Promoted as "Tomorrow's City Today," the Lakewood Park planned community included a suburban-style shopping mall in lieu of a traditional downtown area. The development was incorporated, as the City of Lakewood, in April 1954.
Showing posts with label Los Angeles' Lakewood Center. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Los Angeles' Lakewood Center. Show all posts
Levittown-like Lakewood Park sprang practically overnight from lima bean fields. The first residents moved in in July 1951. During peak construction periods, fifty houses would be built in a single day. The typical Lakewood Park tract house, depicted above, encompassed 954 square feet and sold for around $9,900...or $59 dollars per month.
Ben Weingart (1888-1980) was a mid-century mover and shaker. He amassed a fortune running hotels, apartment complexes and discount department stores. He also developed housing plats, shopping centers and office buildings. In 1949, Weingart formed a joint venture with fellow Californians Mark Taper and Louis Boyar. Their Lakewood Park Company assembled the 3,500 acres that were eventually incorporated as the City of Lakewood.
Photo from https://placesjournal.org / Rothschild Photo
%20Daily%20News.JPG)
Ground was broken for the LAKEWOOD CENTER mall in October 1950. The first stores opened in October 1951, making LAKEWOOD America's third mall-type shopping complex (this following Seattle's NORTHGATE CENTER [April 1950] and Boston's SHOPPERS' WORLD [October 1951]).
Drawing from Lakewood Center, Incorporated
Photo from the City of Lakewood
"May's Lakewood" encompassed 4 levels. It was May Company California's third branch.
Photo from the May Department Stores Company
A Butler Brothers department store was one of the first operational LAKEWOOD CENTER tenants.
Graphic from Butler Brothers
The Boys was one of two supermarkets at the original LAKEWOOD CENTER. These originally stood at the northeast and southeast corners of the mall. The Boys and Hiram's each encompassed 45,200 square feet; this at a time when a "large" supermarket would have covered no more than 30,000.
Photo from The Daily News (Los Angeles)
Graphic from The Boys Markets, Incorporated
%20Daily%20News.JPG)
A second phase of construction added a twenty three-unit store block to the northeast corner of the mall. Construction commenced in May 1953, with C.H. Baker Shoes welcoming first customers in March 1954.
Drawing from Lakewood Center, Incorporated
A mini-mall, known as the FACULTY SHOPS, was built in the eastern periphery of LAKEWOOD CENTER. Charter stores began opening in March 1954. Among these were Choates Do-Nuts, Sherwin-Williams Paints, a Slenderella Figure Salon and temporary city hall for Lakewood.
Photo from the City of Lakewood / Graf Studio
1955. The nucleus of LAKEWOOD CENTER is complete. This includes May Company, Butler Brothers, the West and East blocks of the North Mall and western half of the South Mall.
LAKEWOOD CENTER TENANTS 1951:
BUTLER BROTHERS / HIRAM'S supermarket / Hody's Family Restaurant / Miller Car Wash (outparcel) / Standard Oil Filling Station (outparcel)
NEW TENANTS 1952:
MAY COMPANY (with Lakeshore Room restaurant, pharmacy, beauty salon, medical clinic and public auditorium) / F.W. WOOLWORTH (with luncheonette) / THE BOYS MARKET supermarket / Bond Clothes / Choates Bakery / Currie's Ice Cream / Hartfield's apparel / Leed's Qualicraft Shoes / Lee's Department Store (with beauty salon) / People's Bank / Rhodes Jewelers / Sav-on Drug (with luncheonette) / See's Candies
NEW TENANTS 1953:
Arlotti's Shoe Repair (outparcel) / Armstrong Nursery (outparcel) / Ashburn Furniture / Beale's Home Furnishings / Holiday Shoes / Judy's ladies' wear / Lakewood Bowl (outparcel) / Lakewood Center Laundromat (outparcel) / Milton's Cleaners / US Post Office (outparcel)
NEW TENANTS 1954:
Aggy's Fashions / C. H. Baker Shoes / Comar's Children's Shoes / Helen Grace Candies / Jean Ryan Fashions / Maxon's Toy World / Melody Dress Shop / The Hobby Horse / Thom McAn Shoes / W.P. Fuller Company
FACULTY SHOPS TENANTS 1954:
Al Kalie Music Company / Caltex Curtains / Chic Accessories / Choates Famous Do-Nuts / DeCannis Hairstyling / Eldridge Men's Shop / Gilbert's Hobbies & Crafts / Gordon's Barber Shop / Home Savings & Loan Association / Kirby's Delicatessen / Lakewood Center Liquors / Lakewood Center Sporting Goods / Lakewood Center Stationers / Lakewood City Hall / Lakewood Center Tastee Freeze / Lynn Hawkins Photographers / Marsha's Kiddie Shop / Mobil Television Sales & Service / Norm Meager's Store For Men / Orange Julius / Pfaff Sewing Center / Ranger's Chow Mein To Take Out / Rattanland / Sav-On Family Shoes / Sherwin-Williams Paints / Slenderella Figure Salon / Taylor's Quality Meats / The Herald American / The Independent Press-Telegram
NEW TENANTS 1955:
J.J. NEWBERRY 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / W.T. GRANT / Chandler's Shoes / Clifton's Cafeteria / Franklin Stores ladies' wear / Harris & Frank / Innes Shoes / Lerner Shops ladies' wear / Moss Stores / Zukor's apparel
Bullock's LAKEWOOD location made its debut in April 1965. The 4-level store encompassed 250,000 square feet.
Drawing from Federated Department Stores
The Buffums' chain opened their LAKEWOOD store in August 1965. It encompassed 2 levels and 80,000 square feet.
Drawing from Buffums', Incorporated
1978. Much has changed since 1964! In addition to new Bullock's and Buffums' stores, a J.C. Penney opened in January 1967. Montgomery Ward was dedicated in March 1973. Between May 1977 and June 1978, the mall was enclosed and climate-controlled. It now encompassed a whopping 2,200,000 leasable square feet, with a tenant list of 190 stores and services. There was free parking for 12,500 autos.
The mall's 28-year-old Montgomery Ward was shuttered in 2001, demolished in 2002, and replaced -by a Target- in October 2003.
Photo from www.mitchglaser.com
May's Lakewood, the grande dame of So-Cal suburban department stores. It has operated under three nameplates over the years. Following a 13-year Robinsons-May stint, it was Macy's-branded in July 2006. Today, Macy's uses only a portion of the gigantic 4-level building.
Between 2010 and 2014, the mall's aging network of skylights was replaced. Newer, energy-efficient windows were installed, which reduced the shopping center's air-conditioning bills considerably.
Photo from https://daylightingconsultants.com / Daylighting Consultants
One of the more recent modifications at LAKEWOOD CENTER reconfigured the Terrace Cafes Food Court, on Level 2, as a Round 1 Bowling & Amusement Center. The entertainment facility opened for business in September 2013.
Graphic from http://www.round1usa.com
LAKEWOOD CENTER
Lakewood and Del Amo Boulevards
Lakewood, California
Lakewood, California was a west coast counterpart of the gigantic Levittown developments of New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. At Lakewood, the transition from lima bean fields to a major, big city suburb was made in less than 5 years. Built on 3,500 acres -which comprised the Montana Ranch- this moderne metropolis was developed by S. Mark Taper, Ben Weingart and Louis H. Boyar.
The first residents moved into the housing development -originally known as Lakewood Park- on July 8, 1951. By 1953, 17,500 tract houses had been built. Lakewood became the largest area in the nation to incorporate as a city, on April 16, 1954. At this time, it was the 16th-largest municipality in the Golden State.
As with many of America's post-war planned communities, a suburban-type shopping center would serve as the downtown district. LAKEWOOD CENTER was situated on a 259-acre tract, located 21 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles. The open-air complex was designed by Albert C. Martin, I. Herman Kanner and the Skidmore, Owings & Merrill firm. It was developed by a joint venture of Joseph K. Eichenbaum, S. Mark Taper, Ben Weingart, Louis Boyar and the Prudential Insurance Company of America.
Ground was broken on October 14, 1950. An initial Northwest Mall segment was to extend between a 4-level (347,000 square foot) May Company California on the south and 3-level (90,000 square foot) Butler Brothers department store on the north. We will provide a bit of background on this virtually forgotten retailer...
Butler Brothers LAKEWOOD CENTER store opened on November 8, 1951. The chain, based in Chicago, was a major wholesale supplier. In 1951, they began opening retail stores under the Butler Brothers name. By 1962, there were eight locations; Lakewood, Alhambra, Ontario, Van Nuys and San Francisco, CA, Euclid and Cincinnati, OH and Seattle, WA.
Two LAKEWOOD stores and services opened along with Butler Brothers; a 1-level (45,200 square foot) Hiram's supermarket and freestanding car wash and filling station. At the time, the mall's Hiram's was promoted as the nation's largest grocery store.
"May's Lakewood" opened its doors on February 19, 1952. The dedication was attended by Goodwin Jess Knight (R) (Lieutenant Governor), Morton J. May, Senior (May Company Chairman of the Board), Morton J. May, Junior (May Company President) and Tom May (May Company Executive Vice President).
A Northwest Mall grand opening was held on October 3, 1952. LAKEWOOD CENTER now housed eighteen stores. These included Sav-On Drug, F.W. Woolworth, Leed's Qualicraft Shoes and See's Candies. The festivities, typical of the opening of an ultra-modern merchandising mecca, included a circus and banquet-style dinner.
People's Bank became the first operational Northeast Mall tenant in September 1952. C. H. Baker Shoes welcomed first customers on March 26, 1954. In September, ground was broken for a Specialty Shops (or Southwest Mall) block. Its 2-level (45,000 square foot) W.T. Grant commenced operation in October 1955.
A Northwest Mall grand opening was held on October 3, 1952. LAKEWOOD CENTER now housed eighteen stores. These included Sav-On Drug, F.W. Woolworth, Leed's Qualicraft Shoes and See's Candies. The festivities, typical of the opening of an ultra-modern merchandising mecca, included a circus and banquet-style dinner.
People's Bank became the first operational Northeast Mall tenant in September 1952. C. H. Baker Shoes welcomed first customers on March 26, 1954. In September, ground was broken for a Specialty Shops (or Southwest Mall) block. Its 2-level (45,000 square foot) W.T. Grant commenced operation in October 1955.
The final segment of the mall proper -a.k.a the Southeast Mall- was completed in the mid-1960s. With completion of this section, LAKEWOOD CENTER encompassed approximately 750,000 leasable square feet and housed ninety stores and services. There was free parking for over 10,000 cars. During the mall's early years, the parking area was monitored by an observation booth atop the May Company building. A system of colored lights at the ends of parking area rows indicated empty spaces.
The eastern segment of the shopping center site was developed during the 1950s and '60s. The FACULTY SHOPS, an open-air mini-mall, was up and running by mid-1954. Its thirty stores and services included Taylor's Quality Meats, Ranger's Chow Mein to Take Out and the first City Hall for Lakewood.
Large department stores were also built which were part of the shopping center, but not connected with the mall proper. A 4-level (250,000 square foot), Los Angeles-based Bullock's opened on April 26, 1965, with a 2-level (80,000 square foot), Long Beach-based Buffums' beginning business on August 2nd of the same year. In the mall proper, J.C. Penney dedicated a 2-level (173,000 square foot) store, at the mall's south end, on January 25, 1967.
The mall's first cinematic venue, originally known as the Pacific Theatres Lakewood Center Theatre, showed a first feature on January 17, 1968. The movie house was an outparcel, located in the northeast quadrant of the mall site. It was expanded and re-opened, as a 3-plex, on May 22, 1974. An additional auditorium opened on October 24, 1974, with the venue being renamed the Lakewood Center 4.
In September 1971, LOS CERRITOS CENTER {2.6 miles northeast, in Cerritos} had been dedicated. This new fully-enclosed complex competed directly with LAKEWOOD CENTER, which was still open-air.
Montgomery Ward opened a 2-level (155,000 square foot) LAKEWOOD CENTER store on March 3, 1973. This was built on the site of the old Butler Brothers, on the north end of the mall. In the same year, the New York City-based MaceRich Company bought LAKEWOOD CENTER.
MaceRich started a 10 million dollar refurbishment in May 1977. This consisted of enclosing the north and south concourses and filling in several mall entryways with new retail space. A grand opening for the newly-enclosed mall was held on June 22, 1978. The project had added sixty-two stores to the tenant list and repositioned LAKEWOOD CENTER as one of the premier shopping venues in Greater Los Angeles.
This "buy and rebuild" concept was a new field of endeavor for Macerich, now based in Santa Monica, California. Up to this time, the company had been concerned with developing small strip shopping centers and managing B-grade malls. With the success of the LAKEWOOD redevelopment, Macerich gained the retail industry nickname of Mall Doctor.
The refurbishment and expansion of LAKEWOOD CENTER continued. In September 1982, construction was completed on a new mall corridor, added east of May Company. This new East Wing extended to a 2-level (80,000 square foot) Mervyn's.
A 3-screen multiplex, the Pacific Theatres Lakewood Center South 1-2-3, was installed in a vacant store adjoining the Buffums' building. This venue showed first features on June 12, 1981. Buffums' closed its doors in 1991. Its space was renovated into 6 additional movie auditoriums. A new 9-screen complex, known collectively as the Lakewood Center South 9, premiered on December 11, 1992.
The existing Lakewood Center 4 was gutted and expanded into a state-of-the-art, 16-screen venue. It re-opened, as the Lakewood Center Stadium 16, on March 19, 1999. The Lakewood Center South was shuttered in June 2008 and rebuilt into a fitness club.
Meanwhile, a turn of the century renovation had reconfigured the mall's East Wing. During the 36 million dollar project, a new 1-level (80,000 square foot) Mervyn's was built, which was dedicated in August of the year 2000.
The original Mervyn's was gutted and sectioned into an extended mall corridor, with stores on either side. Its second level became the Terrace Cafes Food Court. This 14-bay facility included California Chicken Roasters, China Inn, Garden Gourmet, Gengis Khan, Great Steak & Potato, Hot Dog on a Stick, L.A. Italian Kitchen, McTreats, Oishii Kitchen and Volcano Tea House.
A 2-level (210,000 square foot) Macy's was constructed at the east end of the extended East Wing. The store opened for business on November 1, 2000, as the chain's first newly-built store in Southern California. The new mall wing was officially dedicated in April 2001. Meanwhile, Montgomery Ward had closed in March 2001. The store, and its Auto Center, were demolished and replaced by a 2-level (160,000 square foot) Target, which opened its doors on October 12, 2003.
The LAKEWOOD May Company store was rebranded as a Robinsons-May on January 31, 1993. It morphed into a Macy's in July 2006. The original Macy's, at the end of the East Wing, was abandoned. The building, which was only 6 years old, was demolished.
A 1-level (159,000 square foot) Costco was built, which was dedicated on February 26, 2009. After the demise of the Mervyn's chain, in 2009, the LAKEWOOD CENTER location became a large-format Forever 21. This store began business on February 26, 2009.
In the 2020s, LAKEWOOD CENTER is owned and operated by a joint venture of the Macerich Company and Toronto-based Cadillac Fairview. The enclosed mall encompasses approximately 1,500,000 leasable square feet and has 206 retail spaces. There are also sixty-four outparcel stores, with a gross leasable area of 725,000 square feet.
Sources:
The Los Angeles Times
The original Mervyn's was gutted and sectioned into an extended mall corridor, with stores on either side. Its second level became the Terrace Cafes Food Court. This 14-bay facility included California Chicken Roasters, China Inn, Garden Gourmet, Gengis Khan, Great Steak & Potato, Hot Dog on a Stick, L.A. Italian Kitchen, McTreats, Oishii Kitchen and Volcano Tea House.
A 2-level (210,000 square foot) Macy's was constructed at the east end of the extended East Wing. The store opened for business on November 1, 2000, as the chain's first newly-built store in Southern California. The new mall wing was officially dedicated in April 2001. Meanwhile, Montgomery Ward had closed in March 2001. The store, and its Auto Center, were demolished and replaced by a 2-level (160,000 square foot) Target, which opened its doors on October 12, 2003.
The LAKEWOOD May Company store was rebranded as a Robinsons-May on January 31, 1993. It morphed into a Macy's in July 2006. The original Macy's, at the end of the East Wing, was abandoned. The building, which was only 6 years old, was demolished.
A 1-level (159,000 square foot) Costco was built, which was dedicated on February 26, 2009. After the demise of the Mervyn's chain, in 2009, the LAKEWOOD CENTER location became a large-format Forever 21. This store began business on February 26, 2009.
In the 2020s, LAKEWOOD CENTER is owned and operated by a joint venture of the Macerich Company and Toronto-based Cadillac Fairview. The enclosed mall encompasses approximately 1,500,000 leasable square feet and has 206 retail spaces. There are also sixty-four outparcel stores, with a gross leasable area of 725,000 square feet.
Sources:
The Los Angeles Times
The Daily News (Los Angeles)
The (Independent) Press-Telegram (Long Beach)
"Evolution of the Shopping Center" / Steven E. Schoenherr / history.sandiego.edu
The (Independent) Press-Telegram (Long Beach)
"Evolution of the Shopping Center" / Steven E. Schoenherr / history.sandiego.edu
"Dual Anchor Shopping Centers 1952-1965" / Richard Longstreth
https://assessor.lacounty.gov / Los Angeles County, California
http://www.laalmanac.com
http://www.lakewoodcity.org
Malls of America Of Blogspot / Keith Milford webmaster
http://www.shoplakewoodcenter.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
http://www.shoploscerritoscenter.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
http://www.laalmanac.com
http://www.lakewoodcity.org
Malls of America Of Blogspot / Keith Milford webmaster
http://www.shoplakewoodcenter.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
http://www.shoploscerritoscenter.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
https://www.shoplakewoodcenter.com
http://www.city-data.com/ Los Angeles Forum / "Dennismpat" and "Kathy/Kawi33"
http://www.groceteria.com Message Board / History: Non-Grocery Retail". "Jeff" and "J-Man"
http://www.groceteria.com Message Board / History: Non-Grocery Retail". "Jeff" and "J-Man"
https://www.cinematreasures.org
Largest Malls In The USA" list on Wikipedia
"Bullock's" and Buffums" articles on Wikipedia
Largest Malls In The USA" list on Wikipedia
"Bullock's" and Buffums" articles on Wikipedia
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