This field guide documents Liberty House department store sites across Northern California. Each entry records the building’s original anchor tenant, architectural context, and current use.
Unlike a corporate history, this guide focuses on the physical remains of the stores themselves—the structures that still shape mall corridors long after the signage has changed.
Many of these sites began as standalone Liberty House stores, while others occupied earlier department store anchors such as Rhodes. Together, they form a layered record of retail development across California malls.
Liberty House - Citrus Heights
Opened October 18, 1972. It had the Eucalyptus Room restaurant. It closed in 1984 and was sold to Macy's.
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| The Citrus Heights branch of Liberty House, opened October 18, 1972 at Sunrise Mall. |
Liberty House - Concord
Originally a Kahn's that opened in 1957, later converted to Rhodes, Liberty House opened May 10, 1975. Closed in 1983.
Liberty House - Dublin
Former Rhodes, opened March 15, 1975 in Dublin. Closed early 1983.
Liberty House - Fresno
Former Rhodes, opened in 1974 or 1975 at Manchester Center in Fresno. Closed in 1984.
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| Originally a Rhodes department store, later rebranded as Liberty House, this building at Fresno’s Manchester Center now serves as offices for CalTrans. |
Liberty House - Hayward
Opened July 30, 1972 (grand opening July 2, 1972). Its restaurant was the Anxious Grape. Closed January 31, 1983. The location was leased by Emporium-Capwell, then again by Macy's.
Forty years after the store closed, it's still a retail historian hotspot. According to a Macy's salesperson, "people still stop and talk about Liberty House and the glass elevators when they come through here."
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| Liberty House at Southland Mall in Hayward opened in 1972 with flair. |
Liberty House - Mountain View
Opened September 13, 1974 at San Antonio Center. Closed in 1984. It became JCPenney soon after.
Liberty House - Oakland
Former Rhodes, opened March 15, 1975 at 15th and Broadway. Its restaurant was the Anxious Grape. Closed 1984.
Liberty House - Reno, NV
Opened in 1979 at Meadowood Mall in Reno. Closed in 1984.
Liberty House - Sacramento (Country Club)
Former Rhodes, opened May 10, 1975. Closed in 1984.
Liberty House - Sacramento (Downtown)
Opened around 1980 in downtown Sacramento. Closed in 1984.
Liberty House - Sacramento (Southgate)
Former Rhodes, opened in 1974 or 1975. Closed in 1983.
City of Paris by Liberty House - San Francisco (1)
Opened March 23, 1972 as the City of Paris by Liberty House. The City of Paris department store, a 122-year old San Francisco institution, was acquired by Amfac on March 23, 1972. The City of Paris name would be phased out by 1974 when liberty House replaced the store with a new building that opened on September 28, 1974. The building, and famous dome, later became home to Neiman Marcus.
Liberty House - San Francisco
Liberty House replaced the store next door with a new building that opened on September 28, 1974. It had two restaurants, the Plum and the Anxious Grape, with the Normandy Lane Bakery. The store closed in 1984 and was sold to Macy's.
City of Paris by Liberty House - San Francisco (2)
Opened March 23, 1972 as the City of Paris by Liberty House. Closed in 1974.
Liberty House - San Mateo
Opened September 24, 1981. Its restaurant was the Anxious Grape. Closed April 12, 1987.
Liberty House - San Jose
The chain's debut in the Bay Area. Opened August 1, 1971 with a 186,000 sq. ft. store at Eastridge Mall. It had a restaurant called the Eucalyptus Room. It closed on January 28, 1978. Replaced by Emporium-Capwell, the store was demolished in 2005.
Liberty House - Santa Rosa
Opened October 1, 1980. After it closed in 1984, Macy's acquired the site, turned it into a clearance center, then it became Gottschalk's. After it was demolished a new Target rose in its place.
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| Liberty House opened at Coddingtown Mall in 1980. It later became Gottschalks after being sold to Macy’s. |
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