A Place for Santa Monica
Westside Today previews the new Santa Monica Place. By VICTORIA TALBOT
June 03, 2008
Santa Monica is preparing for a new retail experience that is relevant and thoroughly upscale. Enter Macerich and the new Santa Monica Place.
The new mall will be linked with the highly successful Third Street Promenade. An international destination shopping experience, the Promenade revitalized Santa Monica and became a model for shopping districts around the world. After a failed proposal for a 21-story condominium in 2005, the Macerich Company returned with something the community can more fully appreciate.
Construction has begun. The remodel will incorporate an organic blend with the Promenade, an environmentally sustainable design, and an upscale shopping experience.
The most noticeable architectural overhaul is removing the roof from the Frank Gehry design. Originally completed in 1980, the new design will be an adaptive re-use of the original architectural features with a modern update.
Shoppers will enjoy open-air walkways, ocean breezes, and rooftop dining on the third-level deck. The new open-air mall will incorporate the concept of a public gathering space in the central plaza where the community can gather.
Sustainability is an extremely high priority, said Bob Aptaker of the Macerich Company. Water-efficient landscaping, recycling construction debris and materials and the use of lighting fixtures with reduced light pollution are all environmentally friendly design features. Removing the roof will cut down on energy used for temperature control.
The new mall will be smaller, with about the same number of retailers. The open spaces will be bigger and more pedestrian-oriented. “We want a place to gather and enjoy the space,” said Aptaker.
Macerich took the community input seriously, he said. “When we came back with a plan, they supported it. It was very gratifying. The first plan was not right for the community.”
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