Vallco Shopping Mall facts for kids
Interior view of Vallco Shopping Mall, then called Cupertino Square. This section of the mall was demolished in late 2019.
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| Location | Cupertino, California, United States |
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| Coordinates | 37°19′35″N 122°00′52″W / 37.3263°N 122.0144°W |
| Address | 10123 N Wolfe Road |
| Opening date | September 1, 1976 |
| Developer | Vallco Fashion Park Venture (Phillip Lyon, Gordon & Co. and Vallco Park Ltd.) |
| Owner | Sand Hill Property Co. |
| No. of stores and services | 140 (1976) 190 (1988) |
| No. of anchor tenants | 0 |
| Total retail floor area | 1,200,000 sq ft (110,000 m2) Macy's 179,962 sq ft (16,719.0 m2) Sears 257,548 sq ft (23,927.0 m2) J. C. Penney 548,856 sq ft (50,990.4 m2) |
| No. of floors | 2 (formerly 3 in AMC Theatres) |
Vallco Shopping Mall was once a popular shopping center in Cupertino, California. It was also known as Cupertino Square and Vallco Fashion Park. This mall used to have three levels and was home to big department stores like Macy's, Sears, and J.C. Penney.
As of 2020, the mall is mostly empty. Only a few businesses remain, such as the Cupertino Ice Center, Bowlmor Lanes, and Benihana restaurant. An adult school also uses part of the building. The mall is currently being torn down. In its place, new buildings will be constructed for offices, homes, and shops.
A plan to rebuild Vallco with a large green roof park was not approved by voters in 2016. Citizens were worried about more traffic and the impact on schools. Later, a new plan was approved in 2018. This plan includes over 2,400 apartments, office space, and retail areas. Half of the new apartments will be affordable homes. This will greatly increase the number of affordable homes in Cupertino.
Contents
Major Stores and Fun Activities
Vallco Mall used to have several large department stores. These were called anchor stores because they attracted many shoppers.
- Macy's (closed March 15, 2015)
- Sears (closed October 4, 2015)
- J. C. Penney (closed April 8, 2016)
AMC Theatres also left the mall on March 22, 2018. Today, the main attractions are Bowlmor Lanes for bowling and the Cupertino Ice Center for skating. The Benihana restaurant is still open in its original spot. The Fremont Union High School District runs an adult school in the mall's old food court area. All these businesses have their own entrances from outside. The inside hallways of the mall have been closed since late 2018.
Vallco also used to host a farmers' market. It was held in the parking lot behind the J. C. Penney store. The market moved to Creekside Park in December 2016.
History of Vallco Mall
How the Mall Started
In the early 1970s, leaders in Cupertino decided the city needed a large shopping center. After much discussion, they chose the Vallco group's plan. Vallco Fashion Park officially opened its doors on September 1, 1976.
In its early years, the mall had special parks along its main walkway. These parks showed parts of local history, like apricots and Klystron tubes. Vallco quickly became one of the biggest shopping centers in Silicon Valley. People from all over the area came to shop there.
One popular feature was the ice skating rink. The Ice Capades Chalet was open for almost ten years. In 1986, there were talks about closing it to build movie theaters. But the Cupertino city council decided to keep the rink open after many people protested. At that time, it was one of only two year-round skating rinks nearby. Vallco was also the first place to sell San Jose Sharks merchandise. This was before the SAP Center was built.
Mall Changes and Decline
Starting in 1986, other malls like Stanford Shopping Center and Valley Fair became more popular. This caused problems for Vallco. Fewer people visited, and stores began to leave. In July 1988, a big expansion was announced. This added a lower level and 50 new stores, bringing the total to 190. The expansion was finished in August 1988. In 1990, a fun center called Tilt Family Entertainment Center opened on the lower level.
However, the number of stores staying open began to drop in the 1990s. The mall continued to empty out. One reason was that the stores didn't match the wealthy people living nearby.
Early 2000s Changes
New owners bought Vallco in 2005 and started to fix up the empty mall. By 2006, Vallco had the lowest number of occupied stores in the area. In 2005, they closed the first level of the mall, except for a few places like the Ice Center and a restaurant. The focus then shifted to the second floor.
In 2007, Vallco Fashion Park changed its name to Cupertino Square. Later that year, parts of the mall were sold. On May 4, 2007, a new 16-screen AMC movie theater opened. This was a big event, especially for students from nearby Cupertino High School. During construction, strong winds once knocked over a crane onto the mall. This caused a large hole in the roof and water damage.
Renovations continued, and by 2009, new parking garages, the movie theater, a food court, and a bowling alley (now Bowlmor Lanes) were added. Future plans for hotels and a beer hall were stopped when the owners faced financial problems in 2008. In 2009, a new company bought Cupertino Square and changed its name back to Vallco Shopping Mall.
Current Ownership and Demolition
In 2014, Sand Hill Property Co. bought the entire mall, including the large anchor stores. This was the first time the whole mall was owned by one company. Soon after, in 2015, J. C. Penney, Macy's, and Sears all announced they would close their Vallco stores. This left the mall without any major anchor stores.
In 2015, Sand Hill announced a plan to tear down the mall. They wanted to build a new development called The Hills at Vallco. It would have shops, offices, and homes. It was also planned to have the world's largest green roof park on top. But in November 2016, voters rejected this plan. Sand Hill then said they would stop investing in the mall. They closed off empty areas for safety.
In March 2018, Sand Hill proposed a new plan. It included more homes and a rooftop park. This plan was approved by the city. It used a new state law to help build more housing.
On December 1, 2018, Dynasty Seafood Restaurant closed. Bay Club also closed in July 2019. This left most of the mall empty.
Demolition Begins
Demolition of the mall began on October 11, 2018, starting with a parking garage. In August 2019, more of the mall and another parking garage were torn down. On March 27, 2020, Sand Hill announced that the bridge over Wolfe Road would be demolished. This work was completed on April 8, 2020. The reduced traffic during the COVID-19 pandemic meant the demolition caused minimal disruption.
