A dead mall
Located on the main thoroughfare running through the south central city of Hawthorne lay a twin tiered monolith spanning the full length of the municipality’s “downtown” strip. This is the largely forgotten, except among the urbex community, Hawthorne Plaza.
1- Looking north to Hawthorne Plaza on Hawthorne Boulevard. 2 to 4- The former JCPenney at the plaza’s south end. 5 to 8- The western facing façade.
While planning my trip to Los Angeles, I happened to notice the footprint of a building located just off of Hawthorne Boulevard that had the distinct features of a shopping mall. However, with its location abutting the major artery, it did not feature acres of surface parking ubiquitous to its suburban peers.
1 to 5- Hawthorne Plaza’s west face. 6 to 8- The former Montgomery Ward store at the mall’s north end.
I quickly added this overlooked piece of retail history to my plans, although it would only be an exterior exploration as I’m not really the risk taking urban explorer type. There are some great shots out there of the interior which today has largely been gutted.
Hawthorne Plaza lease plan ca. 1977. View the full PDF version here.
I started on the western side of Hawthorne Boulevard walking the length of the lifeless complex. From the outside, the building looks to be structurally sound and in relatively good condition, especially what once served as the Montgomery Ward location.
1- The Montgomery Ward sign with their seventies logo still stands just north of the store on West 120th Street. 2- The abandoned north portions of Hawthorne Plaza. 3 to 5- The backside of the building with numerous walkways connecting the parking decks to the main facility. 6 to 8- The former Montgomery Ward.
At the intersection of West 120th Street, I crossed the boulevard to get closer views of the former retail facility. I was thrilled to find faded signs displaying Montgomery Ward’s seventies logo as well as another nearby showing Hawthorne Plaza’s only logo.
But the further I walked down the street, Hawthorne Plaza showed an increasing amount of decay and distress. The Broadway’s label scar was still visible over the main mall entrance while rotting, shoddily painted wood covered the former egress.
Montgomery Ward
The southern anchor, formerly housing JCPenney was in much more disrepair compared to its northern peer. The dark colored glass hanging over the main entrance was dripping with water damage and stains while different shades of off-white paint covered tags spray painted on its lower portions.
JCPenney
Hawthorne Plaza opened in 1977 after a 1974 ground breaking. A 35 acre site in the center of the city of Hawthorne was cleared in order to allow its construction. It was bound by West 120th to the north, Hawthorne Boulevard to the west, Birch Avenue to the east and the right of way for the Pacific Electric Railway to its south.
Conceived as a part of the Hawthorne Plaza Redevelopment Project, major retailers of the day JCPenney, The Broadway and Montgomery Ward signed on as anchors. They were joined by more than 130 inline stores as well as outdoor only accessible tenants on its southern periphery.
1 to 5- The former Montgomery Ward is the only part of the former mall still occupied. 6- The Hawthorne Plaza sign. 7 & 8- The facility’s northwestern façade.
Hawthorne’s Plaza success was very short lived as crime in its vicinity rose steadily as the eighties approached. It suffered through two shootings in 1979, the decimation of local aerospace jobs in the eighties and the LA riots of the early nineties. In addition, larger competitors South Bay Galleria and Manhattan Village were soon in the mix.
Hawthorne Plaza pamphlet ca. 2024. View the full PDF version here.
Montgomery Ward was the first anchor to depart followed by Macy’s Clearance Outlet in 1997, which had replaced The Broadway. JCPenney finally darkened its space one year later, leaving Hawthorne Plaza without any full line anchors and a small store occupancy rate below fifty percent. The retail destination closed soon after in 1999.
1 & 2- The entrance to the underground parking off of Hawthorne Boulevard. 3 to 6- The former main mall entrance off of Hawthorne with The Broadway label scar still visible. 7 to 10- The southwestern façade of Hawthorne Plaza.
In the early 2000s, the vacant mall served as a set piece for an array of Hollywood films including Evolution (the scene with the dragon in the mall,) Minority Report, and Rush Hour. Today, only the former Montgomery Ward is tenanted with a police training center.
1 to 4- The former JCPenney building and Hawthorne Boulevard entrance. 5- The Pacific Electric Railway right-of-way. 6 to 8- The parking areas south of the main complex.
While there have been some proposals for the now nearly half century old complex, none have been finalized while the building continues to rot and fires have destroyed a portion of the interior. It was recently purchased and put on the market for redevelopment, but what comes next remains to be seen.
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