Westfield Culver City

Westfield Culver City is a regional shopping mall in Culver City, California, serving communities on the western and southwestern sides of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The property opened on October 6, 1975, as Fox Hills Mall and was developed through a joint venture involving The Hahn Company and Carter Hawley Hale Properties. Designed principally by Gruen Associates, with The Broadway department store designed by William L. Pereira & Associates, the center was conceived as a substantial three-level retail complex on a roughly 37-acre site. At opening, the mall combined major department stores with a broad collection of specialty shops. Its initial anchors included The Broadway, May Company and, from January 1976, JCPenney. The original center contained approximately 902,566 square feet of total area, including ancillary buildings, and provided parking for about 4,491 vehicles. Its architectural identity included a central glass-and-steel staircase and angled bridges linking different levels, features intended to make the multilevel layout visually distinctive and easy to navigate. Westfield America, a predecessor of the Westfield Group, acquired the property in 1998. The center was subsequently renamed Westfield Shoppingtown Fox Hills, although the word “Shoppingtown” was removed in 2005. From 2005 to 2009, it was generally known as Westfield Fox Hills before adopting the current Westfield Culver City name. The ownership and operating structure later became part of Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield following the combination of the two property groups. The mall has changed substantially since its opening. The former May Company store became Robinsons-May in 1993, while The Broadway was converted to Macy’s in 1996. Robinsons-May closed in 2006, and its former building was demolished in 2008. A replacement wing opened in 2009 with Target and Best Buy among its principal tenants. A renovation during the same period removed the original central theme staircase, while the multilevel bridges remained. The property continues to combine department stores, big-box retailers, specialty fashion and beauty tenants, restaurants, services and entertainment-oriented mall amenities. Its tenant mix has included JCPenney, Macy’s, Best Buy, Target, Old Navy, Adidas, MAC Cosmetics, True Religion, Miniso, Uniqlo, Forever 21 and H&M. The mix has evolved over time, with additional stores such as Lovisa, Carter’s, Intimissimi and Uniqlo appearing after the COVID-19-related government lockdown period. Because the mall is located in a highly diverse part of Los Angeles County, its upper-level Dining Terrace has been noted for offering a range of ethnic cuisines rather than relying solely on conventional American mall food. Westfield Culver City also functions as a transportation destination. The Culver City Transit Center is located in the mall parking area between Sepulveda Boulevard and Slauson Avenue. It supports transfers among Culver CityBus and Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority services, including Culver CityBus Route 6, which connects the Sepulveda corridor with areas including Westwood, UCLA and Los Angeles International Airport. The combination of retail scale, transit access and proximity to residential, commercial and airport-oriented districts makes the mall an important shopping and service node in western Los Angeles.

Westfield Culver City began as Fox Hills Mall, which opened in Culver City on October 6, 1975. The project was developed as a joint venture between The Hahn Company and Carter Hawley Hale Properties on a 37-acre site. Gruen Associates served as the principal architectural firm, while William L. Pereira & Associates designed The Broadway department-store component. The original complex was among California's early three-level shopping malls and was planned with approximately 902,566 square feet of total area, including outbuildings, together with parking for roughly 4,491 vehicles. The opening tenant configuration centered on three department stores. The Broadway occupied approximately 192,470 square feet, May Company occupied approximately 147,845 square feet, and JCPenney, which opened on January 14, 1976, occupied approximately 201,780 square feet. The mall also opened with approximately 80 specialty stores, within an eventual total of 131 mall shops. The original design emphasized vertical circulation and visual drama through a glass-and-steel staircase at the center of the mall and angled bridges connecting its various levels. The department-store lineup changed as the American department-store industry consolidated. May Company was converted to Robinsons-May in 1993, and The Broadway became Macy's in 1996. Westfield America, a predecessor of the Westfield Group, acquired the shopping center in 1998. Under Westfield, the property was first branded Westfield Shoppingtown Fox Hills. The “Shoppingtown” element was dropped in June 2005, and the center was known as Westfield Fox Hills from 2005 until 2009 before later becoming Westfield Culver City. A major physical redevelopment followed the closure of Robinsons-May in 2006. The former department-store building was demolished in 2008, and a new retail wing opened in 2009 with Target and Best Buy as important occupants. The renovation also removed the distinctive central theme staircase, although the angled bridges were retained. This work shifted part of the mall's identity from a traditional department-store-led center toward a more diversified format that combined department stores, big-box retail, specialty tenants and food offerings. The center's dining component has been particularly associated with its upper-level Dining Terrace. Commentary about the food court has emphasized the variety of cuisines available and its relationship to the area's diverse communities, including neighborhoods around Baldwin Hills, Ladera Heights, south Culver City, Westchester, Inglewood, Playa del Rey and the Marina. The mall's location gives it access to a wide customer base beyond Culver City itself. The property also developed an important transportation role through the Culver City Transit Center in its parking area between Sepulveda Boulevard and Slauson Avenue. The transit hub provides connections among Culver CityBus and Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority services, including Route 6, which runs along the Sepulveda corridor and links destinations such as Westwood, UCLA and Los Angeles International Airport. Following the COVID-19-related government lockdown period, the mall added or welcomed stores including Miniso, Lovisa, Carter's, Uniqlo and Intimissimi. The property is now owned by Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield SE and continues to operate as Westfield Culver City, with a tenant base spanning department stores, fashion, beauty, electronics, general merchandise, food and services.

• 2020

  Post-lockdown tenant additions

  [1]Westfield Culver Cityen.wikipedia.org

  After the government lockdown period, the center adds or welcomes stores including Miniso, Lovisa, Carter's, Uniqlo and Intimissimi.

• 2009

  New retail wing opens

  [1]Westfield Culver Cityen.wikipedia.org

  A replacement wing opens with Target and Best Buy among its major tenants. The renovation also removes the original central theme staircase.

• 2008

  Former Robinsons-May building is demolished

  [1]Westfield Culver Cityen.wikipedia.org

  The closed Robinsons-May building is demolished to make way for a new retail wing.

• 2006

  Robinsons-May closes

  [1]Westfield Culver Cityen.wikipedia.org

  The Robinsons-May department store closes, creating the opportunity for a major redevelopment of its former site.

• 2005

  Shoppingtown branding is dropped

  [1]Westfield Culver Cityen.wikipedia.org

  The “Shoppingtown” element is removed from the Westfield Shoppingtown Fox Hills name.

• 1998

  Westfield acquires the property

  [1]Westfield Culver Cityen.wikipedia.org

  Westfield America, a predecessor of the Westfield Group, acquires the shopping center.

• 1996

  The Broadway becomes Macy's

  [1]Westfield Culver Cityen.wikipedia.org

  The Broadway anchor is converted to a Macy's store.

• 1993

  May Company becomes Robinsons-May

  [1]Westfield Culver Cityen.wikipedia.org

  The May Company department-store location is rebranded as Robinsons-May.

• 1976

  JCPenney opens

  [1]Westfield Culver Cityen.wikipedia.org

  JCPenney opens at the mall on January 14, completing the initial major department-store lineup.

• 1975

  Fox Hills Mall opens

  [1]Westfield Culver Cityen.wikipedia.org

  The shopping center opens in Culver City on October 6 as Fox Hills Mall, with The Broadway and May Company as opening department-store anchors and a large specialty-retail component.

A large, accessible, multilevel regional shopping center serving a broad and ethnically diverse customer base in western Los Angeles County. Its positioning combines department stores, major-format retailers, fashion and beauty brands, dining, services and public-transit connectivity.

• Department stores · 1975

  Department-store retail

  Westfield Culver City provides large-format department-store shopping through anchors and major tenants such as Macy's and JCPenney. These stores broaden the center's offer across apparel, accessories, home goods, cosmetics and seasonal merchandise, and remain central to the mall's regional-shopping role.

• Big-box retail · 2009

  General merchandise and electronics

  The post-2009 redevelopment introduced a new retail wing anchored in part by Target and Best Buy. Together, these formats expanded the center beyond conventional mall shops into groceries and household goods, consumer electronics, appliances, entertainment products and other practical merchandise.

• Apparel and accessories · 1975

  Fashion and specialty retail

  The mall's specialty-retail mix includes fashion, footwear, accessories and lifestyle brands. Reported tenants have included Adidas, Old Navy, True Religion, Uniqlo, Forever 21 and H&M, with the lineup changing as retailer demand and consumer preferences evolve.

• Beauty retail · 1975

  Beauty and personal care

  Beauty-oriented shopping includes cosmetics and personal-care offerings from specialty retailers such as MAC Cosmetics, alongside beauty departments and related services available through larger stores and changing mall tenants.

• Food and beverage

  Dining Terrace

  The upper-level Dining Terrace is the mall's food-court destination. It has been recognized for the breadth of its cuisines and for reflecting the cultural diversity of the surrounding Los Angeles communities, complementing the mall's retail and service offer.

• Transportation access

  Culver City Transit Center

  Located in the parking area between Sepulveda Boulevard and Slauson Avenue, the Culver City Transit Center provides a transfer point for Culver CityBus and Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority services. It improves access to the mall from surrounding neighborhoods and regional destinations.

• 2008

  Redevelopment of the former Robinsons-May siteStrategy

  Background

  The closure of Robinsons-May in 2006 left a major department-store building vacant and created pressure to modernize the tenant mix.

  Action taken

  The former building was demolished and replaced with a new retail wing that included Target and Best Buy, opening in 2009.

  Aftermath

  The project diversified the center's offer toward big-box and general-merchandise retail. The associated renovation also removed the original central theme staircase while retaining the angled bridges.

  Source

• 1998

  Westfield acquisitionM&A

  Background

  Fox Hills Mall was an established regional shopping center when Westfield America expanded its U.S. portfolio.

  Action taken

  Westfield America acquired the property and subsequently introduced Westfield naming and operating changes.

  Aftermath

  The property was successively known as Westfield Shoppingtown Fox Hills and Westfield Fox Hills before adopting the current Westfield Culver City name.

  Source

1. 1Westfield Culver Cityen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Official Westfield Culver City websitewestfield.com