An extant asset
In the late eighties, we were living in navy housing in Virginia Beach. As is the case with most military families, there was a lot of churn as far as families went, with new faces showing up just when you got used to the old lot.
1- Plaza Bonita’s main entrance on the east side. 2 & 3- The Round 1 and Nordstrom Rank locations in the building originally home to Mervyn’s. 4 to 10- Macy’s façade, debuting as May Company upon its opening.
One such family transferred in from San Diego. We became friends pretty quickly with them and soon spent an afternoon together at what was our favorite hangout, and one of the malls of my youth, Lynnhaven Mall.
Plaza Bonita lease plan ca. 1981. View the full PDF version here.
To my astonishment, they seemed rather unimpressed with the sprawling, dimly lit, earth tone clad retail destination. Instead, they regaled us with tales of this wonderous shopping mall in San Diego with the exotic name of Plaza Bonita.
1 to 3- Plaza Bonita’s western façade. 4 to 7- JCPenney’s, sadly, updated exterior. 10- Mall entrance leading to the new food court.
This was around the time that Madonna’s La Isla Bonita was all over the radio, so that made the place seem even more magical. It wasn’t until years later that I finally set my eyes the center’s floorplan and, well, I was the one left unimpressed.
Plaza Bonita lease plan ca. 2011. View the full PDF version here.
Turned out, Plaza Bonita was actually quite a bit smaller than Lynnhaven and was shaped as a simple double tiered, straight line complex with four anchors. But maybe there was more to it, I thought. I wouldn’t find out until my first visit in 2025.
1 to 5- Open-air shopping on Plaza Bonita’s upper level when Montgomery Ward once stood. 6 to 9- Target. 10- The main mall entrance on the western face.
Plaza Bonita opened in 1981 on the site of a former golf course. The facility was anchored by national names JCPenney and Montgomery Ward as well as regional players Mervyn’s and the May Company.
A major renovation was undertaken by new mall owners Westfield in the early 2000s when Plaza Bonita became awash in a sea of stucco and ceramic. It’s original autumn palate was no more; I would have loved to have seen its original décor.
1- Inside Plaza Bonita’s only expansion where Montgomery Ward originally opened. 2 to 6- The lower level of the main concourse. 7 & 8- JCPenney entrance just off of center court.
The May Company became Robinson’s May in 1993, followed a few years later by the first anchor departure with Montgomery Ward stepping out in 2001. Their spot was soon taken over by Mann Theaters in 2003, which was later renamed as AMC Theaters in 2008.
Plaza Bonita pamphlet ca. 2017. View the full PDF version here.
In the same year, a new Target was built on the far side of the former Montgomery Ward store, Plaza Bonita’s only major expansion. This was less than two years after Macy’s joined the lineup when taking over the Robinsons May nameplate.
1 & 2- Center Court from the upper mezzanine. 3 to 8- Along the second tier of Plaza Bonita.
In the 2000s, Mervyn’s said their good-byes when moving to nearby Sweetwater Square in 2006. The second level of their building was taken over by Nordstrom Rack in 2011 with a Round 1 entertainment center moving into the lower level in 2024.
Plaza Bonita Mallmanac ca. 2025. View the full PDF version here.
JCPenney remains as the lone extant, original anchor. In addition to their traditional and junior anchor peers, they are joined by mall stalwarts such as Aeropostale, Gamestop, Journeys and Spencer’s.
1 to 3- Nordstrom Rack’s entryway into Plaza Bonita. 4 & 5- The entrance to Macy’s. 6- The upper level exit between Macy’s and Nordstrom Rack.
Plaza Bonita remains as one of the most successful fully enclosed retail facilities in the San Diego area. And though it may never live up to the magical standards that I once applied to it, it should continue to see success in its market.
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