Sepulveda and Hawthorne Boulevards
Torrance, California
The eleventh shopping mall in Los Angeles County was developed by the Del Amo Estate Company and designed by Los Angeles' Welton Becket & Associates and the Stiles & Robert Clements firm. The open-air complex was situated on 78 acres of a 200-acre site; this located 20.5 miles southwest of center city Los Angeles, in suburban Torrance.
Ground was broken for DEL AMO CENTER in December 1957. Two department stores anchored the original complex. A 4-level (225,000 square foot) The Broadway opened for business February 16, 1959, with Sears' 2-level (284,000 square foot) store making its debut on October 1, 1959.
The mall proper was built in two phases. The first developed the West Mall block, which contained seven tenant spaces. Its 3-level (70,000 square foot) J.C. Penney opened for business on March 16, 1961. Other West Mall stores were Silverwood's, Ontra Cafeteria and a 2-level (21,000 square foot) F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10.
Construction of the two East Mall store blocks commenced in the spring of 1960. Ten new stores and services welcomed customers in May 1961, with store dedications continuing into November. East Mall tenants included Thom McAn Shoes, Del Mar Accessories and Foreman & Clark.
There was also a (71,000 square foot) Convenience Center in the northeast parking area which included Thrifty Drug and a (35,000 square foot) Magic Chef Market. The store, which featured a gourmet restaurant and Homemaker's Bazaar, commenced operation on June 9, 1960.
Stores continued the open at DEL AMO CENTER through 1962. When fully-realized, the complex encompassed six store blocks and covered approximately 984,000 leasable square feet. It housed forty stores and services and had free parking accommodations for 7,000 autos at one time.
Other South Bay shopping hubs included PENINSULA CENTER FASHION MALL (1961) {3.8 miles southwest, in Rolling Hills Estates} and COURTYARD MALL (1981) {3.9 miles southwest, also in Rolling Hills Estates}. These provided a minimum of competition to DEL AMO CENTER, which was much larger.
A (24,400 square foot) Joseph Magnin opened at DEL AMO CENTER in March 1965. The store was installed in previously-existing East Mall space. A second outparcel structure, in the southeast section of the mall site, housed a Two Guys discount mart, which opened in 1973. It became a FedMart in mid-1977 and was rebranded by Target on April 17, 1983.
The 600' by 40' mallway at the original DEL AMO CENTER. The original facility housed 40 stores and services. The mall's Woolworth's, in the West Mall store block, is seen on the left.
Photo from Cal State University Dominguez Hills Archives
A 1962 view of the freestanding Convenience Center. It contained six retail tenants, including Thrifty Drug and a Magic Chef Market grocery. In later years, it would house a megaplex cinema and fitness center.
Photo from Cal State University Dominguez Hills Archives
Photo from Cal State University Dominguez Hills Archives
The Magic Chef at DEL AMO was -reputedly- the first supermarket in the nation to combine a gourmet restaurant, coffee shop, delicatessen, on-premises bakery, liquor, health food section and other departments in one super store.
Graphic from Magic Chef Markets
DEL AMO CENTER TENANTS 1961:
THE BROADWAY (with Beauty Salon and Chafing Dish restaurant) / SEARS (with Snackette, Catalog Department and freestanding Garden and Auto Centers)
IN WEST MALL:
J.C. PENNEY / F. W. WOOLWORTH 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / Leed's Qualicraft Shoes / Lerner Shops ladies' wear / Ontra Cafeteria / Silverwood's
IN EAST MALL:
Children's Shoe Corral / Del Mar Accessories / Foreman & Clark men's wear / Gallenkamp Shoes / International House of Pancakes / Leroy's Jewelers / Morgan's Jewelers / National Shirt Shops / Singer Sewing Center and Fashion Fabrics / Tamara's ladies' wear / Thom McAn Shoes / Tot Toggery / Toy World / Young Maternity
IN CONVENIENCE CENTER:
THRIFTY DRUG (with luncheonette) / MAGIC CHEF MARKET (with gourmet restaurant, coffee shop, delicatessen, on-premises bakery, liquor department, health food section, flower shop, donut shop and Homemaker's Bazaar) / Curl'N Comb Beauty Salon / Del Amo Barber Shop / Model Finance Company / Vogue Cleaners & Launderers