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Nordstrom sites field guide — Northern California

This field guide documents Nordstrom department store sites across the 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 Nordstrom stores, while others occupied earlier department store anchors such as Bullock's. Together, they form a layered record of retail development across postwar California malls.

Nordstrom - Corte Madera

Location: Village at Corte Madera
Role: Purpose-built
Architect: Unknown
Original anchor: Yes
Operational years: 1985–present
Predecessor store: None
Current use: Nordstrom

Opened September 20, 1985.

Nordstrom - Palo Alto

Location: Stanford Shopping Center
Role: Converted anchor
Architect: Welton Becket & Associates
Original anchor: No
Operational years: 1984–present
Predecessor store: Bullock's
Current use: Nordstrom

Opened November 9, 1984. The third location for the chain.

Nordstrom - Pleasanton

Location: Stoneridge Shopping Center
Role: Purpose-built
Architect: Unknown
Original anchor: No
Operational years: 1990–2020
Predecessor store: None
Current use: Vacant

Opened March 9, 1990 with a 160,000 sq. ft. store.

Nordstrom - Roseville

Location: Galleria at Roseville
Role: Purpose-built
Architect: Unknown
Original anchor: Yes
Operational years: 2000–present
Predecessor store: None
Current use: Nordstrom

Opened in 2001 with the last new mall to open in Northern California, the Galleria at Roseville.

Picture of the Nordstrom department store exterior at the Galleria at Roseville.
Nordstrom at the Galleria at Roseville.

Nordstrom - Sacramento

Location: Arden Fair
Role: Purpose-built
Architect: Unknown
Original anchor: No
Operational years: 1989–2020
Predecessor store: None
Current use: RH Outlet

Nordstrom - San Francisco

Location: San Francisco Centre
Role: Purpose-built
Architect: Unknown
Original anchor: No
Operational years: 1988–2023
Predecessor store: None
Current use: Vacant

Opened October 7, 1988 atop the vertical San Francisco Centre mall. Closed in 2023.

A photo of the Nordstrom in downtown San Francisco, atop the San Francisco Centre mall before it closed.
Nordstrom downtown San Francisco, atop the San Francisco Centre mall.

Nordstrom - San Francisco (Stonestown)

Location: Stonestown
Role: Converted anchor
Architect: Unknown
Original anchor: No
Operational years: 1988–2019
Predecessor store: Bullock's
Current use: Round1 Bowling Alley

Opened April 15, 1988 with a 174,000 sq. ft. store, the first in San Francisco. Mervyn's first expressed interest in this site, but ultimately pulled out. A brick veneer was applied over the original Bullock's. The arrival of Nordstrom kicked off a major redevelopment of the aging shopping center with an enclosed galleria.

Nordstrom - San Jose (Oakridge)

Location: Oakridge
Role: Converted anchor
Architect: Environmental Planning & Research
Original anchor: No
Operational years: 1985–1995
Predecessor store: Bullock's
Current use: UFC Gym and Living Spaces

Opened October 15, 1985 with a 149,500 sq. ft. store. It was a former Bullock's, but when Nordstrom moved in, they removed the signature teflon tent in the center of the store. When it closed on March 31, 1995, it was replaced by Sears.

Nordstrom - San Jose (Valley Fair)

Location: Valley Fair
Role: Purpose-built
Architect: Unknown
Original anchor: Yes
Operational years: 1987–2001
Predecessor store: None
Current use: In-line shops

Opened February 13, 1987. Closed when the chain moved to a larger location just next door.

Nordstrom - San Jose (Valley Fair)

Location: Valley Fair
Role: Converted anchor
Architect: Unknown
Original anchor: No
Operational years: 2001–present
Predecessor store: None
Current use: Nordstrom

A move from the old store next door, this larger 225,000 sq. ft. store opened in March 2001.

Nordstrom - San Mateo

Location: Hillsdale
Role: Purpose-built
Architect: Unknown
Original anchor: No
Operational years: 1982–present
Predecessor store: None
Current use: Nordstrom

Opened September 24, 1982. This was Nordstrom's debut in the region.

Nordstrom - Walnut Creek

Location: Broadway Plaza
Role: Converted anchor
Architect: Welton Becket & Associates
Original anchor: No
Operational years: 1984–present
Predecessor store: Bullock's
Current use: Nordstrom

Opened at Broadway Plaza on August 31, 1984, replacing a former Bullock's. This was the second location for the chain.

Picture of Nordstrom in Walnut Creek's Broadway Plaza, which opened as Bullock's.
A former Bullock's in Walnut Creek's Broadway Plaza, now Nordstrom.

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