Indian Hill Village

Indian Hill Village was a shopping center in Pomona, California, originally developed as Pomona Valley Center in the mid-1950s. Its first major anchor was a 111,500-square-foot Sears store dedicated in November 1954. The open-air center also included retailers such as Long's Drugs, F.C. Nash, and J.J. Newberry, reflecting the department-store and neighborhood-shopping format common in postwar Southern California. The property expanded westward between 1967 and 1969. A 100,000-square-foot Zody's discount department store opened in June 1969 as a second anchor, and the F.C. Nash location was sold to Roberts Department Store the following year. In 1974, the center was renamed Indian Hill Village after its owners selected the name through a contest. By 1979, it contained 19 stores and recorded $32 million in taxable sales, although it ranked near the lower end of the regional shopping-center market in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. A major redevelopment was announced in 1979 by Pomona's redevelopment agency together with National Redevelopment and American Income Properties. The planned $25 million project was intended to reposition the center for Pomona's blue-collar customer base. It converted the open-air property into an enclosed, air-conditioned mall and envisioned four department-store anchors, including Zody's and Sears, plus approximately 80 other tenants. The renovation was completed in September 1982 and was described at the time as the largest single commercial development in Pomona's history. The mall subsequently experienced deterioration in its retail role. Sears left for Montclair Plaza Mall in 1985, and the center no longer operated as a conventional regional shopping mall. In 1995, part of the property was acquired by the Pomona Unified School District. A nonprofit entity, the Pomona Valley Educational Foundation, was established to manage the educational conversion, although the foundation was dissolved in 2010. The redevelopment transformed the former mall into an educational and mixed-use site now known as The Village @ Indian Hill. The redeveloped property occupies approximately 39 acres and contains about 650,000 square feet of space. Its educational facilities serve more than 2,000 students from pre-kindergarten through postsecondary education, or grade 14. The conversion has been associated with the administration of former school superintendent Patrick Leier and has been cited as a significant accomplishment in the district's redevelopment efforts. A movie theater that once operated at the mall closed in September 2005. The theater operator later sued the school district, alleging that its lease had been improperly terminated. Indian Hill Village therefore survives primarily as a redevelopment case: a mid-century shopping center that lost its retail identity but was repurposed for educational, commercial, and community uses.

Indian Hill Village began as Pomona Valley Center, an open-air shopping center developed in Pomona during the mid-1950s. The center's principal early anchor was Sears, whose 111,500-square-foot store was dedicated in November 1954. Other early tenants included Long's Drugs, F.C. Nash, and J.J. Newberry. These stores gave the property a broad merchandise and convenience-retail mix aimed at Pomona residents and nearby communities. The center expanded westward between 1967 and 1969. Zody's opened a 100,000-square-foot discount department store in June 1969, adding a second major anchor. In 1970, the F.C. Nash store was sold to Roberts Department Store. The property received the Indian Hill Village name in 1974, following a naming contest organized by its owners. By 1979, the center had 19 stores and generated $32 million in taxable sales. Despite that volume, it ranked 39th among 52 regional shopping centers in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. That same year, Pomona's redevelopment agency and the developers National Redevelopment and American Income Properties announced a $25 million renovation. The project sought to modernize the property, improve its competitiveness, and target Pomona's blue-collar market. Plans called for an enclosed, air-conditioned mall with four department-store anchors, including Zody's and Sears, together with roughly 80 other tenants. The renovation was completed in September 1982 and was characterized as the largest single commercial development in Pomona's history at the time. The enclosed format represented a substantial physical and commercial transformation from the original open-air center. However, the property's retail position weakened over time. Sears relocated to Montclair Plaza Mall in 1985, removing one of the center's most prominent original anchors. A further transformation began in 1995, when the Pomona Unified School District acquired part of the property. The district created the nonprofit Pomona Valley Educational Foundation to manage the conversion into an educational complex. The foundation was later dissolved in 2010, but the broader redevelopment continued. The former mall site became The Village @ Indian Hill, a multi-use retail, commercial, and educational facility occupying approximately 650,000 square feet across 39 acres. The educational component became the defining use of the redeveloped property. Facilities associated with the site serve more than 2,000 students in programs ranging from pre-kindergarten through postsecondary education, described as grades pre-K through 14. The conversion has been identified as one of the notable accomplishments of former Pomona Unified superintendent Patrick Leier. It illustrates how an aging shopping center was adapted to serve institutional and community purposes after its original retail model declined. Entertainment uses also formed part of the mall's later history. An eight-screen movie theater formerly located at the center closed in September 2005. The theater operator then brought a lawsuit against the school district, alleging that the lease had been improperly terminated. The dispute is one of the few publicly documented legal controversies associated with the property. Indian Hill Village is now best understood not as an active mall brand but as the former name of a Pomona shopping center whose buildings and land were repurposed into a mixed-use educational campus.

• 2010

  Pomona Valley Educational Foundation dissolved

  [1]Indian Hill Villageen.wikipedia.org

  The nonprofit foundation established to manage the educational conversion was dissolved.

• 2005

  Former movie theater closes

  [1]Indian Hill Villageen.wikipedia.org

  The site's eight-screen movie theater closed in September, followed by a lease-related lawsuit against the school district.

• 1995

  Educational redevelopment begins

  [1]Indian Hill Villageen.wikipedia.org

  The Pomona Unified School District acquired part of the property and began converting it for educational use.

• 1985

  Sears relocates

  [1]Indian Hill Villageen.wikipedia.org

  Sears moved from Indian Hill Village to Montclair Plaza Mall.

• 1982

  Renovation completed

  [1]Indian Hill Villageen.wikipedia.org

  The air-conditioned enclosed-mall renovation was completed in September.

• 1979

  Major enclosed-mall redevelopment announced

  [1]Indian Hill Villageen.wikipedia.org

  A $25 million redevelopment was announced to convert the center into an enclosed mall with multiple department-store anchors and approximately 80 tenants.

• 1974

  Center renamed Indian Hill Village

  [1]Indian Hill Villageen.wikipedia.org

  The shopping center adopted the Indian Hill Village name after a contest conducted by its owners.

• 1969

  Zody's opens as second anchor

  [1]Indian Hill Villageen.wikipedia.org

  A 100,000-square-foot Zody's discount store opened in June after the center's westward expansion.

• 1954

  Sears anchor dedicated

  [1]Indian Hill Villageen.wikipedia.org

  A 111,500-square-foot Sears store was dedicated at the original Pomona Valley Center in November.

Initially positioned as an open-air neighborhood and regional shopping center, Indian Hill Village was later repositioned as an enclosed mall serving Pomona's working-class and blue-collar market. Its current identity is primarily that of a mixed-use educational and commercial redevelopment rather than an operating retail mall.

• Department store · 1954

  Sears

  Sears was the principal original anchor at Pomona Valley Center. Its 111,500-square-foot store opened in the mid-1950s and remained a defining part of the center's retail identity until relocating to Montclair Plaza Mall in 1985.

• Discount department store · 1969

  Zody's

  Zody's became the center's second major anchor when its 100,000-square-foot discount store opened in June 1969. It was included in plans for the major enclosed-mall redevelopment announced in 1979.

• Educational and mixed-use facilities

  Educational facilities at The Village @ Indian Hill

  The redeveloped property contains educational, commercial, and retail uses across approximately 650,000 square feet and 39 acres. Its educational facilities serve more than 2,000 students from pre-kindergarten through postsecondary education.

• 1995

  Repurpose part of the mall for educationStrategy

  Background

  The retail property had declined from its earlier role as a regional shopping center.

  Action taken

  The Pomona Unified School District acquired part of the site and established a nonprofit foundation to manage its conversion into an educational facility.

  Aftermath

  The property became The Village @ Indian Hill, a mixed-use educational and commercial complex serving more than 2,000 students.

  Source

• 1979

  Convert the open-air center into an enclosed mallStrategy

  Background

  The center had limited regional standing despite recording $32 million in taxable sales and was positioned for a major modernization effort.

  Action taken

  Pomona's redevelopment agency and private developers announced a $25 million renovation aimed at creating an air-conditioned mall with four department-store anchors and approximately 80 tenants.

  Aftermath

  The renovation was completed in September 1982, but the center later lost Sears and ultimately transitioned away from conventional mall retail.

  Redevelopment cost. $25 million announced project (1979 announcement)

  Source

1. 1Indian Hill Villageen.wikipedia.org