Laguna Hills Mall
Defunct mall in Orange County, California, U.S.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Laguna Hills Mall was a shopping mall in Laguna Hills, California, United States, in southern Orange County that is being redeveloped into a lifestyle center by the owners as Village at Laguna Hills. The enclosed mall closed on December 31, 2018, and was completely demolished in 2023. The exterior stores remain open. A hotel, entertainment venues, apartments, office spaces and a community park will replace the mall.[1][2]
Entrance to the mall | |
 | |
| Location | Laguna Hills, California, United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 33.61081°N 117.70709°W |
| Address | 24155 Laguna Hills Mall |
| Opened | April 1973 |
| Closed | December 31, 2018 |
| Developer | The Hahn Company and Rossmoor Corporation |
| Management | Merlone Geier Partners |
| Architect | Edward Killingsworth |
| Stores | 120 at peak |
| 3 (3 vacant) | |
| Floor area | 867,000 square feet (80,500 m2) |
| Floors | 1 |
History
1973 launch
The mall opened in phases starting in Spring 1973 with a 214,000-square-foot (19,900 m2) Sears as the first anchor open, followed by a 50,000 sq ft (4,600 m2) two-level Buffums on September 5, 1973. The Broadway followed, opening in August 1975, and J.C. Penney in 1976. Up to that point, the mall had cost an estimated $50 million to build[3] and contained 393,000 sq ft (36,500 m2) of retail space in Phase I with 55 stores and 832,000 sq ft (77,300 m2) of retail space with 83 stores in Phase II.[4][5]
1990s
In May 1991, Buffums closed due to the chain being liquidated and three years later, the store's second level was converted into an upstairs food court. The food court, which operated from 1994 to 2011,[6] was the only part of the general mall on the second level. The Broadway converted into Macy's in May 1996.[7]
2010s
In May 2013, Merlone Geier Partners purchased the property from Simon Property Group.[8] A year later, Merlone Geier purchased the Sears anchor store. Sears (the mall's original anchor store) closed in July 2014.[9] Renovations started in 2016.[10][11][12]
Re-branding
The Laguna Hills Mall is scheduled to be renamed "Five Lagunas". According to Laguna Hills' city documents, the renovations include pedestrian plazas, new retail sections, a 988-unit apartment complex, a multi-screen movie theater, new signage, and a 1,500-space parking structure.[11][12]
Macy's closed in March 2018 as part of a plan to close 11 stores nationwide, which halted construction on its end of the mall and left JCPenney as the only remaining anchor.[13]
JCPenney closed in October 2018 which left the mall with no anchors.[14]
The mall closed on December 31, 2018. The exterior stores remained open.[2]
Plans for Five Lagunas
At a November 2019 City Council meeting, Merlone-Geier unveiled two major changes to the previous plans proposed since 2016: adding housing and reduction of retail space. Previously, the proposal called for 880,000 square feet (82,000 m2) of retail space and 988 residential units. Another reduction was made in office space to make room for the seasonal events. The revised proposal included a new 110,000-square-foot (10,000 m2) cinema, 225,000 sq ft (20,900 m2) to 300,000 sq ft (28,000 m2) of retail, a 125-room hotel, 390,000 sq ft (36,000 m2) to 520,000 sq ft (48,000 m2) of office space, two three-story parking structures, and a potential of 1,200 to 1,500 more apartments.[15]