Northridge Fashion Center

Northridge Fashion Center is a large shopping mall located in Northridge, Los Angeles, California. It opened in 1971. It was severely damaged during the Northridge earthquake in 1994, but renovated extensively in 1995, 1998, and 2003. The mall's anchor stores are J. C. Penney, two Macy's locations, Pacific Theatres, and a vacant space last occupied by Sears.

Northridge Fashion Center

Level 2 entrance
Location	Northridge, Los Angeles, California, United States
Coordinates	34°14′20″N 118°33′22″W
Opening date	1971 (1971)
Developer	J. David Gladstone
Management	Brookfield Properties Retail Group
Owner	Brookfield Properties Retail Group
No. of stores and services	184
No. of anchor tenants	5 (4 open, 1 vacant)
Total retail floor area	1,407,532 square feet (130,000 m^2)
No. of floors	2 (3 in main Macy's and former Sears, 4 in JCPenney)
Website	northridgefashioncenter.com
[1]

History

The mall’s original anchors were JCPenney, Sears, Bullock's, and The Broadway.

The first store to open at the mall was a Bullock's department store, in September 1971.[2] The Broadway followed in October,[3] and Sears in November; after the rest of the mall opened in 1971, J. C. Penney was added as a fourth anchor in 1972.[4] An expansion was announced in 1985, comprising J. W. Robinson's and May Company California.[5] Both stores were the anchors to two new wings added in 1988.[6] When those chains merged in 1993, they both operated as Robinsons-May.[7]

In January 1994, the mall was damaged by the Northridge earthquake. The earthquake severely damaged several parking structures, caused damage to the interior mall, and all six anchor stores, including the Bullock's store, which was condemned soon afterward.[8] Although The Broadway and Sears reopened in late 1994, renovation was further delayed through mid-1995.[9] By June 1995, J. C. Penney was gutted and rebuilt.[10][11] Bullock's was completely demolished and rebuilt from the ground up as a result of the earthquake.[12][13]

Federated Department Stores, then-owners of the Bullock's and Broadway chains, converted the Bullock's to Macy's in 1996 and closed the Broadway, despite the fact that it was planned to become a Bloomingdale's.[14] A year later, Robinsons-May consolidated its two stores into the store at the southwest corner of the mall. The Robinsons-May at the northwest end was demolished for a movie theater, while the former Broadway store was subdivided for smaller mall shops.[15] General Growth Properties acquired the mall and began construction on the outdoor promenade that replaced the former Broadway. It opened in 1999 with Borders Books & Music and several restaurants.[16] When Macy's acquired Robinsons-May in 2006, the Robinsons-May store became a Macy's Home Store.[17] The mall was renovated in 2013,[18][19] including new tile and paint throughout the mall concourses, redesign of the common spaces, upgrades to the main courts, food court and an outdoor patio expansion. The entire mall was brought up to ADA standards. [20]

Borders closed and became Sports Authority in 2011, but it too went out of business in 2016 and the space was taken over by Dave & Buster's.[21]

In 2013, Ross Stores took over the space vacated by Circuit City.[22]

In 2015, Sears Holdings spun off its 235 properties, including the Sears at Northridge Fashion Center, into Seritage Growth Properties.[23]

Sears closed this location on January 5, 2020 after an announcement in November 2019 that the chain would be shutting down 96 stores nationwide.[24]

Anchors

• Pacific Theatres (formerly Robinsons-May and J.W. Robinson's)
• JCPenney
• Macy's / Women’s / Children’s (formerly Bullock's)
• Macy's / Men’s / Home (formerly Robinsons-May and May Company)
• Dave & Buster's (formerly Sports Authority, Borders Books & Music, and The Broadway)

References

1. "Northridge Fashion Center". Brookfield Properties Retail Group.
2. APODACA, PATRICE (January 19, 1994). "Bullock's Store Will Probably Be Razed". Los Angeles Times.
3. Dick, Turpin (October 17, 1971). "$4.5 Million Broadway to open". Los Angeles Times.
4. "New Penney store slated to open". Los Angeles Times. April 9, 1972.
5. Jalon, Allan (April 16, 1985). "Robinson's, May Co. Keystones in Northridge Mall Expansion". Los Angeles Times.
6. Sullivan, Meg (July 20, 1987). "As Fashion Center Grows to Size XL, Some Shoppers Feel Pinch in Parking". Los Angeles Times.
7. SCHEERES, JULIA (June 18, 1997). "Mall Lot Demolished; Store Starts Merger". Los Angeles Times.
8. "Northridge Mall Reopening Delayed Until October". Los Angeles Times. March 22, 1994.
9. "Northridge Mall Reopening Pushed Back to Summer". Los Angeles Times. January 17, 1995.
10. Bond, Ed (June 14, 1995). "NORTHRIDGE : Rebuilt Penney's Reopens Today". Los Angeles Times.
11. RICCARDI, NICHOLAS (May 10, 1995). "NORTHRIDGE : New J.C. Penney Nearly Ready to Open Doors". Los Angeles Times.
12. Leovy, Jill (February 23, 1994). "NORTHRIDGE : Few Gather for Demolition of Bullock's Store". Los Angeles Times.
13. "Retail". Los Angeles Times. 10 August 1995.
14. Apodaca, Patrice (March 9, 1996). "Northridge : Store May Become Entertainment Center". Los Angeles Times.
15. Scheeres, Julia (June 18, 1997). "Mall Lot Demolished; Store Starts Merger". Los Angeles Times.
16. Robinson-Jacobs, Karen (May 4, 1999). "New Mall Tenants to Fill Space, Stomachs". Los Angeles Times.
17. "FEDERATED PLANNING TO SELL OFF 20 STORES". Daily News of Los Angeles. July 29, 2005.
18. Daily News Coverage of Makeover
19. Remodel Completion in 2013
20. Remodel by KTGY Architecture + Planning 2013
21. Melero, Angela (November 29, 2011). "Sports Authority to Open New Location in Northridge Fashion Center". American City Business Journals.
22. Daniels, Saul (February 25, 2013). "Ross Dress for Less Coming to Northridge Fashion Center". Patch Media.
23. http://www.seritage.com/retail/property/9301-tampa-ave/3312463/landing
24. https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/10/14/kmart-sears-store-closings-2020-these-stores-closing-january/3980281002/

External links

• Northridge Fashion Center