Panorama Mall

Panorama Mall is an enclosed shopping center in Panorama City, a community in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California. Its retail history began on October 10, 1955, when the open-air Broadway–Valley shopping center opened along Van Nuys Boulevard, north of Roscoe Boulevard. The original development combined a large Broadway department store with a smaller strip of shops and shared parking. Early tenants included Silverwoods, Mandel's, Kinney Shoes, Lerner's, and Woolworth, while the Broadway store served as the principal anchor. The center developed as part of a broader retail cluster rather than as a completely self-contained modern mall. Additional department stores and retail properties opened around the original Broadway complex, and during the 1960s the merchants' association promoted the combined properties under the Panorama City Shopping Center name. By 1964, promotional material described the broader center as having 86 stores and four major department stores. Montgomery Ward and J. W. Robinson's opened in 1961, followed by Ohrbach's in 1964. These additions expanded the commercial importance of the area and made it one of the San Fernando Valley's notable retail concentrations. The center faced increasing competition in the 1970s from newer regional malls, including Sherman Oaks Galleria, Sherman Oaks Fashion Square, and Northridge Fashion Center. In 1979, the Santa Monica-based Macerich Company and Connecticut General Mortgage and Realty Investments acquired the property for $5.8 million and undertook a major redevelopment. Approximately $7 million was invested in improvements, including enclosing the previously open-air shopping area, adding another strip of stores, updating the mall's appearance, expanding the retail area to roughly 145,000 square feet, and physically connecting the mall to the adjacent Broadway department store. A stainless-steel sculpture by Sebastian Trovato, consisting of interlocking rings, was also installed as a visual feature. The renovated property operated under the Panorama Mall name. Its department-store mix changed over time as traditional chains withdrew. Ohrbach's closed in 1986 and its former space became the Valley Indoor Swap Meet. Robinsons closed in 1987 and the building was later demolished. Woolworth left in the early 1990s. The former Broadway building eventually became a Walmart in the late 1990s, following the corporate changes that affected the Broadway chain. La Curacao occupied the former Woolworth space from 1995 until it closed in February 2025. The former Montgomery Ward structure was demolished in November 2024. The mall received another renovation in 2005. In its current form, Panorama Mall is anchored by Walmart and includes smaller retail and service businesses serving residents of Panorama City and nearby San Fernando Valley communities. Its history reflects the transition from postwar open-air department-store shopping centers to enclosed malls and, later, to more localized retail properties anchored by discount and value-oriented operators.

Panorama Mall originated as the Broadway–Valley shopping center, an open-air retail development that opened on October 10, 1955, on Van Nuys Boulevard in Panorama City. The initial project consisted of a strip of stores with approximately 89,000 square feet of retail space, adjacent to a three-story, 226,000-square-foot Broadway department store designed by architect Welton Becket. Silverwoods, Mandel's, Kinney Shoes, Lerner's, and Woolworth were among the early tenants. The retail district expanded during the following decade. Montgomery Ward opened in September 1961, and J. W. Robinson's opened later that month. Ohrbach's followed in October 1964. These stores were located within the wider commercial area surrounding the original Broadway center, sharing the broader parking and retail environment. During the 1960s, the merchants' association marketed the properties collectively as the Panorama City Shopping Center. A 1964 advertisement described 86 stores and promoted the district as having four major department stores. By the 1970s, the center faced pressure from newer and more competitive regional malls in the San Fernando Valley, including Sherman Oaks Galleria, Sherman Oaks Fashion Square, and Northridge Fashion Center. In 1979, Macerich and Connecticut General Mortgage and Realty Investments acquired the mall. The new owners carried out a redevelopment costing approximately $7 million. The work enclosed the walkways, added another strip of shops, refreshed the mall's visual identity, increased the retail area to about 145,000 square feet, and linked the mall physically with the neighboring Broadway store. Artist Sebastian Trovato contributed a large stainless-steel sculpture of intertwined rings. The enclosed center later became known as Panorama Mall. Its tenant base changed substantially as department-store retail consolidated. Ohrbach's closed in September 1986, and its former building was converted into the Valley Indoor Swap Meet. Robinsons closed in 1987; its building was eventually demolished in 1995. Woolworth left during the early 1990s, and La Curacao took over that space in 1995. The Broadway store was ultimately replaced by Walmart in the late 1990s after changes involving the Broadway chain and its corporate successor. Walmart became the mall's principal large anchor. Panorama Mall underwent a further renovation in 2005. The property continued to function as a neighborhood shopping destination rather than as one of the region's dominant luxury or destination malls. In November 2024, the former Montgomery Ward structure was demolished. La Curacao closed its mall location in February 2025 amid major construction and moved its inventory to a neighboring store at Northridge Fashion Center. The mall's documented evolution illustrates the reuse of department-store buildings, the decline of traditional full-line department stores, and the continuing role of value-oriented anchors in older urban shopping centers.

• 2025

  La Curacao closes

  [1]Panorama Mallen.wikipedia.org

  La Curacao closed its Panorama Mall location in February during major construction and relocated inventory to Northridge Fashion Center.

• 2024

  Montgomery Ward building demolished

  [1]Panorama Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The former Montgomery Ward structure was demolished in November.

• 2005

  Further mall renovation

  [1]Panorama Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The owners carried out another renovation reported at approximately $1 million.

• 1998

  Walmart becomes the principal anchor

  [1]Panorama Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Walmart opened in the former Broadway building in the late 1990s.

• 1995

  La Curacao occupies former Woolworth space

  [1]Panorama Mallen.wikipedia.org

  La Curacao opened in the space previously occupied by Woolworth.

• 1990

  Traditional department-store mix contracts

  [1]Panorama Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Woolworth closed during the early 1990s as the center's historic department-store tenant mix continued to change.

• 1987

  Robinsons closes

  [1]Panorama Mallen.wikipedia.org

  J. W. Robinson's ended its operation at the mall; the building was later demolished.

• 1986

  Ohrbach's closes

  [1]Panorama Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Ohrbach's left the center in September, and its former building was subsequently used as the Valley Indoor Swap Meet.

• 1980

  Renovated enclosed mall opens

  [1]Panorama Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The redevelopment was completed around 1980, producing the enclosed Panorama Mall configuration and connecting it to the Broadway store.

• 1979

  Acquisition and major enclosure project

  [1]Panorama Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Macerich and Connecticut General Mortgage and Realty Investments acquired the property and began a major renovation and enclosure.

• 1964

  Ohrbach's opens and the district is promoted collectively

  [1]Panorama Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Ohrbach's opened in October, while merchants promoted the surrounding properties as the Panorama City Shopping Center.

• 1961

  Montgomery Ward and J. W. Robinson's join the retail district

  [1]Panorama Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Two additional major department stores opened in September, strengthening the wider Panorama City retail cluster.

• 1955

  Broadway–Valley shopping center opens

  [1]Panorama Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The open-air shopping center opened on October 10 with a Broadway department store and a strip of surrounding retail stores.

A community-oriented shopping mall serving Panorama City and surrounding San Fernando Valley neighborhoods, with value-focused anchor retail and smaller stores and services.

• Discount department store anchor · 1998

  Walmart

  Walmart occupies the former Broadway department-store building and serves as Panorama Mall's principal large anchor. Its broad value-oriented assortment includes groceries, household merchandise, apparel, general merchandise, and everyday consumer goods, supporting the mall's neighborhood and convenience-focused positioning.

• Indoor marketplace · 1986

  Valley Indoor Swap Meet

  The Valley Indoor Swap Meet occupies the former Ohrbach's building. It represents a later reuse of a historic department-store property and provides a marketplace format distinct from the original full-line department-store model.

• Shopping-center offering · 1955

  Panorama Mall retail and services

  The mall's broader offering consists of smaller retail stores, consumer services, and convenience-oriented businesses serving local residents. The exact current tenant roster is not established by the supplied reference material.

• 2024

  Demolish the former Montgomery Ward buildingOther

  Background

  The Montgomery Ward anchor had closed in 2001 and remained part of the mall's historic but changing physical footprint.

  Action taken

  The former Montgomery Ward structure was demolished in November 2024.

  Aftermath

  The demolition further changed the mall's built environment; the supplied material does not specify the property's subsequent redevelopment plan.

  Source

• 2005

  Undertake another mall renovationStrategy

  Background

  The aging enclosed mall required further physical updating after several decades of operation.

  Action taken

  The owners carried out a further renovation reported at approximately $1 million.

  Aftermath

  The renovation extended the mall's use as a local retail facility.

  Renovation investment. $1 million (2005)

  Source

• 1998

  Replace the former Broadway anchor with WalmartStrategy

  Background

  The Broadway department-store business had been affected by corporate consolidation and was no longer expected to operate in its historic form.

  Action taken

  Walmart opened in the former Broadway building in the late 1990s.

  Aftermath

  The property shifted toward a value-oriented anchor model centered on Walmart.

  Source

• 1979

  Enclose and redevelop the shopping centerStrategy

  Background

  The retail center had lost ground to newer San Fernando Valley regional malls during the 1970s.

  Action taken

  The new owners acquired the property and invested in enclosure, renovation, an additional retail strip, expanded floor area, and a physical connection to the Broadway anchor.

  Aftermath

  The project created the enclosed Panorama Mall configuration and repositioned the property for continued operation as a neighborhood shopping center.

  Redevelopment investment. $7 million (1979–1980)

  Source

1. 1Panorama Mallen.wikipedia.org