An officially released post card for Westfarms: "A regional retail development, is designed to be the most complete marketplace of its kind in New England. Westfarms site spans the boundaries of three outstanding Connecticut communities: West Hartford, Farmington and New Britain."

Ah yes, the 1970's. This comes to us from a time inconceivable to today's generations. A time when malls were a thing of destination, boasted on laminate post cards as vacation-like attractions with unbound amenities like air conditioning, imported terrazzo and marble floors, full-service boutique and specialty stores, gardens and water displays.

This is one three known post cards sold to promote Westfarms mall.

This very rare vantage point features the Hartford-based Sage-Allen anchor, which was one of three department stores at Westfarms upon its opening in September 1974. While no year is disclosed on this card, we can imagine this was within the tender years of Westfarms mall's opening -- one of the most unbelievable interior shopping centers of its time.

We can immediately identify the staples of yesteryear shopping mall charm: a bevy of plants, odd sculpture art and, of course, a grandiose fountain to garnish the luxury. We also see some Taubman-design mainstays as well: sharp, modern and meticulously clean geometry at floor and ceiling level, done with absolute, uncompromised elegance and simplicity the Taubman company was pre-eminent for.

We've covered those illuminated twin-towers before; just one of a dozen or so throughout the mall, designed by the now late Wen-Ying Tsai. These were the only feature to be removed fairly early on, not surprisingly as guests likely tampered with them quite a bit. These lighted towers were mildly interactive, reactive to sound via hanging microphones strewn about the mall. Guests would light the towers based on sounds emitted. Tsai's pillars of this community would go nearly forgotten today as they are somewhat obscured in the mall's history but also not listed on his own chronicle of works.

Unlike our other two post cards, we see an array of bygone sights and storefronts not seen before: the once empirical men's dress shoe chain Florsheim still exists in name today though their generous acreage here at Westfarms is long gone.

Nut House, a shop entirely dedicated to exotic array of nuts and nearby CB Perkins Tobacco, both genuinely 1970's-era chains that would have no business in a mall setting today. Perkins, which was owned by the Stop & Shop Companies (which was also under the same umbrella for Bradlees) could also be enjoyed inside the mall at this time.

On the lower level, we have what looks to be an integrated, open-air cafe. To the right of Sage-Allen is Fields Hosiery, a tame destination for ladies' intimates (unless you count that orange shag carpet!) and Natural Cosmetics, one of the most believably timeless looking shops represented.

We cannot forget that memorable glossy, piano black Information tower, a kiosk dedicated to stroller rentals and general mall information. Yes, it still exists in some form today. These beacon-like Information towers were yet another Taubman mall feature, which was finally retired in 2001..

Of course, the main feature here is Sage-Allen, whose two-level Westfarms presence was rarely caught in photos and also a formidable, long-time rival to G. Fox who also anchored the mall at opening. Interestingly, the exterior entrance to Sage-Allen is now macy*s Men's Store, whose done absolutely nothing to the funky accordion-style, retrograde exterior facade facing New Britain Ave.

You can almost smell the roasted walnuts, wildlife and cavendish from here...

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Published by NATCO, Natural Color Cards Co.

Tags:   westfarms mall retail 1970s retro shopping

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An officially released postcard for Westfarms "A regional retail development, is designed to be the most complete marketplace of its kind in New England. Westfarms site spans the boundaries of three outstanding Connecticut communities: West Hartford, Farmington and New Britain." Scanned and remastered by The Caldor Rainbow.

From a time when malls were plastered on post cards as vacation-like attractions, this is one of a few post cards sold for Westfarms, presumably in the mid-1970s.

Here's another view into the classic concourse of the unmistakably Taubman-designed Westfarms Mall, which is estimated to be taken around its opening in 1974. Almost everything you see here of the classic concourse is now gone: first to go was the unforgettable fountain, stage and Information tower (which can be seen here ever so slightly to the left), were all removed by 2001. The terrazzo tiles, which are still apart of the mall today, were twice removed from the concourse by today. Next, were the seating pits, stairs, ramps and planters, which were the last to go in 2010.

The twin obelisk structures seen here were one of a dozen or so throughout the mall, designed by artist Wen-Ying Tsai. These were the only feature to be removed fairly early on. These lighted towers were mildly interactive and reactive to sounds via hanging microphones strewn about the mall. Guests would light the towers based on sounds emitted. Tsai's pillars of this community would go nearly forgotten today as they are somewhat forogtten but also not listed on his history of works.

"Gift Showcase" and "Worth's", two staples of malls during this time, would become Abercrombie & Fitch. On the far left of the upper level is "Sights & Sounds". "Herman's World of Sporting Goods" (Dick's Sporting Goods-like chain of the 1970s) would keep that spot until its closure in 1993. Herman's also had its own mall entrance which was later converted into a maintenance hallway upon the 1996 expansion.

"Thom McAn" was as ubiquitous as Kinney Shoes and lasted until the 90's right in that spot. As for "Susan Terry", "Brooks" both women's fashion boutique and "Bakers", a shoe store for women, is still around but no longer at Westfarms.

This postcard was estimated to have been taken some short time later than the other one we posted.

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"LYCOMING VALLEY MALL, Halls Station, Pa. is a 668,000 sq. ft. ultra-modern shopping complex containing nearly 100 stores and shops serving Central and Northwest Pa. The colorful, 1/4 mi. long indoor concourse (shown here) is attractively accented with live floral displays, fountains, and rest areas. Photo by Ralph E. Menne

And a bountiful scene it is as we peer into the Lycoming Valley Mall upon its 1978 opening, filled with tonally fruitful muscats and cantaloupe-colored, angular rooflines. The melange of muted, playful seating, overlooking a mildly sunken seating area not alien to malls of this vintage. A especially designed, signature Crown American mall of this time.

Now, we're back in 2018. "Valley" has been retired for a simplified "Lycoming Mall", which is more so apart of Pennsdale and Muncy now. As expected, the liability magnets, er, spectacles like this lush, springing geyser have since been long retired along with all the sunken areas, the last of which was filled in and carpeted over only a few years ago. Similar fate for the inverted marquee lighting arrangements of compulsory 70's interior chic. While today's mall is becoming more endangered and demographically reformatted to keep space filled, the mall garners a good crowd on the weekends and would you know most of these charms are actually still here today, including an original, albeit mostly retired fountain fixture in one of the mall's several numb "orange" wings.

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"The Air-Conditioned Mall
Regency Square Shopping Center
Jacksonville, Florida"

Well, I've seen that look before... to the madam in the avocado skirt, pensive about the intentions of our forgotten man whose giant camera is just admiring fledgling life at Jacksonville's rising-star shopping center, Regency Square.

Once donned as the highest grossing mall in the land is now just another of America's dying indoor malls as it stands in 2018. The main attraction in the mall's original atrium was this strikingly geometric, Star Trekesque centerpiece, whose spaceship-like awning presides over a geyser-propelled fountain, almost as if it feeds this subtly, earthtoned alien-looking inverted maw.

This focal area of the mall was likely done away with in the late 70's or so and is apart of the original mall's single-corridor before its vast expanse to the "West Mall", underway by 1980. To the left was one of the original anchor set, Furchgott's, a local Jacksonville department store.

Make note of these smaller, asymmetric, multi-tiered brick structured planters that accent the ceiling -- would certainly make for a rousing game of hide 'n go seek as well, don't you think?

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Tags:   mall florida vintage post card shopping retail

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HILLTOP MALL, RICHMOND, CALIFORNIA
"This spectacular new shopping center, located in Richmond is seen from the surrounding hills, with Mount Tamalpais in the distance."

Photo by Jon Hanshew.
Smith Novelty Co. 460 Ninth St., San Francisco, CA 94103

Behold the majesty and effervescent, cattle-specked hills, set to the brooding backdrop of Mount Tamalpais around 1976 -- like something out of The Sound of Music, right? This surreal photograph on postcard might as well have been done oil on canvas -- and just may be the most bountiful display of any exterior shopping mall whose harmonious bond with commerce and nature is seamlessly captured.

Hilltop Mall has since seen hard times since its heyday, changing hands from original developers at The Taubman Company to SIMON, saddled with an identity crisis and shifting demographics for Richmond, Hilltop had slowly entered dead mall status as major chains moved elsewhere by the later 2000s.

Macy's moved into San Francisco-based Capwell's upon its 1996 demise, Walmart would later move into half of the long-vacant original Macy's during 2007. Though the name plates and distinguished Golden Gate coloring of Capwell's have changed, the structures remain.

The mall itself has seen few cosmetic upgrades in an otherwise beautifully designed center, complete with a spiral ramp for multi-level access and a circular-thematic design motif throughout today's bruised terrazzo-lined floors. It's current owners at LBG are looking to transform the long stuggling center by 2019.

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