South Shore Center was built upon landfill on Alameda island adjacent to Oakland, CA during 1958. This community shopping center was anchored by JC Penney, Woolworth's, Walgreeens, W. T. Grant, Lucky Stores and Safeway. Mervyn's joined the fold in the 1970s. The first major renovation took place in the 1980s. The awnings were updated, Walgreens remodeled, and Lucky relocated to a new building. The old Lucky became Ross. The next major renovation came during the 2000s. First, JC Penney closed in 2000. By 2002, Trader Joe's opened in a portion of the building. By the mid-2000s, construction was in full swing, and multiple stores closed or were relocated. Beverly's crafts, housed in the former Woolworth's, relocated to remodeled space. Walgreens relocated to an outparcel in the parking lot, on the site of a former Chevron. Meanwhile, a new Safeway was constructed, and Ross relocated to the former Safeway after a thorough remodeling. The old Lucky/Ross was totally gutted to house Bed, Bath and Beyond. Mervyn's closed in 2008. Other buildings were demolished and rebuilt, and the plaza was reconfigured.
JC Penney in 1973:
www.flickr.com/photos/65359853@N00/
This 21,000-square-foot Safeway opened during the second phase of South Shore openings, in November 1958. It was the largest Safeway in the east bay. The facade was redone during the 1980s, and the Safeway relocated to a new building in 2005. Ross moved into the former Safeway space, after a thorough remodel.
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Thrifty Drug opened its second San Mateo County drugstore at 345 B St on October 27, 1955. The first Thrifty of the county was in Redwood City's Woodside Plaza the prior year. Originally built as the Baywood Theater around 1930, the art deco building was heavily renovated for Thrifty-stripping it of much of its ornamentation. The second level was used as Thrifty's warehouse, and still contained remnants of the theater's fresco murals. The third floor was used as a dance studio. Thrifty closed as Rite Aid in 2001, and the dance studio around that time. Then the space sat vacant for 10 years (except for a couple of short-term tenants). In 2011, the space was gutted, and the ground floor was turned into medical offices, while the upper floors were converted to office space.
Terrazzo "Thrifty" sign-once ubiquitous of 1940s-mid 1950s Thrifty's.
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YAY! I finally found one of these... and only 25 cents!
For over a century, Downtown San Jose was the South SF Bay’s premier destination for shopping, dining, and entertainment. The area was home to a variety of department stores, five and dimes, and specialty shops. As in cities across the nation, post World War II suburban expansion spelled trouble for the once bustling downtown. In some instances, businesses followed the consumers. In other cases, the doors would close for good.
Here’s a postcard I had been looking for, for a while. It’s near the corner of First and Santa Clara Streets in the 1960s, with THRIFTY Drugs, J.C. Penney, and ROOS ATKINS. By the early 1970s, both Penney’s and Roos Atkins were gone. I just love that clock on the side of the Roos Atkins building, don’t you?
Tags: vintage postcard San Jose 1960s Roos Atkins Thrifty Drug JC Penney Downtown
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Rolla, MO; roadarch.blog/2024/10/20/day-14-west-of-st-louis/
Tags: former howard johnson restaurant mexican rolla mo missouri midcentury modern building architecture
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Rolla, MO; roadarch.blog/2024/10/20/day-14-west-of-st-louis/
Tags: former howard johnson motel rolla mo missouri midcentury modern building architecture
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