Shopping centers in Santa Fe Springs, California

Santa Fe Springs, California has been home to two regional malls and one open-air shopping center, anchored by department stores. Today, all three operate as conventional open-air shopping centers.

Santa Fe Springs Mall / Gateway Plaza

Gateway Plaza

Santa Fe Springs Mall
Location	Telegraph Road & Carmenita Road Santa Fe Springs, California
Coordinates	33°56′24″N118°02′55″W / 33.9400198°N 118.0486143°W / 33.9400198; -118.0486143
Opening date	1985
Total retail floor area	540,000-square-foot (50,000 m2)
No. of floors	1

Santa Fe Springs Mall was a 540,000-square-foot (50,000 m²) regional mall built in 1985, which included a Sears (relocated to Whittwood Mall in 1996) and an 8-screen Mann multicinema. ^{[1] [2]} It is now the site of the Gateway Plaza power center, anchored by Target, Ross Dress for Less (formerly OfficeMax and Marshalls), El Super, and Walmart. The shopping center is located at the intersection of Telegraph Road and Carmenita Road.

Whittier Downs / Santa Fe Springs Marketplace

Santa Fe Springs Marketplace

Whittier Downs Shopping Center
Location	Washington Boulevard & Norwalk Boulevard Santa Fe Springs, California
Coordinates	33°58′23″N118°04′23″W / 33.9729628°N 118.0731365°W / 33.9729628; -118.0731365
Opening date	1955
Closing date	1980s (as Whittier Downs)
Total retail floor area	200,000-square-foot (19,000 m2)
No. of floors	1

Whittier Downs Shopping Center was a 200,000-square-foot (19,000 m²) shopping center that served the community of West Whittier-Los Nietos, California from the 1950s through the 1980s, anchored by JCPenney. The center is at Washington and Norwalk boulevards and within the city limits of Santa Fe Springs, despite the shopping center's name associated with the adjacent city. Pereira & Luckman were the architects. ^[3]

The center opened in 1955 with parking for 740 cars. Unusually, shops faced both a pedestrian mall as well as the parking lot. ^{[4] [5] [6]}

In the late 1980s, the mall was demolished and the site was redeveloped into the Santa Fe Springs Marketplace, a neighborhood center anchored by a Food 4 Less & Farm Fresh supermarket and large Rite Aid pharmacy (formerly Thrifty Drugs). ^[7]

Santa Fe Springs Shopping Center / Promenade

Santa Fe Springs Promenade

Santa Fe Springs Shopping Center
Location	Telegraph Road & Orr and Day Road Santa Fe Springs, California
Coordinates	33°56′54″N118°05′22″W / 33.948268°N 118.089395°W / 33.948268; -118.089395
Opening date	1954
Total retail floor area	112,000-square-foot (10,400 m2)
No. of floors	2

The former Santa Fe Springs Shopping Center, opened in 1954 with W. T. Grant, Market Basket, and David's Department Store, ^[8] is now the Santa Fe Springs Promenade, a neighborhood shopping center with 112,000 square feet (10,400 m²) anchored by Dollar Tree (formerly 99 Cents Only Stores). ^{[9] [10]} The dedication of a 40-foot-tall sign spelling out "Santa Fe Springs" at the center in 1956 was celebrated with a three-day city festival. ^[11]

References

1. "Long Beach Naval Hospital, Disposal and Reuse Environmental Impact Statement", 1995
2. "SOUTHEAST ARea's TOP 10 SHOPPING CENTERS : 5-Year-Old Catch-22 Hurts Santa Fe Springs Stores". Los Angeles Times . December 27, 1990.
3. University of California, Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection, Whittier Downs Shopping Center, Santa Fe Springs
4. "Whittier Area Center Slated". Los Angeles Times. January 24, 1954.
5. "In New Project". The Los Angeles Times. October 31, 1954. p. 123.
6. "Project furthered". The Los Angeles Times. January 2, 1955. p. 132.
7. "Springs agency OKs move to join redevelopment land". East Review (Whittier, California). November 17, 1988.
8. "Advertisement for Santa Fe Springs Shopping Center". Los Angeles Times. August 12, 1956.
9. Hannah Madans, "Santa Fe Springs Shopping Center Sells for $32 Million", Los Angeles Business Journal, February, 2020
10. Molina, Sandra (April 16, 2016). "Santa Fe Springs Promenade looks to expand with more stores, supermarket". Whittier Daily News.
11. "Three-Day Fete at Springs to Open Thursday". Los Angeles Times. July 8, 1956.