MALL HALL OF FAME: January 2010

MAJOR LOS ANGELES COUNTY MALLS & SHOPPING CENTERS

1. CRENSHAW CENTER -1947 / open-air strip center / BALDWIN HILLS-CRENSHAW PLAZA -1988 / enclosed / Los Angeles

2. VALLEY PLAZA -1951 / open-air strip center / Los Angeles

3. LAKEWOOD CENTER -1952 / open-air mall, enclosed 1977 / Lakewood

4. WHITTIER QUAD 1953-1990 / open-air, enclosed 1974 / THE QUAD AT WHITTIER -1992 / Whittier

5. POMONA VALLEY CENTER -1955 / open-air / INDIAN HILL VILLAGE -1974 / enclosed 1982 / PLAZA AZTECA -1993 / VILLAGE AT INDIAN HILL -2000 / Pomona & Montclair

6. LOS ALTOS CENTER -1955 / open-air / LOS ALTOS MARKET CENTER -1996 / Long Beach

7. WHITTIER DOWNS MALL 1955-1988 / open-air / SANTE FE SPRINGS MARKETPLACE - 1989 / Sante Fe Springs

8. WHITTWOOD CENTER -1956 / open-air / WHITTWOOD MALL 1976-2004 / enclosed 1979 / WHITTWOOD TOWN CENTER -2004 / open-air / Whittier

9. EASTLAND CENTER -1957 / open-air, enclosed 1979 / WESTFIELD SHOPPINGTOWN EASTLAND -2000 / WESTFIELD EASTLAND -2005 / EASTLAND CENTER -2012 / West Covina

10. SOUTH BAY CENTER -1957 / open-air / GALLERIA AT SOUTH BAY -1985 / enclosed / SOUTH BAY GALLERIA -2001 / Redondo Beach

11. STONEWOOD CENTER -1958 / open-air, enclosed 1990 / Downey

12. EL MONTE CENTER -1959 / open-air / El Monte

13. LA MIRADA CENTER -1959 / LA MIRADA MALL 1970-1990 / open-air & enclosed / LA MIRADA THEATRE CENTER -1991 / open-air / La Mirada

14. MARINA CENTER -1959 / open-air & enclosed community-class complex / Long Beach

15. DEL AMO CENTER -1961 / open-air / merged with DEL AMO FASHION SQUARE in 1981 / enclosed / DEL AMO FASHION CENTER / Torrance

16. PENINSULA CENTER FASHION MALL -1961 / open-air / Rolling Hills Estates

17. BULLOCK'S FASHION SQUARE (SHERMAN OAKS) -1962 / open-air, enclosed 1990 / WESTFIELD SHOPPINGTOWN FASHION SQUARE -2002 / WESTFIELD FASHION SQUARE -2005 / Los Angeles

18. FALLBROOK SQUARE -1963 / open-air / FALLBROOK MALL 1986-2001 / enclosed / FALLBROOK CENTER -2003 / open-air / Los Angeles

19. TOPANGA PLAZA -1964 / LA's first enclosed, regional-class mall / WESTFIELD TOPANGA -1993 / WESTFIELD SHOPPINGTOWN TOPANGA -1998 / WESTFIELD TOPANGA -2005 / Los Angeles

20. CENTURY SQUARE -1965 / open-air / CENTURY CITY CENTRE -1971 / CENTURY CITY CENTER & MARKETPLACE - 1988 / WESTFIELD SHOPPINGTOWN CENTURY CITY -2002 / WESTFIELD CENTURY CITY -2005 / Los Angeles

21. BULLOCK'S FASHION SQUARE (DEL AMO) -1966 / open-air / DEL AMO FASHION SQUARE -1971 / enclosed / merged with DEL AMO CENTER in 1981 / DEL AMO FASHION CENTER / Torrance

22. ROSEMEAD SQUARE -1967 / open-air / Rosemead

23. LAUREL PLAZA -1968-1994 / enclosed mall added to circa-1955 May Company / NO-HO WEST -2019 (?) / open-air mixed-use project / Los Angeles

24. LOS CERRITOS ["sir-ee-toz"] CENTER -1971 / enclosed / Cerritos

25. NORTHRIDGE FASHION CENTER -1971 / enclosed / Los Angeles

26. OLD TOWNE MALL -1972 / enclosed / OLD TOWNE PLACE -1983 / TORRANCE CITIPLEX -1990 / open-air power center / TORRANCE PROMENADE -1994 / Torrance

27. PROMENADE AT WOODLAND HILLS -1973 / enclosed / WESTFIELD SHOPPINGTOWN PROMENADE -1998 / WESTFIELD PROMENADE -2005 / Los Angeles

28. EAGLE ROCK PLAZA -1973 / enclosed / WESTFIELD SHOPPINGTOWN EAGLE ROCK -1998 / WESTFIELD EAGLE ROCK -2005 / EAGLE ROCK PLAZA -2006 / Los Angeles

29. CARSON MALL -1973 / enclosed / SOUTH BAY PAVILION AT CARSON -1990 / SOUTH BAY PAVILION MALL -2009 / Carson

30. BROADWAY PLAZA -1973 / enclosed / Downtown Los Angles

31. WEST COVINA CENTER -1952 / open-air, expanded & enclosed -1973 / WEST COVINA FASHION PLAZA -1973 / WESTFIELD SHOPPINGTOWN WEST COVINA -1998 / WESTFIELD WEST COVINA -2005 / West Covina

32. SANTA ANITA FASHION PARK -1974 / enclosed / WESTFIELD SHOPPINGTOWN SANTA ANITA -1998 / WESTFIELD SANTA ANITA -2005 / Arcadia

33. PUENTE ["Poo-in-tay"] HILLS MALL -1974 / enclosed / City Of Industry

34. FOX HILLS MALL -1975 / enclosed / WESTFIELD SHOPPINGTOWN CULVER CITY -1998 / WESTFIELD CULVER CITY -2005 / Culver City

35. GLENDALE GALLERIA -1976 / enclosed / Glendale

36. HAWTHORNE PLAZA 1977-1999 / enclosed / Hawthorne

37. SANTA MONICA PLACE 1980-2007 / enclosed / re-opened as open-air complex 2010 / Santa Monica

38. PANORAMA CITY CENTER -1955 / open-air, center city complex, expanded with enclosed mallway -1980 / PANORAMA MALL -1980 / enclosed & open-air / Los Angeles

39. SHERMAN OAKS GALLERIA 1980-1999 / enclosed / re-opened as open-air complex 2002 / Los Angeles

40. COURTYARD MALL -1981 / enclosed / SHOPS AT PALOS VERDES -1988 / AVENUE OF THE PENINSULA -1999 / open-air / PROMENADE ON THE PENINSULA -2008 / Rolling Hills Estates

41. PLAZA PASADENA 1981-1999 / enclosed / PASEO COLORADO -2002 / open-air / Pasadena

42. BEVERLY CENTER -1982 / enclosed / Los Angeles

43. LONG BEACH PLAZA -1982-2000 / enclosed / LONG BEACH CITY PLACE - 2002 / open-air / Long Beach

44. MANHATTAN VILLAGE -1982 / open-air / Manhattan Beach

45. MONTEBELLO TOWN CENTER -1985 / enclosed / THE SHOPS AT MONTEBELLO -2009 / Montebello

46. SANTE FE SPRINGS MALL 1985-2001 / enclosed / GATEWAY PLAZA -2002 / open-air / Sante Fe Springs

47. WESTSIDE PAVILION -1985-2019 / enclosed, built on site of WESTLAND SHOPPING CENTER [1950 & 1964] / ONE WESTSIDE and WEST END -2022 / enclosed office and tech center / Los Angeles

48. ANTELOPE VALLEY MALL -1990 / enclosed / Palmdale

49. BURBANK TOWN CENTER -1991 / open-air & enclosed / Burbank

50. VALENCIA TOWN CENTER -1992 / enclosed / WESTFIELD SHOPPINGTOWN VALENCIA TOWN CENTER -2002 / WESTFIELD VALENCIA TOWN CENTER -2005 / open-air & enclosed / Santa Clarita

51. IRVINE ["ir-viyn"] SPECTRUM CENTER -1995 / open-air / Irvine

52. LONG BEACH TOWNE CENTER -1998 / open-air / Long Beach

53. THE PROMENADE AT HOWARD HUGHES CENTER - 2000 / open-air / Los Angeles

54. HOLLYWOOD & HIGHLAND COMPLEX -2001 / open-air / HOLLYWOOD & HIGHLAND CENTER -2004 / OVATION HOLLYWOOD -2022 / Los Angeles

55. THE GROVE - 2002 / open-air / Los Angeles

[Structures indicated in bold italic have been completely demolished. Those in green have full articles on the MALL HALL OF FAME site, while those in blue have a full article on theSHOPPING MALL MUSEUM site]

Los Angeles' Crenshaw Center

"May's Crenshaw," an operative of May Company California, was built at the northwest corner of the Crenshaw Boulevard and Santa Barbara Avenue intersection. The "Late Moderne" -style store, the chain's second branch, opened for business in October 1947.
Drawing from the May Department Stores Company

Broadway Stores, May Company California's primary competitor, built their Moderne-style store right across the avenue. "The Broadway-Crenshaw" store, this chain's third branch, welcomed first customers in November 1947.

Drawing from Broadway Department Stores, Incorporated

CRENSHAW CENTER qualifies as America's first regional-class, suburban shopping hub. It was built along with The Broadway store and originally encompassed only the southern half of the development. May Company, and its adjacent CRENSHAW DISTRICT store strip, were built as a separate entity, but were eventually operated as part of the complex. The collective parking lots accommodated 7,000 autos.

CRENSHAW CENTER TENANTS 1949:

THE BROADWAY (with beauty salon, public auditorium and garden center) / F.W. WOOLWORTH 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / Alpert's Fabrics / Arthur Murray Dance Studio / Children's department store / Lerner Shops ladies' wear / Leeds Qualicraft Shoes / Owl-Rexall Drugs / Sav-On Drugs / Security-First National Bank / Silverwoods apparel / Von's Market (with fountain luncheonette)

OUTPARCELS:

Barker Brothers Furniture / MobilGas service station & car wash / Pacific Telephone & Telegraph accounting office

CRENSHAW DISTRICT TENANTS 1949:

MAY COMPANY (with coffee shop, children's playroom, children's barber shop, sewing school and public auditorium) / J.J. NEWBERRY 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / S.H. KRESS 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / Grayson's ladies' wear / Kay Jewelers / Richman Brothers men's wear / Roe Shoes

Our CRENSHAW CENTER logo montage features trademarks of ten charter stores. These opened for business between 1947 and 1949. When fully-leased, the complex (including the May Company-Crenshaw District) included two major department stores, three 5 & 10s, two drug stores and a large Von's supermarket.

In a northward CRENSHAW CENTER view, we see Lerner Shops, Children's Department Store, Woolworth's and The Broadway. The May's Crenshaw building appears in the distance.

Photo from "California Highways & Public Works" magazine / May-June 1948

Desmond's, a Los Angeles-based clothier, opened a CRENSHAW CENTER store in March 1953. It took the place of a shuttered Owl Rexall Drugs.

Drawing from Desmond's, Incorporated

By the 1980s, CRENSHAW CENTER had been eclipsed by several newer, larger -and fully-enclosed- shopping venues in its trade area. Here we see a dowdy-looking section of the strip center, as it appeared in its final days.
Photo from www.theotherstream.com / Richard Longsteth

Most of the 1940s-vintage shopping center was demolished in the late 1980s, leaving its two anchors intact. These were worked into a 2-level, fully-enclosed mall, which extended over West Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and connected into the May Company store on the north side. A new name for the complex was bestowed; BALDWIN HILLS-CRENSHAW PLAZA.

A regional shopping center becomes a bona fide mall. The new BALDWIN HILLS-CRENSHAW PLAZA was officially dedicated in November 1988. It encompassed approximately 850,000 leasable square feet and included a shiny new Sears anchor store.

The PLAZA was expanded with peripheral structures during the 1990s. A Lucky Stores supermarket, built on the far north end of the site, opened in 1991. The Magic Johnson Theatres Crenshaw 12, and an adjacent parking deck, were completed in 1995. By 1996, two anchor stores had been rebranded. May Company morphed into a Robinsons-May in 1993. The Broadway structure would house the mall's first Macy's between 1996 and 1999.

An early 2000s-vintage interior view of BALDWIN HILLS CRENSHAW PLAZA. Here we see the Tom Bradley Court, which is the epicenter of the retail facility.
Photo from www.mitchglaser.com

A face lift renovation was performed between 2010 and 2012. The cinema was gutted and rebuilt as the state-of-the-art Rave Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza 15 + Extreme, which showed first features in mid-2011. Anchor-wise, much has changed since the 1996 plan. The original Macy's re-opened as a Wal-Mart in 2003. Robinsons-May became the mall's second Macy's operation, in 2006.

The post-renovation shopping hub housed seventy-five retail spaces. Its new trademark dropped "Plaza" from the official mall moniker.

Graphic from http://www.baldwinhillscrenshawplaza.com

A snapshot of two BALDWIN HILLS CRENSHAW anchor stores. WalMart, in the old The Broadway building, was abruptly shuttered in January 2016.

Photo from www.festivalcos.com

The shopping hub is now serviced by LA Metro transit train. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Station is one of eight stops on the Crenshaw-LAX ("K") Line. This Phase 1 light rail route, which began revenue service in October 2022, extends for 8.5 route miles and connects with the Expo ("E") Line.
Drawing from https://www.metro.net

CRENSHAW CENTER
Crenshaw and Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevards
Los Angeles, California

Greater Los Angeles' first regional-class, suburban shopping hub was originally developed as two separate retail centers. Straddling the Baldwin Hills and Crenshaw Manor districts, the adjacent complexes occupied a total of 54 acres, located 5 miles southwest of the center city. A section of the land parcel had been used for the Sunset Fields Golf Course.

A 5-level (266,000 square foot), Los-Angles-based May Company California was the first shopping center structure built. Known colloquially as May's Crenshaw, the store was designed by Albert C. Martin, Samuel A. Marx, Noel Flint and Charles Shonne. An official dedication was held on October 10, 1947. Across the avenue was 5-level (220,000 square foot), Los Angeles-based The Broadway. This store, designed by Albert B. Gardner, opened on November 21, 1947.

South of The Broadway was CRENSHAW CENTER, a ten-store strip complex that included Leeds Qualicraft Shoes, Lerner Shops, Children's Department Store and 2-level (48,000 square foot) F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10. The south end of the strip was anchored by a (16,500 square foot) Owl-Rexall Drug.

This store was dedicated with a 3-day grand opening that commenced on August 20, 1948. The festivities began with an autograph party featuring popular recording artists, such as Kay Starr, Buddy Clark, Nellie Lutcher and Margaret Whiting. Next came a block party with music provided by Jimmy Dorsey's Orchestra. Appearances were also made by film stars Ann Miller, Roddy McDowell and Peter Lawford.

A seven-tenant strip of stores, known as the CRENSHAW DISTRICT, was built on the north side of May Company. This plaza housed Richman Brothers men's, Roe Shoes, Grayson's and two 5 & 10's; a 2-level (33,900 square foot) J.J. Newberry and 2-level (18,300 square foot) S.H. Kress. These stores were dedicated during 1948 and 1949.

SANTA BARBARA PLAZA, a third store strip, ran along the south side of Santa Barbara Avenue. Security-First National Bank began business on December 12, 1947. A (45,000 square foot) Von's Market welcomed first shoppers on January 30, 1948. Barker Brothers Furniture opened its doors on November 27, 1948, with Sav-On Drugs being dedicated on April 2, 1949.

A futuristic MobilGas "lubri-torium" filling station, car wash and auto repair garage was built as an outparcel of CRENSHAW CENTER. This facility opened on November 27, 1948. Customers having work done on their cars could ride a free shuttle bus to -and from- the west side of The Broadway store.

The shopping facility was serviced by a dual-lane -2/5-mile-long- truck tunnel, which was accessed by two portals. This was the first retail hub in the nation with an underground freight-delivery system. By late 1949, the CRENSHAW CENTER and CRENSHAW DISTRICT complexes encompassed over 550,000 leasable square feet. Eventually, they would be operated collectively as CRENSHAW CENTER.

In the 21st century, the orientation of the original complex may seem strange. Storefronts were built against the sidewalks along Crenshaw Boulevard and Santa Barbara Avenue, with 13 acres of parking situated in the rear. The parking lot in front design had not yet become the American shopping center standard.

Between 1950 and 1963, SANTA BARBARA PLAZA was expanded, with store buildings eventually wrapping around the Santa Barbara Avenue, Santa Rosalia Drive, Marlton Avenue and Buckingham Road block.

Major retail complexes in the vicinity of CRENSHAW PLAZA and SANTA BARBARA PLAZA included CENTURY SQUARE (1964) {5.6 miles northwest, in Los Angeles}, FOX HILLS MALL (1975) {3.3 miles southwest, in Culver City} and BEVERLY CENTER (1982) {4.8 miles northwest, in Los Angeles}.

Although successful for two decades, CRENSHAW CENTER had become a run down, past-its prime property by the late 1970s. In 1984, a major renovation was proposed. Redevelopment was stymied by difficulties with financing and the loss of federal funding. Moreover, the viability of a new, regional-class shopping mall at the site was questioned by developers, retailers and local residents.

Eventually, the controversial project got underway. The bulk of 1940s-vintage structures were torn down. May Company, The Broadway, International House of Pancakes and SANTA BARBARA PLAZA were left standing.

Ground was broken on October 19, 1986, with construction underway by May 1987. A 2-level, fully-enclosed mall was built along the west side of The Broadway store. Its upper floor extended over West Martin Luther King, Junior Boulevard (the name of Santa Barbara Avenue, post-1983) and connected with the May Company building on the north side of the street.

The new BALDWIN HILLS-CRENSHAW PLAZA was developed by Manhattan Beach-based Alexander Haagen Properties and the Los Angeles County Redevelopment Agency. The complex included a 2-level (141,900 square foot) Sears and encompassed 850,000 leasable square feet, with space for 100 stores and services. The interior was done in a "trendy art deco" fashion, with pastel colors, skylights and tropical plantings.

An official grand opening was held for the 120 million dollar facility on November 4, 1988. The dedication was attended by Tom Bradley (Mayor of Los Angeles), Kenneth Hahn (Los Angeles County Supervisor), and developer Alexander Haagen. Thirty stores opened along with the mall. By November 1989, there were a total of sixty-five in operation.

The Northridge Earthquake of January 17, 1994 caused minor damage to BALDWIN HILLS-CRENSHAW PLAZA. However, its Robinsons-May (a January 1993 rebranding of the May Company) was not so fortunate. The store was closed until June 6, 1994.

Peripheral structures were added to the mall site in the 1990s. A (43,300 square foot) Lucky Stores supermarket opened in December 1991. The nation's first Magic Johnson Theatres megaplex, the Crenshaw 12, made its debut on June 30, 1995. It was eventually reconfigured with fifteen screens.

The Broadway was rebranded as a Macy's in November 1996. This store closed January 10, 1999. On January 22, 2003, Wal-Mart opened its first 3-level store in the building. On September 9, 2006, Macy's rebranded Robinsons-May and returned to BALDWIN HILLS-CRENSHAW PLAZA, following a 7-year hiatus.

Alexander Haagen Properties morphed into a concern known as Center Trust, Incorporated. This company merged with San Diego-based Pan Pacific Retail Properties in November 2002. BALDWIN HILLS-CRENSHAW PLAZA was sold to Encino-based Hager Pacific Properties in April 2003. The complex was re-sold in February 2006, with Chicago-based Capri Capital Investors becoming the new owner. Los Angeles-based Primestar Development was hired to manage the property.

A 30 million dollar renovation of the "CRENSHAW MALL" got underway in late 2010. The Magic Johnson multiplex, which had been shuttered in June, was given a major makeover. Stadium seating, 3-D screens and new decor were installed. The venue re-opened, as the Rave Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza 15 + Extreme, on June 28, 2011.

The mall proper was also given an interior and exterior remodeling, which included a face lift for Macy's, as well as the installation of a new Dining Court and live performance area. Post & Beam and Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants -and a freestanding Staples- joined the tenant list. The remodeled mall was re-dedicated in April 2012.

WalMart had been operating at BALDWIN HILLS-CRENSHAW PLAZA for 13 years. They abruptly shuttered the store on January 17, 2016, only 2 days after said closure was announced. Sears initiated a going out of business sale at their 31-year-old store in December 2019.

Meanwhile, in June 2018, the Los Angeles City Council gave initial approval to a controversial plan to redevelop the shopping hub into more of a mixed-use facility. If said redevelopment is undertaken, it could add over 900 residential units, a 10-story office tower, hotel and "walkable retail village."

Sources:

The Los Angeles Times

The Los Angeles Evening Citizen

The Daily News (Los Angeles)
The New York Times
The Chicago Tribune
"Historic Resources Report, Archaeological Resources Report, Paleontological Resources Report, Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw Plaza Historic Resources Report" / Christopher A. Joseph & Associates / July 2009
"Evolution of the Shopping Center" / Steven E. Schoenherr
preservenet.cornell.edu/publications/Longstreth Branch Store.doc
1959 Los Angeles Street Map" / http://www.californiahighways.org / Dan Faigin, webmaster
Hager Pacific press release / March 31, 2003
Hager Pacific press release / February 1, 2006
http://www.crenshawplaza.com
http://www.festivalcos.com

http://www.laist.com
https://www.metro.net

https://planning.lacity.org

Los Angeles' Stonewood Center

A sweeping view of the south-facing facade of the original STONEWOOD CENTER. This spans from W.T. Grant down to the Shopping Bag grocery store.
Photo from www.flickr.com / The Downey Conservancy

The original STONEWOOD was implemented in two stages. The first sections -in black- were built in 1956. Those segments in gray were complete by 1959. Encompassing around 355,200 leasable square feet, the mall did not have conventional anchor department stores, per se. These would be added in the 1960s.

STONEWOOD CENTER TENANTS 1959:

F.W. WOOLWORTH 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / J.C. PENNEY / SHOPPING BAG supermarket / W.T. GRANT (with luncheonette) / Anita Shops ladies' wear / Angi's Shop children's wear / Berland's Shoes / Caltrex Curtains / Center Shoe Repair / Children's Center apparel / Community Bank / Conte Furniture Company / C.W. Mason, Optometrist / Empire Silk / Gallenkamp Shoes / Goodfellows ladies' wear / Green's Junior Bootery / Hardy Shoes / Helen Grace Candies / Hollander Cafeteria / Household Finance Corporation / Lawson's Jewelers / Magic Mirror Beauty Salon / Melinda's ladies' wear / Miller's Store For Men / Myn-De-Mar Pastry Shop / Orange Julius / Oval Room ladies' wear / Pittsburgh Paints / Singer Sewing Center / Stonewood Barber Shop / Stonewood Camera Center / Stonewood Cleaners / Stonewood Restaurant (with dining room, coffee shop, cocktail lounge & bakery) (outpacel) / Stonewood Music Center / Stonewood Stationers / Toyville / Vincent's Rexall Drugs (with luncheonette) / Western Auto / Woody's Men's Store / Zella Brumley's Sports Togs

This photo, and the two that follow, show the shiny new STONEWOOD CENTER. In the snapshot above, we see the main entrance of the mall's "J.C. Penney Company" store.
Photo from www.flickr.com / The Downey Conservancy

Here, we see Zella Brumley's Sports Togs. In mid-20th century American vernacular, "togs" was a word often used instead of "clothing."
Photo from www.flickr.com / The Downey Conservancy

Lastly, we have the rear side of the complex and its Woolworth's 5 & 10.
Photo from www.flickr.com / The Downey Conservancy

Los Angeles' Harris & Frank chain opened a STONEWOOD store in 1965.
Drawing from Harris & Frank Company

A nighttime view of the main mallway, taken after the addition of The Broadway, but before a new Penney's opened.
Photo from www.flickr.com / The Downey Conservancy

STONEWOOD 1969. The Broadway joined the tenant roster in October 1965, with the single-screen Showcase Cinema opening in May 1966. J.C. Penney relocated into a new "New Generation" store (on the northwest corner) in July 1969. The shopping hub was still open-air. It housed eighty-two stores and services and maintained free parking for 5,200 autos.

A rendering depicting how STONEWOOD CENTER would appear following an enclosing renovation.

Drawing from http://www.downeyca.org

The mall remodeling got underway in October 1989 and was completed in October 1990.

Drawing from http://www.downeyca.org

The configuration of STONEWOOD CENTER after its reconstruction was finished. Mervyn's and a small North Wing had been added, as open-air components, in 1981. With the late '80s redo, the center gained a fourth anchor, May Company, and an associated Home Store.

Above, we have a current photo of STONEWOOD CENTER, which has been a Macerich property since August 1997.

Photo from www.eyecorp.com

In 2017, the mall housed 939,400 leasable square feet and over 170 stores. Penney's is the only anchor still sporting its original (albeit updated) nameplate. May Company and its Home Store were rebranded as Robinsons-May operations in early 1993 and "Macy-ated" in 2006. The Broadway became Sears in 1996 and Mervyn's re-opened as a Kohl's in late 2009.

STONEWOOD CENTER
Lakewood and Firestone Boulevards
Downey, California

Downey, the fiftieth city to be formed in Los Angeles County, was officially incorporated on December 17, 1956. Just east of the new municipality's downtown area, 10 miles southeast of center city Los Angeles, was the intersection of Lakewood and Firestone Boulevards. In Los Angeles' pre-freeway days, it was one of the busiest intersections in the world.

On the northeast corner of the junction was a 63-acre parcel. Part of the Jenison Ranch, it was leased for potential development in 1953. Construction of a freestanding coffee shop commenced in February 1956, followed a (40,000 square foot) Market Basket grocery and Downey Stonewood Community Bank. The supermarket opened for business on February 5, 1958.

Meanwhile, a shopping facility, originally known as LANSDALE CENTER, was being developed by William M. Lansdale and E. Morris Smith. Open-air in format and consisting of a main retail level and basement, the complex had been renamed STONEWOOD CENTER by the time of its official dedication, which was held October 9, 1958.

The complex spanned approximately 355,200 leasable square feet and housed over thirty-five stores and services. These included W.T. Grant, a 2-level (13,500 square foot) F.W. Woolworth and 2-level (60,000 square foot) J.C. Penney. Charter stores included Vincent's Rexall Drug, Helen Grace Candies, Western Auto, Oval Room Fashions, Toyville, Orange Julius, Woody's Men's Store, Stonewood Music Center, the Magic Mirror Beauty Salon and Zella Brumley's Sports Togs.

In its early years, STONEWOOD CENTER did not have conventional anchor stores. Its first, a 3-level (143,400 square foot), Los Angeles-based The Broadway, was dedicated October 18, 1965. This was followed by a 2-level (192,600 square foot) J.C. Penney, which began business on July 30, 1969. It replaced the 60,000 square foot store which had opened along with the mall in 1958.

The single-screen Lippert's Transcontinental Theatres Showcase Cinema had shown its first feature May 26, 1966. It was twinned in 1971 and renamed the Showcase 1 & Showcase 2. Apparently the venue was known as Stonewood Cinemas in its latter days.

A 2-level (80,600 square foot) Mervyn's, and 22,800 square feet of new store space, were added to the north side of the complex and were completed in late 1981. The expanded shopping center now encompassed approximately 858,100 leasable square feet.

Commercial competition for STONEWOOD came from LAKEWOOD CENTER (1951) {5.7 miles south, in Lakewood}, WHITTWOOD CENTER (1956) {6.7 miles east, in Whittier}, LA MIRADA CENTER (1959) {6.7 miles southeast, in La Mirada}, BEUNA PARK MALL (1961) {9.4 miles southeast, in Orange County} and MONTEBELLO TOWN CENTER (1988) {6.9 miles north, in Montebello}.

By the late 1980s, STONEWOOD CENTER, still open-air, had been outpositioned by fully-enclosed shopping centers in its vicinity. The property was acquired by Newport Beach-based Hughes Investments in 1986. They submitted a redevelopment plan to the Downey City Council in February 1989, which was approved in July. Reconstruction of the mall got underway in October of the same year.

A 2-level (146,200 square foot), Los Angeles-based May Company California was added to the south side of the complex, with existing mall space rebuilt to accommodate the new store and its entrance court. The old supermarket, which had housed a Thrifty Drug and furniture store, was remodeled into a 1-level (30,100 square foot) May Company Home Store.

The west end of the mall was refitted with a 12-bay Food Court. Basement retail area was also abandoned. All concourses and atrium areas were fully-enclosed by steel pyramid structures and glass skylights. The mall's exterior was redone in a Post-Modern motif.

May Company and its Home Store welcomed their first customers in September 1990. The fully-enclosed mall's re-dedication began on October 19, 1990, STONEWOOD CENTER now enveloped approximately 939,400 leasable square feet and over 100 stores and services.

STONEWOOD CENTER was acquired by the Santa Monica-based Macerich Company in August 1997. Macerich had owned the nearby LAKEWOOD CENTER since 1975. In May 1999, they also acquired LOS CERRITOS CENTER. The three malls were referred to, henceforth, as the company's Triplets.

May Company and its Home Store became the first mall anchors to be rebranded. They received Robinsons-May nameplates on January 31, 1993. The Broadway was shuttered in 1996. The STONEWOOD location was one of seven Southern California The Broadway stores to be sold to Sears. Included in the transaction were units at TOPANGA PLAZA, LOS ALTOS CENTER and WHITTWOOD CENTER. The STONEWOOD store re-opened -with a Sears nameplate- on November 2, 1996. A freestanding Sears Auto Center had been built in the mall's southeast parking area.

Robinsons-May locations were "Macy-ated" on September 9, 2006. The next STONEWOOD anchor store to receive a new nameplate was Mervyn's, which became a Wisconsin-based Kohl's on September 30, 2009. Sears went dark on November 14, 2021, after 25 years of commerce.

Sources:

The Downey Patriot (Downey, California)
Mall memories of Mitch Glaser
Comment post by Randy
www.downeyca.org / "Stonewood Specific Plan SP-89-1"
www.shopstonewoodcenter.com
Los Angeles County, California property tax assessor website
Downey Historical Conservancy Photostream / "RetroCool"
"Stonewood Center" article on Wikipedia

Los Angeles' Century Square

The Santa Monica Boulevard entry of Los Angeles' CENTURY SQUARE complex. In this circa-'65 photo, The Broadway store appears as an imposing structure. The white-roofed building in front was the mall's renowned Century House restaurant.
Photo from "The Webb Spinner" / May-June 1965 / Del E. Webb Corporation / Sun City Museum, Arizona

One may wonder just what the first "Liz & Dick" flick and a western Los Angeles shopping mall have in common. Quite a bit, actually. For details, read the CENTURY SQUARE copy.
Graphic from the 20th Century-Fox Film Corporation [See Media Fair Use Declaration Below]

A circa-1963 rendering of the prospective CENTURY SQUARE mall. The shopping center itself would be implemented precisely as shown. However, two office towers in the right center area of the image would not be built.
Drawing from "The Webb Spinner" / November 1963 / Del E. Webb Corporation / Sun City Museum, Arizona

A circa-1966 CENTURY SQUARE site plan. By this time, all retail space was leased and operational. The complex included the Pavilion Shops, an enclosed and climate-controlled gallery of fourteen stores and services. The complex covered a 2-level, underground parking deck, which had accommodations for 3,000 autos.

CENTURY SQUARE TENANTS 1966:

OPEN-AIR MALL
THE BROADWAY (with The Terrace Room Restaurant) / MAYFAIR MARKET / JOSEPH MAGNIN / Albert's Hosiery / Alrob, Incorporated / Century City Barber Shop / Century City Beauty Salon / Century City Cleaners / Century City Music Center / Century City Pharmacy / Century House Restaurant / Chobak's / Clifton's Cafeteria / Dr. Stewart W. Needleman, Optometrist / Fashion Fabrics / Gallenkamp Shoes / George Allen Shoes / Jay Jordan Shoes / Judy's / Leed's Qualicraft Shoes / Martinsdale Books / Moran Drapery Stores / Pielo's / Prudential Savings & Loan / Ruggles Gifts / Sabrina Shops / Silverwoods Men's & Boy's / Sing Dah & Company, Limited / Slavic's / The Tinder Box Tobacconist / Yorkshire's Ladies' / Wetherby-Kayser Shoes

PAVILION SHOPS
Boutique Allee / Century City Galleries / Century City Luggage / Jewels By Tameko / King's Half-Size Shop / Loft's Candies / Louis Corday Hair Fashions / Motherhood Maternity / Pavilion Kitchens / Profils Du Monde / Que's Fashions / Robinson's Interiors / Tot Toggery / Trans-Global

The first development on the CENTURY SQUARE site was the Gateway West tower, known in later years as 1801 Avenue of the Stars. The building was completed in 1963, the year before business began at the adjacent shopping center. This historic Mid-Century Modern (and Welton Becket-designed) structure was knocked down in April 2015, in the name of "progress." It has been replaced with an enlargement of the mall.

A poster drawn by famed fashion illustrator Betty Brader. It announced Joseph Magnin, which opened at CENTURY SQUARE in August 1965.
Advert from http://americanhistory.si.edu

An exterior view of the mall's Mayfair Market grocery store, which was accessed from the upper floor of a subterranean parking deck. A ramp up to the main retail level of the mall is seen on the right.
Photo from http://www.groceteria.com

An interior view of the Mayfair Market. It was rebranded as a Gelson's Market in 1971. By this time, the mall was often promoted as the CENTURY CITY SHOPPING CENTER, although ads mentioning CENTURY SQUARE were still appearing in the late '70s. Most Los Angelino's just call the complex the CENTURY CITY MALL.
Photo from http://www.groceteria.com

Los Angeles-based Bullock's opened a CENTURY CITY CENTER store in September 1976.
Drawing from Federated Department Stores, Incorporated

The mall was substantially renovated during the 1980s. A partial Upper Level, including a 14-screen movie megaplex, was built. Moreover, the Century House restaurant was replaced by a large food court, known as The Marketplace.

Drawing from the Wereldhave Dutch Real Estate Investment Trust

An 8 million dollar face lift was completed in 1985. The remodeling resumed in 1987, when the aforementioned multiplex and The Marketplace food court (in medium gray) were added. With these improvements, the re-named CENTURY CITY SHOPPING CENTER & MARKETPLACE encompassed around 771,000 leasable square feet and housed over 150 stores and services.

A computer-generated, bird's-eye view of Century City, showing the level of development that had taken place by the mid-1990s. Buildings erected in the 1960s, then the tallest in the entire region, had been dwarfed by those which now towered over them.
Drawing from Sanborn / Digital Globe / Earth Sat

Oz-based Westfield acquired CENTURY CITY CENTER in 2002. In August 2003, a makeover of the mall's southwest corner began. In this rendering, and the one that follows, we see depictions of the newly-renovated area.
Drawing from www.westfield.com / The Westfield Group

A view from the Level 2 Dining Terrace, which is a collection of trendy eateries. It replaced the mall's 1980s-vintage Marketplace and was the first Westfield Dining Terrace installation in the United States. Others would be built in malls such as Seattle's WESTFIELD SOUTHCENTER, Maryland's WESTFIELD MONTGOMERY and San Jose's WESTFIELD VALLEY FAIR.
Drawing from www.westfield.com / The Westfield Group

WESTFIELD CENTURY CITY, circa-2007. During the recent renovation, the aforementioned Dining Terrace and AMC Century City 15 were added. Adjacent area (medium gray) has also been reconfigured. The 1980s-vintage food court and cinema, in the northwest corner, have been gutted and repurposed as inline store spaces.

Westfield's renovation of their CENTURY CITY property resumed in 2015. Here we see a rendering of the mall's reconfigured Santa Monica Boulevard frontage. The old single-level section of the mall has been razed and replaced by 3 floors of retail and a 2-level, rooftop parking deck.
Drawing from www.westfield.com / The Westfield Corporation

The Terrace; centerpiece of the 2010s renovation. The spacious and open court area hosts fashion shows and other public events.
Drawing from www.westfield.com / The Westfield Corporation

The remodeled south entry, with a new Nordstrom on the left. This store joined WESTFIELD CENTURY CITY, as a third anchor, in October 2017.
Drawing from www.westfield.com / The Westfield Corporation

In 2018, the mall has just emerged from its massive -1 billion dollar- makeover. Bloomingdale's has been thoroughly refurbished. Macy's has moved from the south side of the complex to its northeast corner and much of the mall (in medium gray) has been razed and rebuilt.

CENTURY SQUARE
Santa Monica Boulevard and Avenue Of The Stars
Los Angeles, California

In the late 1950s, Twentieth Century-Fox Studios was having a run of unsuccessful motion pictures, partly brought about by the advent of commercial television. In order to raise capital, and keep the studio solvent, a plan was devised to develop a large portion of the Fox backlot as a real estate venture.

A proposal to build a "city within a city," envisaged by Welton Becket & Associates, was announced in 1957. In 1960, Fox embarked on the production of a motion picture adaptation of the story of Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile. The picture began as a modestly-budgeted vehicle, but eventually snowballed into an incredibly elaborate, historical epic. Elizabeth Taylor was paid the enormous sum of one million dollars to work on the film, which was the highest sum ever awarded to a motion picture actress up to that time.

The project was plagued with set backs. "Liz's" health problems halted filming for months on end. Her eventual return necessitated moving the entire production from London to the milder climate of Rome, which resulted in the scraping, and reshooting, of all previously-finished footage.

Sets and costumes were done on the grandest scale imaginable. A gold-laden frock for Taylor cost one million dollars. Moreover, members of the cast insisted on the most opulent of accommodations. The budget increased manifold, with no end in sight. Fox freaked.

To save the financially-strapped studio, and create funds to finish the long-awaited cinematic spectacle, the plan to sell the 260-acre backlot was finalized. Alcoa, the Aluminum Company of America, purchased the property in 1961. 80 acres were leased back to Fox, with the remaining 180 eventually being developed as the futuristic Century City.

Among the first of America's edge cities, the project became an auxiliary urban center for the region. Height restrictions on buildings in earthquake-prone Los Angeles had been lifted in 1957. The Century City development took advantage of this and featured some of the first skyscrapers ever built in the city.

An 18.7-acre site, located 13 miles west of center city Los Angles, contained outdoor movie sets such as an "Old New York Street" and "New England Square." The parcel was cleared and developed as an open-air shopping mall. The single level, cluster-type CENTURY SQUARE complex was built on top of a 2-level, subterranean parking garage.

Originally comprising seven retail structures and fifty-six inline store spaces, the center was anchored by a 3-level (222,000 square foot), Los Angeles-based The Broadway, which opened for business October 10, 1964. Inline stores opened during 1965. These included Joseph Magnin, Silverwoods men's & boy's wear, Judy's ladies' wear, Prudential Savings & Loan, Gallenkamp Shoes, Clifton's Cafeteria, the Century House Restaurant and a Mayfair Market grocery.

Shopping venues in the vicinity of CENTURY SQUARE included BULLOCK'S FASHION SQUARE [Sherman Oaks] (1962) {6.7 miles north, in Los Angeles}, FOX HILLS MALL (1975) {5 miles southeast, in Culver City} and BEVERLY CENTER (1982) {2.4 miles northeast, in Los Angeles}.

By the early 1970s, the mall in Century City was being promoted as the CENTURY CITY SHOPPING CENTER, although advertisements for CENTURY SQUARE were still appearing in the late '70s. A first expansion of the complex added a 3-level (138,000 square foot), Los Angeles-based Bullock's and twenty-five inline stores. The new Bullock's welcomed its first shoppers on September 9, 1976.

In October 1980, the complex was sold to Avi Lerner and the Wereldhave Dutch Real Estate Investment Trust. An 8 million dollar face lift got underway in March 1985 and was officially dedicated on October 25th. During this project, a vacant Joseph Magnin was carved into ten inline store spaces.

A 25 million dollar renovation of the northwest corner of the mall was done during 1987. The American Multi-Cinema Century 14 multiplex was installed on a new upper level. It opened for business on October 9, 1987. New mall stores included Go Sport, Brentano's Books, Nickleodeon video & music, The Gap, Clothesline and Arva Jewelers.

Moreover, the Century City Marketplace, an indoor-outdoor food court, housed twenty-six fast food eateries and five sit-down restaurants. The culinary complex, built on the site of the old Century House Restaurant, opened on November 19, 1987. To reflect this addition, the official name of the mall was changed to CENTURY CITY SHOPPING CENTER & MARKETPLACE.

Bullock's stores were rebranded by Macy's between April 29 and May 1, 1996. The Broadway at Century City morphed into a Bloomingdale's on November 8th. Australia-based Westfield purchased the mall, in two increments, between January and May 2002. They renamed it WESTFIELD SHOPPINGTOWN CENTURY CITY...shortening this to simply WESTFIELD CENTURY CITY in June 2005.

A 160 million dollar upgrade, dubbed "The Makeover of the Century," got underway in August 2003. The project was completed in two stages. The first consisted of two southwest corner additions. An upper level "Dining Terrace," housing seventeen restaurants, was completed in November 2005. The state-of-the-art AMC Century City 15 multiplex showed its first features December 12 of the same year.

Stage two repurposed the 1980s-vintage multiplex and food court, which were rebuilt into new retail spaces. The remodeling wrapped up in late 2006. WESTFIELD CENTURY CITY now encompassed 810,000 leasable square feet and contained 205 stores and services.

By the 2010s, Westfield was planning another expansion of their CENTURY CITY property. There was a great deal of community opposition, but the expansion plans were eventually approved by the City of Los Angeles. The 1 billion dollar retrofit would add over 400,000 square feet of new retail and increase the center's car parking capacity to 4,700 autos.

The circa-1963 Gateway West (1801 Avenue of the Stars) tower, which had been deemed a "potential historic resource" by city government, was not considered historic enough for preservation. It, and the circa-1966 Century Park West structure, were knocked down. Macy's closed in January 2016, but would be replaced by a newly-built store.

Much of the original mall was demolished, leaving the far western section, Bloomingdale's and subterranean parking garage intact. The shopping facility was rebuilt with 3 levels of retail stores, topped off by a 2-level, rooftop parking deck on the far east end of the complex. A new multilevel garage also replaced the Century Park West tower, in the southwest corner.

The revitalized WESTFIELD CENTURY CITY was officially dedicated in three stages. Twenty-five stores, including a 2-level (155,000 square foot) Macy's, opened April 8, 2017. A 3-level (149,000 square foot) Nordstrom, and additional inline stores and restaurants, debuted on October 3, 2017. The final stage, comprised of Eataly, an Italian marketplace, restaurant and cooking school, was dedicated on November 3, 2017.

New to the mall were stores such as Aritzia, Catimini, Cotton On, MAC Cosmetics, Swaroski, Travis Mathew, Maje and Zara. Level 3 included the exclusive Equinox health club and spa and the Eataly facility. WESTFIELD CENTURY CITY now encompassed 1,300,000 leasable square feet and housed 260 stores and services.

Westfield's American and European property portfolio was merged into the holdings of Paris-based Unibail-Rodamco in June 2018. A new company, known as Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield was created. Westfield shopping centers in Australia and New Zealand were not included in the merger.

On the horizon is a connection between the "Century City Mall" and Los Angeles' Metro subway system. In 2019, construction commenced on the Purple ("D") Line Extension to West Los Angeles. The initial 3.9 route mile subway line will include three stations and extend between the existing Wilshire-Western stop and one at Wilshire-La Cienega ["see-in-uh-guh"].

Revenue service on this Section 1 segment is scheduled to begin in 2024. A 2.6 route mile Section 2 segment will include two stations and connect future Wilshire-La Cienega and Century City-Constellation train stations. Revenue service is scheduled to begin in 2025.

Sources:

The Los Angeles Times
www.mitchglaser.com
www.centuryplazatowers.com
Los Angeles County, California Tax assessor website
www.la.racked.com
Del E. Webb Corporation "Webb Spinner" / Sun City, Arizona Museum
http://media.metro.net
www.reuters.com
"Elizabeth Taylor" article on Wikipedia

FAIR USE OF "CLEOPATRA" MOVIE POSTER:

The image from "Cleopatra" illustrates a key moment in the mall's history that is described in the article. The image is of lower resolution than the original motion picture poster (copies made from it will be of inferior quality). The image is not replaceable with a free-use or public-domain image. The image does not limit the copyright owners' rights to distribute the motion picture in any way. The image is being used for informational purposes only, and its use is not believed to detract from the original motion picture in any way.

FAIR USE OF CENTURY SQUARE IMAGES:

The photograph and image from the Del E. Webb Corporation "Webb Spinner" / Sun City, Arizona Museum illustrate a key moment in the mall's history that is described in the article. The images are of lower resolution than the originals (copies made would be of inferior quality). The images are not replaceable with free-use or public-domain images. The use of the images does not limit the copyright owners' rights to distribute them in any way. The images are being used for non-profit, informational purposes only and their use is not believed to detract from the original images in any way.

Los Angeles' Los Cerritos Center

The logo that promoted the original LOS CERRITOS ["sir-ee-tohz"] CENTER.
Graphic from Ernest W. Hahn, Incorporated

LOS CERRITOS CENTER was dedicated in phases, between September 1971 and May 1972. When fully realized, the complex spanned around 1,175,000 leasable square feet, with free parking for 6,400 autos. By the late 1970s, there were 138 stores and services.