Emporium Centre San Francisco

Last updated

Emporium Centre San Francisco
Emporium Centre San Francisco
Coordinates 37°47′2″N122°24′26″W / 37.78389°N 122.40722°W / 37.78389; -122.40722
Address865 Market Street
San Francisco, California
94103
Opening dateOctober 1988
DeveloperSheldon Gordon - Gordon Group Holdings
Management JLL
OwnerTrident Pacific
No. of stores and services77
No. of anchor tenants 2 (1 open, 1 vacant)
Total retail floor area 1,564,533 sq ft (145,349.9 m2) (retail)
250,000 sq ft (23,000 m2) (office) [1] [2]
No. of floors9 (5 in former Nordstrom, 5 in Bloomingdale's) Former Nordstrom levels closed to Public.
Public transit access Powell Street station BSicon LOGO SFmuni.svg Bart-logo.svg
Website www.shopsanfranciscocentre.com

Emporium Centre San Francisco is a shopping mall located in San Francisco, California, United States. It is anchored by Bloomingdale's. It connects directly to the Powell Street station via an underground entrance on the concourse floor.

Contents

History

Early Years

Originally developed by Sheldon Gordon (co-developer of The Forum Shops at Caesars and Beverly Center), the nine-story mall opened in October 1988 as San Francisco Shopping Centre with approximately 500,000 square feet (46,000 m2) of space, the then-largest Nordstrom store (350,000 square feet (33,000 m2)) on the top several floors, the first spiral escalator in the United States, and a connector to the adjoining Emporium-Capwell flagship store. [3]

After a slow start, it soon became one of the top-performing shopping centers in the country. In 1996, the adjoining Emporium (it had dropped the Capwell name by then) was shuttered in the wake of Federated Department Stores' buyout of its parent, Broadway Stores. The vacated store was temporarily used as a Macy's furniture store while it renovated its Union Square flagship in 1997.

In May 1997, Urban Shopping Centers, Inc., a real estate investment trust, acquired a half-interest and management of the center. This was followed by Urban's own buyout by Rodamco North America N.V. (a European property firm primarily invested in the United States) in October 2000 and Rodamco's subsequent sale to a consortium including the Westfield Group in January 2002. Westfield acquired its initial 50% stake in the center at this time and soon bought the rest.

Expansion

In February 2003, Forest City, which had acquired redevelopment rights to the long-vacant Emporium store from Federated, reached an agreement with Westfield to jointly redevelop the two properties. [4]

The newly expanded mixed-use Westfield San Francisco Centre opened on September 28, 2006. [5] Designed by the Kohn Pedersen Fox architectural firm, with Kevin Kennon as the Design Principal, the mall included Bloomingdale's West Coast flagship store, a nine-screen Century Theatres multiplex theater featuring 2 XD screens, a 30,000 square feet (2,800 m2) Bristol Farms gourmet supermarket, and the Downtown Campus for San Francisco State University in its 1.5 million+ ft² of space.

The redevelopment cost $440 million. Only the front facade and landmark dome of the original structure were preserved; the rest of the structure was completely gutted and replaced. [6] Upon completion of the project, Forest City became an equity partner and along with Westfield assumed responsibility for day-to-day management. [7] In March 2009, it was announced that Westfield San Francisco Centre shopping center was named as one of nine finalists vying for the title of “World’s Best Shopping Center” as part of the International Council of Shopping Centers Inc.’s inaugural “Best-of-the-Best” awards. Westfield San Francisco Centre ended up winning the "Best-of-the-Best" award for design and development; it was one of only four shopping centers in the world to win. [8]

In 2011, the San Francisco Police Department considered putting a substation in the mall to prevent rampant shoplifting. [9]

The Bristol Farms store closed on January 27, 2017. [10] In the summer of 2021, a Shake Shack opened in the former Bristol Farms space. [11] [12]

Decline

In June 2023, Westfield and Brookfield announced that, due to plunging post-pandemic sales, occupancy and foot traffic at the mall, they would stop making loan payments and cede the property to their lenders. [13] [14] The Century Theatres multiplex closed on June 15, 2023. [15] In July 2023, the Westfield branding was removed from the mall, which was renamed San Francisco Centre. [16] Nordstrom closed on August 27, 2023, [17] leaving Bloomingdale's as the only anchor store, at which point the mall's occupancy level had fallen to 55%. [18] [19] Mayor London Breed suggested that the mall could be redeveloped for another use, such as a soccer stadium, [20] while others suggested it be used as food halls, pickleball courts, and animal shelters. [21]

In September 2023, the owners of the American Eagle store filed a lawsuit claiming mall management had failed to "maintain the Common Areas at the mall which has poisoned public opinion" about safety. [22]

In October 2023, Gregg Williams, the principal receiver of Trident Pacific [23] (a receivership firm), was appointed by a judge to take possession, custody, and control of the mall. [24]

On November 30, 2023, the LEGO Store closed permanently. [25] The 2-story Adidas store closed permanently on January 13, 2024. [26] The Hollister store closed permanently on January 8, 2024. [27] Aldo closed permanently on January 21, 2024. [28] Madewell and sister chain J. Crew both closed permanently on January 22, 2024. [29] The mall's Lucky Brand store closed on January 29, 2024. By that point, the mall's occupancy level was only 25%, [30] and its valuation had plunged 75% from its 2016 level of $1.2 billion to only $290 million. [31]

On February 29, 2024, San Francisco Centre was renamed Emporium Centre San Francisco. [32] Accompanying it was a brand-new logo and look created by an Atlanta-based, women-run agency called House of Current.

In March 2024, it was announced that L'Occitane had closed and that Sephora would close too, as a result of decline. [33]

Layout

The shopping center is nine stories tall and is integrated into nearby buildings anchored by Bloomingdale's, with one vacant anchor previously occupied by Nordstrom, which closed in late August 2023. [34] The basement level is directly connected to two entrances for Powell Street station, which is served by Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and Muni Metro trains. The mall's owners paid $750,000 annually to BART to maintain access to the station. [35]

Anchors and major tenants

Former anchors and major tenants

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Coast Plaza</span> Shopping mall in Costa Mesa, California, United States

South Coast Plaza is a regional shopping mall in Costa Mesa, California. The largest shopping center on the West Coast of the United States, its pre-COVID sales of over $1.5 billion annually were the highest in the United States. Its 275 retailers represent the highest concentration of design fashion retail in the U.S., with the second highest sales-volume in California at $800 per square foot ($8,600/m2)—second only to Westfield Valley Fair in San Jose-Santa Clara, at $809 per square foot ($8,710/m2). The national average is $411 per square foot ($4,420/m2). The mall is anchored by three Macy's stores, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's, and Saks Fifth Avenue. South Coast Plaza is the largest shopping mall in California and the 4th largest in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanford Shopping Center</span> Shopping mall in Palo Alto, California, U.S.

Stanford Shopping Center is an upscale open air shopping mall located on Route 82 at Sand Hill Road in Palo Alto, California. It is on the campus of Stanford University although the university only owns the land and not the actual buildings or stores. Also, unlike the main academic campus, the shopping center and the neighboring Stanford University Medical Center are part of the city of Palo Alto, not the census-designated place (CDP) of Stanford, California. The shopping center buildings are 94.4% owned by Simon Property Group, which manages the property and leases the land from the university.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bloomingdale's</span> American luxury department store chain owned by Macys Inc

Bloomingdale's Inc. is an American luxury department store chain founded in 1861 by Benjamin and Lyman Bloomingdale. It was acquired by Federated Department Stores in 1930, which acquired the Macy’s department store chain in 1994, when they became sister brands. Ultimately, Federated itself was renamed Macy’s, Inc. in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Square, San Francisco</span> Neighborhood of San Francisco in California, United States

Union Square is a 2.6-acre (1.1-hectare) public plaza bordered by Geary, Powell, Post, and Stockton Streets in downtown San Francisco, California. "Union Square" also refers to the central shopping, hotel, and theater district that surrounds the plaza for several blocks. The area got its name because it was once used for Thomas Starr King rallies and support for the Union Army during the American Civil War, earning its designation as a California Historical Landmark. Despite its declining profile, Union Square in San Francisco is still a major retail hub for the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metreon</span> Shopping mall

The Metreon is a shopping center located in downtown San Francisco, California, United States at the corner of 4th Street and Mission Street. It is a four-story 350,000 sq ft (33,000 m2) building built over the corner of the underground Moscone Center convention center. Metreon opened on June 16, 1999, as the first of a proposed chain of Sony "urban entertainment centers", aggregating dining, games, music, exhibitions, shopping, and movies. Sony intended the ambitious US$85 million project to be a theme park and gallery for Sony products, and to reinforce a sophisticated image for the Sony brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hilltop Horizon</span> Shopping mall in Richmond, California

The Shops at Hilltop, formerly known as Hilltop Mall, was a regional shopping center in the Hilltop neighborhood of Richmond, California. Hilltop was managed and co-owned by Prologis, Inc. The only anchor store left is Walmart. There are 3 vacant anchor stores that were once Macy's, JCPenney and Sears.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westfield Valley Fair</span> Shopping mall in California, USA

Westfield Valley Fair, commonly known as Valley Fair, is a prominent shopping mall in San Jose, California. Valley Fair is the largest mall, by area, in Northern California and has higher sales revenue than all other malls in California, including the two in Southern California which have larger area than Valley Fair. Valley Fair is the thirteenth largest shopping mall in the United States. It is located on Stevens Creek Boulevard in West San Jose. The mall features Macy's, Macy's Men's and Home Store, Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Emporium (San Francisco)</span>

The Emporium, from 1980 to 1995 Emporium-Capwell, was a mid-line department store chain headquartered in San Francisco, California, which operated for 100 years—from 1896 to 1996. The flagship location on San Francisco's Market Street was a destination shopping location for decades, and several branch stores operated in the various suburbs of the Bay Area. The Emporium and its sister department store chains were acquired by Federated Department Stores in 1995, and many converted to Macy's locations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hillsdale Shopping Center</span> Shopping mall in California, United States

Hillsdale Shopping Center, or simply Hillsdale, is a shopping mall in San Mateo, California, United States, currently anchored by Macy's and Nordstrom. Featuring over 130 stores and restaurants, it is at the intersection of Hillsdale Boulevard and El Camino Real or CA-82, adjacent to the Hillsdale Caltrain Station and the former site of Bay Meadows Racetrack. It is owned by Bohannon Development Co.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MainPlace Mall</span> Shopping mall in California, United States

MainPlace Mall is a major enclosed shopping mall at the north edge of Santa Ana, California, adjacent to the City of Orange and the Orange Crush interchange of the Santa Ana, Garden Grove and Orange freeways. The anchor stores are JCPenney, 24 Hour Fitness, Ashley HomeStore, Round 1 Entertainment, DXL Mens Apparel, and Macy's. There is 1 vacant anchor store that was once Nordstrom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horton Plaza (shopping mall)</span> Shopping mall in San Diego, California

Horton Plaza was a five-level outdoor shopping mall in downtown San Diego. It was designed by Jon Jerde and was known for its bright colors, architectural tricks, and odd spatial rhythms, occupying 6.5 city blocks adjacent to the city's historic Gaslamp Quarter. Opening in 1985, it was the first successful downtown retail center since the rise of suburban shopping centers decades earlier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westfield Old Orchard</span> Shopping mall in Illinois, United States

Westfield Old Orchard, formerly Old Orchard Shopping Center, is a shopping center in the Chicago metropolitan area. It is located in Skokie, Illinois. The shopping center features the traditional retailers Macy's and Nordstrom, in addition to a CMX luxury cinema. The mall features prominent specialty retailers such as Vineyard Vines, Madewell, Anthropologie, Fabletics, Kendra Scott, Tory Burch, and Warby Parker.

The Shops at Santa Anita is a super-regional shopping mall located in Arcadia, California, adjacent to the Santa Anita Race Track, formerly known as Santa Anita Fashion Park and Westfield Santa Anita.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westfield Century City</span> Shopping mall in California, U.S.

Westfield Century City is a two-level, 1,300,000-square-foot (120,000 m2) outdoor shopping mall in the Century City commercial district in Los Angeles, California. A property of the Westfield Corporation, the mall features Nordstrom, Macy's, Bloomingdale's, in addition to a Gelson's supermarket, and a 15-screen AMC multiplex. The mall features prominent specialty retailers such as Good American, Oak + Fort, AllSaints, Madewell, CAMP, Kendra Scott, Sandro, Reiss, Under Armour, and Buck Mason.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westfield Plaza Bonita</span> Shopping mall in National City, California

Westfield Plaza Bonita commonly known as Plaza Bonita and Plaza is a shopping mall located in National City, California, and is owned by Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield. Anchor stores at the center include Macy's, JCPenney, Crunch Fitness, Target, Nordstrom Rack and one vacant space once occupied by John’s Incredible Pizza.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mission Valley (shopping mall)</span> Shopping mall in San Diego, California

Mission Valley is a retail complex consisting of a traditional open-air shopping mall owned by Real Capital Solutions, and a power center owned by Sunbelt Investment Holdings Inc., in Mission Valley, San Diego. The Mission Valley East was managed by the Dallas-based Centennial. Anchor stores include Macy's Home Furniture, Michaels, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Nordstrom Rack. There is 1 vacant anchor store that was once Macy's. The power center across Mission Center Road known as Mission Valley West is anchored by big box retailers like DSW Shoes, West Elm, Old Navy, Trader Joe's and Marshalls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westfield Montgomery</span> Shopping mall in Bethesda, Maryland

Westfield Montgomery is a shopping mall in Bethesda, Maryland. Major tenants include Macy's, Macy's Home, and Nordstrom, as well as specialty brands like Fabletics, Madewell, Vineyard Vines, and Untuckit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stonestown Galleria</span> Shopping mall in San Francisco, California

Stonestown Galleria is a shopping mall in San Francisco, California, United States. It is located immediately north of San Francisco State University and near the former campus of Mercy High School which closed in 2020 and Lowell High School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fashion Valley (shopping mall)</span> Shopping mall in California, United States

Fashion Valley is an upscale, open-air shopping mall in Mission Valley in San Diego, California. The shopping center has 1,720,533 sq ft (159,842.7 m2) of leasable floor area, making it the largest mall in San Diego and one of the largest in California. It is managed by the 50% owner Simon Property Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broadway Plaza (Walnut Creek)</span> Shopping mall in California, United States

Broadway Plaza is an outdoor shopping mall located in downtown Walnut Creek. The shopping center opened on October 11, 1951 and is owned and operated by Macerich. The mall is anchored by Nordstrom and Macy's, and features nearly 80 stores including Crate & Barrel, flagship H&M and ZARA stores, a standalone Apple store with an adjoining outdoor plaza, an Industrious co-working space, a planned Pinstripes entertainment center and restaurant, and a planned Life Time Fitness sports club.

References

Notes

  1. "Shaping Communities Nationwide | WSP".
  2. http://www.jcdecauxna.com/sites/default/files/assets/mall/documents/property/1101_sanfran.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  3. Sachner, Paul M. "Two on the Town: Heritage on the Garden, in Boston, and San Francisco Centre, in San Francisco", Architectural Record, vol. 177, no. 6, May 1989: 122–127.
  4. "Forest City, Westfield to develop San Francisco retail venue". February 7, 2003.
  5. Dorning, Amy Weaver (November/December 2006) "Department Store: 110-Year-Old Glamour" Archived October 20, 2007, at archive.today American Heritage Magazine
  6. Susan Saperstein. "Emporium Dome Celebrates 100" . Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 23, 2009. Retrieved March 17, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. "ICSC announces Best-of-the-Best Award winners". May 18, 2009. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  9. Aldax, Mike (February 22, 2011). "Mall shoplifting pinches police". San Francisco Examiner . p. 5.
  10. Duggan, Tara (January 11, 2017). "Bristol Farms to close lone SF store Jan. 27". Sfgate.
  11. Wells, Madeline (June 21, 2021). "Shake Shack in San Francisco's Westfield mall opens Monday". SFGATE. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  12. Guerrero, Susana (February 21, 2022). "This SF mall became a foodie paradise. Could it lead by example?". SFGATE. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  13. Li, Roland (June 12, 2023). "Westfield giving up S.F. mall in wake of Nordstrom closure, plunging sales and foot traffic". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  14. Horowitch, Rose (June 12, 2023). "Westfield mall firm gives up San Francisco center as Nordstrom closes". The Guardian. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  15. "Westfield Mall's Century Theater Closing Permanently on Thursday". June 14, 2023. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  16. McLean, Tessa. "Westfield pulls logos from downtown SF mall". Sfgate.
  17. "'A sad day': Nordstrom officially closes San Francisco flagship store". August 29, 2023.
  18. Gaus, Annie; Truong, Kevin (May 3, 2023). "Nordstrom's Exit From San Francisco Calls Downtown Mall's Future Into Question". The San Francisco Standard. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  19. "Nordstrom closes its San Francisco store after 35 years". CNN. August 28, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  20. Council, Stephen (June 22, 2023). "London Breed suggests tearing down SF's Westfield Mall, replacing with soccer stadium". SFGate. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  21. McLean, Tessa (May 18, 2023). "Pickleball? A dog shelter? What is the future of Westfield San Francisco Centre?". SFGate. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  22. Baker, Alex (September 12, 2023). "Westfield mall operators sued by American Eagle over 'rampant criminal activity'". KRON4. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  23. "Who We Are - Trident Pacific Real Estate Group". tridentpacificreg.com. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  24. Li, Roland (October 10, 2023). "S.F.'s Westfield mall has new management. Here's who it is". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  25. Flores, Jessica (December 3, 2023). "Lego latest retailer to leave troubled San Francisco Centre". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  26. "Adidas store at San Francisco Centre set to close". KRON4. January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  27. Vaziri, Aidin (January 8, 2024). "Hollister closes at San Francisco Centre". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  28. Li, Roland (January 16, 2024). "S.F.'s biggest mall will lose another shoe store next week". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  29. Li, Roland (January 18, 2024). "S.F.'s biggest mall loses another store, its fifth closure this month". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  30. "San Francisco mall loses fifth store this month, occupancy dips to 25%". January 19, 2024.
  31. "Value of Westfield San Francisco Mall Cut by $1B". January 12, 2024.
  32. D’Onfro, Jillian (February 29, 2024). "Beleaguered downtown SF mall gets new name, plan for future". SFGATE. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  33. McLean, Tessa. "Two more stores shutter in downtown San Francisco mall". Sfgate.
  34. Narayan, Shwanika (December 5, 2019). "Malls are yielding to office space. SF's Westfield is the latest example". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  35. Cano, Ricardo (June 14, 2023). "Westfiel's S.F. mall benefits from a rare arrangement with BART. Here's how much it costs the mall". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  36. "San Francisco State University Downtown Campus: Facilities & Services". cob.sfsu.edu. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  37. Berlin, Kyran. "SF State evaluates new locations for Downtown Campus". Golden Gate Xpress. Retrieved December 21, 2023.

Sources