Broadway Plaza Shopping Center
Walnut Creek, California - circa 1950s
Vintage postcard depicting the Broadway Plaza Shopping Center (and its very distinctive sign!) in Walnut Creek, California, which is currently anchored by Macy's & Nordstrom's. Other retailers comprising this venerable upscale open-air regional shopping center include: David M. Brian, The Gap, Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, Victoria's Secret and Build-A-Bear Workshop. The above photos are from early on in the Broadway Plaza's retail life.
Mall history: 1951 - present
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Info from Wikipedia
Previous entries: none
Labels: '50s, 1950s, Broadway Plaza, california, Walnut Creek
posted by Keith @ 7/23/2007
12 Comments:
I remember that sign! I think it lasted at least into the 70's. I believe it was erected with the 1951 opening and the small 'Capwells' sign was added when Capwell's opened in 1954.
While still an outdoor center with an unplanned, this-is-how-it-grew-over-the-years feel to it, it's been taken over by chains and has almost no more home-grown stores.
I remember Capwell's (and Gene Compton's cafeteria) now Macy's, I. Magnin and Roos/Atkins (now combined into Macy's Mens), Bullock's (now Nordstrom), Joseph Magnin (now Crate & Barrel), and Penney's (now the unique David M Brian home store)
That Broadway sign is so droolworthy! It is a shame that it is no longer around.
Lovely sign. But why are the current tennants considered upscale, when they're the same chains that are active in any other mall? Plus, those chains I know are not what I would consider upscale.
I love that sign!
It's definitely an upscale shopping center. We go there and look around but can't afford to buy much. Most of the folks you see at Broadway Plaza (who are actually carrying bags and buying things) clearly have money to burn. A large percentage anyway.
If you live there, it's been known in the area for years as a rather hoity-toity mall.
Broadways shopper base is from an affluent region. Lots of disposable income within 10 miles. Plus, Nordstrom. There you go.
The word "upscale" is terribly overused. Everyone wants "upscale" but doesn't want to pay upscale prices. Even the slums wants new developments to be labeled upscale.
With two-thirds of Americans in debt, success is measured by the amount of money you spend.
Scott
If I remember right I think the present day Nordstroms was Liberty House out of Hawaaii. I don't remember Bullocks-anyone else? Katie
Nordstrom was Bullock's, the second store of their unsuccessful Northern California division (after Stanford S.C. in Palo Alto) from 1973 to 1984. Ironcially, both Bullock's and Liberty House would eventually be "Macy-ated" in their Southern California and Hawaii markets respectively.
Liberty House was in Park N Shop in Concord, where Levitz is now.
Scott
And that Liberty House in Concord began as Rhodes.
And before it was Rhodes, it was Khans. Opened in 1957, it was the only branch of Oakland's Khans department store. In 1960, Western Department Stores, the parent company of Rhodes, Khans, and Olds & King changed the name of all their stores to 'Rhodes'. In 1969, Rhodes was sold to Hawaii-based Amfac, who rebranded all their stores 'Liberty House' in the mid 1970's. The Concord store was closed in the early 1980's
Here is a timeline of the Kahn's space at Park N Shop-
1957-Kahn's
1960-Rhodes
1975-Liberty House
1983-Ross Dress for Less
199?-shared by Burlington Coat Factory and Jo Ann's Fabrics
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