Stoneridge Shopping Center in Pleasanton, California in September 1980. It was designed by architect Avner Naggar, whose other projects included Sunvalley Mall, Eastridge Mall, Hilltop Mall, and portions of Southland Mall.
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 day and early years
Plans for a major regional mall in Pleasanton date back to 1966. By the early 1970s, plans included an ambitious proposal to bring five department stores to the region: JCPenney, Emporium-Capwell, Macy’s, Liberty House, and Sears. While space was allocated for five anchors—with potential for two additional wings—only three department stores would open with the mall in 1980.
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| Center court of Stoneridge Shopping Center in 1985, featuring the mall's original indoor landscaping, glass water feature, railings, and Charles O. Perry sculpture suspended above the atrium. |
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| 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. |
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| Grand opening ad for Emporium-Capwell at Stoneridge Mall in Pleasanton, which debuted on September 4, 1980 as the chain’s 19th location. With the tagline “we're growing with you,” the celebration included Feather-Light the clown, a live KKIQ radio broadcast, appearances by Golden State Warriors Purvis Short and Wayne Cooper, Marvel’s Captain America and Spider-Man, wine tasting, and a fundraising dance. |
Artwork
While the Charles O. Perry sculpture now permanently hovers near the ceiling, in the 1980s it sat where it was meant to be—at eye level from the second floor, fully visible and central to the mall’s design. The sculpture was originally designed to be adjustable and could be raised or lowered for maintenance. During earthquakes, the suspended artwork would visibly sway, making it one of the mall's most distinctive features.
A nearly identical sculpture floats above the atrium at the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero 5 in San Francisco. Same style, same quiet grandeur.
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| The Charles O. Perry sculpture in the Center Court at Stoneridge Mall in 2013. |
Growth and expansion
The long-anticipated Nordstrom wing opened in 1990, marking the mall’s most significant expansion and bringing a new level of upscale retail to the East Bay. A few years later, in 1996, Sears joined the mall lineup. However, unlike Nordstrom, Sears was added without a new wing or significant expansion to the center’s footprint.
Stoneridge shares many design similarities with Meadowood Mall in Reno, another Taubman-developed center that opened a year earlier. While Meadowood eventually received several major expansions, one of Stoneridge's originally planned expansions was never built.
Minor renovations in 2007
In 2007, Stoneridge underwent a modest interior renovation. Several of the mall's original sunken seating areas were removed, exposing sections of the original landscaping beds. New marble-look floor tiles replaced portions of the white terrazzo flooring.
The renovation also coincided with the arrival of new restaurant tenants including P.F. Chang's China Bistro and The Cheesecake Factory. Their openings generated considerable interest throughout the Tri-Valley, with long waits becoming common during their first years of operation.
Anchor store changes
Like many regional malls, Stoneridge's anchor lineup evolved over the decades. The most significant change came in 1996 when Emporium-Capwell was converted into Macy's Men's, Children's and Home following the chain's acquisition by Macy's.
The mall's original Sears store closed in 2009, ending more than two decades as one of Stoneridge's primary anchors. Nordstrom followed in 2020 as the retailer consolidated locations during a challenging period for department stores nationwide.
In a surprise move, JCPenney announced the closure of its Stoneridge location, ending operations in January 2026. The departure left Macy's Women's and Macy's Men's, Children's and Home as the mall's remaining department store anchors.
Despite these changes, Stoneridge continues to adapt, reflecting the broader transformation of American shopping malls in the twenty-first century.
The legacy of Stoneridge
Stoneridge remains one of the Bay Area's more successful enclosed shopping malls. While many regional malls have struggled with declining department stores and changing consumer habits, Stoneridge has continued to evolve through tenant changes, restaurant additions, and periodic renovations.
The center also serves as a reminder of the Tri-Valley's transformation from a largely suburban community into one of Northern California's major employment and shopping hubs. More than four decades after opening, Stoneridge remains a significant retail destination for Pleasanton, Dublin, Livermore, and surrounding communities.
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| The center court of Stoneridge Shopping Center in 2025. While renovated several times since opening, the space remains the visual heart of the mall. |
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.