Skip to main content

The history of Country Club Plaza – Sacramento’s enduring enclosed mall

A modest beginning in 1955

Country Club Plaza, located in Sacramento, California, opened on June 23, 1955. Initially, it was a simple strip of shops fronting Watt Avenue, directly across from the earlier Country Club Centre, which had debuted in August 1952 with a JCPenney anchor.

At the time, the Watt Avenue corridor was rapidly transforming into Sacramento’s premier retail zone, competing closely with the newly built Arden Fair, where Hale’s had just opened weeks earlier.

Vintage 1952 advertisement for the grand opening of Country Club Plaza in Sacramento, showing a bird’s-eye illustration of the shopping center with labeled buildings including an auto parts store and retail shops along Watt Avenue.
1952 grand opening advertisement for Country Club Plaza, featuring a bird's-eye rendering of the original layout—including an auto parts store and early storefronts along Watt Avenue.

Expansion and a boost from Weinstock’s

In 1961, the plaza received a major upgrade with the opening of a Weinstock-Lubin department store (later shortened to Weinstock’s). The building was designed by Charles Luckman & Associates, the prominent Los Angeles architecture firm known for mall developments across California.

Eventually, the Weinstock’s store was converted into Macy’s, reflecting broader retail shifts in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Exterior of the original Weinstock’s department store at Country Club Plaza in Sacramento, designed in mid-century modern style.
Original Weinstock’s at Country Club Plaza, designed by Charles Luckman & Associates.

1970s: enclosure & JC Penney addition

By 1970, Country Club Plaza embraced the booming trend of enclosed malls—transforming from an open-air promenade into a climate-controlled retail destination. This wasn't just a renovation; it was a  refuge from Sacramento’s scorching summers.

In 1971, a brand-new J.C. Penney anchor store opened its doors, boosting the mall's stature. With that addition, Country Club Plaza had grown to an impressive 500,000 square feet of retail space—joining the national wave of modern malls that promised year-round comfort, curated shopping experiences, and a hint of suburban glamour.

Mid-2000s renovation and expansion

In the mid-2000s, Country Club Plaza was eventually renovated and expanded, reaching a footprint of around 600,000 square feet. The new interior layout retained traditional mall features—wide corridors, centralized retail spaces, and anchor department stores.

View of the inside of Country Club Plaza showing enclosed walkways and retail storefronts.
Interior view of Country Club Plaza Mall.

Unlike many retail redevelopments, Country Club Plaza remained fully enclosed, even after remodeling. This decision was somewhat uncommon among mid-tier malls in Northern California, where open-air "lifestyle centers" had become the trend.

Gottschalks and the changing anchor landscape

Country Club Plaza became the only Sacramento-area location of Gottschalks, a California-based department store chain that played a vital role in regional mall culture. After Gottschalks closed in 2009, its departure left a significant anchor vacancy at the center.

Exterior view of Gottschalks and a vacant JCPenney at Country Club Plaza in Sacramento.
Gottschalks and former JCPenney at Country Club Plaza.


Front entrance of Gottschalks at Country Club Plaza, Sacramento, before the chain’s closure.
Gottschalks at Country Club Plaza—the only one in the Sacramento region.

Occupancy challenges in the late 2000s

By 2009, Country Club Plaza was experiencing the highest vacancy rate of any mall in the Sacramento metro area. Despite refreshed interiors and infrastructure, the mall struggled to compete with regional giants like Arden Fair and Roseville Galleria.

Country Club Plaza floor plan from 2009, with red spaces indicating vacancies.
2009 directory showing vacant units in red.

According to the 2009 mall directory:

  • 49 retail units were counted.

  • 15 of those were vacant, yielding a 30.6% vacancy rate.

  • Exterior pad buildings were not included in the calculation.

Although occupancy briefly rebounded to 51% after the remodel, long-term stability remained uncertain. Still, the fact that investors were willing to fund such an enclosed redevelopment made Country Club Plaza something of a regional retail anomaly. Once Macy's closed in 2016, calls for rejuvenation once again began. WinCo Foods, a regional grocery store, joined the mall that year in the former Gottschalks, then a cinema in 2019.

A unique mall in the Sacramento landscape

View of Country Club Plaza’s front facade and parking area on Watt Avenue, Sacramento.
Exterior of Country Club Plaza Mall.
Shoppers walking through the interior of Country Club Plaza during a busier period.
Interior during a busier day at Country Club Plaza.

Despite ups and downs, Country Club Plaza remains a rare example of a traditional enclosed mall still operating in Northern California. With its mid-century roots, history of local department stores, and a distinctive architectural identity, the plaza occupies a unique place in Sacramento’s shopping story.

Related posts


Comments

Georob said…
I'm not so strong on Sacramento malls, but I'm pretty sure that Gottschalks was JC Penney until they moved over to Arden Fair.

If I recall, Country Club's in a pretty affluent part of Sacramento, otherwise I'm sure it wouldn't have lasted being so far away from a freeway and so close to Arden Fair. Both malls had Weinstocks and now both have Macys.

But as affluent as the area is, it sounds as if Country Club doesn't position itself as too upscale. (Arden and Roseville do that) Therefore, you end up with big box retailers that are better suited for auto traffic, not mall-walkers.
Anonymous said…
Yes, Gottschalks was originally JCPenney. And there were two Weinstocks in very close proximity. However, the Country Club store is much larger. It even used to have a restaurant in the lower level.

The Macy's at Arden Fair doesn't sell much of anything besides clothing (i.e., no housewares, domestics, etc.) since it's such a small store, so Country Club is a much better option for finding a full line of Macy's merchandise with better parking and smaller crowds.

Country Club Centre was once an enclosed mall with Wards at one end and Liberty House at the other. IN the middle was a Longs Drugs. The Wards location is now Wal-Mart, and the Liberty House end is offices. The enclosed mall was torn down after Wards went under.

If the owners of the two malls had been smart, they'd have connected the two malls into a mega-mall (see Del Amo, King of Prussia, Valley Fair) before Arden became the mega-mall for the area.
Georob said…
Had they connected the two, Sacramento might have well today had one gigantic DEAD MALL.

Again, the lack of freeway access is Country Club's biggest drawback, and it's proximity to affluent neighborhoods like Carmichael is what kept this place afloat. Despite the fact that it has Macys and Gottschalks, all the other tenants are what you'd find in a power center. Because it's a smaller mall, it works.

Sunrise is going to be interesting to watch as it's also miles from a freeway. The Roseville Galleria has to be a threat to their market area, and if any real competition were to ever emerge on the Hwy 50 corridor towards Folsom, they might be in trouble
Anonymous said…
Please check my comment on the history of the Weinstock's stores at Arden Fair and Country Club Plaza in the Mall Hall Of Fame blogspot by clicking on the link from this blogspot.
Anonymous said…
Let me correct myself, there is no link to the Mall Hall of Fame from here, but the address is http://mall-hall-of-fame.blogspot.com. Be sure to include the hyphens.
Anonymous said…
I recently went out to Country Club Plaza and unfortunately, the mall still has vacancies all over. Fortunately there are a number of smaller chain stores in the mall interior, including American Eagle Outfitters, Claire's, Hallmark, MasterCuts, PacSun, Styles For Less and Vitamin World. The Athlete's Foot and Crescent Jewelers only lasted a few years.

There's not much of a food court left as only Panda Express and Subway serve up actual meals. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and Mrs. Fields are pretty much just dessert.

Back in the day when I used to work there in 1999 (4 years before the renovation), there was a Claire's, Footaction, Hallmark, Lane Bryant, MasterCuts, Orange Julius, Payless ShoeSource, RadioShack, Ritz Camera, Sbarro and Vitamin World. Only Claire's, Hallmark, MasterCuts and Vitamin World returned after the mall renovation. Payless ShoeSource also returned, but located their store outside.

Yes, with the affluent area nearby, it should've attracted some upscale stores.

Side Note: Vans Skatepark was originally going to open as part of the renovation, but instead, Sport Chalet opened.
Anonymous said…
The History of these two malls might also be called the history of J.C. Penney in Sacramento, as the (now closed) Longs Drugs between what was Wards and what was Liberty house was in fact a Penney's. I know this because my family has deep roots in employment with Longs. This was definately the most interesting Longs store I remember as a kid...IT HAD A BASEMENT. Up untill it's closure I could still walk in and see the areas in the middle of the store where the escalators used to be.

When Country Club Plaza was built Penney's moved into what became the Gottchalk's building. Although I never really understood why. I mean that building is not all that much larger than the Longs was.

I personally wish they had kept Country Club Centre and torn down the Plaza..but fond memories of walking out into the mall from Longs to sit on Santa's Lap aside.........

The Macy's (former Weinstok's) IS the best in Sacramento, although not billed as a men's or kids store, it seem's they ALWAYS have my size and style in stock. It's also a beautiful building in it's own right.
Anonymous said…
In the early 60's didn't there use to be a Tower of Shoes there. I remember my father taking us 4 kids to Tower of Shoes to buy us all shoes. My sister and I always got saddle shoes, and i remember they had some kind of merry go round for the kids to ride on . We really loved going there.:)
David Fifer said…
No, Tower of Shoes was never at Country Club Centre. You are almost certainly remembering Kid-E-Corral which sold children's clothing and, yes, had a small merry-go-round kids could ride on.

Popular posts from this blog

Lost malls of the Bay Area: San Mateo Fashion Island (1981—1995)

Grand opening in 1981: when Fashion Island was the future San Mateo Fashion Island opened on September 24, 1981. It was the latest and greatest mall to open in the Bay Area. Grand opening ad for San Mateo Fashion Island mall—look to us! "Look to us, look to us, Fashion Island, San Mateo, look to us" says the jingle on the radio around 1982. Although I also remember "Hillsdale, it's exciting, Hillsdale, it's inviting. More than any other shopping center, it's happening at Hillsdale now." Weird what sticks. The famous tent on Bullock’s: iconic and unforgettable But everyone’s favorite thing? The tent. The actual tent they slapped onto Bullock’s. It was so big and weird and wonderful that it felt like Cirque du Soleil might appear at any moment—or maybe a three-day clearance sale. From a newspaper photo—The tent roof on Bullock's San Mateo Fashion Island. 1983 Fashion Island Mall directory: a vintage snapshot A directory for the now dead San M...

Top 10 largest malls in Northern California

Looking to explore the biggest shopping destinations in Northern California? Here's a ranked list of the 10 largest malls in the region, based on Gross Leasable Area (GLA)—which usually includes in-line tenants, common area, and anchors. GLA figures are sourced from mall operators and industry data, though slight variations may exist due to rounding or differing definitions. Whether you're a retail enthusiast, real estate researcher, or mall nostalgia buff, these are the heavyweights of Northern California shopping: Top 10 largest malls in Northern California 1.  Westfield Valley Fair  - San Jose Valley Fair Mall, the largest mall in Northern California, is a luxury retail destination—just minutes from Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino. 1,960,000~ sq. ft. Visit Westfield Valley Fair 2. San Francisco Centre - San Francisco 1,500,000~ sq. ft. A flagship urban mall combining historic architecture with luxury retailers. Now facing a wave of tenant closures and vacancy. Vi...

The history of Southland Mall in Hayward — chandeliers, aviaries, and an ice rink

Southland Mall in Hayward will always be the mall that defined my "mall senses." The swoosh of air as you opened the doors, the sound of birds chirping and water trickling, and the smell of popcorn with a hint of chlorine.  Before it became Southland Mall, it almost had a different identity—“Palma Ceia” was the original name for this shopping destination in Hayward. But by the time the doors officially opened on October 22, 1964, the center had taken on a new name, one more fitting for the suburban sprawl it was set to serve. Southland wasn’t built from scratch—it was stitched together. The original Sears store had already been anchoring the area since November 6, 1958. With the addition of a new JCPenney and an enclosed corridor of shops, Southland Mall came to life as one of the East Bay’s most modern shopping experiences. The future had no doors Featured in the May 1965 edition of Architectural Record, Southland Mall was celebrated for a novel idea: an enclosed mall wit...