Stonestown Galleria

Stonestown Galleria is a shopping mall located in San Francisco's Lakeside neighborhood on the city's West Side, immediately north of San Francisco State University and near the former Mercy High School campus. The property began in 1952 as Stonestown Shopping Center, a suburban-style retail development created by the Stoneson brothers alongside a large apartment complex intended to house several thousand residents. Its original anchor was The Emporium, which opened on July 16, 1952. Early tenants included Walgreens, Butler Brothers, Gallenkamp Shoes, Woolworth's, a Red Chimney restaurant, grocery and bakery businesses, and movie theaters. The center evolved through several major department-store and architectural changes. Bullock's opened in 1977 and was converted to Nordstrom in 1988. A substantial redevelopment in 1987, led by architect John Field, added a second level of stores, a central food court, glass skylights, marble floors, and additional underground parking. The renovation helped establish the current Galleria identity and introduced the plus-shaped circulation layout, with four principal wings and a central upper-level food court. Marble columns and skylights remain among the property's characteristic design elements. The Emporium became Macy's in 1996 following Federated Department Stores' acquisition of Broadway Stores. Macy's later announced the closure of its Stonestown location in 2017, and the store shut in March 2018. Nordstrom closed in September 2019 after a period of public reporting about its future, leaving Target as one of the mall's principal remaining anchors. The former Macy's space was subsequently demolished and redeveloped for a combination of Regal Cinemas, Whole Foods Market, and Sports Basement. A 12-screen Regal theater opened in May 2021. In 2023, Japanese arcade and entertainment operator Round1 announced plans to occupy the former Nordstrom space; the venue opened in November 2024. Today, the mall's principal large-format tenants include Target, Whole Foods Market, Sports Basement, and Regal Cinemas. Other cited tenants and services include Trader Joe's, Chase, Bank of America, and Shake Shack. The property combines conventional mall retail with grocery, sporting goods, food service, cinema, and family entertainment. Brookfield Properties owns and manages the mall and announced a broader renovation concept in 2021 under the name Stonestown Reimagined. That proposal envisioned a more mixed-use, town-center-style environment rather than a traditional enclosed mall. Earlier redevelopment discussions also included residential construction and a grocery store, but a 2003 proposal for nearly 300 residential units and a grocery store was abandoned after neighborhood opposition concerning traffic, safety, and environmental effects.

Stonestown Galleria originated as Stonestown Shopping Center, which opened in 1952 in San Francisco's Lakeside neighborhood. The development was built by the Stoneson brothers next to Lake Merced and was paired with a substantial apartment complex designed to support a growing residential community. The Emporium became the center's original anchor when it opened on July 16, 1952. The early tenant mix also included Walgreens, Butler Brothers, Gallenkamp Shoes, Woolworth's, the Red Chimney restaurant, a grocery store, a bakery, and movie theaters. This combination gave the property a neighborhood-commercial role as well as a destination-shopping function. The center expanded its entertainment and department-store offering over subsequent decades. A United Artists cinema opened in 1970 in what is now the parking area behind the mall. Bullock's arrived in 1977 and was later converted to Nordstrom in 1988. The most important physical transformation came during a major 1987 redevelopment led by architect John Field. The project added another level of retail space, a food court, a glass ceiling, marble flooring, and approximately 350 underground parking spaces. The redesigned property was renamed Stonestown Galleria. Its plus-shaped interior, four wings, skylights, and marble columns remain defining architectural features. The department-store lineup continued to change. After Federated Department Stores acquired Broadway Stores in 1995, The Emporium was converted to Macy's in 1996. In 2003, manager Heitman Financial abandoned an effort to add nearly 300 residential units and a grocery store on an adjacent parcel. Community groups had objected that the proposal could increase traffic and create safety and environmental problems. In 2004, General Growth Properties acquired the mall from Pacific Acquisition Corp. for a reported $312 million. The property entered another period of transition in the late 2010s. Macy's announced its closure in November 2017, and the store shut in March 2018. Nordstrom's future was also publicly discussed in 2018, although the company at that point had not announced a closure. Nordstrom ultimately closed on September 14, 2019. The former Macy's building was demolished in 2019 and replaced by a new tenant configuration featuring Regal Cinemas, Whole Foods Market, and Sports Basement. A 12-screen Regal theater opened in May 2021, adding a substantial entertainment component to the redeveloped area. Brookfield Properties became the mall's owner and manager and announced a further redevelopment direction in 2021 called Stonestown Reimagined. The concept sought to move the property toward a town-center model, reflecting the broader shift in American retail real estate toward mixed-use environments, experiential tenants, food, services, and more flexible public spaces. In September 2023, Round1 announced plans to occupy the former Nordstrom space. The Japanese arcade and entertainment operator opened there on November 9, 2024. Stonestown Galleria now operates as a major West Side San Francisco shopping destination rather than solely as a department-store mall. Its anchor and large-format tenants include Target, Whole Foods Market, Sports Basement, and Regal Cinemas, while other cited businesses include Trader Joe's, Shake Shack, Chase, and Bank of America. The property is positioned close to San Francisco State University and several schools and residential areas, giving it a customer base that includes local households, students, workers, and visitors. Its continuing redevelopment reflects an effort to preserve the convenience of a regional shopping center while broadening the mix of grocery, dining, recreation, services, and experiential uses.

• 2024

  Round1 opens

  [1]Stonestown Galleriaen.wikipedia.org

  Round1 opens its arcade and entertainment venue in the former Nordstrom space on November 9.

• 2021

  Regal Cinemas opens and Stonestown Reimagined is announced

  [1]Stonestown Galleriaen.wikipedia.org

  A 12-screen Regal theater opens in May, and Brookfield Properties announces a broader town-center redevelopment vision for the property.

• 2019

  Nordstrom closes and the former Macy's space is redeveloped

  [1]Stonestown Galleriaen.wikipedia.org

  Nordstrom closes on September 14, while the former Macy's building is demolished and prepared for a new mix of retail and entertainment tenants.

• 2018

  Macy's closes

  [1]Stonestown Galleriaen.wikipedia.org

  Macy's closes its Stonestown location in March after announcing the planned closure in late 2017.

• 2004

  General Growth Properties acquires the mall

  [1]Stonestown Galleriaen.wikipedia.org

  General Growth Properties purchases Stonestown Galleria from Pacific Acquisition Corp. for a reported $312 million.

• 1996

  The Emporium becomes Macy's

  [1]Stonestown Galleriaen.wikipedia.org

  The original anchor is converted to Macy's following Federated Department Stores' acquisition of Broadway Stores.

• 1987

  Major redevelopment creates the Galleria format

  [1]Stonestown Galleriaen.wikipedia.org

  A redevelopment led by architect John Field adds a second retail level, food court, glass ceiling, marble floors, and underground parking, after which the center adopts the Stonestown Galleria name.

• 1977

  Bullock's becomes a department-store anchor

  [1]Stonestown Galleriaen.wikipedia.org

  Bullock's opens at the center; the location is later converted to Nordstrom in 1988.

• 1970

  United Artists cinema opens

  [1]Stonestown Galleriaen.wikipedia.org

  A United Artists movie theater opens behind the shopping center in the area that is now part of the mall's parking area.

• 1952

  Stonestown Shopping Center opens

  [1]Stonestown Galleriaen.wikipedia.org

  The Stoneson brothers develop Stonestown Shopping Center in San Francisco's Lakeside neighborhood, with The Emporium opening as the original anchor on July 16.

A neighborhood-serving urban shopping center that combines mainstream retail, grocery shopping, sporting goods, dining, cinema, and experiential entertainment. Its current redevelopment direction emphasizes a more open, mixed-use town-center environment while retaining the convenience of an established regional mall.

• Retail · 1952

  Retail and department-store shopping

  The mall provides a broad collection of consumer retail categories rather than selling a proprietary product line. Its historical department-store anchors included The Emporium, Bullock's, Macy's, and Nordstrom. The current tenant structure is more diversified, with Target supplying general merchandise and household goods alongside specialty retailers and services.

• Grocery

  Grocery and food retail

  Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe's give the property a recurring grocery-shopping function that complements conventional mall retail. The food offer also includes prepared-food and restaurant tenants such as Shake Shack, supported by the central food-court area created during the 1987 redevelopment.

• Sporting goods · 2019

  Sports Basement

  Sports Basement occupies part of the redeveloped former Macy's area and provides sporting goods, outdoor equipment, apparel, and related recreational merchandise as a large-format California specialty tenant.

• Entertainment · 2021

  Regal Cinemas

  The 12-screen Regal Cinemas location opened in May 2021 in the redeveloped north side of the property. It strengthened the mall's role as an entertainment destination after earlier cinema operations associated with the site had ended.

• Entertainment · 2024

  Round1

  Round1 operates an arcade and entertainment venue in the former Nordstrom space. The Japanese entertainment company's location opened in November 2024 and represents the property's increasing emphasis on experiential uses.

• 2023

  Round1 selected for the former Nordstrom spaceProduct launch

  Background

  Nordstrom had left the mall in 2019, creating another large vacant anchor area.

  Action taken

  Round1 announced plans to install an arcade and entertainment venue in the former Nordstrom space.

  Aftermath

  The venue opened in November 2024, adding a major experiential tenant to the mall's post-department-store format.

  Source

• 2021

  Stonestown Reimagined town-center visionStrategy

  Background

  Brookfield Properties sought to adapt the property to changing retail patterns and the decline of traditional department-store anchors.

  Action taken

  Brookfield announced plans to further renovate the mall into a town-center-style destination.

  Aftermath

  The vision positioned the property around a broader mix of retail, food, services, and experiential uses; the available material does not establish the full completion status of the wider plan.

  Source

• 2019

  Conversion of former department-store spaceGeneration change

  Background

  Macy's had closed in 2018, leaving a large anchor building that no longer served its original department-store purpose.

  Action taken

  The former Macy's building was demolished and replaced with space for Regal Cinemas, Whole Foods Market, and Sports Basement.

  Aftermath

  The redevelopment diversified the mall's anchor mix toward entertainment, grocery, and specialty retail.

  Source

• 2003

  Abandonment of adjacent residential and grocery proposalStrategy

  Background

  Heitman Financial had pursued a proposal for nearly 300 residential units and a grocery store on land next to the mall's 42-acre site.

  Action taken

  The manager abandoned the proposal after neighborhood groups raised concerns about traffic congestion, safety, and environmental effects.

  Aftermath

  The proposed adjacent mixed-use expansion did not proceed.

  Source

• 1987

  Redevelopment and rebranding as Stonestown GalleriaStrategy

  Background

  The original shopping center required a major physical and commercial update as the San Francisco retail environment developed.

  Action taken

  The property added a second level, food court, glass ceiling, marble finishes, and underground parking, then adopted the Stonestown Galleria name.

  Aftermath

  The project established the mall's current architectural identity and expanded it from an earlier neighborhood shopping center into a larger enclosed-galleria format.

  Source

• 2024

  Round1 entertainment venue opens at Stonestown Galleria[1]Stonestown Galleriaen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  The Round1 arcade and entertainment venue opened on November 9, 2024, in the former Nordstrom space.

• 2023

  Round1 announces plans for the former Nordstrom space[1]Stonestown Galleriaen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Round1 announced that it planned to take over the former Nordstrom anchor space for an arcade and entertainment venue.

• 2021

  Stonestown Galleria announced as a target for a town-center redevelopment concept[1]Stonestown Galleriaen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Brookfield Properties announced plans to further renovate the mall through its Stonestown Reimagined vision, with an intended shift toward a town-center-style environment.

• 2021

  Regal Cinemas opens a 12-screen theater at Stonestown[1]Stonestown Galleriaen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  A new 12-screen Regal Cinemas location opened in May 2021 in the redeveloped former Macy's area.

• 2019

  Nordstrom exits Stonestown Galleria[1]Stonestown Galleriaen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Nordstrom closed its Stonestown store on September 14, 2019, ending the mall's long-running department-store anchor arrangement with the retailer.

• 2018

  Macy's closes its Stonestown location[1]Stonestown Galleriaen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Macy's closed its Stonestown store in March 2018 after announcing the planned closure in November 2017.

1. 1Stonestown Galleriaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Stonestown Galleria official websitestonestowngalleria.com