Bayfair Center

Bayfair Center is a hybrid power center and regional shopping mall in San Leandro, California, serving the East Bay portion of the San Francisco Bay Area. The property is one of the area’s earlier major shopping centers and occupies a site formerly used by the Oakland Speedway automobile racing stadium. Its history reflects the broader evolution of American retail real estate: it began as a traditional department-store-led, open-air shopping center, was later enclosed and expanded, and eventually developed a tenant mix increasingly centered on large-format retailers, value-oriented chains, services, and entertainment. The center was announced in April 1953, although construction did not begin until 1956. Macy’s was the first major component to open, debuting on August 8, 1957. The remaining shopping-center stores followed, with a formal opening for 19 additional stores taking place on November 8 of that year. The original complex was arranged in an L-shaped, split-level open-air format and was promoted as one of the first two-level shopping centers in the Western United States. The Macy’s building was designed by architect John Savage Bolles, whose other work included Candlestick Park and interiors for several Northern California Macy’s locations and shopping centers. Bayfair expanded during the following decades. Montgomery Ward opened a two-story department store and automotive center in 1971, bringing the property to approximately 600,000 square feet and 62 stores. The opening of the adjacent Bay Fair BART station in 1972 strengthened the center’s regional accessibility and made it an important transit-linked retail destination. Beginning in 1977, the property underwent a substantial renovation that enclosed the formerly open-air shopping area and introduced air conditioning, carpeting, escalators, additional retail space, an atrium, and areas for boutiques and restaurants. The work ultimately supported approximately 100 stores. The center continued to change as department-store retail weakened and big-box formats became more prominent. T.J. Maxx opened in 1994. After Montgomery Ward entered bankruptcy and closed its stores nationwide in 2001, its Bayfair building was demolished. A Target Greatland store opened on the site in October 2002. Around the same period, the property changed ownership and was briefly considered for conversion into an open-air power center known as Bayfair/580. That redevelopment concept was not completed, and the property was sold again in late 2003. By the 2010s, Bayfair had become a hybrid retail destination. Macy’s remained a long-term department-store anchor, while Kohl’s, Target, Staples, Old Navy, PetSmart, Bed Bath & Beyond, and 24 Hour Fitness represented the more conventional power-center and big-box components. A Cinemark-operated, 16-screen Century Theatres multiplex added entertainment to the tenant mix. A 2016 City of San Leandro study characterized the center’s repositioning toward a more contemporary tenant profile as successful in responding to current market needs. The tenant base has nevertheless continued to face retail-sector pressures. Bed Bath & Beyond announced in September 2022 that its Bayfair location would close as part of a nationwide store-closing program. Macy’s announced in January 2024 that its Bayfair store would close, and the store ceased operations in March 2024. The current anchor lineup includes Target, Kohl’s, and the Cinemark-operated cinema, with PetSmart and 24 Hour Fitness among the junior anchors identified in reference material. Bayfair is also connected to a broader planning vision for the surrounding district. In 2018, San Leandro adopted a plan for the Bay Fair neighborhood that included transforming the area around the mall and BART station into a higher-density, mixed-use, transit-oriented village. The concept calls for a finer-grained street network, improved walking and cycling conditions, small parks, and community-event spaces. This planning direction places Bayfair within a longer-term effort to adapt a conventional suburban shopping center and its surroundings into a more integrated transit-oriented urban district.

Bayfair Center developed on the former Oakland Speedway site in San Leandro and was announced in April 1953. Construction began in 1956, and the first major opening occurred on August 8, 1957, when Macy’s opened a large three-story department store. Additional shopping-center tenants followed, and 19 stores formally celebrated the center’s opening on November 8, 1957. The original design was an L-shaped, split-level open-air shopping center, described as an early example of a two-level shopping center in the Western United States. Architect John Savage Bolles designed the Macy’s building and its interiors. The property expanded in the early 1970s. Montgomery Ward opened a two-story department store and automotive center on August 4, 1971. The addition increased the center to approximately 600,000 square feet and 62 stores. Bay Fair BART station opened immediately south of the shopping center in 1972, giving Bayfair a significant rapid-transit connection and strengthening its role as a regional destination. A major modernization began after Macy’s announced a renovation in 1977. The open-air center was enclosed, and the project added air conditioning, carpeting, escalators, new retail space, an atrium, and areas for specialty stores and restaurants. Across multiple phases, approximately 82,000 square feet of additional space was created, allowing the center to accommodate roughly 100 stores. The property’s retail format continued to shift in the 1990s and 2000s. T.J. Maxx opened in 1994. Montgomery Ward’s nationwide bankruptcy and store closures in 2001 left its building vacant; the structure was demolished and replaced by a 145,000-square-foot Target Greatland store in October 2002. In late 2002, Chicago-based M & J Wilkow Ltd. acquired the center and proposed converting it into an open-air power center called Bayfair/580, with large-format tenants and lifestyle-oriented retailers. The proposal was not completed, and Madison Marquette acquired the property in late 2003. By 2012, Bayfair retained its enclosed-mall character but had a tenant profile more typical of a power center. Kohl’s, Staples, Old Navy, PetSmart, Bed Bath & Beyond, and 24 Hour Fitness joined or occupied prominent positions alongside Macy’s and the Cinemark-operated cinema. The changing mix illustrated the movement away from a department-store-centered model toward value retail, big-box stores, services, and entertainment. A 2016 City of San Leandro market study described the repositioning as successful in meeting contemporary shopping needs. The center later experienced further anchor changes. Bed Bath & Beyond announced its closure in 2022, and Macy’s announced the closure of its long-running Bayfair store in January 2024; Macy’s closed in March 2024. The currently identified principal anchors are Target, Kohl’s, and the 16-screen Century Theatres cinema operated by Cinemark, with PetSmart and 24 Hour Fitness serving as junior anchors. Bayfair’s future is also linked to redevelopment planning for the broader Bay Fair area. San Leandro’s 2018 plan proposes a transit-oriented village around the BART station and mall, combining higher-density mixed-use development with a smaller-block street grid, pedestrian and bicycle improvements, parks, and community-event areas. The proposal reflects an effort to integrate the established shopping center more closely with transit and surrounding neighborhoods.

• 2024

  Macy’s closes

  [1]Bayfair Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Macy’s announced the closure of its Bayfair store in January, and the location closed in March.

• 2022

  Bed Bath & Beyond closure announced

  [1]Bayfair Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The retailer announced that its Bayfair store would close under a nationwide reduction program.

• 2018

  Bay Fair transit-oriented village plan adopted

  [1]Bayfair Centeren.wikipedia.org

  San Leandro adopted a plan to create a denser, mixed-use, transit-oriented district around Bayfair and the BART station.

• 2003

  Madison Marquette acquires the property

  [1]Bayfair Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The center was sold to Madison Marquette in late 2003 after the proposed redevelopment did not proceed.

• 2002

  Target Greatland opens

  [1]Bayfair Centeren.wikipedia.org

  A Target Greatland store opened on the former Montgomery Ward site in October.

• 2002

  Bayfair/580 redevelopment concept proposed

  [1]Bayfair Centeren.wikipedia.org

  New ownership proposed converting the center into an open-air power center, but the plan was not implemented.

• 2001

  Montgomery Ward closes

  [1]Bayfair Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Montgomery Ward closed following the chain’s nationwide bankruptcy and store shutdowns.

• 1994

  T.J. Maxx opens

  [1]Bayfair Centeren.wikipedia.org

  T.J. Maxx opened as a prominent value-oriented retail component.

• 1977

  Enclosure and major renovation announced

  [1]Bayfair Centeren.wikipedia.org

  A major renovation enclosed the center and added circulation, climate control, retail, restaurant, and specialty-shopping space.

• 1972

  Bay Fair BART station opens

  [1]Bayfair Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Bay Area Rapid Transit opened the adjacent Bay Fair station, improving regional rail access.

• 1971

  Montgomery Ward opens

  [1]Bayfair Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Montgomery Ward opened a department store and automotive center, expanding Bayfair’s scale and anchor lineup.

• 1957

  Macy’s opens

  [1]Bayfair Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Macy’s opened on August 8, becoming the first operating unit of the center.

• 1957

  Formal opening of additional stores

  [1]Bayfair Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Nineteen additional stores, including a supermarket, celebrated their opening on November 8.

• 1956

  Construction begins

  [1]Bayfair Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Construction began on the planned retail center after the initial announcement.

• 1953

  Shopping center announced

  [1]Bayfair Centeren.wikipedia.org

  A new shopping center was announced for the former Oakland Speedway site in San Leandro.

A transit-accessible East Bay hybrid power center and regional shopping destination combining large-format retail, department-store legacy, everyday services, and entertainment.

• General merchandise anchor · 2002

  Target

  Target occupies the former Montgomery Ward site and serves as one of Bayfair’s principal large-format anchors. Its assortment combines everyday household goods, apparel, consumer products, groceries, health and beauty items, and seasonal merchandise. The store represents the center’s transition from a traditional department-store format toward a broader power-center tenant mix.

• Department store

  Kohl's

  Kohl’s is a major department-store component of the current Bayfair lineup. Its typical assortment includes apparel, footwear, accessories, home products, seasonal goods, and selected beauty and lifestyle merchandise. The store helps preserve a department-store function at the property while fitting the value-oriented and big-box character that became more prominent at Bayfair after the 2000s.

• Cinema and entertainment

  Century Theatres at Bayfair

  The center includes a 16-screen Century Theatres multiplex operated by Cinemark. The cinema provides film exhibition and entertainment and broadens Bayfair’s role beyond shopping. As a prominent destination use, it contributes evening and weekend traffic and supports the center’s combination of retail, services, and leisure.

• Pet retail

  PetSmart

  PetSmart is identified as a junior anchor at Bayfair. Its typical offering includes pet food, supplies, accessories, and related services for household animals. The large-format store reflects the center’s emphasis on practical, recurring-needs retail categories that complement department stores and other power-center tenants.

• Fitness services

  24 Hour Fitness

  24 Hour Fitness is identified as another junior anchor. The club provides membership-based exercise and wellness services rather than conventional merchandise, adding a recurring service use to Bayfair’s tenant mix. Its presence illustrates the center’s broader repositioning toward destinations that combine shopping, everyday services, and personal wellness.

• Department store · 1957

  Macy's Bayfair

  Macy’s was Bayfair’s original and longest-running department-store anchor. The three-story store opened in 1957 and remained a defining element of the center for decades, offering apparel, accessories, home merchandise, cosmetics, and other department-store categories. Macy’s announced its closure in January 2024, and the store closed in March 2024.

• 2024

  Macy’s anchor closureOther

  Background

  Macy’s announced a nationwide store-reduction program that included its long-running Bayfair location.

  Action taken

  Macy’s announced the Bayfair closure in January 2024 and ceased operations at the site in March.

  Aftermath

  The closure ended Macy’s role as Bayfair’s original anchor and left the center more fully characterized by large-format retail, services, and entertainment.

  Source

• 2018

  Plan a transit-oriented Bay Fair villageStrategy

  Background

  The city sought to integrate the shopping center, BART station, and surrounding neighborhood into a more walkable and mixed-use district.

  Action taken

  San Leandro adopted a plan for higher-density mixed-use development, smaller blocks, pedestrian and bicycle improvements, parks, and community spaces.

  Aftermath

  The plan established a long-term framework for connecting Bayfair’s retail function with transit-oriented neighborhood redevelopment.

  Source

• 2002

  Propose Bayfair/580 power-center conversionStrategy

  Background

  After acquiring the property, M & J Wilkow Ltd. sought to reposition the aging enclosed center for changing retail demand.

  Action taken

  The owner proposed an open-air power center with big-box tenants and more lifestyle-oriented stores under the Bayfair/580 name.

  Aftermath

  The proposal did not come to fruition, and the property was sold to Madison Marquette in late 2003.

  Source

• 2002

  Replace Montgomery Ward with Target GreatlandProduct launch

  Background

  Montgomery Ward closed its Bayfair store after the chain’s nationwide bankruptcy and liquidation of its locations.

  Action taken

  The former Montgomery Ward building was demolished and replaced by a Target Greatland store, which opened in October.

  Aftermath

  Target became a principal large-format anchor and reinforced Bayfair’s transition toward a power-center tenant profile.

  Source

• 1977

  Enclose and modernize the shopping centerStrategy

  Background

  Bayfair’s original open-air format was being updated as enclosed regional malls became a dominant retail model.

  Action taken

  The property added air conditioning, carpeting, escalators, an atrium, specialty-shopping and restaurant areas, and substantial new retail space.

  Aftermath

  The renovation expanded the center and supported a tenant base of approximately 100 stores.

  Source

1. 1Bayfair Centeren.wikipedia.org