Monday, April 07, 2008

Anaheim shopping centers & street name changes

Today's photos show Anaheim shopping centers in the 1960s. The first (top) shows East Anaheim Center, at Lincoln at State College Blvd, in December 1966. East Anaheim Center incuded a Sav-on Drugs and a Grants department store.
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The second image shows Anaheim Plaza near the freeway and Euclid Ave around 1960. Anaheim Plaza was altered dramatically in the 1990s. New features included a postmodern take on large-scale roadside signage, bright colors, and one of the first Walmarts in Orange County.
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As long as we're talking about Anaheim, perhaps this is a good time to return to the subject of changing street names. Here are a few of the Anaheim street names that have changed over the years:
  • Anaheim St (in both Anaheim and Placentia) is now Miraloma Ave.
  • Anaheim-Olive Rd. and Center St. are both now (mostly) Lincoln Ave.
  • Dowling (in both Anaheim and Placentia), along with Carolina (in Placentia) is now Kraemer Blvd
  • Los Angeles St (the State Highway) is now Anaheim Blvd.
    Palm is now part of Harbor Blvd.
  • West St. (between the 5 Fwy and Katella) recently became S. Disneyland Dr.

13 comments:

EDGE4194 said...

Interesting images on the last few posts! I always enjoy the street name changes.

Anonymous said...

No one would have called it Anaheim Plaza in the 1960s. Until it was enclosed and renamed in the 1970s, we knew it as the Broadway Shopping Center or Anaheim Center.

Nothing beat going to Woolworth’s or Quad’s. Well, except for shopping at Singer [Sewing Center] for albums before Licorice Pizza opened. Or hot roast beef sandwiches at Manning’s. Or school supplies at Sav-On. Or groovy shoes at C. H. Baker.

ItsNotAPlace said...

The East Anaheim Center was very close to where I grew up... don't remember the sign, but I was in that Sav-on Drugs and Grants many times. They remodeled that shopping center sometime around 1984 when I graduated from High School.

KeithO said...

Chris--just to show political correctness is not new add our street to the list of street name changes:
Was Hedwig (best said in your best Colonel Klink voice), is now Philadelphia (best said while waiving a flag in front of a fireworks display with Yankee Doodle Dandy playing in the background.

Anonymous said...

On the subject of street name change. Behind the Mexi-Casa restaurant the original W Center St street sign is till there in the exact place it used to be.

Brian Gross said...

I think later in the 80s it was East Anaheim Plaza and there was both a Ralph's and a Market Basket. Then Ralph's bought MB and there were two Ralph's for a while. We lived in north Orange so State College and Lincoln was the closest mega-strip mall.

Terri Shane said...

yes, stephanie...you got it right!!! on all accounts! :)

Unknown said...

The perfect shopping center lots of styles in clothing in good city best business suits tuxedo ties bow tie children size 1989 the party was good

old audiophile said...

Wasn't there a Clinton's Cafeteria in the 60's? I went to elementary school across the street at Adelaide Price.

old audiophile said...

I remember the Ralph's in the 1960's. Anybody remember Firehouse Pizza down the street?

Jason Schultz said...

According to the August 7, 1958, Anaheim Gazette, the East Anaheim Center displayed James Dean's death car on August 29, 1958:

"Dean's Death Car To Be On Display

"James Dean's death car will attract attention from teenagers and perhaps grown-ups, too, when it is displayed at the East Anaheim shopping center August 29th according to present plans made by Jerry O'Keefe, amanger of an Anaheim car club. The Center will also be the focal point of a "poker run" to be made by members of car clubs in Orangee county who wish to participate. The poker run will start at 1 p. m. from various points on the run and will end at the corner of Anaheim-Olive Road and Placentia Avenue, known as the East Anaheim Center. There will be three winner trophies for the run, it was announced. The boys have also planned for a car show along with the showing of Dean's death car on August 29."

Anonymous said...

Firehouse pizza I think it was located near la palma and Euclid had a slice there one time and loved it the sauce was spicy but not hot. My dad used to drag me there for ham radio club meeting and torture me by never letting me have anything to eat his firend Rally saw how miserable I was and gave me a slice

saraluvs3 said...

What was the name of the children’s shoe store that was in the old Anaheim Center in the 1960s?