History
Originally developed by Sheldon Gordon (co-developer of The Forum Shops at Caesars and Beverly Center) the center 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 connecting through to the adjoining Emporium-Capwell flagship store.
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.
In 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.[citation needed] Unveiled on September 28, 2006,[3] the newly expanded mixed-use Westfield San Francisco Centre (designed by the Kohn Pedersen Fox architectural firm, with Kevin Kennon as the Design Principal) includes 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 (closed January 2017), 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.[4] Upon completion of the project, Forest City became an equity partner and along with Westfield assumed responsibility for day-to-day management.[5] 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.[6]
In 2011, the San Francisco Police Department considered putting a substation in the mall to prevent rampant shoplifting.[7]
In the summer of 2021, a Shake Shack opened in the former Bristol Farms space.[8][9]
On May 2, 2023, it was announced Nordstrom would close by August 27, 2023, which left Bloomingdale's as the only anchor left.[10][11] The following month, Westfield and Brookfield announced that they would stop making loan payments and cede the property to lenders; the mall is expected to remain open during the transfer of control.[12][13] Mayor London Breed suggested that the mall could be redeveloped for another use, such as a soccer stadium,[14] while others have suggested food halls, pickleball courts, and animal shelters.[15]
In September 2023, the owners of the American Eagle store filed a lawsuit claiming mall management has failed to "maintain the Common Areas at the mall which has poisoned public opinion" about safety.[16]
In October 2023, Gregg Williams, the principal receiver of Trident Pacific[17] (a receivership firm), was appointed by a judge to take possession, custody, and control of the mall.[18]
On November 30, 2023, the LEGO Store closed permanently.[19] In January 2024, it was announced that the 2-story Adidas store would be permanently closing by January 13, 2024.[20] Three days later, on January 8, 2024, the Hollister store closed permanently.[21] It was further announced that Aldo would be closing permanently in January 11, 2024.[citation needed] Few days later[when?], another store, Madewell, closed its doors too due to the decline in sales and tourism.
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.[22] 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.[23]
Anchors and major tenants
Former anchors and major tenants
