Hawthorne Plaza

Hawthorne Plaza
Name	Hawthorne Plaza
Location	Hawthorne, California
Coordinates	33.9161°N 118.3526°W
Opening date	1977
Closing date	1999 (mall portion)
Developer	Hawthorne Plaza Associates
Manager	Unincorporated management entities
Owner	Various private investors
Floors	1–2
Anchors	Montgomery Ward, JCPenney, Mervyn's, The Broadway

Hawthorne Plaza was a regional shopping mall and commercial complex in Hawthorne, California that opened in 1977 and became emblematic of suburban retail expansion and subsequent decline in the late 20th century. Located near Interstate 405 (California), the complex attracted major national chains and mirrored patterns seen at contemporaneous properties like Del Amo Fashion Center and South Bay Galleria. Over its lifecycle the site intersected with municipal planning debates in Los Angeles County, California and broader retail shifts involving firms such as Montgomery Ward, JCPenney, Mervyn's, and The Broadway.

History

The Plaza emerged during a wave of mall development across Los Angeles County, California in the 1960s–1980s alongside projects like Sherman Oaks Galleria and Westfield Topanga. Developers sought to capitalize on postwar population growth in Hawthorne, California and surrounding municipalities including Inglewood, California and Torrance, California. Anchored initially by department stores such as Montgomery Ward and JCPenney, the opening reflected national retail strategies practiced by chains like Federated Department Stores and May Department Stores. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s the Plaza faced competition from newer centers including South Coast Plaza and changing consumer patterns influenced by corporations like Walmart and Target Corporation.

The property’s fortunes were affected by corporate restructurings—for example, the consolidation activities involving The Broadway and the acquisition strategies of Macy's, Inc.—and by macroeconomic events such as the early 1990s recession and shifts in capital markets like those involving Real Estate Investment Trusts and private equity investors. Local politics in Hawthorne, California and redevelopment agencies in Los Angeles County also shaped leasing and land-use outcomes.

Design and Architecture

Designed as an enclosed mall with adjacent surface parking and outparcels, the complex followed late-modernist retail templates similar to projects by firms associated with developers such as Taubman Centers and architects who worked on Gensler projects. The single- to two-level plan allowed anchor stores—Montgomery Ward, JCPenney, Mervyn's, The Broadway]—to occupy varied footprints, connected by a central corridor and court spaces reminiscent of designs at Monrovia Mall and Valley Fair.

Exterior facades mixed pre-cast concrete and glazed storefronts, reflecting material palettes used in suburban Southern California developments like Cerritos Towne Center and Del Amo Fashion Center (Post-1980s renovation). The Plaza incorporated features such as skylights, tiled flooring, and promotional courts for chains including Sears-style merchandising events and seasonal displays comparable to programming at Fashion Square properties.

Tenants and Retail Mix

Early anchors included Montgomery Ward and JCPenney, with junior anchors and inline tenants drawn from national and regional chains. National tenants and services reflected broader retail tenancy patterns, including apparel retailers, foodservice concepts, and entertainment vendors similar to those that operated at South Bay Galleria and Hawthorne Municipal Airport-adjacent commerce nodes. The center hosted specialty stores, department store concessions, and local businesses, paralleling tenant mixes seen in centers managed by operators like Simon Property Group and companies influenced by leasing practices of Crown American.

Outparcels and peripheral lots attracted auto-oriented retailers and restaurants comparable to standalone locations of McDonald's, Burger King, and service providers that proliferated near suburban malls across California. Over time, national retail consolidations—such as mergers involving Dillard's and regional bankruptcies affecting chains like Montgomery Ward—altered anchor stability and tenant composition.

Decline and Closure

By the 1990s the Plaza experienced falling foot traffic amid competition from newer shopping centers and a changing retail landscape shaped by big-box retailers and suburban demographic shifts in Los Angeles County, California. The financial troubles and closures of anchors—including the national liquidation of Montgomery Ward—accelerated vacancy. Issues facing the site echoed patterns at other declining malls such as Rolling Hills Plaza and properties that suffered from anchor loss and deferred maintenance.

Local policy debates in Hawthorne, California and involvement by redevelopment agencies influenced decisions on public safety, policing at commercial centers, and potential reuse. The enclosed mall portion effectively ceased conventional retail operations by 1999, with remaining retail activity concentrating on peripheral parcels and auto-oriented uses.

Redevelopment and Current Status

After closure, the site became a focus of redevelopment proposals reflecting models employed at former mall sites such as The Plant conversions, mixed-use projects like Stapleton (Denver, Colorado) redevelopment and adaptive reuse seen at former malls in Los Angeles County, California. Various investors and developers evaluated options including demolition, adaptive reuse for civic or industrial purposes, and conversion to big-box retail, paralleling redevelopment paths pursued by properties under management by firms like CBRE Group and Jones Lang LaSalle.

Portions of the property were repurposed for non-retail uses and leased to automotive, warehouse, and logistics tenants aligned with the region’s industrial corridors near Interstate 405 (California), Aviation Boulevard (Los Angeles County, California), and Hawthorne Municipal Airport. Municipal plans and private proposals considered transit-oriented development influenced by regional planning agencies such as the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and strategies consistent with state-level incentives for infill redevelopment. As of the latest known phase, the site remains under private ownership with redevelopment activity episodic, reflecting ongoing negotiations among developers, local officials, and institutional investors including those linked to CalPERS-style pension capital and regional real estate funds.

Category:Shopping malls in Los Angeles County, California