I learned this week as part of my reporting for our annual jobs issue that the upper floors of the now-empty Nordstrom building in Paseo Nuevo will likely be converted and marketed as office space.
That may come as a surprise ― and maybe even a disappointment ― to many, as more creative and exciting ideas for the massive State Street footprint had recently been bandied about, like housing, a movie theater, or some combination of restaurants, retail, and entertainment.
Nordstrom announced the closure of its Santa Barbara location along with 15 other branches in May 2020 as the pandemic picked up steam. The department store had helped anchor the Paseo Nuevo shopping mall for nearly 30 years, along with Macy’s, which closed in 2017.