The Shops at Tanforan
| File:Theshopsattanforansign.jpg | |
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| Location | San Bruno, California, USA |
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| Coordinates | 37°38′11″N 122°25′04″W / 37.636367°N 122.41779°W |
| Address | 1150 El Camino Real |
| Opening date | 1971 |
| Developer | Wattson Breevast LLC (2003) |
| Management | Jones Lang Lasalle |
| Owner | Jones Lang Lasalle |
| Architect | Altoon + Porter Architects LLC (2003) |
| No. of stores and services | 108[1] |
| No. of anchor tenants | 4 |
| Total retail floor area | 973,500 sq ft (90,440 m2)[2] |
| No. of floors | 2 |
| Website | www.theshopsattanforan.com |
The Shops at Tanforan is a redeveloped, regional shopping mall in San Bruno, California. It is located in the Peninsula of the San Francisco Bay Area, 10 miles south of San Francisco. It is served by the adjacent San Bruno Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station, as well as several local SamTrans bus lines and the Brisbane Shuttle.
The mall underwent a 3-year reconstruction, and reopened in 2005. It continues to be anchored by its original major retailers Sears, Target, and JCPenney, as well as a Century Theatres that opened in 2008.[3]
History
The site that The Shops at Tanforan mall is built on has a rich history. Prior to its reincarnation as a shopping center, Tanforan once also served as a racetrack, at various times as an airfield, a military training center, an internment camp, as well as a golf course.
Racetrack
The Tanforan Racetrack was built in 1899. It was named after Toribio Tanforan, the grandson-in-law of Jose Antonio Sanchez, the grantee of Rancho Buri Buri.[citation needed] Horse, dog, motorcycle, and auto races were held year round at the track. One of Tanforan's most famous residents while it was used as a racetrack was Seabiscuit, who was stabled there for a time.[4] Today, a statue of Seabiscuit may be found on the grounds of the Tanforan mall.
The site found other uses after 1909, when the state of California banned all gambling at racetracks.[5]
Airfield
For a time, Tanforan served as an airfield, with the center of the original racetrack used as a runway. On January 18, 1911, aviator Eugene Ely made naval aviation history when he took off from Tanforan and made a successful landing on the USS Pennsylvania anchored in San Francisco Bay.[6] This marked the second successful shipboard aircraft landing.[7] A plaque on the grounds commemorates this event.
Tanforan was temporarily converted into a military training center during World War I.
Tanforan Assembly Center
During World War II, Tanforan was used as a Japanese American internment center. Tanforan was one of 17 "Civilian Assembly Centers", where internees were sent before being relocated to more permanent (and remote) "relocation centers". Horse stalls were used as housing. About 8,000 people were kept at Tanforan during the war.[8] A plaque outside the mall notes this history.
Ironically, a number of soldiers who were once interned at Tanforan are buried at the Golden Gate National Cemetery, which is located on a nearby hill that overlooks the Tanforan site.
After the war, Tanforan returned to its former role as a race track, with a golf course in the center of the track. The track went into decline in the 1950s due to competition from Bay Meadows, then burned down on July 31, 1964.[citation needed]
Shopping mall
In 1971, a new shopping mall was built on the Tanforan site. At the time of opening, it was named the Tanforan Shopping Center, and was the first major shopping center in San Mateo county.
In 1999, the mall was purchased by real estate developer Wattson Breevast LLC, who planned to redevelop it. There were many issues the new owners had to overcome: lawsuit involving BART, getting consent from existing anchors, moving out long-term tenants, existing building materials, and other city issues. It would be four years before the project's operations were ready to begin.
After resolving a string of legal, construction, and administrative issues, renovations finally began in 2003. Most of the existing structure - with the exception of the anchor buildings - was razed and underwent a major reconstruction. Altoon + Porter Architects was hired for the mall's new design, and the $140 million project was completed after 20 months. In 2005, the new mall opened as The Shops at Tanforan.[9]
On April 18, 2008, Century Theatres had its grand opening at this location, with a skybridge between the mall and theater connecting the two structures.
The bottom floor of the garage also serves as a walkway to both the San Bruno Police Department and the BART station. A two-level Barnes & Noble bookstore is located at the center of the El Camino Real entrance.
Old Navy
Tanforan is home to a concept store for Old Navy, which has corporate headquarters about 0.5 mile (800 m) away on Cherry Ave and 15 minutes downtown to Folsom St. in San Francisco. The concept launched in March with a very natural design (sans the typically seen truck) and is designed to be a concept for future Old Navy stores.[citation needed]
References
- ^ "Directory". The Shops at Tanforan. Retrieved 2011-02-10.
- ^ "The Shops at Tanforan". Jones Lang Lasalle. Retrieved 2011-02-10.
- ^ Dan Levy (July 10, 2005). "Tanforan to open with..." San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ Hillenbrand, Laura (2001). Seabiscuit: An American Legend. Random House. pp. 113–115. ISBN 9780375502910.
- ^ Darold Fredricks (May 31, 2010). "The original race track at Tanforan". The Daily Journal (San Mateo County).
- ^ "Eugene Ely's Flight to USS Pennsylvania". Naval History & Heritage Command. Retrieved February 8, 2007.
- ^ "Eugene B. Ely, Aviator". Naval History & Heritage Command. Retrieved February 8, 2007.
- ^ Dinitia Smith (November 6, 2006). "Photographs of an Episode That Lives in Infamy". The New York Times.
- ^ Koch, David (1 September 2005), "TANFORAN TURNAROUND", Retail Traffic Magazine
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
External links
- Official site
- San Bruno's History page, which reveals some of Tanforan's history