The Shops at Tanforan is a regional shopping mall in San Bruno, California, United States. It is located on the San Francisco Peninsula, south of San Francisco city limits. The site was originally used as a horse racing track from 1899 until 1964, when the grandstand was destroyed by fire. During World War II the track was used as the Tanforan Assembly Center where Japanese American citizens, primarily from the San Francisco Bay Area, were interned until more permanent War Relocation Centers were opened. A shopping mall was built on the site and opened in 1971. The mall underwent a 3-year renovation, and reopened in 2005. In 2022, Alexandria Real Estate completed its acquisition of the site and announced the mall would be demolished and replaced with a biotech campus. History The site that The Shops at Tanforan mall is built on has served at various times as a racetrack, airfield, a military training center, a Japanese American internment camp, and a golf course. Racetrack The Tanforan Racetrack was built in 1899. It was named after Toribio Tanforan, the grandson-in-law of Jose Antonio Sanchez, the grantee of Rancho Buri Buri; the name was corrupted to Tanforan shortly. The Western Turf Association acquired of land and began construction of the grandstand by September 1899, which was estimated to cost and scheduled to open in time for the season in November. Approximately 700 men were laboring to complete the track, and by late September, paving work had begun for the road servicing the new track, requiring of gravel. Horse, dog, motorcycle, and auto races were held year-round at the track. One of Tanforan's most famous residents while it was used as a racetrack was Seabiscuit, who was stabled there for a time. Today, a statue of Seabiscuit may be found on the grounds of the Tanforan mall. The site found other uses after 1909, when the state of California banned all gambling at racetracks. Races were held at Tanforan until the racetrack was destroyed by fire on July 31, 1964. Airfield Tanforan Racetrack was occasionally used as an airfield, with the center of the racetrack used as a runway. On January 25–26, 1910, the Tanforan Racetrack served as the site for the Second International Air Meet in America, organized by the Pacific Aero Club and attended by aviation notables Louis Paulhan and John J. Montgomery. On January 18, 1911, aviator Eugene Ely