A relic of retail
“You must be on some kind of mall trip,” my Uber driver said to me he drove me from the Burbank Town Center to Eagle Rock Plaza. “The Glendale Galleria is closer to here and has a lot more stores.” I knew I would be passing up the newer and flashier facility on my way to the much more insignificant Eagle Rock. But that was entirely the point.
1 to 6- The exterior of the former Macy’s store, originally May Company. 7 & 8- Looking east toward Eagle Rock Plaza’s main mall entrances.
Los Angeles has to be one of the most over-malled cities in the world. Even the iconic Sherman Oaks Galleria of Valley Girl and Fast Times at Ridgemont High fame succumbed to its nearby competition. But I wasn’t interested in what was considered the latest and the greatest; I wanted to see what remained of those other places deemed redundant.
Eagle Rock Plaza lease plan ca. 1973. View the full PDF version here.
That’s what brought me to the neighborhood of Eagle Rock, located just to the northeast of downtown Los Angeles. No longer a significant shopping destination for most of LA’s populace, Eagle Rock Plaza has transformed itself to serve the niche population in its vicinity.
The front façade of Eagle Rock Plaza.
Today sometimes referred to as The Mall of Manila due to being located in a neighborhood largely occupied by Filipino Americans and hosting brands such as Jollibee and Seafood Marketplace, today’s Eagle Rock Plaza serves as a gathering place for much of the surrounding community. Mabuhay.
A straight-line, two level second generation barbell, I began just outside of the former Macy’s store on the building’s western end. Between it and the eastern anchor, a Target, the common areas still seemed to attract a significant number of patrons.
1 to 3- Just inside the upper level mall entrance. 4 to 6- The impressive center court of Eagle Rock Plaza.
Once inside one of only two mall entrances located on the upper level at the common area’s mid-point, I was pleasantly surprised to find a nicely appointed concourse that looks to have been recently updated. As an added bonus, that latest renovation didn’t include covering the entire interior in different shades of white.
Eagle Rock Plaza pamphlet ca. 2011. View the full PDF version here.
Over center court was the highlight for me. A half geodesic dome skylight hung over the dual escalators connecting the two tiers, each situated at an angle away from the center. The mezzanines separating the two levels were dressed in a copper tone with additional small skylights running the length of each of the main concourses.
The eastern concourse of Eagle Rock Plaza capped by a Target occupying the space that Montgomery Ward once called home.
I was able to see labels I hadn’t viewed since living in Manila such as M Lhuillier, PNB (Philippine National Bank) and LBC. And on the bottom level, just off of center court and next to Chow King was Seafood Marketplace.
Eagle Rock Plaza pamphlet ca. 2018. View the full PDF version here.
After grabbing some of my Filipino snack favorites Nagaraya Cracker Nuts and Growers Garlic Peanuts, I bypassed my favorite Philippine burger joint, Jollibee, to grab a take home order of pork adobo from Grill City. Ang sarap talaga!
1 to 7- The lower tier of center court including Jollibee! 8- The skylight over Eagle Rock Plaza’s center court.
Eagle Rock Plaza opened in 1973 near the junction of the Ventura and Glendale freeways. Featuring a May Company store on its west end, it was joined by a Montgomery Ward on the east end. In fact, it was developed in its entirety by the Chicago based retailer.
The two anchors were joined by fifty inline stores located in the dual tiered common area spanning the space between May Company and Montgomery Ward. The entire facility was surrounded by a two level parking deck, dwarfing the main structure of Eagle Rock Plaza.
The upper level view of center court from the surrounding mezzanines.
Popular national and local names such as Thom McCan, Vroman’s Bookstore and Kinney could be found in the wide concourses. They were joined by old-timey eateries Howard Johnson’s and Bob’s Big Boy, among many others.
Eagle Rock Plaza Mallmanac ca. 2022. View the full PDF version here.
Over the ensuing years, Eagle Rock Plaza faced competition from newer developments such as the afore mentioned enclosed facilities in Glendale and Burbank as well as from older rival downtown Glendale. The nearby and largely commercial neighborhood began offering free parking along Brand Boulevard in order to compete.
The upper concourse of the former May Company/ Macy’s wing.
Eagle Rock Plaza also holds the dubious distinction of being the last known location of two victims of the Hillside Strangler. The two teenage girls boarded a bus at the shopping mall and were approached by the assailants upon disembarking. Their bodies were later found near Dodger Stadium.
The first major changes to Eagle Rock Plaza came in 1992 when the May Company store was rebranded as Robinson’s May. The building later became home to Macy’s in 2006 before closing altogether in 2023. There are now plans to subdivide the space.
1 to 5- The lower tier of Eagle Rock Plaza’s western wing. 6- Good Filipino eats at Grill City. 7 & 8- The hallway leading to the lower level mall entrance.
Montgomery Ward exited in 2000 upon their bankruptcy and was later replaced by present day tenant Target. During the same decade, Seafood Marketplace opened their doors on the bottom level and was soon joined by Philippine based brands Jollibee and Chow King.
Eagle Rock Plaza Mallmanac ca. 2025. View the full PDF version here.
Though quite a few empty storefronts are in the mix, Eagle Rock Plaza still sees a significant amount of foot traffic to this day. And I hope it stays a while. Next time I’m in LA, I plan another trip if only for more of that savory adobo from Grill City.
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