From Racetrack to Retail

By Illeana Guillen Reporter

In the San Francisco Bay Area, many residents are familiar with The Shops at Tanforan, colloquially known as Tanforan. But not everyone is familiar with the history behind the history of the establishments that once stood where the mall stands today, and what the future plans are for the mall.

Initially it was a race track for horses, then a temporary detention center for Japanese Amercians during World War II and is currently home to various retail stores and restaurants ranging from Target to BJ’s Restaurant & Brewery. The next plan for Tanforan Mall is to turn it into a biotech campus, as well as housing.

Tanforan Racetrack welcomed visitors since its doors first opened in 1899 until a fire forced it to cease operations in 1964. While they were rehabilitating from an injury, Seabiscuit, an award-winning thoroughbred racehorse, was house in their stables.

During the racetrack’s 65 year old history, it was utilized as an ephemeral detention center for Japanese Americans who lived in the Bay Area , due to Executive Order 9066.

Upon the signing of the Executive Order, individuals who were perceived to pose a threat to national security would be moved from the west coast to noncoastal areas. Due to the recent military attack against the United States that was commited by the Japanese military, there was a rise in racial prejudice and anti-Japanese sentiment, which led to Japanese Amercians being forced to relocate to relocation centers, more commonly known as internment camps so they could not not spy and pillage on behalf of Japan.

While the racetrack was still in operation, it was used as a shortterm “assembly center” to house Japanese Americans detainees who lived in the Bay Area before they were to continue their journey to an internment camp.

Since Tanforan was a racetrack, and was meant to have stables for their racehorses, it was not equipped to house people and despite the fact that the army constructed 180 barracks in less than two months that would be the temporary residence for roughly 8,000 people.

As a result of Tanforan being a racetrack, Since Tanforan was a racetrack, and was meant to have stables for their racehorses, it was not equipped to house people and despite the fact that the army constructed 180 barracks in less than two months that would be the temporary residence for roughly 8,000 people.

In addition to building temporary housing, the horse stables that were meant for horses were converted into shelter for Japanese Americans. The conditions of the temporary assembly center were dehumanizing and was not well equipped to serve countless families and individuals.

Examples of the deplorable conditions included poor housing conditions, limited supplies of hot water for detainees, limited qualities of laundry facilities, and those who were subjected to living in converted horse stables could smell manure and other ghastly smells that omitted from where the horses were stabled.

Almost all of the detainees who were held at the Tanforan Assembly Center, would go to the Topaz War Relocation Center in Delta, Utah. In 2022, the TACMC (Tanforan Assembly Center Memorial Committee) unveiled a bronzed statue of two little girls who were en route to Tanforan based on a photograph taken by Dorothea Lange, a photojournalist who’s well known for the photos she took during the Great Depression.

In 1964, a fire destroyed Tanforan racetrack and the racetrack’s 65 year history came to an unexpected tragic end. Seven years after the tragic fire destroyed Tanforan Racetrack, the shopping mall we know today was built on the grounds of where Seabiscuit once raced.

Within a year of the mall opening their doors to the public, a statue of Seabiscuit was erected at Tanforan to honor the thoroughbred who was stabled at Tanforan Racetrack. Tanforan Mall has been in operation since 1971, and boasts a wide selection of retail stores such as Target, JC Penny, Journey’s, as well as dinning options such as Chipotle, Panda Express, and Sarku Japan.

After serving the community, and Bay Area residents for more than thirty years, the land Tanforan Mall stands on was bought by Alexandria Real Estate, a Southern California based real estate company who plans on converting Tanforan Mall into a biotech campus, as well as housing. The location is close to the freeway, as well as public transportation, such as BART and SamTrams, which serves San Mateo County and part of San Francisco.

Tanforan Mall has such a rich, and controversial history and is an integral part of the community, serving families since 1971. Many community members have fond memories of shopping here, but not every shopper is aware of how it was once an assembly center that housed individuals who had done nothing wrong, but were being persecuted on the sole basis of their ancestry.

By acquiring the land the mall currently stands on, Alexandria Real Estate is doing more than just transforming a shopping center into a biotech campus, it is further changing the history of the land that once was home to a racetrack, an assembly center, and presently a mall.

Change is ever present in the Bay Area, a region that is known for innovation, so it just makes sense that Tanforan Mall is evolving from a galleria to a biotech firm.

Football, baseball, and basketball. The big three I like to call them. If anything we can even include soccer in there as well. Something that these sports all have in common is their heavy representation in mainstream media. On a typical night out with friends hitting up your local Wingstop, or Dave & Busters, these are the sports blown up on their massive TV screens.

However, it’s time to step away from all that light and dwell into darkness. Actually, it’s not all that dark, it really depends on the alley you step into. A bowling alley that is.

Bowling was a strike of success in the 1950s and 1960s of the U.S. Its popularity owes thanks to the introduction of the automatic pinspotter. Instead of a manual set-up, people didn’t have to wait anymore for their pins to reset. Thus, making bowling bloom into a popular sport. Bowling alleys were even open 24 hours because of its huge success. In fact, this concept is somewhat still alive to this day.

Local bowling alleys such as: Sea Bowl, Hometown Bowl, and Classic Bowling Center all adopt a similar late night fun vibe with hours up until 2 a.m. While Sea Bowl is unfortunately shutting down on May 31, 2023, it’s still an awesome place to check out for bowling like the other alleys.

Hometown bowl specifically is a late night spot. Among the three, it’s the dimmest location for nighttime play, offering various neon lights and signs. It’s the perfect place for those who enjoy that nightclub aesthetic. And besides bowling, it even has a mini arcade or pool tables that anyone can use if they wanted to try a different activity.

Classic Bowling Center really lives up to its name as everything about it truly feels like the “classics.” Having been open since 1985, it still sells that retro bowling alley style. Darlina Monteverde, a CSM alumni, works at Classic and has a lot to say on this vintage spot.

“I’ve worked at Classic for like three or four years now and it used to be crazy.” Monteverde says. “There used to be these nights called ‘Dollar nights’ and we would be open until 2 a.m. But some of my regulars said that Classic used to be even open for 24 hours.”

Housing over 60 playable lanes, it’s one of the bigger alleys out there. There’s practically a spot open for anyone. Michael Santos, a second-year respiratory care major, started bowling at Classic in the summer of 2021. What started as a fun activity with friends eventually became a passion of his.

“I’ve met some of my closest friends from bowling at Classic. They’re also my mentors and helped me improve my bowling.” Santos says. “Seeing myself improve honestly made me really happy and I got the confidence to join league.”

Both Classic Bowling Center and Sea Bowl have the entertainment aspects that Hometown holds, but their lanes hold competitive play as well. With leagues happening nearly every night, bowlers come in weekly to compete against each other.

“I joined my first league at the end of 2021, but now I bowl almost every day since I’m in four different leagues. I also just try to practice a lot.” Santos says. Among the leagues that Michael bowls are also two junior leagues. From kids ranging from 6-yearolds all the way to 21-year-olds, junior leagues allow kids to have fun, but also compete to improve their skills and earn scholarships.

Tiana Cruz, a first-year biology major, is one of Santos’ teammates and has been bowling at classic for about ten years now.

“It was all fun at first but I got uninterested after my freshman year because I was doing other school activities.” Cruz explains. “But I got back into it in my senior year because I wanted to bowl competitively.”

Bowling became an outlet that these teammates grew to love. While both of them have very different journeys, in the end, it all led them to appreciate the sport of bowling.

“Bowling really made my mental game stronger and social skills better.” Cruz says. “My self-esteem has gone up and hopefully I’ll be able to make it far one day and end up on TV representing the Filos of Daly City.”

With both Michael and Tiana, including their third teammate, Christian Chan, an upcoming student at Skyline, they are just one part of the vibrant Filipino culture thriving at Classic. As a matter of fact, leagues cultivate a flourishment of cultures ranging from senior leagues, Japanese leagues, Chinese leagues, and LGBTQ+ leagues.

Although bowling isn’t widely recognized in the mainstream world of sports, it’s a sport that anyone can enjoy. Whether it’s for competitive play, or simply leisure among a group of friends, bowling will always be a relic of a time period that remains undying. So, spare yourself the time, split a game with friends, and go bowl some strikes.