Our History

Carlmont Village Shopping Center, as we know it today, was built by A. Roth in 1955 and was purchased by the present partners in 1965.  The shopping center evolved from being a field that housed Reid School established in 1885, to Belmont Boys School, to St. Joseph’s Military Academy and Immaculate Heart of Mary. For a while St. Joseph’s was home to the famous writer Jack London.  He worked in the laundry to supplement his income.  A plaque to commemorate this event is near the walkway over looking the nursery.

In 1957 Mr. Roth created a beautiful creek and rock garden setting on the banks of the Belmont creek.  In the devastating floods of 1980 & 1983 the creek, which was part of the city storm drain system, turned into a raging river that flooded the shopping center and caused extensive damage. The city of Belmont reconstructed the storm drain under the shopping center including a twenty foot collapsed portion.  The shopping center owners designed and built the present brook and two waterfalls that is framed with seasonal colorful flowers and can be viewed from the walkway of the nursery.  There is a plaque honoring this event.