Desert Fashion Plaza

Desert Fashion Plaza was an enclosed shopping mall in downtown Palm Springs, California. It opened in 1967 as Desert Inn Fashion Plaza on the former site of the Desert Inn resort hotel, an important early Palm Springs property associated with settler Nellie Coffman. The center was developed after several earlier hotel and commercial redevelopment proposals failed to materialize. Home Savings and Loan Association acquired the former hotel property in 1966 and commissioned architect Charles Luckman to design a new, all-electric shopping center. The mall opened to the public on October 16, 1967. Its initial tenant mix included a substantial I. Magnin department store, Bank of America, Belmont Savings & Loan, restaurants, beauty services, specialty retailers, a candy shop, a card and gift store, and Orange Julius. In 1969, Joseph Magnin began construction of another large department store at the intersection of North Palm Canyon Drive and Andreas Road. The property changed hands in 1978, when Home Savings and Loan sold it to Desert Plaza Partnership. During the 1980s, the growth of Palm Desert Town Center, the El Paseo shopping district, and other regional retail destinations weakened the competitive position of downtown Palm Springs. In response, Desert Plaza Partnership arranged a major expansion and renovation with Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation. The project added retail capacity, underground parking, and a hotel component. After the redevelopment, the property reopened on November 16, 1985, under the shorter name Desert Fashion Plaza. I. Magnin and Saks Fifth Avenue served as principal anchors, while the associated hotel operated first as Maxim's Paris Suite Hotel and later under Hyatt management as Hyatt Palm Springs. The expanded mall did not reverse the long-term decline in customer traffic and sales. Several retailers left, and the complex became increasingly vacant. Joseph Magnin's bankruptcy led to the closure of its Palm Springs store in 1984, while R.H. Macy & Co. closed the I. Magnin location in 1992, describing the mall as an unsuitable location. Silverwoods and Marie Callender's also departed by the early 1990s. Saks Fifth Avenue eventually closed its mall store and moved to El Paseo in Palm Desert. Multiple redevelopment concepts followed. In the mid-1990s, a proposal connected to developer Mark Bragg and Eddie DeBartolo Jr. included a possible card club, which Palm Springs voters approved in a 2-to-1 vote. Arizona Partners later acquired the property for $13.5 million and proposed a larger open-air project called The Promenade, with expanded retail, outdoor dining, a cinema, live theater, and other entertainment uses. That plan did not proceed. Excel Legacy Corporation subsequently proposed demolishing the enclosed mall and replacing it with an open-air center, but its concept also failed to reach construction. John Wessman purchased the property in 2002 through Wessman Development. After years of vacancy and changing proposals, demolition began on February 7, 2013, and was completed in 2014. The former mall site was repositioned as a mixed-use outdoor development containing shops, restaurants, and a hotel. The six-story Kimpton Rowan hotel opened on the southeast portion of the site in 2017. Retailers and restaurants, including H&M and Free People, later occupied portions of or areas near the redeveloped property. The former mall was also used as the fictional S'wallow Valley Mall in the 2012 film Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie.

The site occupied by Desert Fashion Plaza was originally home to the Desert Inn, a resort hotel opened and operated by Nellie Coffman, one of Palm Springs's early settlers. After Coffman's death in the 1950s, her sons George Roberson and Earl Coffman sold the property to actress Marion Davies in 1955. Davies considered a large hotel and shopping complex, but the proposed five-story, 200-room development was abandoned as her health deteriorated. The scheme had included a swimming pool, a Las Vegas-style restaurant, a theater, and parking for approximately 1,000 vehicles. Davies sold the land in 1960 to developers Samuel Firks and George Alexander. They initially envisioned an eight-story hotel with 300 rooms and extensive parking. Those plans also failed, and the Alexander Construction Company shifted toward a commercial project. In November 1965, Alexander, his wife Mildred, their son Robert, and Robert's wife Helene died when their aircraft crashed in the Chocolate Mountains near Indio shortly after departing Palm Springs International Airport. Redevelopment plans were suspended after the family's deaths. Home Savings and Loan Association acquired the former Desert Inn property in 1966. That year, developer Joseph K. Eichenbaum announced plans for a major commercial center, with Charles Luckman commissioned as architect. Demolition of the resort began in August 1966. The resulting Desert Inn Fashion Plaza opened on October 16, 1967, anchored by a 20,000-square-foot I. Magnin. The center also included Bank of America, Belmont Savings & Loan, restaurants, clothing and specialty stores, beauty services, confectionery, gifts, and other small businesses. The all-electric design was recognized by Southern California Edison before the opening. The center expanded its department-store presence in 1969 when Joseph Magnin Co. began construction of a 26,000-square-foot store designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. In 1978, Home Savings and Loan sold the property to Desert Plaza Partnership, whose partners were Los Angeles-based Arthur Gilbert, David Blum, and Gerson Fox. By the early 1980s, the mall faced stronger competition from Palm Desert Town Center, the El Paseo shopping district, and new national-chain locations elsewhere in the Coachella Valley. Local retail activity shifted away from central Palm Springs, leading the owners to seek a substantial expansion. In 1983, Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation agreed to renovate the center for approximately $42 million. The plan enlarged the retail complex, added underground parking, and incorporated a six-story hotel. Construction involved the removal of historic-period buildings and the creation of a new section over part of the former site. Joseph Magnin's bankruptcy in 1984 forced the closure of its remaining stores, including the Palm Springs location. The redeveloped property reopened on November 16, 1985, as Desert Fashion Plaza. I. Magnin and Saks Fifth Avenue were the principal anchors, and the hotel operated as Maxim's Paris Suite Hotel. Hyatt Regency Suites later assumed hotel management and renamed the property Hyatt Palm Springs. The retail expansion did not generate the expected sustained traffic. Sales weakened, vacancies increased, and by 1991 both Silverwoods and Marie Callender's had left. R.H. Macy & Co. closed the Palm Springs I. Magnin store in 1992, citing the location's lack of suitability. The owners and successive purchasers pursued several ambitious alternatives. In 1995, a proposal associated with Mark Bragg and Eddie DeBartolo Jr. sought approval for card clubs at three Palm Springs sites, including the mall property. Voters approved the measure by a two-to-one margin. Arizona Partners later bought the center for $13.5 million and proposed a project exceeding 350,000 square feet. The planned open-air development, called The Promenade, would have included outdoor dining, shops, gathering areas, a 3,000-seat cinema, and a 2,400-seat live theater. Its first phase was expected to begin in 1998, but the plan did not proceed. By early 1999, roughly three-quarters of the tenants had closed. Excel Legacy Corporation replaced Arizona Partners's concept with another proposal involving complete demolition and an open-air center with Saks, a two-story multiplex, a food court, a gourmet market, restaurants, and specialty retailers. That scheme also failed, and the owners eventually marketed the property for sale. The Agua Caliente Development Authority considered acquiring and redeveloping the site in 2000 but decided against purchasing it. John Wessman of Wessman Development acquired the property in 2002 and initially proposed a Spanish-Mediterranean plaza. Saks subsequently closed and moved to El Paseo in Palm Desert. The September 11, 2001 attacks had already slowed redevelopment activity, and the property remained largely vacant for years. In 2011, workers began removing a large tent structure behind the mall. The abandoned complex later appeared as the fictional S'wallow Valley Mall in the 2012 comedy film Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie. Demolition of the mall finally began on February 7, 2013. Wessman planned to replace the enclosed structure with an outdoor center containing retail, dining, and a six-story hotel, while pledging to recycle 90 percent of demolition materials. Local opposition produced litigation: Frank Tysen, a Citizens for a Sustainable Palm Springs member and owner of Casa Cody Bed & Breakfast, challenged the city's handling of a petition related to the project. The court rejected the request to halt construction in April 2014. Demolition was completed in 2014. The subsequent mixed-use development included shops and restaurants, while the six-story Kimpton Rowan hotel opened on the southeast part of the former mall site in 2017. H&M, Free People, and smaller retailers and restaurants later operated on or near the redeveloped property.

• 2017

  Kimpton Rowan opens

  [1]Desert Fashion Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  A six-story Kimpton Rowan hotel opened on the southeastern portion of the former mall site.

• 2013

  Mall demolition begins

  [1]Desert Fashion Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  Demolition began on February 7 as part of the conversion from an enclosed mall to an outdoor development.

• 2002

  Wessman Development acquires the property

  [1]Desert Fashion Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  John Wessman purchased the largely vacant mall and pursued a new mixed-use redevelopment.

• 1992

  I. Magnin closes

  [1]Desert Fashion Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  R.H. Macy & Co. closed the Palm Springs I. Magnin store after several years at the mall.

• 1985

  Property reopens as Desert Fashion Plaza

  [1]Desert Fashion Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  The renovated center reopened under its shortened name with I. Magnin, Saks Fifth Avenue, and a hotel as major components.

• 1983

  DeBartolo expansion agreement announced

  [1]Desert Fashion Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation agreed to undertake a major renovation and expansion.

• 1978

  Sale to Desert Plaza Partnership

  [1]Desert Fashion Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  Home Savings and Loan sold the shopping center to Desert Plaza Partnership.

• 1969

  Joseph Magnin construction begins

  [1]Desert Fashion Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  Joseph Magnin Co. broke ground on a 26,000-square-foot department store within the center.

• 1967

  Desert Inn Fashion Plaza opens

  [1]Desert Fashion Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  The enclosed mall opened on October 16 with I. Magnin as a major anchor.

• 1966

  Home Savings and Loan obtains the former hotel property

  [1]Desert Fashion Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  Home Savings and Loan acquired the Desert Inn site and advanced plans for a new commercial center designed by Charles Luckman.

• 1960

  Samuel Firks and George Alexander acquire the site

  [1]Desert Fashion Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  The land changed hands after Davies abandoned her hotel and shopping-center plans.

• 1955

  Desert Inn property sold to Marion Davies

  [1]Desert Fashion Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  Nellie Coffman's sons sold the former Desert Inn resort property to actress Marion Davies, who considered a major hotel and shopping redevelopment.

A downtown Palm Springs shopping and hospitality destination that evolved from a 1960s enclosed mall into a failed regional-retail complex and, ultimately, a mixed-use outdoor redevelopment site.

• Retail property · 1967

  Enclosed shopping mall

  The original Desert Inn Fashion Plaza was an enclosed downtown shopping center serving Palm Springs residents, seasonal visitors, and tourists. Its tenant mix combined department stores with banks, restaurants, beauty services, apparel retailers, gift shops, confectionery, and other specialty businesses. After its 1985 expansion and renaming, it became a larger regional retail complex with major anchors and an associated hotel.

• Mixed-use development · 2013

  Desert Fashion Plaza redevelopment

  The post-2013 redevelopment replaced the vacant enclosed mall with an outdoor mixed-use environment. Planned and delivered elements included shops, restaurants, public gathering areas, and a six-story hotel. The completed site and nearby parcels later included retailers such as H&M and Free People and a Kimpton Rowan hotel.

• 2013

  Replace the enclosed mall with an outdoor developmentStrategy

  Background

  The mall had remained substantially vacant after successive redevelopment proposals failed.

  Action taken

  Wessman Development began demolishing the mall and planned a new outdoor center with shops, restaurants, and a six-story hotel.

  Aftermath

  Demolition was completed in 2014. Litigation did not stop the project, and the Kimpton Rowan hotel opened in 2017.

  Source

• 1997

  Plan The Promenade as an open-air centerStrategy

  Background

  The enclosed mall was experiencing increasing vacancies and declining retail performance.

  Action taken

  Arizona Partners proposed expanding the property beyond 350,000 square feet, removing the roof, and adding outdoor dining, specialty retail, a 3,000-seat cinema, and a 2,400-seat live theater.

  Aftermath

  The concept was not realized, and a later owner advanced a different demolition and open-air redevelopment proposal.

  Acquisition price. $13.5 million (1990s)

  Source

• 1983

  Approve a major mall expansionStrategy

  Background

  Competition from Palm Desert Town Center, the El Paseo shopping district, and expanding national chains weakened the original center's retail position.

  Action taken

  Desert Plaza Partnership agreed with Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation to renovate and enlarge the mall, adding retail space, underground parking, and a six-story hotel.

  Aftermath

  The project reopened in 1985 under the Desert Fashion Plaza name, but the larger complex did not achieve sustained traffic or sales growth.

  Source

1. 1Desert Fashion Plazaen.wikipedia.org