Malls · California
Pomona Mall
Pomona Mall opened 1962 pedestrian mall, declined 1969, reopened to cars 1977, now split between university and arts uses today. · summary, model-written
Solid = from the authors' map · outlined = public source · dashed = model-written, not yet reviewed by a person. Tap any value's source label to see where it came from.
Site profile4 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence
JCPenney
This site: JCPenney wikipedia · all sites with thisWoolworth's
This site: Woolworth's wikipedia · all sites with thisReinhabited
This site: The eastern end is now part of the Western University of Health Sciences campus. The western end now houses numerous art galleries, art studios and restaurants. extraction · all sites with thisEducation
This site: The eastern end is now part of the Western University of Health Sciences campus. The western end now houses numer extraction · all sites with thisNow
| Status | Closedextracted, unreviewed |
|---|---|
| Strategy | Reinhabitedextracted, unreviewed |
| New uses | education, otherextracted, unreviewed |
| What is there now | The eastern end is now part of the Western University of Health Sciences campus. The western end now houses numerous art galleries, art studios and restaurants.extracted, unreviewed |
Site context
| Attention: Wikipedia page views | 12,245 since 2015; 1,363 in the last 12 months (-3% vs the prior 12); peak 2023-03 with 290Wikimedia |
|---|
Summary, model-written
Pomona Mall opened in 1962 as a pedestrian mall in downtown Pomona. By 1969 it experienced high vacancy, and in 1977 the blocks were returned to automobile traffic. Today the eastern end is part of Western University of Health Sciences while the western end hosts art galleries, studios, and restaurants.
Why. The record notes high vacancy reported in 1969 and the return of blocks to car traffic in 1977, suggesting declining patronage led to the mall’s closure; specific causes such as anchor loss, competition, or debt are not stated.
Where it stands. The mall is currently closed, with its eastern end controlled by Western University of Health Sciences and its western end occupied by art galleries, studios, and restaurants; overall ownership is not specified in the record.
For a planner
- Precedent: early pedestrian mall integrated into a city‑wide civic improvements plan.
- Policy tools used: reinhabit strategy converting space to education and other uses.
- Open questions: current ownership, zoning entitlements, and long‑term viability of mixed educational‑arts reuse.
For a developer
- Site size: not provided in the record.
- Control/ownership: not specified; unclear who holds title.
- Entitlement stage: no information on zoning or approvals for reuse.
- Context constraints: flood risk, transit access, environmental conditions are not recorded.
What we do not know yet
- Exact parcel acreage and boundaries are missing.
- Current legal owner and any deed restrictions are unknown.
- Zoning designation and any pending entitlements are not stated.
- Floodplain, seismic, or environmental hazard data are absent.
- Transit proximity and pedestrian/bicycle infrastructure details are not included.
- Financial performance, debt status, or demolition costs are not provided.
- The strategy and new_use fields are model‑extracted and marked as draft, so they may be unverified.
Generated by nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b on NVIDIA API via Hermes CT from the fields, parcels, deals and context layers on this page, with no outside knowledge. It is regenerated when the record changes and has not been checked by a person. How it is made.
Similar sites
- Indian Hill Mall, Pomona, CA · Malls · opened 1955; same strategy: reinhabit; also in CA
- Escondido Village Mall, Escondido, CA · Malls · opened 1964; same strategy: reinhabit; also in CA
- Fulton Mall, Fresno, CA · Malls · opened 1964; same strategy: reinhabit; also in CA
- Tri-County Mall, Springdale, OH · Malls · opened 1960; same strategy: reinhabit
Elsewhere on the web
Pages with photos
- Famous Mall | THE POMONA MALL - Pomona, California The uniqu… | Flickr flickr.com
- The Pomona Mall California cardcow.com
- Pomona_Mall_West_CA - a photo on Flickriver flickriver.com
- Pomona Mall - LA Conservancy laconservancy.org
Search images: Google · Bing · Commons · references: ULI case studies · Google Scholar
Multifamily screen
- closed or demolished site (sourced)
Inputs: record fields (size, status) and county Census ACS 2018–2023 figures (growth, rent). How the points work. Not a recommendation.
History and original facts
| Opened | 1962extracted, unreviewed |
|---|---|
| Architect | Millard Sheets |
| Anchors | S. H. Kress, JCPenney, Woolworth's, Buffums department store, Nash's Department Store |
| Census division | 9 · Pacific |
| Notes | Wikipedia categories: Defunct shopping malls in the United States |
Not yet recorded: acres, GLA, original developer, retrofit year. Know it? Tell us.
Background
Pomona Mall was a pedestrian mall in downtown Pomona, California, recognized by the Los Angeles Conservancy as an outstanding example of Mid-century modern and modern architecture and design. It was completed in 1962 and designed by Millard Sheets. It had been in the planning for five years, one element in a larger plan of civic improvements covering the whole city.
Excerpt from Wikipedia (authors and history), CC BY-SA 4.0. May be older than the record above.
Timeline
- 1962 Completed
- 1969 High vacancy reported
- 1977 Blocks returned to automobile traffic
Sources
- Wikipedia: Pomona Mall · supports: after notes, status, strategy, year opened
7 quoted sentences
It was completed in 1962 and designed by Millard Sheets.
The eastern end is now part of the Western University of Health Sciences campus. The western end now houses numerous art galleries, art studios and restaurants.
In 1977, five of the nine blocks were given back to automobile traffic.
The eastern end is now part of the Western University of Health Sciences campus. The western end now houses numerous art galleries, art studios and restaurants.