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The Valley Plaza was among the first and largest open-air shopping malls on the West Coast and a major center of commerce when it opened in 1951.

Now, swathes of the historic mall are being demolished, after years of complaints from nearby homeowners that the collection of vacant buildings and parking lots had fallen into disrepair.

David Udoff fondly remembers how his mother would drive him and his brother to Valley Plaza in her avocado Dodge Dart.

The family would shop at the once-vibrant and bustling selection of retail businesses. They would visit the Sears, a bakery and the animatronic fortune-telling machine in front of the drug store. Then, they would lunch on Salisbury ste

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