Union Square Mall has almost disappeared from Union City's collective memory. By the time many residents remember visiting it in the early 1980s, the enclosed shopping center already felt strangely quiet—a mall that seemed to be fading long before it actually closed.
Its decline was surprisingly swift. Union Square had opened only a decade earlier, in 1973, yet vacancies and struggling businesses soon became part of its identity.
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| Published in 1983, this rare interior view shows Union Square Mall during its decline, when vacancies had become a defining feature of the shopping center. |
Unlike larger regional malls such as Southland, NewPark, or Stoneridge, Union Square was never intended to become a major shopping destination. Developed by Kelly-Moore Paint Company at Decoto Road and Fremont Boulevard, the enclosed center was anchored by a Safeway supermarket and a Kelly-Moore Home Improvement Center.
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| 1972 newspaper rendering showing Union Square as a fully realized enclosed shopping mall. Although construction was underway, only the first phase of the project was ultimately completed. |
On paper, Union Square resembled the enclosed regional malls that were transforming suburban retail during the 1970s.
In practice, it struggled to attract the department stores and major retailers that drove traffic to successful shopping centers.
The building itself was unusual. Rather than a traditional linear mall, the interior was arranged in a giant plus-sign (+) configuration with corridors extending from a central court. Few photographs of the interior appear to survive today.
By the late 1970s, the warning signs were already apparent.
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| Union Square Mall's roadside sign near Decoto Road. Although enclosed, the center was planned primarily as a neighborhood shopping center anchored by Safeway and Kelly-Moore rather than a regional destination. |
A December 2, 1977 article in the Fremont Argus described growing concerns among merchants as vacancies increased and stores closed. Management's response was telling. Decorative flags were installed throughout the mall in an effort to brighten the atmosphere.
The effort reflected a misunderstanding of the problem. The issue wasn't appearance—it was a lack of shoppers.
The decline accelerated during the early 1980s. By 1983, reports described the mall as roughly 50 percent vacant, and local observers were openly referring to it as "dead."
Union Square never recovered.
By late 1987, the mall had been demolished. In its place rose a more conventional neighborhood shopping center—something better suited to the location and retail market. The original Safeway building at 1790 Decoto Road survived the transition and remains one of the few visible reminders of the old complex.
Today, most Union City residents drive past the site without realizing an enclosed mall once stood there.
In the end, Union Square Mall didn't close with much fanfare. There was no dramatic final day, no famous anchor store departure, and no nostalgic farewell campaign. It simply slipped away.
Yet for those who remember it—even vaguely—it remains one of the Bay Area's strangest retail stories: a mall that seemed forgotten long before it was gone.
Collection
Shopping centers that shaped retail history across Alameda and Contra Costa counties from the 1950s through today.
Comments
Our mall of choice was the one across H Street from James Logan High School.
It had a Radio Shack (free monthly batteries for my tape player), a record store, barbershop, laundry mat, bank, liquor store and a pool hall hidden down a corridor in the back.
Truant heaven to be sure.....