The site that The Shops at Tanforan mall is built on has served as a racetrack, at various times as an airfield, a military training center, a Japanese American internment camp, as well as a golf course.
Racetrack
The Tanforan Racetrack was built in 1899. It was named after Toribio Tanforan, the grandson-in-law of Jose Antonio Sanchez, the grantee of Rancho Buri Buri. Horse, dog, motorcycle, and auto races were held year round at the track. One of Tanforan's most famous residents while it was used as a racetrack was Seabiscuit, who was stabled there for a time. Today, a statue of Seabiscuit may be found on the grounds of the Tanforan mall. The site found other uses after 1909, when the state of California banned all gambling at racetracks.
Airfield
Tanforan Racetrack was occasionally used as an airfield, with the center of the racetrack used as a runway. On January 25–26, 1910, the Tanforan Racetrack served as the site for the Second International Air Meet in America, organized by the Pacific Aero Club and attended by aviation notables Louis Paulhan and John J. Montgomery. On January 18, 1911, aviator Eugene Ely made naval aviation history when he took off from Tanforan and made a successful landing on the USS Pennsylvania anchored in San Francisco Bay. This marked the first successful shipboard aircraft landing. A plaque on the grounds commemorates this event. Tanforan was temporarily converted into a military training center during World War I.
Tanforan Assembly Center
During World War II, Tanforan was used as a Japanese American internment camp. Tanforan was the second most populous of the 17 "civilian assembly centers" where internees were sent before being relocated to more permanent "relocation centers." Twenty-six of the 180 "apartment" barracks were converted from horse stalls. 8,003 people were held at Tanforan from April 28 to October 13, 1942, with a peak population of 7,816 in July. A plaque outside the mall notes this history. A number of soldiers who were once interned at Tanforan are buried at the Golden Gate National Cemetery, which is located on a nearby hill that overlooks the Tanforan site. After the war, Tanforan returned to its former role as a race track, with a golf course in the center of the track. The track went into decline in the 1950s due to competition from Bay Meadows, then burned down on July 31, 1964.
Shopping mall
In 1971, a new shopping mall was built on the Tanforan site. At the time of opening, it was named the Tanforan Shopping Center. In 1999, the mall was purchased by real estate developer Wattson Breevast, who planned to redevelop it. There were many issues the new owners had to overcome: lawsuit involving BART, getting consent from existing anchors, moving out long-term tenants, existing building materials, and other city issues. It would be four years before the project's operations were ready to begin. After resolving a string of legal, construction, and administrative issues, renovations finally began in 2003. Most of the existing structure—with the exception of the anchor buildings—was razed and underwent a major reconstruction. Altoon + Porter Architects was hired for the mall's new design, and the US$140 million project was completed after 20 months. In 2005, the new mall opened as The Shops at Tanforan. On April 18, 2008, Century Theatres had its grand opening at this location, with a skybridge between the mall and theater connecting the two structures. The bottom floor of the garage also serves as a walkway to both the San Bruno Police Department and the BART station. A two-level Barnes & Noble bookstore is located at the center of the El Camino Real entrance. In 2015, Sears Holdingsspun off 235 of its properties, including the Sears at The Shops at Tanforan, into Seritage Growth Properties. On July 2, 2019, a shooting took place at Tanforan Mall where two gunmen opened fire “at each other, or someone else” according to the San Bruno Police Department. The incident wounded two and injured an additional two people. On November 7, 2019, it was announced that Sears would be closing this location as part of a plan to close 96 stores nationwide. The store closed on February 2, 2020. On November 14, 2019, it was announced that Forever 21 would be closing this location as part of a plan to close 111 stores nationwide. The store closed in January 2020.
Tanforan is home to a concept store for Old Navy, which formerly had corporate headquarters about 0.5 mile away on Cherry Avenue and 15 minutes downtown to Folsom Street in San Francisco.
