Opened on September 1, 1976, Vallco Mall (originally called "Vallco Fashion Park") was no ordinary shopping center. Set high atop a parking level, the entire retail experience floated above the ground—complete with six themed “parks” honoring Cupertino’s history: De Anza Park, Orchard Park, and the futuristic Electronics Park, each planted with trees to bring a slice of nature indoors.
A 130-foot-wide pedestrian bridge over Wolfe Road connected both halves of the mall, acting as a skywalk between worlds. Below, cars zipped by; above, shoppers strolled through what felt like an indoor garden.
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| Grand opening ad for Vallco Fashion Park, 1976. |
Toys, fashion, and ice: Vallco in its heyday
Anchored by Sears, Bullock’s, and I. Magnin (with JC Penney and an ice rink joining in 1977), the mall was a design-forward marvel created by Wurster, Bernardi & Emmons with landscape architect Michael Painter. And while the layout resembled puzzle pieces, what most kids remember was one perfect fit: King Norman Toys. Even Barbie had her own fashion plaza.
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| A 1976 advertisement announcing the impending arrival of Vallco Fashion Park, describing the mall as the “latest puzzle piece” of Cupertino. The ad includes an aerial view of the elevated mall structure before completion. |
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| A 1976 ad for King Norman’s Kingdom of Toys inside Vallco mall. |
By 1983, Vallco was the third highest-grossing mall in Santa Clara County, behind only Stanford and Eastridge. Bullock’s bowed out in 1983, but Emporium-Capwell stepped in a year later, bringing with it a new lower-level retail wing. For a while, things looked promising.
From boom to bust: the decline of Vallco
The tides began to shift in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Valley Fair expanded, Emporium-Capwell closed in 1996, and though Macy’s took over the space, it lacked the pull of its predecessor.
A half-hearted renovation brought shiny white tiles, granite planters, and a movie theater near JC Penney. A new food court and parking structure arrived, but the crowds didn’t.
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| View of Vallco Mall's pedestrian skybridge over Wolfe Road. |
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| By 2009, Vallco’s center court—anchored by Macy’s—had become a haven of calm, its once-bustling walkways now echoing with silence. |
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| Vallco food court at noon in 2009—mostly empty. |
Rebranding and reinvention: from Vallco Fashion Park to Cupertino Square to Vallco Shopping Mall
In the mid-2000s, the mall rebranded as Cupertino Square, aiming to connect with the city’s Asian-American community. A new Asian supermarket, specialty stores, and a fresh brand identity launched—but foot traffic didn’t follow.
In 2010, the mall was renamed again—this time as Vallco Shopping Mall—in a final attempt to revive the brand. But the nostalgia didn’t translate to footfall.
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| Vallco Shopping Mall directory sign in its final years. |
In 2011, the long-shuttered first floor reopened. But it was too little, too late. Even with a cinema, the mall had lost its soul. And then, finally, its stores.
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The end of an era: Vallco’s final days
The iconic pink-and-teal sign on I-280 never came down, and shoppers just stopped coming. The mall that once floated above its time came crashing back to earth. Demolition began in 2017 and wrapped up in 2020—but for many, Vallco ended in 2018, when the cinema closed its doors. We'll miss the ole' place.
What remains: memory and legacy
Today, the site is under redevelopment as The Rise, a massive mixed-use project that promises housing, retail, and public space. But for many locals, Vallco Mall lives on in memory—not as just another shopping center, but as a bold, architectural experiment in community space.
Related posts:
- Lost department stores of the West: Bullock's (1972—1986)
- Lost department stores of the Bay Area: Emporium-Capwell (1896—1996)
- The history of Macy's
- Lost malls of the Bay Area: the original Valley Fair (1957—1985)
- The history of Westgate Mall in San Jose — a shopping center that holds its own
- The history of Eastridge Mall in San Jose — its heyday captured in postcards
- Lost malls of the Bay Area: Sunnyvale Town Center (1979—2005)
Comments
Because of it's popularity, Valco always had a horrible parking situation. I don't think it has ever been remedied. I'm glad that they are trying to remake themselves although I worry when I hear they are trying to copy someplace like Santana Row. One needs to put a lot of thought into such concepts. They can turn out bad if they are not fully understood.
Where did Vallco get its name from? It doesn't evoke any warm fuzzies and sounds awfully corporate, was that the name of the developer or something? Second, didn't Federated originally not want to put a Macys into the Emporium slot and only did so due to threat of legal action or either a competitor coming in? (I recall Dillards being interested at one time)
On paper, this mall should have everything it needs: Good demographics and three strong anchors. Problem is that Sears and Penneys are not percieved as upscale and Macys probably doesn't have the same selections that you'd see at Stanford and Valley Fair. And between those two malls and Santana Row I don't see how Cupertino positions itself as anything more than a mid range lifestyle center, which I'm not convinced can be done in an indoor format.
If Vallco can replicate what Tanforan did, they have a shot. But I'm sure they're watching whatever happens at Sunnyvale Town Center to see what further competition they wind up with.
I know the purists out there want to see malls remain malls, but if a concept no longer works it should be torn down. This is a good location in the heart of the Silicon Valley and it should be given optmum usage.
The food court will be in a section of the mall on the upper floor near the JC Penney end. Nearly all the store fronts from the north side of that wing have been demolished to make room.
The lower floor in that section will continue to house the ice rink, but it will be joined by the "Strike!" bowling alley/ family fun center, in the areas formerly occupied by the Tilt arcade and Video Concepts store. (and before Tilt, the food court was there, not that it matters anymore).
The existing building will continue to be an enclosed mall, though a street level entrance to a proposed bookstore is shown in some design renderings. The "Rose Bowl" area, currently a pit between JC Penney and the office block at the corner of Wolfe and Stevens Creek, is the site of the proposed Santana Row-like mixed use development.
The facility has two entrances: one in the mall lower level near JC Penney and another at street level under the bridge at Wolfe Road, allowing after mall hours access. The lobby area is dominated by a large upscale bar and lounge, divided from the rest of the lobby only by a low railing. There is also a small billiard hall and an arcade featuring some fairly new video games and redemption machines, but they all use the Dave & Busters style card readers for payment (though the system is similar, D&B cards can't be used here) and therefore it is difficult to know how much exactly the games cost to play, or how much you've actually spent unless you keep very careful accounting.
What I don't like is that the observation windows over the ice rink, what were formerly accessible in the Tilt arcade and the food court before that are now sealed off, the area now occupied by restrooms. They are very nice restrooms, yes, but I miss the observation deck.
The only access to the ice rink is now (as it had been since Tilt closed) is the stairway and elevator just inside the north mall entrance, between JC Penney and Bennihana.
Back on the south side of JC Penney, there is a new parking structure completely blocking its frontage along Vallco Parkway. A design sketch that can be viewed inside the mall (two storefronts on the bridge section are currently occupied by development offices where these sketches are on display) shows that there are street-level retail shops planned for the base of this parking structure, The intent appears to have these shops in some way relate architecturally to the planned mixed-use development across the street, but right now it just looks like a rather spare concrete parking garage.
A "Froyo?" has opened in the hall across from the AMC theater box office, and a Cinnabon and Cold Stcompletion right next to it. Hofbrau Beerhall looks to be under construction in that area too, making use of the new grand staircase entry along Wolfe Road.
I didn't know how else to contact you. I'm currently looking for any photos or info on Westgate Mall is San Jose/Saratoga. I'm looking for any photos with the 'space age' marquee that the mall origanly had. Any help is much appreciated
The new food court has opened.
Well, not the whole food court. Only Burger King, Hoffbrau Express, Popeye's Chicken, and another frozen yogurt place are in there now, but posters on the construction walls suggest many more are coming soon (and "soon" at CS we've learned can be as much as 3 years out). But you can walk through the dining area from the mall to the parking lot.
Mrs Field's moved to a new spot almost directly across the hall from its old location.
The red icons on the new entrance pillars outside Bennihana are already faded after being in place less than a year.
Access to the ice skating rink is particularly nasty now. It looks like they tore down its old decoration for remodeling, but there is no evidence of repair after that, and the passage is even more separated from the mall than it was before.
There is no sign of work in what will be the Hofbrau's main location. Since I checked many months ago til yesterday,there is still a dead bird in the window.