Skip to main content

Lost malls of Sacramento: Downtown Plaza (1993—2014)

From urban revival to arena dreams

In the early 1990s, Sacramento set out to reinvent its downtown core—and at the center of that vision was Downtown Plaza, a massive open-air shopping mall designed to bring energy back to the K Street corridor. Opening in 1993, this ambitious project was developed by Ernest Hahn, the same mind behind San Diego’s successful Horton Plaza.

With 1.2 million square feet of retail space, Downtown Plaza was a bold fusion of urban retail, modern architecture, and destination design.

The peak of Downtown Plaza

Picture of Sacramento Downtown Plaza
View of the Downtown Plaza sign when it was owned by Westfield.

At its height, Downtown Plaza was home to major national retailers and the largest Macy’s in the Sacramento region—with separate buildings for Men’s and Furniture departments. Its central architectural showpiece was a futuristic steel-framed rotunda, which hosted laser light shows that lit up the skyline and added a theatrical flair to downtown nights.

Central area of Downtown Plaza in Sacramento, showing open-air walkways and layered architectural elements. Caption: Downtown Plaza’s central open-air design was
Downtown Plaza’s central open-air design was visually striking, but not always retail-friendly.

The slow decline

Despite its grand scale, Downtown Plaza began to lose its footing in the 2000s. Major tenants like Banana Republic and FAO Schwarz left, and the eastern wing of the mall fell into near-total vacancy. The western corridor near Macy’s still drew some foot traffic, but many storefronts sat empty or shuttered.

A mostly empty indoor corridor of Downtown Plaza, featuring wooden ceiling details and closed storefronts.
Remnants of 1980s retail charm linger in an enclosed corridor north of the Rotunda. Note the fancy woodwork on the ceiling.

The mall’s design, once its biggest draw, became part of its downfall. Deep shadows from its steel framing and overhangs made storefronts hard to see—hurting impulse shopping. Meanwhile, portions of the mall that remained enclosed felt dated, with untouched decor and sealed-off second stories.

Downtown Plaza also lacked a clear identity: was it meant to be a regional shopping hub or a quirky downtown experience like San Francisco’s Pier 39? With little nearby residential growth and inconsistent visitor interest, it ultimately became neither.

Demolition and reinvention

View of the antenna sculpture near Downtown Plaza’s center, part of its public art installation.
This towering antenna sculpture became an unofficial landmark within Downtown Plaza’s rotunda court.

By 2014, most of Downtown Plaza had closed. Demolition began to make way for the Golden 1 Center, home to the Sacramento Kings. While a few nearby structures were spared, the rest of the mall was removed—marking the end of a two-decade experiment in downtown retail revitalization.

Downtown Plaza was more than a mall. It was a bold attempt to reimagine Sacramento’s downtown—part shopping center, part urban sculpture, part cautionary tale. Though it’s now gone, its memory lives on in the streetscape it once helped define.

Comments

Pseudo3D said…
I think enclosing Downtown Plaza would be a grand idea. Rename it, give it a clean nice feel, and add a Target or maybe a grocery store. Makes me wonder if someday the lifestyle centers will become run-down someday too.
Marty Kobata said…
Today's (12/15) Sacramento Bee has a story on the mall that says Westfield may be willing to sell the mall.
Anonymous said…
The mall is actually looking a lot better lately. I work downtown so I frequent the mall for the food court, but noticed over the last 6 months, they have been doing a lot of refurbishment. You should see the middle area now where the laser show used to be, it looks very different. Also, I read they are expanding the 24 Hour Fitness (which would be great if I worked out :) Carl's Jr. closed and that has made the mall feel a lot safer because the thugs and bums don't come to the mall any more because their food source is good. I really like this place! A hidden gem!

Popular posts from this blog

Lost malls of the Bay Area: San Mateo Fashion Island (1981—1995)

A directory for the now deceased San Mateo Fashion Island. This directory is one of the earliest, most likely 1983 or 1984. The front of a 1983 San Mateo Fashion Island mall directory. The back of a 1983 San Mateo Fashion Island mall directory. 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. Grand opening ad for San Mateo Fashion Island mall—look to us! "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...

Chandeliers, aviaries, and an ice rink: when Southland Mall was cool

Southland Mall in Hayward will always be the mall that defined my "mall senses." The swoosh of air as you opened the doors, the sound of birds chirping and water trickling, and the smell of popcorn with a hint of chlorine.  Before it became Southland Mall, it almost had a different identity—“Palma Ceia” was the original name for this shopping destination in Hayward. But by the time the doors officially opened on October 22, 1964, the center had taken on a new name, one more fitting for the suburban sprawl it was set to serve. Southland wasn’t built from scratch—it was stitched together. The original Sears store had already been anchoring the area since November 6, 1958. With the addition of a new JCPenney and an enclosed corridor of shops, Southland Mall came to life as one of the East Bay’s most modern shopping experiences. The future had no doors Featured in the May 1965 edition of Architectural Record, Southland Mall was celebrated for a novel idea: an enclosed mall wit...

Lost department stores of the Bay Area: Emporium-Capwell (1896—1996)

You know what I miss? Emporium-Capwell. Not just for the prices, though I could swear a decent Arrow shirt once cost twelve bucks. No, I miss the whole production. The drama of the escalators, the hush of the fitting rooms, and—oh—the culinary treasure hunt that was the Market on Market downstairs. A trip to “The City” wasn’t complete without ducking into the old Emporium on Market Street. You'd pass under that grand rotunda and feel like royalty. But downstairs? That’s where the real magic happened. Fancy cheeses. Glazed fruit tarts. Baskets of imported crackers with names you couldn’t pronounce but definitely had to try. Everything smelled like international sophistication and fresh bread. I was a kid with a paper bag full of croissants and the feeling that I’d somehow stepped into a European train station from the future. The other day I found an ad from 1984—Emporium-Capwell's big splash at Vallco Fashion Park in Cupertino. You could tell the year by the shoulder pads al...