Westfield San Francisco Centre

Westfield San Francisco Centre
Location 865 Market St San Francisco, California, 94103 USA
Opening date October 1988
Developer Sheldon Gordon
Management Westfield Group
Owner Westfield Group &
Forest City Enterprises
No. of stores and services 180+[1]
No. of anchor tenants 9
Total retail floor area 1.5 million ft² retail &
250,000 ft² office
No. of floors 9
Public transit access Powell Street Station
Website westfield.com/sanfrancisco
The interior of the mall

Westfield San Francisco Centre is an upscale, urban shopping mall located in San Francisco, California, managed by the Westfield Group and co-owned by Westfield and Forest City Enterprises. It is anchored by Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's, and includes a Century Theatres multiplex, a Bristol Farms gourmet grocery store and a branch of San Francisco State University. It connects directly to the Powell Street transit station via an underground entrance.

History

Originally developed by Sheldon Gordon (co-developer of The Forum Shops at Caesars and Beverly Center) the center opened in October 1991 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) on the top several floors, the first spiral escalators 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. The newly expanded mixed-use Westfield San Francisco Centre that was unveiled September 28, 2006,[2] includes Bloomingdale's West Coast flagship store, a nine-screen Century Theatres multiplex theater featuring 2 XD screens, and a satellite 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. Upon completion of the project, Forest City became an equity partner and along with Westfield assumed responsibility for day-to-day management.[3] 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.

The dome within the shopping center.

In 2011, the San Francisco Police Department considered putting a substation in the mall to prevent rampant shoplifting.[4]

Anchors and major tenants

References

  1. ↑ Westfield
  2. ↑ Amy Weaver Dorning "Department Store: 110-Year-Old Glamour," American Heritage, Nov./Dec. 2006.
  3. ↑ http://www.thedailystylescout.com/2009/03/17/westfield-sf/
  4. ↑ Aldax, Mike (February 22, 2011). "Mall shoplifting pinches police." San Francisco Examiner, p. 5.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Westfield San Francisco Centre.

Coordinates: 37°47′2″N 122°24′26″W / 37.78389°N 122.40722°W / 37.78389; -122.40722

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