When Eastridge Mall opened on May 17, 1971, it was promoted as the largest shopping mall in the West. Developed by Bayshore Properties and Homart Development Company, the project featured more than 160 stores, four department store anchors, and over 1.7 million square feet of retail space, representing a new generation of regional shopping centers.
Earlier enclosed malls had focused primarily on efficiency: department stores connected by long corridors lined with shops. Eastridge took a more ambitious approach. Architect Avner Naggar created a complex, multi-level environment built around dramatic sightlines, expansive public spaces, and a soaring Grand Court that rose three stories at its center. Rather than simply moving shoppers from one store to another, the design encouraged visitors to linger and explore.
The mall's scale was matched by its attention to atmosphere. Landscape architect Lawrence Halprin and Associates helped shape the public spaces, while fountains, commissioned artwork, bold colors, and rich interior finishes transformed Eastridge into a destination in its own right. At a time when shopping centers were becoming important civic gathering places, Eastridge reflected the growing belief that a mall could be an experience as memorable as the stores themselves.
Built on former agricultural land in East San Jose, Eastridge helped usher in a new era of mall design in Northern California. More than fifty years later, it remains one of San Jose's most recognizable retail landmarks, even as renovations have altered many of the features that originally made it distinctive.
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| Annotated Apple Maps view of San Jose showing the location of Eastridge Mall, east of downtown, positioned off Capitola Expressway and Tully Road. |
At opening, Eastridge featured four major department stores: Macy's, Liberty House, Sears, and JCPenney. Together they anchored what was then one of the largest enclosed shopping centers in California.
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| Ad announcing the grand opening of Eastridge Mall on May 17, 1971. Billed as “the largest in the West,” the mall promised fine stores, four major department stores, three climate-controlled levels, and a new era of Bay Area shopping. |
The Grand Court
The architectural centerpiece of Eastridge was the Grand Court.
Stretching three levels high between Macy's and Liberty House, the Grand Court served as the mall's central gathering space. Visitors arriving in the early 1970s encountered sweeping expanses of red carpeting, dramatic sightlines across multiple levels, and a large fountain crowned by a steel sculpture created by Stephanie Scuris.
Unlike many contemporary malls that emphasized retail efficiency above all else, the Grand Court was designed to create a sense of spectacle. The space felt almost theatrical, encouraging visitors to linger, meet friends, and experience the mall as a public destination.
The sculpture remained one of the mall's defining features for decades before eventually being relocated to downtown San Jose.
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| The Grand Court shortly after Eastridge Mall opened in 1971. The fountain and Stephanie Scuris sculpture anchored the three-story atrium, creating a dramatic public space that helped distinguish Eastridge from earlier generations of enclosed malls. Photo: San Francisco Chronicle, August 12, 1971. |
The mystery level
One of Eastridge's most unusual design features was its split-level layout, an architectural choice that reflected the mall's emphasis on drama and exploration rather than simple efficiency.
Although commonly described as a three-level mall, portions of the building included an intermediate level that often confused first-time visitors. Elevators and stairways connected spaces that did not always align neatly with the mall's main floors, creating a layout unlike most Bay Area shopping centers.
For longtime shoppers, this "mystery level" became part of Eastridge's character. For others, it was simply confusing.
As retail design trends shifted toward openness and simplicity, these complex vertical relationships increasingly came to be viewed as obstacles rather than attractions.
Reinventing Eastridge
By the early 2000s, shopping mall design had changed dramatically.
In an effort to modernize the center, Eastridge introduced a series of renovations that altered many of its original architectural features. New skybridges were added to connect upper levels and improve circulation through the Grand Court.
While futuristic in appearance, the bridges interrupted the dramatic openness that had originally defined the central atrium.
Additional renovations followed. The fountain was removed, portions of the interior were reconfigured, and the intermediate level that had helped define Eastridge's unique character was eliminated. Much of the mall's original 1970s design language gave way to a more contemporary retail environment.
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| Around 2003, Eastridge Mall introduced this bold three-story skybridge in an effort to improve shopper flow and connect the three levels more efficiently. While futuristic in concept, the skybridges added visual clutter to the Grand Court and were ultimately removed during later renovations. Photo courtesy of Dean Lundstrom. |
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| A 2003-era view of Macy's at Eastridge. Glass and steel architectural elements reflected the mall's modernization efforts, while much of the original 1971 structure still remained intact. Photo courtesy of Dean Lundstrom. |
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| A 2003 view of Eastridge's distinctive brown elevator, located near the Grand Court. The elevator connected the mall's unusual split-level arrangement, a feature that contributed to Eastridge's reputation for having a "mystery level." Photo courtesy of Dean Lundstrom. |
Legacy of Eastridge
Today, Eastridge remains one of San Jose's most important shopping centers, but its appearance differs significantly from the mall that opened in 1971.
The red-carpeted Grand Court, Stephanie Scuris sculpture, fountain, and unusual multi-level layout have largely passed into memory. Yet these features helped make Eastridge more than just a collection of stores.
Although renovations have transformed much of the original structure, Eastridge's history offers a glimpse into a period when shopping malls were designed as civic spaces, architectural statements, and destinations in their own right.
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