May Company Building (Mission Valley, San Diego)

May Company Building

Industry	Retail (department store)
Founded	1961-02-20
Fate	Store rebranded and later closed; building now vacant
Headquarters	San Diego, California , United States
Products	Department store goods

May Company Building

File:Mission Valley Center, 1965 (3313719525).jpg

View of the May Co. building from the Mission Valley center courtyard, 1965

Situated as a principal anchor within the Westfield Mission Valley shopping complex in San Diego, the May Company Building exemplifies modernist architecture. This structure initially opened its doors as a May Company retail location on February 20, 1961, marking the company's first establishment in San Diego. In 1993, following the merger of May Company with Robinson's, the store was rebranded as Robinsons-May. Later, in 2006, after the merger of Federated Department Stores with the May Department Stores Company, it adopted the Macy's name. Macy’s continued operations until its closure in 2017, and since then, the building has remained vacant.

The design of the Mission Valley May Company Building dates back to 1958, with construction commencing in 1959 and reaching completion by late 1960. The store officially opened alongside the mall on February 20, 1961. Architect William S. (Bill) Lewis, Jr., working for Los Angeles-based firm AC Martin and Associates—later known as Deems-Lewis—led the design efforts. Locally, Frank L. Hope & Associates provided project support. The facility encompasses approximately 363,000 square feet distributed over three floors plus a basement level. A notable feature is a spacious café originally called The Mission Room, located on the second floor’s southern side. With its floor-to-ceiling glass walls, it offered visitors panoramic views of Highway 80 (later renamed Interstate 8) and the surrounding hills of southern Mission Valley.

Architectural historian and photographer Darren Bradley has recognized this building as a landmark of San Diego’s architectural heritage, describing it as a "jewel box" distinguished by its distinctive texture and striking design elements. The façade’s cladding surrounds the entire structure and exemplifies modernist principles through its interplay of light and shadow, crafted to capture attention. This building was part of a broader modernist architectural movement that shaped the area's character during the 1960s. As of January 2017, Westfield was evaluating various options regarding future utilization of this property.

A report prepared by the City of San Diego in 2015 assessed the building against criteria for inclusion in the San Diego Resources Register. It identified the structure as representative of community development and characteristic of Modern Contemporary style from 1955 to 1965. Despite this, the evaluation concluded that it did not meet eligibility requirements due to significant alterations compromising original integrity. These included replacement of original tiles, modifications to walls, obstruction by newer retail spaces positioned in front of the building, removal of original pop-out display windows and "May Co." signage, as well as demolition of the initial canopy and supporting columns from 1958. Collectively, these changes affected over half of the exterior surface area. Additionally, it was determined that the building does not qualify as a work by a recognized Master Architect listed in official registers.