A dead mall
Sometimes I go into these mall explorations with nearly nothing to expect. On this visit to Sacramento, all I knew about my two main targets was that they were both second generation facilities that were on the verge of redevelopment. I truly had no idea how fascinating one of them would be.
1 & 2- The southern entryway to Sunrise Mall off of Sunrise Boulevard. 3 to 6- The mall’s front façade. 7 to 10- The northern main mall entrance.
After a quick visit to the miniscule Country Club Plaza in the Arden-Arcade neighborhood, I found myself facing a single level monolith stretching quite a ways down Sunrise Boulevard in Citrus Heights. My thoughts were that this would simply be another mundane look at a mall well past its prime, but I quickly learned how special Sunrise Mall actually was.
Sunrise Mall lease plan ca. 1971. View the full PDF version here.
I immediately made my way into the empty confines of Sunrise Mall through the northern of the two main, front facing mall entrances. The only other visitor within my view was a lone mall walker making his way past vacant storefronts and empty benches.
1 to 3- The former entrance to the now closed Macy’s. 4 & 5- The northernmost reaches of Sunrise Mall’s extensive main concourse. 6 to 10- The food court stalls were empty and the lights were dark.
Although Sunrise Mall was less than half an hour from its official opening, there were very few vendors preparing for the day. I walked toward the northern end of the concourse past the fully vacant food court and was surprised to find it completely darkened though accessible to the handful of walkers needing to give their knees a break.
The interior of Sunrise Mall didn’t offer anything aesthetically different from most facilities that were renovated within the past twenty or so years. But there were some notable areas including the former Macy’s entrance with its abutting recessed entrances and their adjoining breezeways.
1 to 4- The northern third of the main concourse. 5 to 10- The JCPenney court.
I also admired the twin “center courts” located in front of the two rear facing anchor spots, one formerly hosting a second location for Macy’s and the other still sporting a JCPenney label, the lone anchor still calling Sunrise Mall home. I was especially stoked to see that the water feature at the former position was still up and flowing.
Sunrise Mall pamphlet ca. 2009. View the full PDF version here.
My interior visit ended at Sunrise Mall’s south end, most of which was inaccessible past the former Macy’s court. Although by this time the center was well within its hours of operation, I didn’t notice any sort of influx of shoppers arriving to browse its handful of vendors.
1 to 6- The middle portion of Sunrise Mall’s main concourse. 7 & 8- The corridor leading to the southern main entrance. 9 & 10- The gates making the southernmost third of the main concourse inaccessible.
Once outside, I made my way around the southernmost anchor. With Sears serving as its one and only tenant, it still sported its standard monolithic rectangular footprint and classic seventies logo labelscar. Passing the rear of the vacant anchor, however, was where Sunrise Mall quickly started to exceed my expectations.
Sunrise Mall Mallmanac ca. 2010. View the full PDF version here.
The former Liberty House turned Macy’s anchor, the southern of the two flanking spots, was an oversized, red brick coated block with repeating off-white pilasters breaking the monotony. This embedded colonnade led to a wide and featureless block of a crown with only a rectangular space once hosting a Liberty House logo interrupting its brutalist monotony.
The still running fountain in the court in front of what was originally Liberty House.
The next destination was the sole remaining anchor, JCPenney. In my opinion, the Dallas based retailer’s stores have some of the most interesting designs from their eras. Even alongside classics at Northgate Mall in the Chattanooga area, Washington Square in the Portland suburbs and the Puget Sound’s Southcenter, Sunrise Mall’s example is something special.
Sunrise Mall lease plan ca. 2011. View the full PDF version here.
Decked out in a speckled creek rock façade of varying height with rounded corners and cream colored entrance adornments, I had never seen anything like it. It was the cleanest and most vibrant part of the entire complex and an absolute hidden gem in an obsolete remnant of a bygone era. I was truly dismayed that one day in the near future it may be unceremoniously destroyed.
1 to 6- Sunrise Mall’s front façade. 7- The entrance abutting the former Weinstock’s in the rear of the center. 8- Brickwork on the flanking side. 9- The entrance to the food court. 10- The rear doors next to the former Sears.
At the north end of Sunrise Mall was the final anchor. Originally occupied by Sacramento based Weinstock’s department store, the faded gray cubist three level structure, an architectural treasure in its own right, was sadly in need of major repair. Unfortunately, the antiquated portmanteau of early twentieth century geometric fragmentation and mid-century minimalism may only see improvements at the front end of a backhoe.
Sunrise Mall opened in 1971 in what was then a largely rural and unincorporated portion of Sacramento County. Developed by the Hahn Company, the original anchors consisted of, from north to south, Weinstock’s, which opened in 1972, JCPenney, Honolulu-based Liberty House and Sears.
The former Sears store at Sunrise Mall.
Debuting as by far the largest enclosed shopping center within the Capital region, the super-regional facility boasted over one million square feet of space hosting the four anchors and more than 100 shops. It soon claimed its place as one of the most popular retail destinations in the metro with sales to match.
Sunrise Mall pamphlet ca. 2022. View the full PDF version here.
The first changes to Sunrise Mall came just over a decade later in 1984 when Liberty House retrenched from the mainland back to Hawai’i. Their vacancy was quickly resolved by Macy’s move from Birdcage Walk, an open-air retail destination located just across the boulevard from the enclosed facility.
The striking red and striped façade of the former Liberty House then Macy’s building.
Another decade had passed before further anchor shuffling when in 1996, the Weinstock’s name was removed from the northern anchor when Macy’s took over the local brand. They quickly moved what little remained of their operation at Birdcage and fully took over the iconic triple tiered building.
Sunrise Mall lease plan ca. 2023. View the full PDF version here.
The common areas of Sunrise Mall saw their first redesign in 1999. A food court was added later on in 2007 during a subsequent and smaller renovation. Between these two milestones, and after decades of nearly unimpeded success, the extant retail facility saw their first real competition emerge when the Galleria at Roseville debuted in 2000, quickly grabbing any upscale retailers from the nearly thirty year old incumbent.
JCPenney, the lone remaining anchor at Sunrise Mall, in all of its bespeckled glory.
Vacancies rose over the following decade throughout Sunrise Mall’s elongated concourse when, in 2018, the second of the center’s original anchors called it quits. Sears closed their gates for the last time as part of a multi-location closure. The building, to this day, remains unoccupied and inaccessible.
Over the ensuing years, most-notably in post pandemic times, the departure of smaller national brands located between the anchors accelerated. However, Sunrise Mall managed to hold on to the balance of their department store anchors all the way until early 2025.
The distinctive shapes of the cubist former Weinstock’s store.
It was then that Macy’s announced their retreat, closing both tri-level anchor spots at the same time as their sixty year old Downtown Commons outlet. JCPenney was left to carry the flag of Sunrise Mall on their own while the balance of the moribund facility decays around it.
Sunrise Mall site plan ca. 2025. View the full PDF version here.
The city of Citrus Heights, incorporated after Sunrise Mall’s opening, has released their plans for redevelopment of the decades old retail facility. Optimistically given the moniker “Sunrise Tomorrow,” the plans call for a complete reimagining of the obsolete complex and replacing it with (what else) a mixed-use destination with dense housing intermingled with office and retail elements.
Striking in its detail, this building was darkened when Macy’s departed in 2025.
The so-called “21st Century Main Street” concept has yet to be finalized and may take two decades to complete. And while I’m sure the surrounding residents will make better use of its replacement, the forgotten architectural gems of Sunrise Mall can never be replaced. I’m so glad to have witnessed them for myself.
No comments:
Post a Comment