Great Mall of the Bay Area facts for kids
The sign that directs shoppers outside the mall
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| Location | Milpitas, California, United States |
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| Opening date | September 22, 1994 |
| Developer | Ford Motor Land Development and Petrie Dierman Kughn |
| Management | Simon Property Group |
| Owner | Simon Property Group |
| No. of stores and services | 179 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 11 |
| Total retail floor area | 1,366,123 square feet (126,917.0 m2) |
| No. of floors | 1 |
| Public transit access |  Great Mall/Main station Milpitas station |
The Great Mall of the Bay Area, often called The Great Mall, is a huge indoor shopping mall in Milpitas, California. It was built in 1994 by Ford Motor Land Development and Petrie Dierman Kughn.
This large mall was bought by Mills Corporation in 2003. Later, in April 2007, the Simon Property Group became its owner. The Great Mall has about 1.4 million square feet of space for stores.
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History of the Great Mall
The Great Mall wasn't always a shopping center. It used to be a big car factory! This factory was the Ford San Jose Assembly Plant, built in 1955.
Many famous cars were made here. These included Ford Mustangs, Fairlanes, and F-Series pickup trucks. Other cars like Torinos, Pintos, and Escorts were also assembled. Even cars from other brands like Edsel Rangers and Mercury Cougars were built at this plant.
The car factory closed in 1983. This happened partly because of more competition from car makers in Japan. In the early 1990s, developers changed the old factory into a mall. Today, a special oak tree stands in the parking lot. It has a plaque that tells the story of the Great Mall's history.
The Great Mall of the Bay Area first opened its doors on September 22, 1994. It was a joint project between Ford Motor Land Development and Petrie Dierman Kughn. In 2016, plans were announced to update the mall with renovations.
Where to Find the Great Mall
The Great Mall of the Bay Area is located in a busy spot. It sits where Great Mall Parkway meets Montague Expressway. Great Mall Parkway changes its name to Capitol Avenue after crossing Montague Expressway.
Right next to the mall, to the north, are the Parc Metropolitan apartments. There are also a few hotels near the mall's south entrance. This makes it easy for visitors to stay close by.
Exploring the Mall's Layout
The Great Mall is different from many other malls. It's a "flat" mall, meaning it has only one floor. This makes it the second largest mall in Northern California by land size. The mall is designed this way because it was once a car assembly plant. It wasn't originally built to be a shopping center.
You can find many big retailers inside the mall. Some of these include Off 5th Saks Fifth Avenue, Marshalls, and Dave & Buster's. There's also a Sears Appliance Outlet and a new Last Call by Neiman Marcus Clearance Center.
The mall used to have a Vans Skatepark, which closed in 2004. A Kohl's store took its place. For entertainment, the mall has a Century Theatres movie theater with 20 screens.
The Great Mall of the Bay Area was once the biggest mall in Northern California based on its size. Now, other malls are larger. However, it is still the biggest outlet mall in Northern California. Not all of its stores are outlets, though. The Great Mall also has a large food court, which you can enter through Entrance 4.
Getting to the Mall by Public Transit
The Great Mall of the Bay Area is easy to reach using public transportation. It is very close to the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority's Great Mall/Main station. Many VTA bus routes stop at this transit center. An AC Transit bus route also stops there.
The light rail station is built above the ground in the middle of Great Mall Parkway. Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) also started service to Milpitas station on June 13, 2020. This BART station gives even more ways to get to the Great Mall. It also connects with VTA and AC Transit services.
