Long before Amazon Prime and same-day delivery, Oaklanders were promised a shopping experience "a whole century ahead of its time." On September 9, 1965, the MacArthur/Broadway Shopping Center—affectionately known as M/B Center—opened to much fanfare. A full-page ad in the Oakland Tribune heralded it as “the most fantastic one-stop shopping and dining extravaganza in the entire universe!”
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| A 1965 newspaper ad celebrates the grand opening of the MacArthur/Broadway Shopping Center in Oakland—billed as a modern retail destination and quickly embraced by locals as the beloved “M/B Center.” |
With no traditional department store anchor, M/B Center dared to be different. Anchored instead by Woolworth’s, it offered a bold, modernist take on retail—wrapped in aluminum, terrazzo, and atomic-era optimism.
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| In this 1965 newspaper ad, Edmond E. Herrscher, founder of the MacArthur/Broadway Shopping Center, greets shoppers with a heartfelt message on opening day—ushering in a new era of retail in Oakland. |
Among its “space-age” features:
A Space Ramp, the region’s first escalator made for shopping carts—decades before multi-level Targets made it mainstream.
A quirky shuttle called the Astro-Bus, which ferried shoppers from the mall’s entrance to their parked cars like a theme park ride.
Space-Port parking for 1,100 cars—right on the roof. Because nothing said “future” like parking above your shopping.
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| September 8, 1965 newspaper photo showing a costumed “Space Girl” welcoming shoppers to the MacArthur/Broadway Center in Oakland—part of a futuristic-themed promotion during the space race era. |
Inside, hungry space explorers could grab a bite at The Hamlet, an early precursor to the modern food court, offering a galaxy of dining choices in one place. Inside were oak trees taken from the hills near San Diego, with realistic-looking leaves wired to the branches. Created by the same people who did the set work for the Disney movie "Mary Poppin's," it was a sight to behold.
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| Vintage 1971 Oakland Tribune ad for The Hamlet food court at the MacArthur/Broadway Center in Oakland, featuring dining options like Hof Brau, Pepe’s, Chef Kory, and Lord Kyle’s Fish ’n’ Chips. |
But while M/B Center was bold in concept, it struggled over time. Without a major department store to anchor foot traffic, the center slowly declined through the '80s and '90s, unable to compete with flashier malls and big-box chains.
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| 1981 Oakland Tribune ad promoting “50 Shopping Ideas” at MacArthur/Broadway Center, highlighting a wide range of stores and services—from fashion and electronics to gifts, food, and home goods. |
After limping along for decades, M/B Center was finally demolished in 2009. In its place now rises a new Kaiser Permanente medical facility—less space-age, perhaps, but arguably more useful.
Still, for those who remember it, M/B Center wasn’t just a mall. It was a mid-century dream—a local lunar outpost that briefly made shopping feel like a mission to the stars.
Comments
I think the deterioration of MacArthur Boulevard, especially when it became a haven for prostitution; played a big part in the demise of M/B. You'd think that with it's proximity to the popular Piedmont Avenue district that they could have tried to tie it in more with a pedestrian bridge across Macarthur Blvd.
Ultimately though, Kaiser likely had their eyes on the site for a long time and wouldn't allow it to be redeveloped
Thanks!
Scott
It makes me sad to look at that press release..Such high hopes!
...Parents would take me to eat there on Thursday nights...the place had a great friendly feeling...but sadly...by the 70's...turned into a foodstamp haven...all kinds of lowlifes starting stealing form the stores...became kind of dangerous...would never go there after dark....Too bad...once was a wonderful place.
environment. I sure miss the feeling when I was a kid going there. I remember seeing Mary Poppins and the Godfather in the theater. The movie Clockwork Orange used to play for a long time there. I agree that in theory that place should have thrived. If they could enforced keeping the riff raff out of there, it probably could have thrived.