The clock is ticking for the Sears building at Northgate mall in Terra Linda.
Ghilotti Bros. Inc. of San Rafael is gutting the building in preparation for demolition later this year. The work is an early step in the multi-phase project to redevelop the shopping center with 1,422 residences, a town square and new shops and restaurants.
The Sears store was an original anchor store of the shopping center, which opened in 1965 as the Northgate Fashion Mall. The department store closed in 2018,
A Sears sign lingers at the defunct department store at the Mall at Northgate in San Rafael, Calif., on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. The store closed in 2018. (Alan Dep/Marin Independent Journal)
A construction vehicle stands outside the former Sears building at the Mall at Northgate in San Rafael, Calif., on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. Workers are preparing to demolish the building for a housing development. (Alan Dep/Marin Independent Journal)
A crew conducts pre-demolition work at the former Sears building at the Mall at Northgate in San Rafael, Calif., on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (Alan Dep/Marin Independent Journal)
The former Sears building stands vacant at the Mall at Northgate in San Rafael, Calif., on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (Alan Dep/Marin Independent Journal)
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A Sears sign lingers at the defunct department store at the Mall at Northgate in San Rafael, Calif., on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. The store closed in 2018. (Alan Dep/Marin Independent Journal)