Hilltop Mall
Retailer / private label
UnclaimedA former regional shopping mall in Richmond, California, later acquired for a proposed mixed-use and logistics redevelopment.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Hilltop Mall was a regional shopping center in the Hilltop neighborhood of Richmond, California. It opened in September 1976 as a major retail destination for the northern East Bay and helped consolidate shopping activity that had previously been distributed among downtown Richmond stores and newer suburban retail developments. The center was developed by A. Alfred Taubman, whose company also developed several other large shopping centers in the East and South Bay areas. The original mall was organized around two intersecting corridors with four anchor locations positioned at the ends of the axes. Its early anchors were Capwell's, JCPenney, and Macy's, with a fourth major department-store position added later. Capwell's became Emporium-Capwell in 1979 and then The Emporium in 1990. Sears joined the property in 1990 through a north-wing expansion. The mall also included a cinema complex, smaller specialty stores, food outlets, services, and a central rotunda featuring a fountain, carousel, seating, and Charles O. Perry's suspended sculpture Solar Cantata. Hilltop's history reflected the broader transition of American retail from traditional downtown department stores to enclosed suburban malls. Macy's had already left downtown Richmond before the mall opened, while JCPenney maintained a downtown location for a period after Hilltop began operating. Other national retailers subsequently moved from downtown to the mall, although local observers also attributed downtown decline to pre-existing economic and public-safety conditions. The property changed ownership and management several times. GM Pension Trust assumed full ownership in 1998 while Taubman Centers continued to manage it. In 2004, the pension trust sold a half-interest in a portfolio that included Hilltop to The Mills Corporation. Simon Property Group and Farallon Capital acquired the Mills portfolio in 2007. Simon later defaulted on the property's loan, leading to court-appointed receivership in 2012 and foreclosure in 2013. Anchor-store turnover accelerated in the late 1990s and 2010s. Emporium closed in 1996 after its corporate combination with Federated, and Macy's moved into the former Emporium building in 1998. Walmart later occupied the mall's former Macy's space, opening in 2007. JCPenney closed in July 2017, Sears closed in April 2020, and Macy's closed in 2021, leaving Walmart as the only traditional anchor still operating at the time of the mall's permanent closure. After the 2013 foreclosure, LBG Real Estate Companies and Aviva Investors acquired the property in 2017 and announced an extensive repositioning under the name The Shops at Hilltop. Proposed additions included 99 Ranch Market, restaurants, entertainment, office space, personal services, and cultural uses. A broader master plan called Hilltop by the Bay envisioned a mixed-use district with housing, offices, hotels, retail, and entertainment. The plans were not completed. The COVID-19 pandemic further reduced occupancy, and proposed tenants including 99 Ranch Market withdrew. LBG later discussed converting the site into an East Bay science and technology center. Prologis acquired the approximately 78-acre property for $117 million in 2021. The company proposed replacing or substantially reusing the former mall site for a combination of logistics, residential, and retail development. Hilltop Mall closed permanently on April 22, 2021, ending its operation as an enclosed regional shopping center. Subsequent planning for the site has been associated with Richmond's Hilltop Horizon Specific Plan.
History
Hilltop Mall emerged from a 1970s debate over where Richmond should place a major new shopping center. One proposal favored downtown Richmond, while developer A. Alfred Taubman's alternative placed the project on Tank Farm Hill in North Richmond, a former Chevron oil-storage area. According to former councilmember Nat Bates, Taubman warned that the project could be moved to another city if it did not receive sufficient political support. The Hilltop proposal ultimately prevailed, helping establish the area as a major suburban retail node. The mall opened in September 1976 with Capwell's, JCPenney, and Macy's as its principal anchors. Its design used two intersecting corridors arranged along cardinal directions, with anchor buildings at the ends and an oval perimeter road surrounding the complex. The central rotunda contained a fountain, carousel, seating, and a spiral ramp. Solar Cantata, a gold-anodized aluminum sculpture by Charles O. Perry, was suspended above the fountain and became a notable interior feature. A four-screen Hilltop Mall Cinemas operated by Plitt Theatres opened shortly before the mall's formal opening on August 25, 1976. Four additional screens were added upstairs in 1988 after Cineplex Odeon took over operations. The cinema later shifted toward discounted second-run programming and closed in the mid-1990s. Hilltop drew department stores and national chains away from downtown Richmond. Macy's had already closed its downtown store before the mall opened, while JCPenney maintained its downtown presence for roughly another year. The mall's influence was therefore part of a longer commercial transition rather than the sole cause of downtown decline. Capwell's changed its identity to Emporium-Capwell in 1979 and then to The Emporium in 1990. That same year, Sears was added through a new north-wing expansion, giving the center four major anchor positions. The ownership structure changed repeatedly. GM Pension Trust became the full owner in 1998 and kept Taubman Centers as manager. In 2004, The Mills Corporation acquired a half-interest in a shopping-center portfolio that included Hilltop and assumed management. Simon Property Group and Farallon Capital purchased the Mills portfolio in April 2007. Walmart opened on April 11, 2007, in the former Macy's building, following a protracted effort to bring the retailer to the site. Anchor attrition and financial pressure became increasingly important. Emporium closed in 1996 following its merger-related consolidation with Federated. Macy's refurbished the former Emporium building and moved there in October 1998, leaving its original building vacant until Walmart took it over. Simon's loan default led Contra Costa Superior Court to appoint Jones Lang LaSalle executives as receivers in August 2012. The property was foreclosed in June 2013, with JLL retained as manager after foreclosure. LBG Real Estate Companies and Aviva Investors purchased the property in 2017 and proposed a substantial transformation. The center was renamed The Shops at Hilltop in September, with plans for dining, entertainment, office, personal-service, and retail uses. A proposed 99 Ranch Market was intended to serve as a new anchor. The associated Hilltop by the Bay master plan envisioned a much larger mixed-use community containing housing, offices, hotels, retail, and entertainment. Although the site had significant development entitlements, the plans were not delivered. The proposed 99 Ranch Market opening was repeatedly anticipated but never materialized. Occupancy later fell substantially, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the project was discussed under a possible East Bay Science and Technology Center identity. JCPenney closed in July 2017, Sears closed in April 2020, and Macy's closed in March 2021. The pandemic forced most remaining stores to close temporarily from mid-March 2020, apart from Walmart. Prologis acquired the site for $117 million in April 2021 and announced intentions involving modern logistics facilities alongside residential and retail development. The mall permanently closed on April 22, 2021. By 2023, Richmond officials were considering the future of the property through the Hilltop Horizon Specific Plan, marking the transition from an enclosed shopping mall to a broader redevelopment site.
- 2021
Prologis acquires the site and the mall closes
[1]Prologis completes the acquisition in April, and the enclosed mall closes permanently on April 22.
- 2017
The Shops at Hilltop rebrand is announced
[1]New ownership announces a retail and mixed-use repositioning under a new name.
- 2012
Receivership begins
[1]A court appoints receivers after Simon Property Group defaults on the property's loan.
- 2007
Walmart opens
[1]Walmart begins operating in the mall's former Macy's building.
- 1998
Macy's relocates within the property
[1]Macy's moves into the former Emporium building, while its former space later becomes Walmart.
- 1996
Emporium closes
[1]The former Capwell's/Emporium-Capwell anchor closes after corporate consolidation.
- 1990
Sears joins the mall
[1]A north-wing expansion creates a new Sears anchor.
- 1988
Cinema complex expands
[1]Four additional screens are added to the original four-screen cinema operation.
- 1976
Hilltop Mall opens
[1]The regional shopping center opens in September with Capwell's, JCPenney, and Macy's as major anchors.
Products and positioning
A suburban regional shopping center serving Richmond and the northern East Bay, later repositioned as a potential mixed-use retail, entertainment, office, housing, and logistics district.
Retail property · 1976
Regional shopping mall
Hilltop Mall provided an enclosed shopping environment for department stores, specialty retailers, food outlets, services, and entertainment. Its two-axis layout, four anchor positions, central rotunda, and surrounding parking field were characteristic of the large suburban malls developed in the United States during the 1970s.
Entertainment · 1976
Hilltop Mall Cinemas
The mall's cinema opened in 1976 as a four-screen first-run theater operated by Plitt Theatres. Cineplex Odeon later added four upper-level screens. The complex eventually moved toward second-run and discount programming before closing in the mid-1990s; its space was subsequently incorporated into a fitness facility.
Redevelopment concept · 2017
The Shops at Hilltop
The proposed repositioning sought to replace the declining traditional mall model with a combination of retail, restaurants, entertainment, offices, personal services, and cultural activities. A planned 99 Ranch Market was intended to become a new anchor, but the redevelopment was not completed.
Controversies
Marketing campaigns
- 2017The Shops at Hilltop rebrand
Richmond · East Bay
LBG Real Estate Companies and Aviva Investors promoted a new identity for Hilltop centered on modern retail, dining, entertainment, offices, and services rather than a conventional department-store mall.
Outcome. The proposed repositioning did not reach completion. Anchor closures, weak occupancy, and the COVID-19 pandemic undermined the plan.
- 2017Hilltop by the Bay
Richmond · East Bay
A broader master plan proposed a mixed-use village around the mall site, combining thousands of housing units with offices, hotels, retail, entertainment, and employment uses.
Outcome. The master plan was not delivered in its proposed form before the site was acquired by Prologis.
Brand decisions
2021
Prologis acquires the mall siteM&ABackground
The enclosed mall had lost most of its department-store anchors and the prior redevelopment plan had stalled.
Action taken
Prologis acquired the approximately 78-acre site and proposed logistics facilities together with residential and retail uses.
Aftermath
Hilltop Mall closed permanently on April 22, 2021, and the property entered a new planning and redevelopment phase.
Acquisition price. $117 million (April 2021)
2017
Property repositioned as The Shops at HilltopStrategyBackground
New owners sought to respond to anchor-store decline and changing consumer behavior through a large redevelopment.
Action taken
LBG and Aviva announced plans for new retail, dining, entertainment, office, service, and cultural uses, including a proposed 99 Ranch Market.
Aftermath
The redevelopment was not completed, planned tenants withdrew, and Prologis later acquired the site for a different mixed-use and logistics strategy.
2007
Walmart opens an anchor storeProduct launchBackground
The former Macy's building had remained unused after Macy's relocated within the mall.
Action taken
Walmart opened in the building on April 11 after a lengthy redevelopment process.
Aftermath
Walmart ultimately became the only traditional anchor remaining when the mall closed in 2021.
1998
Macy's moves into the former Emporium spaceStrategyBackground
Emporium's closure left one of the mall's major anchor buildings vacant while Macy's occupied a separate original anchor location.
Action taken
Macy's refurbished and moved into the former Emporium building, consolidating its presence at the center.
Aftermath
The vacated Macy's building later became a Walmart location in 2007.
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