CENTRAL CITY MALL / CAROUSEL MALL: SAN BERNARDINO, CA
David McCleran's Commentary
Posted January 17, 2013 (user submitted January 9, 2013) Central City Mall originally started as just Harris'.
In 1927, Harris moved from their very busy (and normally very crowed) original location on 3rd St (now West 3rd Street) between D and E Streets in San Bernardino to their new store down the block located on (what was then) 3rd and E Streets. 3rd Street no longer intersects at E, as new buildings, such as City Hall and a hotel, have been built on top of the old road. In 1947, Harris installed the first Monostairs (now called escalators) in the Inland Empire.
Fast forward to the 1960's. In 1966 Inland Center, less then 5 miles away, opened. San Bernardino wanted to bring more traffic into downtown, instead of just having City Hall and a bunch of mid-to-high rise buildings in the area. In the 1972, Central City Mall opened with a lot of it filled. The new mall consisted of 52 stores spread between 2 floors, and 3 anchors (2 new), JCPenney, Montgomery Wards and Harris. The Harris building stayed original. The mall had a great spot right at the end of 3rd, which was, in some parts, San Bernardino's biggest retail district.
Not long after opening, San Bernardino wanted to make the mall more of a city within a city, wanting to add new mid-high rise buildings, a 4th anchor, and other normal mall upgrades as well as a park and even a aerial tram.
In the late 1970's, the mall had already started having problems. Along with the gang activity happening in the area and the mall, the owners of the mall changing to different management groups, and officials who wanted the mall to be profitable, people stopped coming to Central City and mainly went to Inland Center instead. In the late 1980's, developers made a plan to renovate the mall to attract more people.
Central City Mall was then closed, renovated, a large carousel was added and the name was officially changed to Carousel Mall. They had hopes of attracting families and kids to the mall with the carousel. The mall started losing business for the rest of the 1990's.
Even though it was older and smaller, more people started shopping at Inland Center. Efforts were made to keep Harris in their spot at Carousel. They were met, and in 1997, the whole chain was renovated. In 1998, Gottschalks bought Harris. All Harris stores were renamed Harris-Gottshalks, and the Carousel Mall location was closed, and Harris-Gottschalks reopened in the former May Co building at Inland Center.
In 2001, Montgomery Ward went under, leaving just JCPenney as an anchor until they closed their doors in 2003. The mall was sold in 2006, and then resold in 2008. Also in 2008, the CinemaStar showed its last movie and closed its doors. San Bernardino's retail area is now primarily located in the south part of the city near the 10 freeway.
The mall continued to die, leading to present day. Carousel Mall was holds some San Bernardino County and School District offices (apx. 450 people). Only 17 stores remain open, where some of the original 52 stores were in the mall. Included in the 17 stores is a AM station, a Tax Center, and 4 restaurants. All businesses are independently owned, except the radio station and tax center (both are unknown).
Jeffery Scism's Commentary
Posted September 3, 2006 (user submitted February 11, 2006) The Central City Mall in San Bernardino is an interesting study in mall failure and city interference.
The mall opened in the 1970s, and was anchored by Montgomery Wards, JC Penney and Harris; a department store on the site for 65 years.
In The Late 80s the mall started having hard times, most shopper went to the Inlans Center Mall three miles south, and JC Penney closed its doors, as did Montgomery Wards, leaving Harris dept store as the sole anchor. The Mall tried to revive itself by changing ots name to the Carousel mall and the installed carousel and train ride did little to boost patronage.
Harris (the anchor) was a VERY old portion of the facility, and the city developement agency loaned them a large amount of money to refurbish their store, on the condition that they STAY. The money was spent, the renovations done and as soon as they were done, Harris had a merger, and MOVED out to the Inland Center Mall.
Now the Carousel Mall is a mainly empty shopping facility with a few mom and pop type shops and some local businesses that are fighting a losing battle.
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Paul E. Garcia’s Commentary:
User submitted in 2025It is now demolished except for the Harris store, which is now owned by the city and has issues due to squatters.
Dharampreet Singh’s Commentary:
User submitted in 2025It's so lovely the way you talk about anniversaries. Love and respect show the qualities we all look for in a life partner. This time surprise your loved one with our very special collection of anniversary cards.
Tricia Blair’s Commentary:
User submitted in 2020It is sad I worked at Harris, jean nicole.petries,and Jcpenney..met my sons father whom was at the time mall security John Avila. Back in 1986,.The fondest memories of my life was Carousel mall. SO SO SAD to see it die.
Nancy Jaramillo Strickert’s Commentary:
User submitted in 2019The last of the Carousel Mall stores and offices were cleared out in the summer of 2017. The radio station (1050 KCAA) office and studio is now out in Redlands, which has its own may-as-well-be-dead mall (Redlands Mall).
Janelle Ann Stoermer’s Commentary:
User submitted in 2019I grew up in Riverside, CA in the 80s and 90s, where I mostly went to the Tyler Mall. There wasn't much need to go to San Bernardino when we had what we needed right there in Riverside. I did know about the Central City Mall/Carousel Mall, though. In my late 20's, I moved to Yucaipa (in San Bernardino County), and spent more time shopping in San Bernardino. I fell in love with this dying mall (which truly was dying by then). It made me wish I had gone during its heyday (I was just fifteen or so miles away, but had stuck with the Tyler Mall). The Carousel seemed like a relic from another time...my childhood, actaully. It symbolized the dying mall phenomenon that was hitting our country at the time (late 2000's/early 2010's). I would enjoy walking around, shopping at the stores that were left, and imagining the stories that had plalyed out there over the years. Heaven knows I have so many memories at the Tyler Mall, and I'm sure those same types of memories were made at the Carousel. Families going Christmas shopping together. Someone proposing to their sweetheart. A first job. I'm sure the stories and experiences there are endless. Besides the nostalgia factor, I like patronize struggling businesses. I spent a few years getting acquainted with the Carousel Mall, enjoying its hidden treasures (like the best Chinest restaurant in the world! A cute little cafe opened in 2011 called Sweet Dee's. I was their first customer. Dee (the owner) took my picture and put it up on the wall, along with the first dollar I handed them when I paid. They had the best sandwiches and sweets, but sadly, they weren't able to sustain business, and had to close down a few months later. When I got married in 2015, I did much of my wedding shopping at the Carousel Mall (which had about fifteen or so functioning stores). My then-fiance (now husband) got on board with this, and we had fun seeing what we could get at the Carousel. We got my engagement ring at the Daniel's jewlers in the Carousel. They were eager to make some good deals with us, because they werne't getting a lot of business. I also was able to have my wedding gown altered at the little alterations shop in the mall. My maid of honor was also able to get her dress altered there. We each paid about $30. Really good deals. I was able to get my eyebrows threaded shortly before the wedding at "Lisa's Threading" in the mall, and two days before the wedding, I had my nails done at their nail salon. After our wedding (and honeymoon), we reallized that my ring was a little large, and we took it in to be adjusted. That only cost $25. Even though I wasn't at this mall during it's heyday (because I just didn't go that direction much), I still feel I made my own memories there. I was saddened to learn that it closed for good in 2017 (my husband and I moved out of state, so I found out a little after the fact). RIP, Carousel Mall. The precious lifelong memories made there will live forever.
Christine Wadley’s Commentary:
User submitted in 2018How sad to read this about the Central City \ Carousel Mall. When I was around 14 yrs old ( I am now 56 yrs old) me and three other friends would paint our faces up like the members of the rock group KISS and ride the omni bus from Fontana to the mall and just see what kind of reaction we would get from other mall patrons. We had fun...we weren't in gangs ...that must have been later down the road. This was around 1973/74. So I'm thinking the gangs showed up several years later. At least I have my awesome memories...I will never forget that mall!!