BIGMallrat

A directory for the now deceased San Mateo Fashion Island. This directory is one of the earliest, most likely 1983 or 1984. I dunno about you, but I recall the mall challenged my sense of direction. Do I go that way? Do I need to turn around? I just didn't want to miss a thing while trekking from Bullock's to Montgomery Ward. Who can forget such favorite stores as Scott Alan, Video Concepts, Clothes Barn, and Pups on a Pole? For those who didn't know, San Mateo Fashion Island opened on September 24, 1981. It was the latest and greatest mall to open in the Bay Area. "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. But everyone’s favorite thing? The tent. The actual tent they slapped onto Bullock’s. It was so big and...

Del Monte Center opened its doors in September of 1967, developed by the Dillingham Corporation with a thoughtful and distinctive design by John Carl Warneke & Associates. The landscape, envisioned by Lawrence Halprin & Associates, was equally striking—nearly 100 mature oak trees were preserved on-site, and authentic adobe bricks were used in the construction of the center’s signature 17-foot exposed-beam overhangs. The result was a shopping center that retained the historic charm of Monterey, Northern California’s oldest settlement. So remarkable was the design that Architectural Record magazine highlighted Del Monte Center in April 1968, recognizing its blend of modern commerce with regional authenticity. What’s most fascinating is how little has changed since 1967. The original fountain remains, and the center’s layout and aesthetic continue to evoke its mid-century roots. Only a few expansions have altered the original footprint: in 1987, Mervyn’s was added along with...

A beautiful new way to shop, Eastridge Mall in San Jose opened in 1971. It was the largest and most beautiful mall in the entire state.  When the mall first opened, everyone came to see it. Even the City of Fremont sponsored bus trips to the mall, which created quite a controversy (funneling tax dollars out of Fremont, you know). A postcard of the grand Eastridge Mall in San Jose. You can see the massiveness of this mall. The center court was (and still is) enormous. A lot of floor space with wide-open spaces. In those days, they filled open spaces with gracious fountains and elegant sculptures. Or, in the case of Eastridge, sculptures IN fountains. The back of the card reads: "Eastridge Shopping Center, the largest in the West, is a shopper's paradise, comprising over 160 shops and four major department stores under one roof. The three climate controlled levels are unique in their bold design. Capitol Expressway, Tully and Quimby Roads, San Jose, California." ...

When Sunnyvale Town Center opened on September 27, 1979, it felt like the start of something big. Built by Macy’s and renowned mall developer Ernest W. Hahn, the project aimed to breathe new life into a fading downtown. With Montgomery Ward and Macy’s as its anchors, and a tranquil courtyard that preserved towering redwoods and cedars from the 1920s, the mall promised modern retail wrapped in local charm. For a while, it worked. Families strolled its cool, air-conditioned halls. Teens hung out in the courtyard. Shoppers took comfort in familiar names and small-town convenience. But behind the scenes, things weren’t so perfect. Montgomery Ward struggled from the start, and the mall never fully filled up. Some loved the enclosed space; others felt it cut off downtown rather than bringing it together. An ad from January 1980. Still, Sunnyvale Town Center hung on. JC Penney joined in the early '90s, and the mall adapted through the decade. But times were changing. New shopping meccas...