Over the years, tenants have come and gone at both LOS ALTOS properties. A Bristol Farms gourmet grocer, opened in late 1996, gave way to a Lazy Acres Market in late 2012.
Photo from http://lennarcommercial.com / Lennar Commercial
A 2010s site plan. Since the late 1990s, there have been no structural alterations, but the store directory has had to be revised on numerous occassions. The most recent store shutterings involve Rite Aid, in NORTH LOS ALTOS CENTER, which went dark in 2018. Sears, in the MARKETCENTER, pulled up stakes in 2021.
LOS ALTOS CENTER
North Bellflower Boulevard and East Stearns Street
Long Beach, California
Los Angeles County's fourth shopping mall was built as a commercial center for the Los Altos planned community in Long Beach. The original LOS ALTOS CENTER was developed on a 20.5-acre tract, located 25 miles southeast of center city Los Angeles.
The 6 million dollar shopping venue was envisaged by Lloyd S. Whaley and built on the site of what had been Shus, a Shoshone tribal village. Its anchor, the first -and only- suburban branch of Walker's of Long Beach, occupied a 3-level (100,000 square foot) store on the south end of the complex. This location opened for business on October 5, 1955.
An open-air mall of approximately 572,000 leasable square feet extended north from Walker's. It had lush tropical and evergreen plantings and included a 2-level (14,000 square foot) F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10, 3-level (46,000 square foot) J.C. Penney and (21,700 square foot) Sav-on Drug. These stores opened on November 17, 1955.
A 3-day-long, mall-wide Grand Opening began on March 1, 1956. LOS ALTOS CENTER now contained fifty stores and services. Most of these were along the "shopping mall," extending north from Walker's. There were also four freestanding businesses, as well as an additional strip of stores along the west side of Bellflower Boulevard (this section of stores predating the mall). Los Angeles-based The Broadway acquired the Walker's Los Altos store. It re-opened, as The Broadway, on October 22, 1956.
A major addition to the existing center got underway in the early 1960s. This expansion developed a 20.5-acre plot across East Stearns Street and north of the original structures. The first tenant to open, a 1-level (97,200 square foot), Los-Angeles-based Unimart membership discount store, welcomed first shoppers on June 6, 1963.
The second phase of LOS ALTOS CENTER added twenty-four stores. Among these were a 2-level (40,000 square foot) Barker Brothers Furniture, (18,000 square foot) Thrifty Drug and Foreman & Clark apparel. These commenced operation on November 6, 1964.
Major shopping hubs in the LOS ALTOS trade area included LAKEWOOD CENTER (1951) {3.6 miles northwest, in Lakewood}, WESTMINSTER MALL (1974) {7 miles southeast, in Orange County} and LONG BEACH PLAZA (1982-2000) {4 miles southwest, in downtown Long Beach}.
North Bellflower Boulevard and East Stearns Street
Long Beach, California
Los Angeles County's fourth shopping mall was built as a commercial center for the Los Altos planned community in Long Beach. The original LOS ALTOS CENTER was developed on a 20.5-acre tract, located 25 miles southeast of center city Los Angeles.
The 6 million dollar shopping venue was envisaged by Lloyd S. Whaley and built on the site of what had been Shus, a Shoshone tribal village. Its anchor, the first -and only- suburban branch of Walker's of Long Beach, occupied a 3-level (100,000 square foot) store on the south end of the complex. This location opened for business on October 5, 1955.
An open-air mall of approximately 572,000 leasable square feet extended north from Walker's. It had lush tropical and evergreen plantings and included a 2-level (14,000 square foot) F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10, 3-level (46,000 square foot) J.C. Penney and (21,700 square foot) Sav-on Drug. These stores opened on November 17, 1955.
A 3-day-long, mall-wide Grand Opening began on March 1, 1956. LOS ALTOS CENTER now contained fifty stores and services. Most of these were along the "shopping mall," extending north from Walker's. There were also four freestanding businesses, as well as an additional strip of stores along the west side of Bellflower Boulevard (this section of stores predating the mall). Los Angeles-based The Broadway acquired the Walker's Los Altos store. It re-opened, as The Broadway, on October 22, 1956.
A major addition to the existing center got underway in the early 1960s. This expansion developed a 20.5-acre plot across East Stearns Street and north of the original structures. The first tenant to open, a 1-level (97,200 square foot), Los-Angeles-based Unimart membership discount store, welcomed first shoppers on June 6, 1963.
The second phase of LOS ALTOS CENTER added twenty-four stores. Among these were a 2-level (40,000 square foot) Barker Brothers Furniture, (18,000 square foot) Thrifty Drug and Foreman & Clark apparel. These commenced operation on November 6, 1964.
Also during this time frame, The Broadway in the first phase complex added a fourth level. This increased its size to 149,000 square feet. The store interior was completely refurbished and a freestanding Tire Center also constructed. J.C. Penney doubled the size of its store with a new upper level.
By 1980, the northern section of LOS ALTOS CENTER was being promoted as NORTH LOS ALTOS CENTER. Its Unimart had become a Disco Fair discount mart in mid-1969, a Two Guys in late 1973 and FedMart in mid-1977. The store was one of nineteen FedMart stores rebranded by the Target chain on April 17, 1983.
After nearly 30 years in business, LOS ALTOS CENTER was no longer a cutting edge shopping center. The owner, BCE Development, requested financial assistance from the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency, but was turned down because their shopping center was not within the city's urban renewal zone.
A new owner came on the scene in 1989. The city's urban renewal zone was expanded to take in LOS ALTOS CENTER in 1991. Planning began for a renovation and expansion, but the project fell through in February 1994, causing the LBRA to take control of the endeavor.
A joint venture was formed between the LBRA, Atlanta's Cousins Properties and Irvine-based Hopkins Development Company. The "geriatric and anemic" south sector mall was demolished in early 1996. The Broadway building, now vacant, was left standing. Sears bought the structure and gave it an 8 million dollar remodeling.
After nearly 30 years in business, LOS ALTOS CENTER was no longer a cutting edge shopping center. The owner, BCE Development, requested financial assistance from the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency, but was turned down because their shopping center was not within the city's urban renewal zone.
A new owner came on the scene in 1989. The city's urban renewal zone was expanded to take in LOS ALTOS CENTER in 1991. Planning began for a renovation and expansion, but the project fell through in February 1994, causing the LBRA to take control of the endeavor.
A joint venture was formed between the LBRA, Atlanta's Cousins Properties and Irvine-based Hopkins Development Company. The "geriatric and anemic" south sector mall was demolished in early 1996. The Broadway building, now vacant, was left standing. Sears bought the structure and gave it an 8 million dollar remodeling.
The new, 45 million dollar power plaza, dubbed LOS ALTOS MARKET CENTER, covered 283,000 leasable square feet. Tenants of the old mall (Sav-On Drug, Wells Fargo Bank and Lynn's Hallmark) relocated into the MARKET CENTER. New stores included a (34,500 square foot) Circuit City, (25,600 square foot) CompUSA, (28,200 square foot) Bristol Farms gourmet grocer and (30,000 square foot) Borders Books.
Sears, Circuit City and CompUSA became the first operational tenants, on November 2, 1996. Borders and Bristol Farms opened later in the year. With their completion, LOS ALTOS MARKET CENTER contained nineteen tenant spaces. A joint venture of Cousins Properties and the Prudential Insurance Company of America established full ownership of the MARKET CENTER (sans Sears) in November 1998.
Two LOS ALTOS tenant spaces were vacated early in the 21st century. CompUSA went dark in the spring of 2007, with Circuit City pulling its proverbial plug in the spring of 2009. Sav-On Drug morphed into a CVS in 2007. The vacant CompUSA became a T.J. Maxx in late 2010. Circuit City was renovated into an LA Fitness, dedicated in early 2011. Lastly, an abandoned Borders Books re-opened, as a Memorial Care Medical Group clinic, in early 2013.
Stores at NORTH LOS ALTOS CENTER now included the (128,000 square foot) Target, plus an (18,600 square foot) Big Lots and (12,000 square foot) Trader Joe's. Rite Aid, a late 1990s rebranding of the Thrifty-PayLess store, was shuttered in January 2018. The LOS ALTOS MARKETCENTER Sears closed for good in the spring of 2021. San Francisco-based Sports Basement renovated the building and opened for business in the spring of 2024.
Sears, Circuit City and CompUSA became the first operational tenants, on November 2, 1996. Borders and Bristol Farms opened later in the year. With their completion, LOS ALTOS MARKET CENTER contained nineteen tenant spaces. A joint venture of Cousins Properties and the Prudential Insurance Company of America established full ownership of the MARKET CENTER (sans Sears) in November 1998.
Two LOS ALTOS tenant spaces were vacated early in the 21st century. CompUSA went dark in the spring of 2007, with Circuit City pulling its proverbial plug in the spring of 2009. Sav-On Drug morphed into a CVS in 2007. The vacant CompUSA became a T.J. Maxx in late 2010. Circuit City was renovated into an LA Fitness, dedicated in early 2011. Lastly, an abandoned Borders Books re-opened, as a Memorial Care Medical Group clinic, in early 2013.
Stores at NORTH LOS ALTOS CENTER now included the (128,000 square foot) Target, plus an (18,600 square foot) Big Lots and (12,000 square foot) Trader Joe's. Rite Aid, a late 1990s rebranding of the Thrifty-PayLess store, was shuttered in January 2018. The LOS ALTOS MARKETCENTER Sears closed for good in the spring of 2021. San Francisco-based Sports Basement renovated the building and opened for business in the spring of 2024.
Sources:
The Los Angeles Times
The Independent Press-Telegram (Long Beach, California)
The Press-Telegram (Long Beach, California)
preservenet.cornell.edu/publications/Longstreth Branch Store.doc
http://cousinsproperties.com / Cousins Properties
http://www.cousinsproperties.com (Website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
Independent Study of Redevelopment in Long Beach, The Long Beach Redevelopment Agency / May 31, 2005
Los Angeles County, California tax assessor website
http://activerain.com/blogsview/3351686/memorialcare-signs-to-occupy-former-borders-building-in-los-altos
https://www.shoplosaltosmarketcenter.com
https://longbeachize.com