agricultural towns into one of the Bay Area's fastest-growing suburban regions. After twelve years of planning, construction moved forward, culminating in the opening of Stoneridge Mall in September 1980.
Built on land owned by the Stoneson brothers, the mall's name echoed the family's earlier retail venture, Stonestown in San Francisco.
Designed by architect Avner Naggar, whose work included Sunvalley Mall, Eastridge Mall, Hilltop Mall, and portions of Southland Mall, Stoneridge was intended to make an impression. Its original anchor tenants were JCPenney, Emporium-Capwell, and Macy’s, forming the foundation of what would become one of the Tri-Valley’s key retail destinations.
Opening Stoneridge
When Stoneridge Mall opened in September 1980, it delivered a shopping experience unlike anything the Tri-Valley had seen before.
The two-level enclosed mall opened with three department stores: JCPenney, Emporium-Capwell, and Macy's. Together, they anchored a collection of national retailers that previously required a trip to larger shopping centers outside the valley. For many residents, the opening meant no longer driving to Concord, Hayward, or Walnut Creek for major department store shopping.
Opening advertisements reflected both the excitement surrounding the project and the area's continued growth. Macy's invited local children to leave their handprints in wet cement outside the store, creating a lasting connection between the new mall and the community it was built to serve. Emporium-Capwell celebrated with live radio broadcasts, celebrity appearances, special events, and the slogan "We're growing with you."
Inside, shoppers found a bright, contemporary interior centered on a dramatic multi-level court. Skylights, indoor landscaping, water features, and suspended artwork gave the mall an atmosphere that felt distinctly modern for the era. The design reflected the optimism of the period, when regional malls were envisioned not simply as places to shop, but as gathering spaces for rapidly growing suburban communities.
For the thousands of families who had watched the valley transform throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Stoneridge represented something more than a new retail center. It was a sign that the Tri-Valley had come of age.
 |
| From a September 1980 San Francisco Chronicle—an artist's rendering of the center court of the Stoneridge Mall, with a Capwell's department store sitting in the rear. Before Stoneridge opened, many Tri-Valley residents traveled outside the valley for department store shopping. The new mall promised to bring those retailers closer to home. |
 |
| Center court of Stoneridge Mall in 1985, featuring the mall's original indoor landscaping, glass water feature, railings, and Charles O. Perry sculpture suspended above the atrium. |
 |
| Grand opening ad for Macy's at Stoneridge in 1980, where children were invited to leave their handprints and names in wet cement. You can still find those handprints just outside Macy's Women's. |
 |
| Emporium-Capwell's grand opening reflected the excitement surrounding Stoneridge's debut, with celebrity appearances, live broadcasts, community events, and the slogan "We're growing with you." |
Designed for a growing region
Like many of architect Avner Naggar's shopping centers, Stoneridge was designed to make an impression. The mall's two-level center court featured skylights, indoor landscaping, water features, and broad sightlines that emphasized openness and scale.
At its center hung "Duality," a large suspended sculpture by artist Charles O. Perry. Originally positioned at eye level from the second floor, the artwork served as a focal point for the mall's main gathering space. The sculpture could be raised or lowered for maintenance and became one of Stoneridge's most recognizable features.
Together, these design elements reflected the ambitions of the era. Regional malls were intended to be more than collections of stores. They were indoor town squares for the rapidly growing suburban communities they served.
By the time Stoneridge opened, the Tri-Valley had become large enough to support such a destination—and the mall was designed accordingly.
 |
| Charles O. Perry's "Duality" remains one of Stoneridge Mall's most recognizable design features. |
The legacy of Stoneridge Mall
More than four decades after opening, Stoneridge remains one of the Tri-Valley's defining commercial landmarks. While stores have come and gone and portions of the mall have been renovated, its original purpose remains largely unchanged: serving as a regional shopping destination for Pleasanton, Dublin, Livermore, San Ramon, and the surrounding communities.
Its greatest significance, however, lies in what it represented when it opened in 1980. For twelve years, plans for a regional shopping center had waited for the valley to catch up. When Stoneridge finally opened its doors, it signaled that the transformation envisioned by postwar developers was complete.
The farms, ranches, and orchards that once dominated the valley had given way to thriving suburban communities. Stoneridge Mall was not the beginning of that story—it was one of its clearest milestones.
Comments
However, (and someone correct me if I'm wrong) the old EMPORIUM stores never changed their signs to "Emporium-Capwell". Interior signage, bags, badges, and window decals were changed, but exterior neon signs did not.
I've always wondered if this was due to budget constraints, or because the intent all along was to eventually change everything to just "Emporium", which they would do ten years later.
There WAS one holdout amongst the former Capwell ranks however, and that was El Cerrito. That branch kept the old "Capwell's" signs (including a huge rooftop one) through the 80's and early 90's until the chain dropped Capwell from the name. Then and only then was the sign changed to "Emporium". Ironically, this was only a couple of years before Federated's takeover and the store's closure.
But get this: After the store was closed the management at El Cerrito Plaza continued to keep the "Emporium" sign lit up at night even though there was now nothing inside. Were they trying to give the appearance of life to a dying mall, or just trying to make up for all the years that the store had the wrong sign?
BTW, the building was demolished in 2000 and an Albertson's parking lot now sits in its place.
I was the one that noticed that the "mushroom" lights were removed, mostly because I wanted to show them to a friend I had visited Fairlane and Lakeside malls with. I can't say that ever much cared for them, though now that I realize they were part of a legacy of variations on the Taubman "look", they hold a much greater significance. It would be nice if they came up with another light fixture to replace the ones that were there. The mounts for them are still in the planters.
I asked the Information lady what's going on and she gave me the canned answer that they are going to be putting in "upscale seating", whatever that is. Having been an architect, all I can say is that is a description straight out of marketing lingo. It will be interesting to see what transpires.