West Carson Street and Hawthorne Boulevard
Torrance, California
A 57-acre site directly north of DEL AMO CENTER was developed, by the Los Angeles-based Bullock's Realty Company, as an open-air shopping venue. It was the third of their Southern California BULLOCK'S FASHION SQUARE shopping centers.
In order of their completion, these were BULLOCK'S FASHION SQUARE (Santa Ana), BULLOCK'S FASHION SQUARE (Sherman Oaks), BULLOCK'S FASHION SQUARE (Del Amo) and BULLOCK'S FASHION SQUARE (La Habra).
Fifteen stores in BULLOCK'S FASHION SQUARE (Del Amo) were in operation at the mall's official grand opening, which was held October 31, 1966. Stores included a 4-level (250,000 square foot) Bullock's Del Amo, Desmond's, Ranchito Grill, Music Man Del Amo and Gentry Limited. The sixteenth -and final- store, a 1-level (25,000 square foot) I. Magnin, held its grand opening March 6, 1967.
In 1969, the complex was sold to Los Angeles-based developer Guilford Glazer, who initiated a redevelopment project in March 1970. This renovation enclosed the existing BULLOCK'S FASHION SQUARE and added an 800,000 square foot East Wing. Its 2-level (160,000 square foot) Montgomery Ward was dedicated April 28, 1971, with a 2-level (150,000 square foot), New York City-based Ohrbach's serving its first patrons August 9 of the same year.
New mall tenants included Karmelkorn, an F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10 and the United Artists Del Amo 4 multiplex. This venue showed its first features on August 18, 1971. A new name was also bequeathed. The shopping venue would be known, henceforth, as DEL AMO FASHION SQUARE.
Montgomery Ward anchored the east end of a greatly enlarged DEL AMO FASHION SQUARE. The store, the first operational tenant in the expanded -and enclosed- mall wing, opened in April 1971.
Photo from J. Paul Getty Trust / Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles / Julius Shulman
Ohrbach's, also a part of the new wing, opened in August 1971. DEL AMO FASHION SQUARE now encompassed approximately 1,100,000 leasable square feet and housed 160 stores and services.
Photo from Los Angeles Public Library / Ralph Morris
