The postcard series continues... A recently acquired gem that also gives you an idea what the area was like in 1974. I-680 was two lanes each side, there is no Willows Shopping Center, just open spaces of non-native grasses and field mustard.
The back of the postcard reads "Sunvalley Shopping Center. An aerial of the newest and most modern shopping centers [sic] in the U.S.A. It is completely enclosed and air conditioned." The card was postmarked February 24, 1975. Back when it cost 8 cents to mail a postcard!
Near Penney's, a wooden fence surrounds an area that allows you to see underground. I'm interested in this "hole." Does anyone know anymore about it?
I think Macy's still has the blue awnings. Timeless, they might say.
Enjoy the card!
Scott
Read my guide to Sunvalley Mall
Visit the current Website.
See the aerial view.
1 comment:
The upper level of that hole became a restaurant pad that has seen many different dining venues over the last 40 years. (It’s currently Fresh Choice) I’m guessing that the lower level of it either became storage space or more likely part of the Ice Rink which would have sat directly below the large cement courtyard in front of Penneys.
I first visited Sun Valley in ’68, and I always remember a restaurant in that spot so that picture must have been taken right after the mall opened.
You mention the open field that became The Willows, but I’d also like to point out the open area on the right side of the photo that is separated from Sun Valley by a small housing tract. That was the Ellinwood “Cabbage Patch” and was noteworthy because it remained in agricultural use until the 1980’s, in stark contrast to all the other development in the area. It finally became the Ellinwood office park with a Chevys and Residence Inn visible from I-680.
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