BIGMallrat | lost malls, department stores, and Bay Area retail history

Broadway Plaza in the 1950s: a growing hub Broadway Plaza, originally called Broadway Shopping Center, opened on November 8, 1951 in Walnut Creek, California. Built by MacDonald Products Company, it featured iconic stores like JCPenney, Woolworths, Sears, Joseph Magnin, and Lucky's. The opening ceremonies included none other than the legendary Harpo Marx and Mary Fenn in two stage performances. Broadway Plaza originally referred to a short street that connected Main Street to South Broadway. Running perpendicular to it, South Broadway featured shops on its east side, like Lucky's and Capwell's, with parking lots occupying the west. As the area redeveloped over time, the street names and layout were reconfigured: a new South Broadway was established east of the shopping center, where it remains today. The original South Broadway was renamed Broadway Plaza, while the original Broadway Plaza street was permanently closed to vehicular traffic, transforming it into a more pede...