This postcard shows Solano Mall (Solano Town Center), probably about the year of opening in 1981. The mall originally was anchored by JC Penney, Mervyn's, and Sears. Later, Macy's and Emporium-Capwell joined the mall.
The back of the postcard reads "Solano Mall - Fairfield, California. Showing unique style and skylights, to serve an approximate population of 90,000." Reads like a cut/paste job from the marketing literature. Incidentally, the triangular lighting in the ceiling (what is that, orange and burnt sienna?), isn't a skylight at all, just a bank of artificial lighting. However, it is flanked by a strip of real skylights. Makes it harder to tell when the sun sets.
1985 directory
Here is a vintage mall directory, probably 1985, of Solano Mall in Fairfield.
The directory shows Sears in its original location and before Edwards Cinema joined the mall.
How I miss Chess King!
When Macy's bought in Emporium-Capwell in 1996, they simply shuttered the store. Later, Sears moved from one end of the mall to the space formerly occupied by Emporium-Capwell. The old Sears location was replaced by Best Buy on the lower level of the mall, and Edwards Cinema on the upper level.
Later, Westfied bought the mall and made some minor renovations. Notably, the hand railings were painted a neutral color, and the triangular light covers in the ceiling were changed to white. The floor and ceiling colors still are white, which seems to have a longer appeal than some of the more colorful malls in the Bay Area region.
2011 as Westfield
Westfield Solano Mall recently celebrated the grand opening of a food court near JC Penney on the upper level. Westfield has been gradually renovating the 30-year old shopping center. Over the past few years, new flooring has been installed, railings were replaced, and new sky bridges were added. Finally, the mall seems comparable to other Westfield malls in the region.
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| Inside Solano Mall. |
Boasting 169 retailers, Solano Mall opened in 1981. The mall was attached to an existing JC Penney that opened 9 years earlier. Emporium-Capwell joined the mall in 1983 and Macy's in 1985. When Emporium-Capwell closed in 1996, Sears moved from its original location to the old Emporium-Capwell building. The old Sears building was renovated into Edwards Cinema and Best Buy.
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| JCPenney at Solano Mall. |
The updated skylights definitely worked.
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| Skylights at Solano Mall |
Although Westfield upgraded the mall for years, it eventually said g'day and sold it off.
Share your memories of Solano Mall here.
Comments
I vaguely remember seeing the Emporium-Capwell sign change to the newer (and lastly used) "Emporium" nameplate before Macy's gobbled them up. Perhaps that was NewPark.
I'm definitely sure it wasn't a Weinstocks. I have an advertisement from 1984 with the Emporium-Capwell locations (somewhere on this blog).
A was pretty sure that JC Penney was not onsite before the mall was built. Perhaps it moved from another location in Fairfield?
Dean,
If I didn't know better, I'd swear you were talking about a different mall?
Scott
Randy is right. I was truly surprised about JC Penney! Although Westfield didn't have the exact opening date, they said Penney's opened "pre-1981."
Well done Randy!
Scott
I'll be posting a mall directory shortly.
Scott
I'm sure that a mall was on the drawing boards but for some reason was delayed. Since Penneys was on the furthest end of the site from I-80, for many years it appeared from the freeway as this huge structure in the middle of an open field. I don't even think they had an exterior entrance to what would now be the mall itself.
There had been a small JCPenney on North Texas St in downtown Fairfield no more than a block or two from the "Fairfield" sign that hung over the street(and likely still does). That store closed when the Solano Mall store opened.
If you check postcards on Ebay from time to time, you'll likely run across a photo of it.
I remember the mall itself having very colorful mosaic tiled planters and seating walls inside. There were also several colorful flying "contraptions" hanging from the ceiling. I think those are all gone now.
I remember that the mall had these janky looking Wright Brothers era planes as decoration at each end in front of an anchor. Your postcard vaguely shows the one in front of Mervyns.
I love the 80's era malls with the bright orange and yellow colors that would bounce off the white lights and give it that mood lighting that just does not exist in the malls of today. For that matter, I really enjoyed the lighting of old arcades in malls. The Gold Mine in Solano was no different.
I miss the wooden handrails and the black banisters they sat on. I hate the subdued black-white-grey look of the mall now.
The old Sears building was completely demolished and they redesigned the entrances around it, so yes, that is all "new". Also, when they put in the Old Navy in the area where Arbys used to be (in your directory it is a Rax Restaurant), they reconfigured that whole end as well.
I love looking at this postcard. If you have anymore, please post it. Vintage pictures of malls make me feel like a kid again. I miss walking into an old KayBee and buying a generic Transformers toy while stopping by the Orange Julius on my way to Comix and Comix.
Those were the days.
Great site! Keep up the good work.