The Shops at Tanforan
Retailer / private label
UnclaimedThe Shops at Tanforan was a regional shopping mall in San Bruno, California, developed on a historically significant site that later became slated for redevelopment as a biotechnology and technology campus.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
The Shops at Tanforan was a regional shopping mall in San Bruno, California, on the San Francisco Peninsula approximately 10 miles south of San Francisco. The retail complex occupied a site with a long and varied history. Before becoming a mall, the property was associated with the Tanforan Racetrack, an airfield, military uses, the Tanforan Assembly Center used to detain Japanese Americans during World War II, and a postwar golf course. That layered history made the property more than an ordinary suburban retail site: plaques and surviving references on the grounds commemorated both early aviation events and the wartime detention of Japanese Americans. The commercial history of the property began with the opening of Tanforan Park Shopping Center in March 1971. The original center was developed by The Hapsmith Company and constructed by Ernest W. Hahn, with Victor Gruen Associates responsible for the design. Its principal anchors were Sears and J.C. Penney, with Emporium joining as another major department-store tenant. The first phase offered roughly 750,000 square feet of leasable space and was planned to accommodate dozens of stores. Sears opened part of its operation before the center's formal opening, while the broader shopping center was completed in 1971. By the 1990s, the original center had become dated and occupancy had declined substantially, even though its department-store anchors continued to attract customers. Emporium closed after its parent company was acquired by Federated Department Stores, and the building was subsequently occupied by Target. In 1999, Wattson Breevast LLC acquired the central mall property from Hapsmith and began planning a major redevelopment. The project faced complicated ownership arrangements, an eminent-domain dispute associated with the Bay Area Rapid Transit extension, anchor-owner approvals, relocation issues, construction challenges, and municipal requirements. A comprehensive reconstruction began in 2003 after several years of planning and administrative work. The project retained the principal anchor buildings while gutting and rebuilding much of the enclosed mall. A groundbreaking ceremony took place in February 2004. The renovated complex reopened on October 7, 2005, under the name The Shops at Tanforan. The redevelopment added new shops, restaurants, a food court, a prominent glass entrance facing El Camino Real, and expanded public circulation. The overall property was approximately 1.1 million square feet after reconstruction. A Century Theatres 20-screen cinema complex opened in April 2008 and was connected to the mall by a skybridge. The adjacent San Bruno BART station and structured parking further supported the center's regional role. The property later encountered the pressures affecting many enclosed malls: online shopping, changing consumer habits, anchor-store distress, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Ownership changed hands several times. Queensland Investment Corporation acquired the mall property from Breevast in 2015, while Sears-related real-estate interests were separated from the operating retailer. The Sears store ultimately closed in 2020. Alexandria Real Estate acquired portions of the property in transactions beginning in the late 2020s, including the former Sears property and the J.C. Penney location. The mall also experienced a July 2019 shooting in its upper-level food court. Four people were injured, the mall and BART station were evacuated, and four teenagers were arrested in connection with the incident. The event affected perceptions of the property and occurred amid broader retail pressures. Forever 21 later announced the closure of its San Bruno location during its bankruptcy process. J.C. Penney's store closed in May 2025 after the location was sold to Alexandria Real Estate as part of the retailer's restructuring. The provided reference material states that the mall closed in 2026, with Century Theatres and Target having been the two remaining anchors before the final phase of closure. The site's next planned role is not another conventional shopping center. San Bruno encouraged landowners to consider office, residential, hotel, and other non-retail uses, and Alexandria Real Estate announced plans to demolish the mall and replace it with a large biotechnology and technology campus. Accordingly, The Shops at Tanforan is best understood as a defunct retail-property brand whose identity was tied to a particular site, rather than as an independently distributed consumer-goods brand.
History
The Tanforan site began as the Tanforan Racetrack, established in 1899 on approximately 150 acres. It was named for Toribio Tanforan, a descendant by marriage of José Antonio Sánchez, associated with the Rancho Buri Buri land grant. The venue hosted horse, dog, motorcycle, and automobile races and was also used occasionally as an airfield. In January 1910 it hosted an international air meet, and in January 1911 Eugene Ely used the site for an important naval aviation demonstration involving takeoff from Tanforan and landing on the USS Pennsylvania. During World War I, the grounds were temporarily adapted for military training. The site's most consequential wartime use came during World War II, when it became the Tanforan Assembly Center. Japanese Americans, primarily from the San Francisco Bay Area, were detained there before transfer to more permanent relocation centers. Barracks were supplemented by converted horse stalls, and the center held thousands of people between April and October 1942. After the assembly center closed, the property became Camp Tanforan and later a naval personnel depot. The military installation closed in 1946. Tanforan returned to racing after the war, with a golf course occupying the center of the track. The racetrack declined during the 1950s as Bay Meadows drew business away, and the grandstand and track were destroyed by fire on July 31, 1964. A retail redevelopment followed. Tanforan Park Shopping Center opened in March 1971, with a design by Victor Gruen Associates and development by The Hapsmith Company. Sears and J.C. Penney were the principal original anchors, while Emporium became another major tenant. The original center included hundreds of thousands of square feet of leasable space and was planned for substantial expansion. The mall's position weakened in the 1990s as the building aged and occupancy declined. Emporium closed after its corporate parent was acquired, and Target later occupied the former Emporium building. Wattson Breevast LLC acquired the central portion from Hapsmith in 1999 and pursued a comprehensive redevelopment. The project was complicated by split ownership among the central mall and anchor parcels, a legal dispute connected with BART's station project, the need to secure anchor consent, tenant relocations, and municipal and construction issues. A BART station opened in 2003, and a settlement from the related eminent-domain proceedings helped fund structured parking. Renovation began in 2003 and included a February 2004 groundbreaking. Much of the mall was gutted and rebuilt, while Target, Sears, and J.C. Penney remained open during the main construction period. The property reopened on October 7, 2005, as The Shops at Tanforan. Its new design included a glass atrium entrance on El Camino Real, a food court, new retail and dining space, and a reconstructed mall interior. A Century Theatres complex opened in 2008 and connected to the mall by a skybridge. Ownership and retail conditions changed during the following decade. Queensland Investment Corporation acquired the mall property from Breevast in 2015. Sears-related ownership was separated into Seritage Growth Properties, and the Sears store eventually closed in early 2020. Online retail, declining enclosed-mall traffic, the 2019 food-court shooting, and the COVID-19 pandemic placed further pressure on the center. Forever 21 announced a closure during its bankruptcy, while J.C. Penney's bankruptcy process resulted in the sale and later closure of its store. San Bruno's 2021 land-use planning encouraged consideration of non-retail uses for the property. In 2022, Alexandria Real Estate announced that it had acquired the remaining central mall property, including the Target parcel, and intended to replace the shopping center with a biotechnology and technology campus. The reference material states that the mall closed in 2026. The site's history therefore spans recreation, aviation, wartime detention, military activity, retail, and planned life-sciences development.
- 2026
The mall closed
[1]The supplied reference material states that the retail complex closed in 2026 as redevelopment plans proceeded.
- 2022
Alexandria announced a biotechnology-campus redevelopment
[1]Alexandria Real Estate announced plans to demolish the mall and replace it with a large biotechnology and technology campus.
- 2021
San Bruno encouraged non-retail land uses
[1]The city adopted a land-use fact sheet encouraging exploration of office, residential, hotel, and other alternatives for the site.
- 2015
Queensland Investment Corporation acquired the property
[1]QIC purchased the mall property from Breevast amid the separation of Sears real-estate assets.
- 2008
Century Theatres opened
[1]A 20-screen cinema complex opened next to the mall and was connected by a skybridge.
- 2005
The rebuilt center reopened as The Shops at Tanforan
[1]The renovated mall opened with expanded retail, dining, food-court, and entrance facilities.
- 2003
BART station opened and reconstruction began
[1]The new transit connection opened, while the mall redevelopment moved into construction after extensive preparation.
- 1999
Wattson Breevast acquired the central mall property
[1]The new owner began pursuing a major redevelopment of the dated and underoccupied center.
- 1971
Tanforan Park Shopping Center opened
[1]The first shopping mall on the site opened with Sears and J.C. Penney as major anchors.
- 1964
The racetrack was destroyed by fire
[1]The Tanforan racetrack burned on July 31, ending its principal racing era.
Products and positioning
A regional, transit-accessible enclosed shopping and entertainment center serving San Bruno and the San Francisco Peninsula.
Retail real estate · 1971
Enclosed regional shopping mall
The core offering was a large enclosed shopping center serving San Bruno and the wider San Francisco Peninsula. The mall combined department stores, specialty retailers, restaurants, a food court, structured parking, and direct proximity to the San Bruno BART station. Its identity was primarily destination-based: it offered a mix of everyday shopping, discretionary retail, dining, and entertainment rather than a single proprietary product line.
Entertainment · 2008
Century Theatres at Tanforan
The cinema complex opened in 2008 with 20 screens and approximately 72,000 square feet of space. It expanded the mall's role beyond shopping and was connected to the retail center by a skybridge. The theater was one of the last major anchors identified in the supplied reference material.
Department stores · 1971
Department-store anchors
Sears and J.C. Penney were the original principal anchors of the 1971 center, with Emporium serving as another major department-store tenant. Emporium's building later became a Target location. These large-format anchors shaped the mall's original tenant mix and remained important through the redevelopment era, although Sears and J.C. Penney eventually closed.
Controversies
2019
Food-court shooting
A shooting occurred on the upper level of the mall's food court on July 2, 2019. Four people were injured, the mall and nearby BART station were evacuated, and four teenagers were arrested in connection with the incident. The event contributed to concerns about safety and reduced willingness among some visitors to return.
Brand decisions
2022
Replace the mall with a biotechnology and technology campusStrategyBackground
The property faced declining mall traffic associated with online shopping, changing consumer behavior, anchor-store closures, and the COVID-19 pandemic. San Bruno had also encouraged consideration of non-retail uses.
Action taken
After acquiring the remaining central portion of the property, Alexandria Real Estate announced plans to demolish the mall and develop a large biotechnology and technology campus.
Aftermath
The planned redevelopment ended the site's role as a conventional regional shopping center and led toward the stated 2026 closure of the mall.
2008
Add a major cinema complexProduct launchBackground
The 2005 reconstruction was intended to broaden the center's retail and entertainment offer and strengthen its role as a regional destination.
Action taken
Century Theatres opened a 20-screen, approximately 72,000-square-foot cinema complex adjacent to the mall, with a connecting skybridge.
Aftermath
The cinema became an important entertainment component and one of the property's remaining anchor uses during the later retail decline.
2003
Proceed with a comprehensive mall reconstructionStrategyBackground
The original shopping center had become dated and had suffered substantial occupancy decline. Redevelopment was complicated by split parcel ownership, anchor-store approvals, tenant relocation, construction constraints, city requirements, and litigation connected with BART.
Action taken
The owners began a reconstruction that retained the principal anchor buildings while gutting and rebuilding most of the enclosed mall.
Aftermath
The project produced a redesigned center that reopened in 2005 as The Shops at Tanforan, with expanded retail, dining, circulation, and parking facilities.
Redevelopment cost. US$140 million (Project completed in 2005)
Sources2 sources
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