Broadway Plaza will hold a birthday party on Saturday, October 17. In the 75 years since it opened, the business model it was built on has changed. The 1951 shopping center had three big names, Sears, J.C. Penney and a Lucky grocery store, and grew outward from them. In 2026 its most prominent anchor site, the former Neiman Marcus building, is vacant. The one large plan for that site was withdrawn in May. Downtown's recent changes have come from small shops, a chocolatier, a boba lounge, a relocated taqueria, and a public calendar that runs through Civic Park.
A plaza that started with three anchors
The Walnut Creek Historical Society dates construction of the Broadway Shopping Center to 1950. It was built on undeveloped land near the spot where Main Street, then Highway 21, met Mt. Diablo Boulevard, then Highway 24. The center opened in October 1951 with 38 stores. Sears, J.C. Penney and Lucky were the anchors, and there were 1,500 free parking spaces. The Historical Society calls it one of the country's first open-air, auto-oriented malls. Many of the original stores sat around a horseshoe-shaped parking lot marked by a trademark Broadway sign.
That model held for decades: big stores bring the traffic, and smaller shops benefit from it. The last major rebuild used the same approach at a larger scale. Macerich, which owns the plaza, launched a redevelopment in 2014 and officially opened the expanded center on September 1, 2016. The announcement listed more than 50 new stores, over 900,000 square feet of leasable space, new parking structures, walkways, art and an event plaza. The Mercury News reported that the project cost $250 million and added 210,000 square feet of shopping space. To put that in perspective, the 2016 expansion added more new stores than the entire plaza had when it opened.
The corner that was supposed to come next
The next big change was planned for the southwest edge of the plaza, where the former Neiman Marcus and Chico's buildings stand at 1000 S. Main St. and 1401 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Restoration Hardware proposed tearing down both buildings and putting up a four-building compound with retail galleries and a restaurant. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the plans called for at least 140 full- and part-time jobs.
The Chronicle reported that the retailer pulled its application at the end of May. That was one week before it was scheduled to go before the Planning Commission, and the letter withdrawing the application was dated May 29. Mayor Kevin Wilk told the paper, "There was a lot of enthusiasm between the city, Broadway Plaza and Restoration Hardware. For it to be pulled so quickly without any further explanation was shocking." Walnut Creek Patch said the withdrawal put the vacant property "back in limbo."
As of mid-October, that is still where things stand. The city's project page records the application as withdrawn on June 1, 2026, and lists no replacement proposal. A late-July report from the Bay Area Telegraph said neither Macerich nor RH had publicly explained the decision. The Chronicle noted that if the project does not go forward, it could be many more years before the vacant buildings are redeveloped.
Who moved in while the corner waited
While the anchor site has sat empty, the smaller storefronts around it have kept changing. Most of this year's openings, relocations and closures were reported by Beyond the Creek, which tracks downtown storefronts week by week. The table shows each business's status as of the most recent report.
| Business | Location | Status | Reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taqueria Extra & Cantina | 1359 Locust St., former Fuego Tequila Grill | Relocated and open | July 15 |
| Läderach Chocolate | Broadway Plaza | Open | August 18 |
| 7th Avenue furniture showroom | Broadway Plaza | Open | August 20 |
| Rowan, ear piercing and jewelry | Broadway Plaza, former Aveda space | Coming soon | August 25 |
| Yardbird | 1406 N. Broadway | Closed | August 28 |
| The North Face | Moving within Broadway Plaza to the former White House Black Market space | Coming soon | September 1 |
| VICI | 1366 N. Main St. | Returning downtown | September 4 |
| Saatva | 1619 Mt. Diablo Blvd., former Sleep Number | Open | September 15 |
| The BOBA Lounge | Broadway Pointe | Open | September 23 |
| Salt & Lime | 1521 N. Main St., former Oyama Sushi | Announced, no opening date | September 25 |
Two of the Broadway Plaza entries are still pending. As of this writing, the plaza's own directory lists both Rowan and the new North Face location as "Coming Soon." For now, a walk past the old White House Black Market space may show work in progress.
Look at what fills these spaces. Each one is a single storefront, and most of them replace another single storefront. A sushi spot becomes a Salt & Lime. Saatva takes over from Sleep Number. Taqueria Extra moves into the former Fuego Tequila Grill. Inside the plaza, The North Face is moving to a different space in the same center. These are the kind of tenants that once depended on Sears and Penney to bring shoppers in. This year they kept downtown changing on their own, while the anchor site stayed empty.
A birthday held on the street
The anniversary event takes place where the smaller shops are. "Once Upon a Street: Broadway Plaza Turns 75" runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 17, on Broadway Plaza Street. The plaza's address is 1275 Broadway Plaza. The Walnut Creek Downtown listing describes a storybook-themed afternoon with interactive and birthday-themed activities.
Six days later the biggest event downtown moves to Civic Park, and that pattern holds for most of the season. Downtown's fall and winter calendar mostly happens in public space and in local venues. Broadway Plaza holds the December parade.
The calendar from late October to mid-January
- Trunk or Treat, Friday, October 23, 3 to 6 p.m. Civic Park, run by Walnut Creek Arts + Rec. The first hour, 3 to 4 p.m., is a low-sensory hour.
- Howl-ooo-ween, Tuesday, October 27, 3 to 8 p.m. Lindsay Wildlife Experience, 1931 First Avenue.
- Halloween costume promotion, Saturday, October 31. Duck Donuts at 2920 N. Main St. gives a free donut with purchase to customers in costume. The listing shows hours of 5 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony, Friday, November 20. Civic Park, with cocoa and carolers, according to the Walnut Creek Downtown events page. A start time for 2026 had not been posted at the time of writing.
- Walnut Creek on Ice, November 20, 2026, through January 18, 2027. The rink returns to Civic Park at 1365 Civic Drive. Check the rink page for ticket details closer to opening. Some of its ticket links still refer to last season.
- Holiday Parade of Lights and Tree Lighting, Thursday, December 3, 6 to 8:30 p.m. Held throughout Broadway Plaza.
The tree lighting and the rink's opening day are both on November 20 in Civic Park. The plaza holds its own tree lighting 13 days later, so downtown has two separate holiday kickoffs this year, in two different places.
For the plaza's 75th season, the busiest dates on the calendar fall in Civic Park and on Broadway Plaza Street. The corner at Main and Mt. Diablo, the one meant to define the plaza's next chapter, will still be empty through the holidays unless Macerich or the city announces a new plan.
If you're watching Broadway Plaza's next chapter take shape from a home nearby, or thinking about how being near downtown Walnut Creek affects what your own house is worth, Gillian Judge Hogan is happy to talk it through over coffee, maybe at one of those new spots on North Main. Work With Gillian.
