Walking through downtown San Bernardino today feels a bit surreal if you remember the 1970s. Back then, the San Bernardino Carousel Mall wasn't just a shopping center; it was the heartbeat of the Inland Empire. It had that specific "new mall" smell—a mix of floor wax, popcorn, and expensive department store perfume. Now? It is a massive, empty footprint that has become a symbol of urban decay and the brutal reality of the retail apocalypse.
People often ask what went wrong. They want a simple answer. "It was the internet," or "It was the crime." Honestly, it’s never just one thing. It was a slow-motion car crash that took decades to play out.
The Rise and Fall of the San Bernardino Carousel Mall
Originally opened in 1972 as Central City Mall, this place was a powerhouse. We are talking about 43 acres of prime real estate. It launched with three massive anchors: Montgomery Ward, JCPenney, and the upscale Harris Company. It was the place to be. If you wanted a suit, you went to Harris. If you wanted to hang out with friends, you hit the food court.
Then came the late 80s. The name changed to Carousel Mall in 1991 to try and drum up some whimsy, mostly centered around a literal carousel that became the mall's namesake. But the vibe was already shifting.
Retail is fickle.
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When the Inland Center mall nearby renovated and the Ontario Mills opened up down the 10 freeway, the demographic pull shifted. Stores started quietly exiting. First, it’s the small boutiques. Then, the "B-tier" clothing shops. Finally, the anchors. When JCPenney pulled out in 2003, it was a gut punch. Montgomery Ward was already gone because the entire chain collapsed. By the time the mall officially closed its doors to the public in 2017, it was a ghost town with only a few offices and a handful of struggling shops left.
Fire, Fences, and Frustration
The years between 2017 and 2023 were grim. You've probably seen the YouTube videos. Urban explorers would sneak in to film the decaying escalators and the dusty remains of the food court. It was "dead mall" porn at its most tragic. But for the city, it was a liability.
It wasn't just an eyesore; it was dangerous.
The site suffered multiple fires. In May 2022, a massive blaze broke out that required over 50 firefighters to contain. Another hit in 2023. These weren't just small trash fires; they were structural threats that sent plumes of toxic smoke over the city. The city was spending a fortune just trying to keep people out of a building that was basically a tinderbox. San Bernardino officials, including Mayor Helen Tran and the City Council, finally had to face the music: the building couldn't be saved. It had to go.
The Messy Reality of Demolition and Redevelopment
Demolition finally began in earnest in early 2023. It wasn't a quick "blow it up with dynamite" situation like you see in Vegas movies. It was a surgical, slow process because of asbestos.
You can't just knock down a 1970s mall without dealing with the environmental hazards.
The city partnered with companies like Renaissance Downtowns USA and Urban_Focus to envision a "mixed-use" future. The plan sounds great on paper: thousands of residential units, green spaces, and "experiential" retail. Basically, the opposite of a giant concrete box. They want to reconnect the city grid, making it walkable again.
But here is the catch. This is San Bernardino.
The city has struggled with bankruptcy and leadership turnover for years. While the demolition of the San Bernardino Carousel Mall is a physical sign of progress, the economic hurdles are massive. Financing a multi-billion dollar redevelopment in a high-interest-rate environment is a nightmare. There have been legal disputes over development agreements and concerns about whether the local economy can actually support the "high-end" vision some planners have.
What is actually happening right now?
- The physical structure is largely gone. The site is mostly a flat expanse of dirt and gravel.
- The city is currently in the "infrastructure" phase, which is code for "boring stuff underground." They have to fix sewers, power lines, and water pipes that haven't been touched since Richard Nixon was in office.
- Developers are still "refining" the site plan. In developer-speak, that often means scaling back the ambitious parts to make the budget work.
Why This Mall Matters to the Inland Empire
It’s easy to dismiss a dead mall as just another failed business venture. But for San Bernardino, the Carousel Mall represented the city's peak. When the mall was thriving, the city felt like it was on an upward trajectory. When it died, it felt like the city's heart stopped.
The failure of the mall was a symptom of the "donut effect"—where the center of a city hollows out as everyone moves to the suburbs. Reversing that is incredibly hard.
Most people don't realize that the Harris Company building, which sits adjacent to the mall site, is a historic landmark. It’s a beautiful piece of architecture that everyone hopes will be integrated into the new design. It reminds us that the city has bones. It has history. It’s not just a collection of vacant lots.
Navigating the Site Today
If you drive by E Street and 2nd Street today, don't expect to see a mall. Expect to see a lot of chain-link fence and "No Trespassing" signs. Security is tight because of the previous fire history.
Honestly, the best way to see the progress isn't by peering through a fence. The city puts out regular updates through the San Bernardino Economic Development department. If you’re a local or an investor, that’s where the real data lives. They hold community meetings where you can actually see the 3D renderings of the proposed parks and apartments. It looks nothing like a mall. It looks like a neighborhood.
Steps for Staying Informed on the Future of the Site
If you care about the future of downtown San Bernardino, just watching the news isn't enough. The situation is fluid.
- Check the City Council Agendas: Most of the big decisions about who gets to build what happen in Tuesday night meetings that nobody watches. That's where the real "business" of the mall happens.
- Follow Local Independent News: Outlets like the San Bernardino Sun cover the granular details of the development contracts that bigger news stations skip.
- Visit the Site (Safely): Drive around the perimeter. Look at the surrounding businesses. You can see the "halo effect" starting—or not starting—based on how many small shops are opening or closing nearby.
- Acknowledge the Timeline: Realize this is a 10-to-15-year project. Anyone telling you it will be "fixed" by next year is selling you something.
The San Bernardino Carousel Mall is gone. The era of the giant indoor shopping center in downtown urban cores is likely over for good. What comes next won't be a mall, but if the city plays its cards right, it might actually be something people use every day, rather than just on weekends.
The demolition wasn't an ending. It was a very expensive, very loud, and very necessary fresh start for a city that desperately needed one. Keep an eye on the infrastructure phase over the next 18 months; that's the real indicator of whether the new vision will actually become reality or if it will remain a vacant lot for another decade.