Location | San Francisco, California, United States |
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Opening date | 1952 |
Developer | Stoneson Development Corporation |
Management | General Growth Properties |
Owner | General Growth Properties |
No. of stores and services | 130 [1] |
No. of anchor tenants | 3 |
Total retail floor area | 862,000 sq ft (80,100 m2) |
Parking | 3700 spaces |
No. of floors | 2 |
Website | Official Website |
Stonestown Galleria is a 862,000-square-foot (80,100 m2) shopping mall in San Francisco, California, anchored by Nordstrom, Macy's, and Ode Books, formerly Borders Books & Music. The original Stonestown Mall was developed by Stoneson Development Corporation, but the complex is now owned and managed by General Growth Properties, and is located immediately north of San Francisco State University.
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History
Early years
Stonestown Galleria, originally Stonestown Shopping Center, was built in 1952 by the Stoneson brothers. It was built in the Lakeside neighborhood, bordering Lake Merced, along with apartments that could house 3,000–3,500 people.[2] The major tenant, the Emporium department store, opened on July 16, 1952. Other early businesses included Walgreens, Butler Brothers, Gallenkamp Shoes, the Red Chimney restaurant and Woolworth's. There were stores for local residents, including a grocery store, a bakery, and movie theaters.
The Stoneson brothers' development firm was also responsible for the later Stoneridge Shopping Center (located in east suburban Pleasanton) and Lakeside Village.
Redevelopment and recent changes
The Stoneston brothers aged and the mall was sold to a pension fund. Stonestown went through a renovation and major redevelopment in 1987, spearheaded by architect John Field. Field's plan added one story of stores, including a food court, a glass ceiling and marble floors, plus 350 new underground parking spaces.[3] These changes led to the Stonestown Shopping Center being renamed Stonestown Galleria. The Emporium anchor store was converted to Macy's in 1996 when Macy's bought The Emporium.
In December 2003, Heitman Financial, the manager, abandoned efforts to construct nearly 300 new residential units and a grocery store on a parcel next to the mall's 42-acre (170,000 m2) site. Neighborhood groups complained that the project would worsen traffic congestion in the area and create safety and environmental problems. In 2004, General Growth Properties bought the mall from Pacific Acquisition Corp. for $312 million.[4] Today, Stonestown's 160 in-line shops are fully occupied and generate sales of about $460 per square foot.
Celebrity appearance
On November 10, 2008, the Twilight star Robert Pattinson made a scheduled appearance to sign autographs and attend a brief Q&A session at the Hot Topic store. After an alarmingly high number of fans flooded the mall (an estimated 3,000 instead of the expected 500, some who had flown from as far as Hawaii and Arizona), around four o'clock in the morning, causing many injuries and a confirmed broken nose as well as stolen belongings. The S.F. Police cancelled the event, due to the general unsafety of the event's setup, and they notified the fans the actor was not going to come. Robert Pattison decided to show despite warnings and signed autographs for the first 500 customers as promised, electing not to engage in a Q&A session.
Layout and design
Stonestown has two stories and 160 stores. The anchors are two stories, but most in-line stores are one story. The hallways form a plus shape, with Macy's on the west side, and Nordstrom, Trader Joe's and Ode Books, formerly Borders Books and Music, on the east side. There are four wings, two on level one and two on level two. A food court is on the second story.[5] There are some skylights in the mall. Marble columns adorn the center court. As mentioned earlier, a demolition/rebuilding project in the late 1980s added many of the architectural features seen today.[6]
Anchors and Majors
See also
References
- ^ GGP website information Retrieved May 9, 2007
- ^ Western Neighborhoods Project Retrieved May 16, 2007
- ^ Real Estate Alert Article Retrieved June 2, 2007
- ^ International Council of Shopping Centers Retrieved May 9, 2007
- ^ Directory Retrieved June 2, 2007
- ^ Big Mall Rat Guide Retrieved June 2, 2007
External links
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