Bad LA Mall

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Los Angeles Mall

Downtown

The ill-fitting, ill-designed and ill-named Los Angeles Mall on Main Street was built in 1970 to serve the workers in and around City Hall. But the partially submerged shopping center has suffered from declining patrons and revenue for some time.

Dingy and unattractive, the 50,000-square-foot mall is dominated by small fast-food shops, along with a drug store and bookstore. It is closed on the weekends and at night during the week.

The earthquake retrofitting of City Hall that began in spring 1998, plus the resulting transfer of thousands of city employees to other buildings downtown, has reduced foot traffic even more. As a result, the Department of General Services, which manages the city-owned mall, has proposed to the City Council that some rents be reduced by as much as 20 percent. The measure is expected to come before the council in August.

“The perception is that the mall should draw people from all over downtown, but it doesn’t do that; there are no high-profile stores,” said department General Manager Randall Bacon. “(And) it certainly has not shown the potential for becoming a major retail outlet.”

The department is also drawing up a proposal that would invite companies to submit redevelopment plans for the mall. Plans like this have been floated before, however, and no developers have expressed interest in the property.

John Brinsley

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