The latest store info and retail gossip from street-obsessed Racked LA, the newest member of the Curbed family. Photo via Los Angeles Times SOUTH LA: Park's Super Market survived the '92 riots but couldn't survive a fire. The market at 9149 South Western Avenue went up in flames early this morning. No word on cause, but thankfully no one was hurt.
GLENDALE: If you want free tickets to Mamma Mia!, go test out your pipes at Americana at Brand this Friday. Per the release: "Universal Pictures is hosting a Mamma Mia! Singing Contest...The general public is invited to sing one of the many beloved ABBA songs featured in the film. The first 100 participants will receive free admission to see Mamma Mia! The Movie on Friday, July 18 (opening day), at Pacific Theatres Glendale 18 at The Americana at Brand."
· On the Racked Archives [Curbed LA]
To find out what living at Americana at Brand is really like, Los Angeles Times columnist Chris Erskine signed up for a sleepover at the new Glendale shopping mall/rental/condo development. (That's one of the nicer rental units pictured above; it's likely he stayed in a similar one). Some takeaways: Despite concerns about the noise, residents repeatedly tell Erskine how quiet it gets at night. Yes, even with all that booming music, it's not the noisy place one might have imagined. "My wife and I have director's chairs on the patio and we sit there and have martinis," one resident says. Other residents chime in about the Mommy and Me classes, the yoga on the lawn, the close proximity to the Cheesecake Factory. It's not entirely clear, but it seems like a good number of these renters have families.
An article in the International Herald Tribune discusses the way "women" are helping to shape the malls where we shoppers of all sexes tend to shop. The article goes on to mention the care that local mall developer Rick Caruso has given to women with small adorable babies who feel the need to whip a tit out and feed their child at moment's notice.
...Rick Caruso, the president and chief executive, said that four years ago he heard a young mother complain about the lack of nursing stations in shopping centers. That, he says, prompted him to make sure that the company's upcoming mixed-use development in central Glendale, California, the Americana at Brand, would have a large children's playroom in the main lobby ("usually they're stuck behind the garbage area") and private changing rooms (fully stocked with diapers), two private nursing rooms and a small kitchen for heating baby bottles.
Time to check in with the Westside super development that is Playa Vista. Construction started about five years ago; it's now 90 percent finished. 3,200 units have been built, KB Homes (one of the many developers building at Playa Vista) has completely stopped construction on its planned Runway Lofts (photo of construction site in gallery) and local architect Michael Maltzan is planning a park for the commercial area. Never been to Playa Vista? Two quotes from people to give you a sense of it: "Great place to live if you're a mom with little kids." "Like an old people's home, but for young people." This is one of three posts that'll run today. Yes, it's Playa Vista day. Brace.
A friend of Curbed emails regarding the ad nauseam conjecture regarding lifestyle mall developer Rick Caruso's possible run for Mayor of Los Angeles. Everyone knows the mayor of LA is small potatoes for a man with such ambitions as Mr. Caruso. Too little power, and a stepping stone to nowhere. Like Rick Caruso, you gotta think bigger. And in a possibly none too difficult cryptic code, our friend has deciphered the possible grand scheme of Mr. Caruso's crazy beautiful mind. Judge for yourself.
"After being told that the LA Times was spreading some rumor that Rick Caruso might be running for mayor, I began to see the wheels of the grand plan at work. A friend and I went to the grand opening of the Americana a few weeks ago, more out of curiosity (as in human nature to gawk at something atrocious) than sheer desire to welcome another mall. But this isn't the beginning of a review. I want to mention the single most interesting piece that we found was a painting in the parking lobby. It seems to layout in a vertical landscape, Caruso's future plans.
Friday, the Los Angeles Business Journalreleased its list of Wealthiest Angelenos for 2008. The list of 50 has an estimated net worth of $113.8 billion. (Hey, the Subway to the Sea will only cost $5 billion to build. Everyone chip in a few bucks.) Topping the list for the fourth consecutive year is Kirk Kerkorian ($10.6 billion), followed by Sumner Redstone ($7 billion), Eli Broad ($6.9 billion) and David Geffen ($4.8 billion). Mall developer Rick Caruso managed to up his wealth by 42 percent since last year, climbing to the 24th spot on the list with $1.7 billion. pictured Eli Broad, credit Bloomberg [LABJ]
If you're like us, you visited the Americana at Brand last weekend and said to yourself, "This craphole is too crowded. Why can't Caruso open a mall in every neighborhood so I can shop and strut freely?" Fret no more, dearests. Lifestyle mall developer Rick Caruso's next mall is just around the corner. After jumping through the flaming hoops in Arcadia, the Shops at Santa Anita is the next proposed Caruso Mall to open, now with a target date of 2010. Since our last check, the SaSA web site has been updated with new renderings (pictured above) and the classic trademark line "Life. Style. Caruso." Per the web site, the new mall will cozy up to a landscaped paddock garden where the kiddies can watch the midget riders ride the race horses. And instead of a self propelled trolley, a horse drawn trolley will pull your fat ass around the mall. It will be pure awesomeness.
· Shops at Santa Anita [Official Site]
· The Grove Far East Edition (at Santa Anita) Approved [Curbed LA]
· The Grove Shops at Santa Anita Limps Forward [Curbed LA]
The best posts usually originate in our comments. To give appreciation to our amazing (and sometimes angry) commenters we feature their broad strokes of wisdom in a tidy comment roundup.
1) Americana at Brand: The Final Push I walked through with my friend from Portland, who is not a planning/development nerd like the rest of us. The dancing fountain display was on full blast, with a throng of observers. When it was over, they erupted into applause. He turned to me increduously and said, "These people are applauding water hoses that are on timers. I'm scared. Can we leave?"
2) Neighborhood Council Dispatch: Silver Lake's Heron Debate "The herons were the first to realize that Silver Lake is sooo over."
3) Getty Goat Munch "Suggesting that goats (which you ignorantly confused with sheep, young goats are referred to as kids) should be slaughtered in such a cavalier manner bespeaks a distinct anti-goat bigotry that has no place on this website. Disgraceful. Get back to the usual thinly veiled race-baiting, and leave these speciesist comments out of the discussion."
4) Think Pink, Says Metro "By the time this subway is completed, there will be no more gays in West Hollywood anyway. The older ones are cashing out and moving to Palm Springs. The younger ones are all in Silver Lake and surrounding areas. So, Pink Line, no way."
The official opening for developer Rick Caruso's Americana at Brand shopping mall was supposed to be 10 am, but by 9:30 am, the place was as busy as any Saturday morning at the Grove, so stores started opening early. Overheard #1: "I love it, I never have to drive to the Grove again." Overheard, #2: "The [Starbucks] cashier has no idea what's she doing." Meanwhile, media insanity: Satellites, camera crews, etc. And there's Caruso himself being interviewed. UPDATE: The long lines at the stores are on display over at Racked LA.
· Curbed Inside: Developer Rick Caruso's Americana At Brand [Curbed LA]
Even more gluttonous coverage of Americana at Brand, developer Rick Caruso's mega mall, mega condo/apartment development that opens this Friday. Like the Grove shopping center, Americana has a movie theater, an Art Deco-inspired Pacific Theatres Glendale 18. And whatever your feelings about Americana or Glendale, it's likely this theater will do very, very well. According to Los Angeles, the Grove's "14-screen multiplex has been ranked among the five highest-grossing movie theaters in the United States."
· Curbed Inside: Developer Rick Caruso's Americana At Brand [Curbed LA]
This weekend Curbed LA and Racked LA headed over Americana at Brand in Glendale. Both the sales and leasing sales offices open on May 2, and while the condominiums weren't available for tour, we toured the development and a 1,400-square-foot apartment expected to rent for $5,000/month. Also, check out Racked's coverage of the stores (Barney's Co-op, Anthropologie, more), while Eater LA has photos of how the restaurants are looking.
After all the hoopla, an inside look at Americana at Brand, the sprawling Glendale mixed-use development that opens on May 2nd. First impressions: This is the Grove with condos and apartments. But the Grove dialed up about four notches. The fountain at the Americana shoots higher than the one at the Grove, there's a caboose and a trolley, and there's a fancy Katsuya restaurant. But how about those condos! How in the heck do you sell $700,000 condos to a buying public clearly waiting for prices to drop? Developer Rick Caruso: Don't do pre-sales, wait until the buyers can actually see a model unit and the whole Americana development. "I'm not worried. I would be worried if we were building four blocks down the street," he said. We'd bumped into Caruso during our tour, and he was about to show us how the fountain works. "But people are buying this," he said, smiling and gesturing to the shops and restaurants. "We already have an interest list of 3,000 people."
As Racked LA pointed out this morning, the Grey Lady has turned her poison pen on The Grove, declaring it both stupor-inducing and utterly lovable. In the same piece, the New York Times' Mike Albo compares the soon-to-open Americana at Brand to Manhattan. Fair enough—they're both expensive, exclusive, and run by egomaniacs. [NY Times]
While one can see the project appealing to affluent empty nesters, who else will the new mixed-used Glendale project appeal to? (Prices range from $700,000-$1.2 million.) Developer Rick Caruso talks to the Glendale News Press. "For one, condo-curious buyers who have considered downtown Los Angeles but shy away from its grittiness have a cleaner, safer alternative in the Americana, he said. There’s also the crowd of studio executives who may live bicoastal lifestyles and prefer to shed the responsibilities of maintaining a single-family home, but still want luxury, he said." [Glendale News Press]
Your daily Americana At Brand news: Sending a photo of a chandelier arriving to the sprawling mixed-used Glendale development that'll open on May 2nd, a reader writes: "Wonder if those are actual Swarovski crystals, and if it will require daily cleaning." Let's hope so--more jobs! Meanwhile, there's a mad scramble to create a city ordinance that would allow Glendale police to enforce laws within the jurisdiction of the "The Greens,” a two-acre plot of land in Americana At Brand, reports the Glendale News-Press. The land is owned by the Redevelopment Agency, rather than the city, so there's some "legal ambiguity" concerning the police department's ability to enforce laws on the property, ie, arrest someone if they did try to steal that chandelier.
· Retail giant on the agenda [GNP]
· Americana At Brand, Part II: Weekend Construction [Curbed LA]
· Americana At Brand, Part I: New Thing Arrives In Glendale! [Curbed LA]
The marketing folks behind Glendale mixed-used project Americana at Brand just sent out an email with the information that we've all be waiting for: pricing. Despite initial reports (last fall) that the prices would be in the low $600,000s, this email announces the Excelsior condominiums will be priced from the low $700,000s to over $2 million. Huzzah! Who wants a pied a terre?
Stand tall and salute, bub. And don't forget to straighten the American flag pin on your lapel. What are you, some sort of communist? This my friends is the Americana at Brand and it demands your patriotism. A reader emails in this stunning (is it rendering or reality?!?!) picture straight from the mind of Rick Caruso. Things are being tidied up, but otherwise things look ready to go on May 2nd. Line for the overpriced sushi at Katsuya starts now.
· Americana At Brand, Part II: Weekend Construction [Curbed LA]
· Americana At Brand, Part I: New Thing Arrives In Glendale! [Curbed LA]
It's difficult to comprehend how large Americana At Brand, developer Rick Caruso's Glendale mixed-use development at the corner of Colorado Street and Brand Street, is until you see the project in person. And no, photos can't show the scale, but the gallery shows exterior details of the project: plants, streetlights, awnings, and more. When we stopped by early yesterday (Sunday morning), there were hundreds of construction workers on the site, presumably working hard to finish the project by whatever deadline is planned for Americana (the mall is supposed to open May 2). As noted before, rents start at $2,160 (for a 675-square foot apartment), but the building isn't doing any pre-sales of its condo units.
· Construction Update: Glendale's Americana At Brand [Curbed LA]
Yesterday, hardhats at Americana at Brand lowered another structure at the Glendale mixed-used project. No, not another replica of an Omaha Beach Memorial statue. This tribute's easier to identify. What's harder to peg is why the Americana, in a city with 85,000 Armenian-Americans, would bestow so many architectural shout-outs to, um, France. This scale model of Gustave Eiffel's Tower sits atop the parking elevator, silently judging the Cheesecake Factory that is awaiting the mall's May 2 opening. Part II of Americana at Brand coverage this afternoon. UPDATE: Egg on our face. A publicist nicely tells us this has nothing to do with the Eiffel Tower.
Lordy, developer Rick Caruso doesn't fart without putting out a press release. In anticipation of the May 2nd opening of the Americana at Brand, Team Caruso excitedly notes in its latest release that "[the] Americana at Brand is expected to be the hottest destination in Southern California this year." The release also notes that while the economy may be terrible, things are looking up in Carusoville. In a possible moment of heresy, the release also states that Americana is expected to surpass The Grove's annual 18 million visitors each year. [Business Wire]
Post-gold statue arrival, the Americana at Brand gets profiled in today's Los Angeles Times in a story that drops new information about the mixed-used development in Glendale. Notably, if the Grove is modeled after 1940s Charleston, South Carolina, the Americana's style takes a nod from the industrial era. Additionally, the big courtyard at Americana will be nine times bigger than the the courtyard at the Grove complex, and like the Grove, Americana is getting a trolley. And how's this for confidence in the market: Caruso has decided against launching a presale campaign for the condos (floor plan reveal here), according to the paper, which reports that the developer hopes "that word of mouth once the shopping center is open will foster sales." And finally: the neon sign is up (pictured). It looks like the text below the sign reads: "Always Welcome." [Sign via Flickr user javazetti]
· Glendale set to welcome once-disputed development [LA Times]
· Floor Plan Action At Glendale's Americana At Brand [Curbed LA]
Hullo, shiny fellow! We waited all day for this and here it is: A photo of the 18-foot "Spirit of American Youth" statue, a replica of the one at France's Omaha Beach Memorial, arriving yesterday afternoon to developer Rick Caruso's mixed-used Glendale project. Welcome to the neighborhood!
· Americana At Brand's Statue Arriving Today, Gold Plating Next Week [Curbed LA]
Huge day for Americana At Brand. Today, at 3pm, a crane will deliver the "Spirit of American Youth" statue to the garden area of developer/proven patriot Rick Caruso's mixed-used Glendale project. Pictured above, the statue is a re-creation of the 1949 sculpture at the Omaha Beach Memorial in France that commemorates soldiers who died on Normandy Beach. In the gallery: The replicated statue (he'll be gold-plated next week) in a New York factory, waiting to be shipped to Glendale--and the actual statue in France. Yes, our heads want to explode, too.
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Friday, the Los Angeles Business Journal 
Lordy, developer Rick Caruso doesn't fart without putting out a press release. In anticipation of the May 2nd opening of the Americana at Brand, Team Caruso excitedly notes 
