Follow LA Observed on Twitter here
When other malls were packed on Thanksgiving weekend, Westside Pavilion was empty. More at LA Observed on Instagram.
The future of the late, never really great Westside Pavilion at Pico and Westwood boulevards in Rancho Park is coming into clearer focus. The almost empty mall is being redeveloped into 584,000 square feet of creative office space to be branded for some reason as One Westside. The main tenant will be Google, which will move in when the renovation is finished in 2022, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.
The long, slow decline of Westside Pavilion sped up when the anchor Nordstrom and Macy's stores closed to center their westside business in the newly refashioned outdoor mall a few miles away in Century City. The few remaining stores in Westside Pavilion will close when their leases conclude by the end of the January, the Journal story says. I walked through the place on Black Friday weekend in November and found it eerily quiet, with almost nobody shopping. These photos are from that day.
It sounds as if the Landmark movie theaters in the annex across Westwood Boulevard from the main mall will remain open through the renovation and be part of the future complex, which is owned by Macerich and Hudson Pacific Properties and will be redesigned by Gensler. The former Macy's and May Company store at Pico and Overland Avenue is not part of the Google deal and is expected to be renovated separately.
The new Google offices will be located a short walk from the Westwood stop on the Expo Line, and will continue the Google-ization of westside neighborhoods and the local real estate market. The company recently moved a bunch of people into the former Spruce Goose hangar at Playa Vista and related offices, a move that was probably hailed by everyone within five miles looking to cash in on the equity in their homes, and rued by anyone needing to buy or rent in the Google zone.
The renderings of what the new complex will look like are kind of nice, with the rear parking area taking on more of a park-like feel. Here's move coverage in the LA Times, at Curbed LA and by Urbanize LA.
Empty aisles and food court on Black Friday weekend. Click on the photos for larger.
