Del Amo Fashion Center
Encyclopedia
Del Amo Fashion Center is a two-level regional shopping mall
in Torrance, California, USA
. It is currently managed and co-owned by Simon Property Group
.
With a current gross leasable area
(GLA) of 3.0 million ft², it is one of the largest shopping malls in the United States. The mall features the world famous International Food Court, seven anchor stores, including three Macy's
locations, JCPenney & Sears, more than 314.5 retailers, multiple full-service restaurants, a fitness center and an AMC Theatres
multiplex. It is currently the 14th largest mall in the US.
(#384 on Forbes Richest 400).http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-93205980.html From 1981 to 1992 it was the largest shopping mall in the US, reaching 3 million ft² in size at its largest. It was eclipsed as the largest with the opening of Mall of America
on August 11, 1992.
In 1959 The Broadway
opened the first store at what was to be known as Del Amo Mall. The actual mall itself, as well as J.C. Penney
and Sears
, opened in 1961 at the southeast corner of Carson Street and Hawthorne Boulevard. In 1966 Bullock's
opened at a small open-air shopping center it had developed across Carson Street called Fashion Square (Bullock's developed several similarly named Fashion Squares, including ones in Sherman Oaks, La Habra and Santa Ana). I. Magnin
, an affiliate of Bullock's opened a store in 1967 at Fashion Square, before the center was acquired in 1971 by Guilford Glazer and a major redevelopment begun.
In 1975, Del Amo Fashion Square, as the center on the north side of Carson Street was now called, reopened as a second mall and included additional anchors Montgomery Ward
and Ohrbach's
as well as an expanded I. Magnin. Glazer acquired neighboring Del Amo Mall in 1978. In November 1981 http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-6419010.html the two formerly separate centers were officially merged to form Del Amo Fashion Center with the opening of a mall concourse over Carson Street that linked the former Fashion Square to a new J. W. Robinson's built at the northern end of the former Del Amo Mall that same year. The existing infrastructure was also renovated at this time and included a food court (the "International Food Court") and a then-state-of-the-art computerized help system. Del Amo became the largest indoor shopping center in the world.
The center continued to evolve over the years as Ohrbach's closed in 1987 and became Swedish style furniture retailer STØR
. When STØR
went out of business in the early nineties, the property was used as a clearance center for STØR merchandise before being subdivided into Marshall's and TJ Maxx. I. Magnin followed in 1989 with part of their store eventually occupied by Old Navy
, while Burlington Coat Factory
opened in the basement of the former Del Amo Mall. J. W. Robinson's became Robinsons-May
in 1993, while in 1996 with Bullock's and The Broadway's merger into Macy's
, the former Bullock's became Macy's Apparel store and two floors of the original The Broadway were subdivided as a new Macy's Home & Furniture store. Faced with a change in consumer shopping patterns, the consolidation of the department store industry, the existence of too many malls fragmenting the greater Los Angeles
retail marketplace, lack of highway access and competition from the neighboring Nordstrom
-anchored South Bay Galleria
that opened in 1985, Del Amo began to suffer. Montgomery Ward
dealt another blow when it closed following the chain's bankruptcy. This resulted in the closure of an entire wing of the mall.
In 2003 The Mills Corporation acquired Del Amo Fashion Center from the Guilford Glazer Family for $420 million (USD
). Subsequently Mills sold a half-interest in the property to institutional investor
funds managed by JPMorgan Fleming,http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=71470&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=656117&highlight=del%20amo before initiating a $160 million redevelopment including demolition and redevelopment the former northeast wing where Montgomery Ward had been located, the renovation of 670,000 ft² (62,000 m²) of existing space and the addition of another 100,000 ft² (9,300 m²). Robinsons-May
converted to a second full-line Macy's
on September 9, 2006. This second store, called Macy's South Del Amo, is expected to be closed in the future and be rehabilitated as mall retail space. No definitive commitments have been made as to a timeline for these events. Many consumers have agreed that there is no need for three Macy's stores in the same mall.
The new open-air lifestyle center
opened on September 14, 2006, bringing new specialty stores, dining, entertainment, and an AMC Theatres
18-screen multiplex to the mall. Crate & Barrel opened a home furnishings store along the mall perimeter in spring 2007.
In 2007, The Mills Corporation was jointly acquired by Simon Property Group
and Farallon Capital Management. Simon assumed management of Del Amo Fashion Center at this time. In April 2008, the mall's website is under the Simon.com format along with sister Simon/Mills malls, like Ontario Mills, Hilltop Mall, the Block at Orange and Great Mall.
, starring Nick Coppolla, who later changed his name to Nicolas Cage
. The mall was also the setting for an important scene in the Quentin Tarantino
film, Jackie Brown
. In the movie, a subtitle erroneously stated that the "Del Amo Mall" was the "largest indoor mall in the world". The 2003 movie Bad Santa
, co-starring John Ritter
, had most of its mall scenes filmed at the mall. Del Amo Mall was part of the set for the movie Year of the Dog
starring Molly Shannon
. The Comedy Central
show Reno 911 has used Del Amo Mall for both interior and exterior shooting. The Old Navy was also featured in the movie Sleepover with Steve Carell
and Alexa Vega
. An episode of Medium
starring Patricia Arquette was filmed inside of Kelly's coffee and fudge. The show Life filmed part of an episode at this location. The mall was also a location of at least one episode of The Event, a series about an international conspiracy.
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
in Torrance, California, USA
Torrance, California
Torrance is a city incorporated in 1921 and located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Torrance has of shore-front beaches on the Pacific Ocean, quieter and less well-known by tourists than others on the Santa Monica Bay, such as those of neighboring...
. It is currently managed and co-owned by Simon Property Group
Simon Property Group
Simon Property Group, Inc. is an American commercial real estate company, ranked #1 in the United States as the largest real estate investment trust. Simon is a fully integrated real estate company which operates from five retail real estate platforms: regional malls, Premium Outlet Centers, The...
.
With a current gross leasable area
Gross leasable area
Gross leasable area in the retail development industry is a term applied to shopping malls, lifestyle centers, outlet malls and other retail centers to indicate the amount of floor space available to be rented...
(GLA) of 3.0 million ft², it is one of the largest shopping malls in the United States. The mall features the world famous International Food Court, seven anchor stores, including three Macy's
Macy's West
Macy's West was a longtime division of Macy's, Inc. , representing one of the New York-based department store chain's earliest notable acquisitions and westward expansions...
locations, JCPenney & Sears, more than 314.5 retailers, multiple full-service restaurants, a fitness center and an AMC Theatres
AMC Theatres
AMC Theatres , officially known as AMC Entertainment, Inc., is the second largest movie theater chain in North America with 5,325 screens, second only to Regal Entertainment Group, and one of the United States's four national cinema chains AMC Theatres (American Multi-Cinema), officially known as...
multiplex. It is currently the 14th largest mall in the US.
History
Del Amo Fashion Center has evolved from an amalgamation of several developments on the eastern side of the intersection of Hawthorne Boulevard and Carson Street in Torrance, California by Guilford GlazerGuilford Glazer
Guilford Glazer is an American real estate developer and philanthropist.Glazer was born in and grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee, one of the seven children of a welder. He grew up in the Fourth and Gill neighborhood and attended Knoxville High School, graduating in 1938...
(#384 on Forbes Richest 400).http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-93205980.html From 1981 to 1992 it was the largest shopping mall in the US, reaching 3 million ft² in size at its largest. It was eclipsed as the largest with the opening of Mall of America
Mall of America
The Mall of America, also called MOA and the Megamall, is a shopping mall located in Bloomington, Minnesota, a suburb of the Twin Cities, in the United States. It is located southeast of the junction of Interstate 494 and Minnesota State Highway 77, north of the Minnesota River and is across the...
on August 11, 1992.
In 1959 The Broadway
The Broadway
The Broadway was a mid-level department store chain headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States of America. Founded in 1896 by English born Arthur Letts, Sr., who later went on to develop Holmby Hills, The Broadway became one of the dominant retailers in Southern California and the...
opened the first store at what was to be known as Del Amo Mall. The actual mall itself, as well as J.C. Penney
J.C. Penney
J. C. Penney Company, Inc. is a chain of American mid-range department stores based in Plano, Texas, a suburb north of Dallas. The company operates 1,107 department stores in all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. JCPenney also operates catalog sales merchant offices nationwide in many...
and Sears
Sears, Roebuck and Company
Sears, officially named Sears, Roebuck and Co., is an American chain of department stores which was founded by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck in the late 19th century...
, opened in 1961 at the southeast corner of Carson Street and Hawthorne Boulevard. In 1966 Bullock's
Bullock's
Bullock's was a department store based in Los Angeles, California. The company operated full-line department stores all across California, with some stores in Arizona and Nevada. Bullock's also operated the more upscale Bullocks Wilshire in parts of Southern California.- History :Bullock's was...
opened at a small open-air shopping center it had developed across Carson Street called Fashion Square (Bullock's developed several similarly named Fashion Squares, including ones in Sherman Oaks, La Habra and Santa Ana). I. Magnin
I. Magnin
I. Magnin & Company was a San Francisco, California-based high fashion and specialty goods luxury department store. Over the course of its existence, it expanded across the West into Southern California and the adjoining states of Arizona, Oregon, and Washington...
, an affiliate of Bullock's opened a store in 1967 at Fashion Square, before the center was acquired in 1971 by Guilford Glazer and a major redevelopment begun.
In 1975, Del Amo Fashion Square, as the center on the north side of Carson Street was now called, reopened as a second mall and included additional anchors Montgomery Ward
Montgomery Ward
Montgomery Ward is an online retailer that carries the same name as the former American department store chain, founded as the world's #1 mail order business in 1872 by Aaron Montgomery Ward, and which went out of business in 2001...
and Ohrbach's
Ohrbach's
Ohrbach's was a moderate-priced department store with a merchandising focus primarily on apparel and accessories. From its modest start in 1923 until the chain's demise in 1987, Ohrbach's expanded dramatically after World War II, and opened numerous branch locations in the metro areas of New York,...
as well as an expanded I. Magnin. Glazer acquired neighboring Del Amo Mall in 1978. In November 1981 http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-6419010.html the two formerly separate centers were officially merged to form Del Amo Fashion Center with the opening of a mall concourse over Carson Street that linked the former Fashion Square to a new J. W. Robinson's built at the northern end of the former Del Amo Mall that same year. The existing infrastructure was also renovated at this time and included a food court (the "International Food Court") and a then-state-of-the-art computerized help system. Del Amo became the largest indoor shopping center in the world.
The center continued to evolve over the years as Ohrbach's closed in 1987 and became Swedish style furniture retailer STØR
STØR
STØR Furnishings International Inc. was an American furniture chain based in City of Industry, CA, that opened in 1987. It sold European-style furniture and ready-to-assemble furnishings. Advertisements for the chain ended with the statement "STØR: without the 'E'"...
. When STØR
STØR
STØR Furnishings International Inc. was an American furniture chain based in City of Industry, CA, that opened in 1987. It sold European-style furniture and ready-to-assemble furnishings. Advertisements for the chain ended with the statement "STØR: without the 'E'"...
went out of business in the early nineties, the property was used as a clearance center for STØR merchandise before being subdivided into Marshall's and TJ Maxx. I. Magnin followed in 1989 with part of their store eventually occupied by Old Navy
Old Navy
Old Navy is an American clothing brand as well as a chain of stores owned by Gap, Inc., with corporate operations in San Francisco and San Bruno, California. It is one of the first major corporations to house headquarters in the new Mission Bay district of San Francisco.Gap, Inc. was run by...
, while Burlington Coat Factory
Burlington Coat Factory
Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corporation is a national department store retailer focusing on clothing and shoes, with over 450 stores in 45 states and Puerto Rico.. In 2006, it was acquired by Bain Capital, LLC in a take-private transaction...
opened in the basement of the former Del Amo Mall. J. W. Robinson's became Robinsons-May
Robinsons-May
Robinsons-May was a chain of department stores operating in Southern California, Arizona and Las Vegas, Nevada, previously with headquarters in North Hollywood, California...
in 1993, while in 1996 with Bullock's and The Broadway's merger into Macy's
Macy's West
Macy's West was a longtime division of Macy's, Inc. , representing one of the New York-based department store chain's earliest notable acquisitions and westward expansions...
, the former Bullock's became Macy's Apparel store and two floors of the original The Broadway were subdivided as a new Macy's Home & Furniture store. Faced with a change in consumer shopping patterns, the consolidation of the department store industry, the existence of too many malls fragmenting the greater Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
retail marketplace, lack of highway access and competition from the neighboring Nordstrom
Nordstrom
Nordstrom, Inc. is an upscale department store chain in the United States, founded by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin. Initially a shoe retailer, the company today also sells clothing, accessories, handbags, jewelry, cosmetics, fragrances, and in some locations, home furnishings...
-anchored South Bay Galleria
South Bay Galleria
South Bay Galleria, formerly named Galleria at South Bay, is a mall in Redondo Beach outside of Los Angeles, California. It is anchored by Macy's, Kohl's and Nordstrom, as well as a 16-screen AMC Theatres multiplex.-History:...
that opened in 1985, Del Amo began to suffer. Montgomery Ward
Montgomery Ward
Montgomery Ward is an online retailer that carries the same name as the former American department store chain, founded as the world's #1 mail order business in 1872 by Aaron Montgomery Ward, and which went out of business in 2001...
dealt another blow when it closed following the chain's bankruptcy. This resulted in the closure of an entire wing of the mall.
In 2003 The Mills Corporation acquired Del Amo Fashion Center from the Guilford Glazer Family for $420 million (USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
). Subsequently Mills sold a half-interest in the property to institutional investor
Institutional investor
Institutional investors are organizations which pool large sums of money and invest those sums in securities, real property and other investment assets...
funds managed by JPMorgan Fleming,http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=71470&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=656117&highlight=del%20amo before initiating a $160 million redevelopment including demolition and redevelopment the former northeast wing where Montgomery Ward had been located, the renovation of 670,000 ft² (62,000 m²) of existing space and the addition of another 100,000 ft² (9,300 m²). Robinsons-May
Robinsons-May
Robinsons-May was a chain of department stores operating in Southern California, Arizona and Las Vegas, Nevada, previously with headquarters in North Hollywood, California...
converted to a second full-line Macy's
Macy's West
Macy's West was a longtime division of Macy's, Inc. , representing one of the New York-based department store chain's earliest notable acquisitions and westward expansions...
on September 9, 2006. This second store, called Macy's South Del Amo, is expected to be closed in the future and be rehabilitated as mall retail space. No definitive commitments have been made as to a timeline for these events. Many consumers have agreed that there is no need for three Macy's stores in the same mall.
The new open-air lifestyle center
Lifestyle center (retail)
A lifestyle center is a shopping center or mixed-used commercial development that combines the traditional retail functions of a shopping mall with leisure amenities oriented towards upscale consumers...
opened on September 14, 2006, bringing new specialty stores, dining, entertainment, and an AMC Theatres
AMC Theatres
AMC Theatres , officially known as AMC Entertainment, Inc., is the second largest movie theater chain in North America with 5,325 screens, second only to Regal Entertainment Group, and one of the United States's four national cinema chains AMC Theatres (American Multi-Cinema), officially known as...
18-screen multiplex to the mall. Crate & Barrel opened a home furnishings store along the mall perimeter in spring 2007.
In 2007, The Mills Corporation was jointly acquired by Simon Property Group
Simon Property Group
Simon Property Group, Inc. is an American commercial real estate company, ranked #1 in the United States as the largest real estate investment trust. Simon is a fully integrated real estate company which operates from five retail real estate platforms: regional malls, Premium Outlet Centers, The...
and Farallon Capital Management. Simon assumed management of Del Amo Fashion Center at this time. In April 2008, the mall's website is under the Simon.com format along with sister Simon/Mills malls, like Ontario Mills, Hilltop Mall, the Block at Orange and Great Mall.
In Movies and Television
The Del Amo Fashion Center has been used as a backdrop for several movie and television productions. The mall's "International" food court was used in a scene from the 1983 romantic comedy movie Valley GirlValley Girl (film)
Valley Girl is a 1983 romantic comedy film, starring Nicolas Cage, Deborah Foreman, Elizabeth Daily, Cameron Dye, and Joyce Heiser. The film was the directorial debut of Martha Coolidge, and was the first film in which Nicolas Coppola was billed as Nicolas Cage.The American release of Valley Girl...
, starring Nick Coppolla, who later changed his name to Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
. The mall was also the setting for an important scene in the Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
film, Jackie Brown
Jackie Brown (film)
Jackie Brown is a 1997 American crime drama film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It is an adaptation of the novel Rum Punch by American novelist Elmore Leonard and pays homage to 1970s blaxploitation films....
. In the movie, a subtitle erroneously stated that the "Del Amo Mall" was the "largest indoor mall in the world". The 2003 movie Bad Santa
Bad Santa
Bad Santa is a 2003 American screwball black comedy film directed and co-written by Terry Zwigoff, produced by the Coen brothers, and starring Billy Bob Thornton as the title character and Tony Cox as his partner in crime. Actors Bernie Mac and John Ritter co-star...
, co-starring John Ritter
John Ritter
Jonathan Southworth "John" Ritter was an American actor, voice over artist and comedian perhaps best known for having played Jack Tripper and Paul Hennessy in the ABC sitcoms Three's Company and 8 Simple Rules, respectively...
, had most of its mall scenes filmed at the mall. Del Amo Mall was part of the set for the movie Year of the Dog
Year of the Dog (film)
Year of the Dog is a 2007 comedy-drama film written and directed by Mike White, and starring Molly Shannon, Laura Dern, Regina King, Tom McCarthy, Josh Pais, John C. Reilly and Peter Sarsgaard...
starring Molly Shannon
Molly Shannon
Molly Helen Shannon is an American comic actress best known for her work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995–2001 and for starring in the films Superstar and Year of the Dog. More recently, she starred in NBC's Kath & Kim from 2008–2009 and on the TBS animated series Neighbors from...
. The Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
show Reno 911 has used Del Amo Mall for both interior and exterior shooting. The Old Navy was also featured in the movie Sleepover with Steve Carell
Steve Carell
Steven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
and Alexa Vega
Alexa Vega
Alexa Ellesse Vega is an American actress, singer and pianist. She is best known for playing Carmen Cortez in the Spy Kids film series and Shilo Wallace in the movie Repo! the Genetic Opera. In 2009, she starred as the title character Ruby Gallagher in the ABC Family series Ruby & The...
. An episode of Medium
Medium (TV series)
Medium is an American television drama series that premiered on NBC on January 3, 2005, and ended on CBS on January 21, 2011. Themed on supernatural gifts, its lead character, Allison DuBois , is a medium employed as a consultant for the Phoenix, Arizona district attorney's office...
starring Patricia Arquette was filmed inside of Kelly's coffee and fudge. The show Life filmed part of an episode at this location. The mall was also a location of at least one episode of The Event, a series about an international conspiracy.
Anchors & Major Tenants
- AMC Del Amo 18AMC TheatresAMC Theatres , officially known as AMC Entertainment, Inc., is the second largest movie theater chain in North America with 5,325 screens, second only to Regal Entertainment Group, and one of the United States's four national cinema chains AMC Theatres (American Multi-Cinema), officially known as...
(opened 2006) - Burlington Coat FactoryBurlington Coat FactoryBurlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corporation is a national department store retailer focusing on clothing and shoes, with over 450 stores in 45 states and Puerto Rico.. In 2006, it was acquired by Bain Capital, LLC in a take-private transaction...
(106,211 ft²) - JCPenney (163,346 ft²; opened 1961)
- Jo-Ann etc.Jo-Ann Stores, Inc.Jo-Ann Stores, Inc. is a specialty retailer of crafts and fabrics based in Hudson, Ohio. It operates the retail chains Jo-Ann Fabrics and Jo-Ann Etc...
(72,288 ft²; located in bottom level of the former The BroadwayThe BroadwayThe Broadway was a mid-level department store chain headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States of America. Founded in 1896 by English born Arthur Letts, Sr., who later went on to develop Holmby Hills, The Broadway became one of the dominant retailers in Southern California and the...
) - L.A. Fitness (47,671 ft²; outparcel)
- Macy'sMacy's WestMacy's West was a longtime division of Macy's, Inc. , representing one of the New York-based department store chain's earliest notable acquisitions and westward expansions...
- Macy's North (251,892 ft²; opened 1966 as Bullock'sBullock'sBullock's was a department store based in Los Angeles, California. The company operated full-line department stores all across California, with some stores in Arizona and Nevada. Bullock's also operated the more upscale Bullocks Wilshire in parts of Southern California.- History :Bullock's was...
) - Macy's South (171,415 ft²; opened 1981 as J. W. Robinson's; closing date TBD)
- Macy's Home & Furniture Store (145,776 ft²; opened 1959 as The Broadway, reduced 1996)
- Macy's North (251,892 ft²; opened 1966 as Bullock's
- MarshallsMarshallsMarshalls, Inc., is a chain of American department stores owned by TJX Companies. Marshalls has over 750 conventional stores, as well as larger stores named Marshalls Mega Store, covering 42 states and Puerto Rico. Marshalls expanded into Canada in March 2011...
(42,761 ft²) - Old NavyOld NavyOld Navy is an American clothing brand as well as a chain of stores owned by Gap, Inc., with corporate operations in San Francisco and San Bruno, California. It is one of the first major corporations to house headquarters in the new Mission Bay district of San Francisco.Gap, Inc. was run by...
(20,318 ft²) - Sears (313,495 ft²l opened 1961)
- TJ Maxx (44,422 ft²)
- Urban OutfittersUrban OutfittersUrban Outfitters, Inc. is a publicly traded American company that owns and operates five retail brands: Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Free People, Terrain, and BHLDN....
(unknown) Opened on 2006 - Crate & Barrel (38,000 ft²; opened May 17, 2007)
See also
- List of the world's largest shopping malls
- List of largest shopping malls in the United States