Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza

Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza is a shopping center in the Baldwin Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The property originated as the Broadway-Crenshaw Center, which opened in November 1947 as one of California’s earliest postwar open-air retail complexes and one of the first American regional shopping centers planned around automobile access. Its original department-store buildings were designed in the Streamline Moderne style, including the Broadway building associated with architects Paul R. Williams and Albert B. Gardner. The development occupied a large site along what is now Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, with extensive surface parking and below-ground service infrastructure. The center initially combined a Broadway department store with Woolworth, Vons, May Company, and later Silverwoods and Desmond’s. As the surrounding Crenshaw District and Baldwin Hills communities changed during the 1960s, the property became increasingly important as an economic and cultural hub for African American Angelenos across a broad range of incomes. Its role extended beyond conventional shopping: the site supported minority-owned businesses, community events, cultural programming, holiday activities, and institutions such as the Museum of African American Art. The mall has also hosted or supported the Leimert Park Book Fair, Pan African Film Festival screenings, and the Leimert Park Jazz Festival. A major redevelopment began in 1986, replacing much of the original open-air complex with a two-level enclosed regional mall. The rebuilt center opened in November 1989 under the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza name. The expansion connected the principal department-store buildings with a pedestrian bridge, added a parking structure, restaurants, and new specialty retailers, and increased the mall’s reported size to approximately 870,000 square feet. Subsequent changes included the arrival of Lucky’s and later Albertsons, the conversion of the former May Company into Robinsons-May and then Macy’s, and the opening of the Magic Johnson Crenshaw 15 cinema in 1995. Ownership and tenant composition changed repeatedly in the 2000s and 2010s. Capri Capital Partners acquired the property in 2005. A later renovation added a larger food court, refreshed the historic department-store façades, redesigned the pedestrian bridge, and introduced retailers, restaurants, and a Cinemark multiplex. Department-store closures gradually weakened the traditional mall format: Walmart closed in 2016, Sears closed in 2020, and Macy’s closed in March 2023. TJ Maxx became the remaining anchor tenant identified in the available reference material. The property has also become the focus of an ambitious mixed-use redevelopment debate. Los Angeles approved entitlements in 2018 for a substantially expanded project with residential units, offices, a hotel, restaurants, public spaces, parking, and additional retail. Several proposed transactions failed amid community concerns over the future of the site, the loss of residential components, local participation, and African American ownership. Downtown Crenshaw, a local investment and community-oriented group, sought to acquire the center through a community land trust and proposed affordable housing, health care, child care, job training, conference facilities, and Black arts spaces. In 2021, Harridge Development Group acquired the mall for approximately $111 million and separately acquired the former Macy’s building for more than $30 million, giving it control of most of the approximately 42-acre property. Harridge has described plans for a mixed-use lifestyle and entertainment center incorporating affordable housing, green space, a hotel, townhouses, offices, stores, and restaurants. The site also benefits from improved public-transit access, including the Martin Luther King Jr. station, which opened in 2022. According to the supplied reference material, a first-phase groundbreaking ceremony took place on March 5, 2026, with demolition planned for the former Sears building, its parking structure, and nearby restaurant buildings to enable construction of multistory townhomes.

Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza began as the Broadway-Crenshaw Center, an automobile-oriented retail complex that opened on November 21, 1947. It was among California’s first post–World War II open-air shopping centers and among the earliest regional centers in the United States planned specifically for motorists. The original complex covered approximately 35 acres and included extensive parking, a five-story Broadway department store, Woolworth, and a Vons supermarket. The May Company opened a separate department-store building in October 1947, followed by Silverwoods in 1949 and additional retailers during the 1950s and 1960s. The original anchor structures are notable examples of Streamline Moderne design. The Broadway building was associated with Paul R. Williams and Albert B. Gardner of A.C. Martin & Associates. Its service functions were supported by an underground loading tunnel, while the retail frontage and large parking areas reflected the postwar shift toward automobile-based suburban and urban shopping. During the mid-1960s, African Americans increasingly moved into the Crenshaw District and Baldwin Hills. The center consequently developed a distinctive social and cultural role in the surrounding community. It became a major shopping and gathering destination for Black Angelenos from different socioeconomic backgrounds and hosted minority-owned businesses and community activities. In 1976, the May Company provided space for the Museum of African American Art, founded by Samella Lewis in 1975. The museum later moved within the mall complex after the former Macy’s building closed. A comprehensive rebuilding project commenced in 1986. Much of the original center was demolished and replaced by a two-level enclosed regional mall. The rebuilt property opened in November 1989 as Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. The project added a third department-store anchor, Sears, linked the Broadway and May Company buildings with a covered pedestrian bridge, built a parking structure, and introduced new restaurants and specialty stores. The reported retail area expanded to approximately 870,000 square feet. Tenant and format changes continued through the 1990s. Lucky’s replaced the original Vons supermarket in 1992 and was later converted into Albertsons. The former May Company became Robinsons-May in 1993. In 1995, the Magic Johnson Crenshaw 15 opened as the first multiplex in the Magic Johnson theater chain. The former Broadway building became Macy’s in 1996, closed in 1999, and reopened as a three-story Walmart in 2003. Capri Capital Partners purchased the property in early 2005. In 2006, the Robinsons-May location was rebranded as Macy’s. A later renovation, completed in its first phase in 2011, added a larger food court, refreshed the mall’s finishes and façades, redesigned the pedestrian bridge with transparent glazing, and introduced new retailers, restaurants, and entertainment uses. The Sizzler site was replaced by a Staples store, and a Cinemark XD multiplex replaced the earlier theater operation. The center also added or hosted brands and venues including Victoria’s Secret, Forever 21, Lane Bryant, PINK, Post & Beam, Southern Girl Desserts, The Kickin’ Crab, Yogurtland, Chipotle, and Buffalo Wild Wings. The traditional department-store model subsequently contracted. Walmart closed in January 2016. Sears announced its closure in 2019 as part of a nationwide store-reduction program, and the location shut in February 2020. Macy’s announced its closure in January 2023 and closed in March of that year. The loss of the principal department-store anchors increased pressure to reposition the property. Redevelopment planning became central to the mall’s future. A draft environmental impact report was processed in 2017, and Los Angeles granted entitlements in 2018 for a 24-hour mixed-use entertainment complex. The approved concept included residential units, offices, a 400-room hotel, restaurants, public spaces, additional stores, and structured parking. Efforts to sell the property and implement the plan generated substantial community debate. A 2020 CIM Group proposal focused on office conversion and did not include the approved residential component; the agreement was cancelled after opposition. A later proposed sale to LIVWRK and DFH Partners also failed amid protests. Downtown Crenshaw, led by developer Damien Goodman, pursued a community-oriented acquisition through a community land trust. Its publicly described concept included affordable housing, a health clinic, child care, job-training facilities, conference space, and Black arts uses. The effort reflected broader concerns about displacement, local economic participation, and African American ownership of a site with deep cultural importance to the area. In August 2021, Harridge Development Group acquired the mall for approximately $111 million and separately purchased the former Macy’s building for more than $30 million. Harridge’s stated direction has been to create a modern mixed-use lifestyle and entertainment center with affordable housing, green space, hospitality, townhouses, offices, retail, and restaurants. The property gained a further transit connection when the Martin Luther King Jr. station opened in October 2022. The supplied reference material reports that the first phase of the redevelopment broke ground on March 5, 2026, with demolition of the former Sears building, parking structure, and nearby restaurant buildings planned to make way for multistory townhomes.

• 2026

  First redevelopment phase breaks ground

  [1]Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  The supplied reference material reports a March 5 groundbreaking for a phase involving demolition and planned townhome construction.

• 2022

  Martin Luther King Jr. station opens

  [1]Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  A rail station serving the mall and nearby medical facilities opened in October.

• 2021

  Harridge Development Group acquires the mall

  [1]Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  Harridge acquired the mall and separately purchased the former Macy’s building.

• 2018

  Mixed-use redevelopment receives city entitlements

  [1]Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  Los Angeles approved a redevelopment framework covering housing, offices, hotel space, retail, restaurants, public areas, and parking.

• 2011

  Renovation phase is completed

  [1]Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  The mall completed the first phase of a renovation involving the food court, bridge, façades, retail mix, restaurants, and cinema offering.

• 2005

  Capri Capital Partners acquires the property

  [1]Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  Global investment firm Capri Capital Partners purchased the shopping center.

• 1995

  Magic Johnson Crenshaw 15 opens

  [1]Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  A 15-screen multiplex opened as the first theater in the Magic Johnson chain.

• 1989

  Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza opens

  [1]Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  The rebuilt mall opened in November under its current name.

• 1986

  Major enclosed-mall reconstruction begins

  [1]Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  Construction began on a modern two-level enclosed regional mall that replaced much of the original center.

• 1949

  Silverwoods joins the center

  [1]Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  Silverwoods opened a department-store location at the complex.

• 1947

  Broadway-Crenshaw Center opens

  [1]Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  The original open-air shopping center opened on November 21, 1947, with Broadway, Woolworth, and Vons among its initial tenants.

• 1947

  May Company building opens

  [1]Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  The May Company department-store building opened on October 10, 1947, becoming one of the property’s original architectural anchors.

A neighborhood-serving regional shopping and entertainment center with historic architectural significance and a particularly strong cultural relationship with the Baldwin Hills–Crenshaw African American community. Its current identity combines legacy retail, community programming, transit-oriented access, and a proposed mixed-use redevelopment strategy.

• Retail property · 1947

  Regional shopping center

  The core offering is a large neighborhood-serving shopping center with apparel, specialty retail, food and beverage, services, and entertainment. Its tenant mix and physical format have changed substantially since the original 1947 open-air center and the 1989 enclosed-mall reconstruction.

• Entertainment · 1995

  Cinemark Baldwin Hills Crenshaw XD

  The property’s multiplex entertainment offering developed from the Magic Johnson Crenshaw 15, which opened in 1995, and later operated as a Cinemark XD theater with multiple screens and enhanced-format seating.

• Real estate development · 2018

  Mixed-use redevelopment

  The approved and subsequently revised redevelopment concept combines retail and restaurants with housing, offices, hospitality, public space, green areas, parking, and entertainment. Harridge’s stated plans emphasize a lifestyle-center format with affordable housing and townhouses.

• 2020Leimert Park Jazz Festival

  Los Angeles

  The mall became a home for the Leimert Park Jazz Festival from 2020, reinforcing its connection to cultural events in South Los Angeles.

  Outcome. The festival established an ongoing cultural use of the property.

  Source
• 2007Leimert Park Book Fair

  Los Angeles

  The mall has hosted the Leimert Park Book Fair since the event began, extending the property’s role beyond retail into literary and community programming.

  Outcome. The event became a recurring community gathering associated with the center.

  Source
• Pan African Film Festival screenings

  Los Angeles

  The mall’s cinema has screened films connected with the annual Pan African Film Festival.

  Outcome. The screenings strengthened the mall’s position as an African American cultural and entertainment venue.

  Source

• 2026

  Begin first phase of mixed-use redevelopmentGeneration change

  Background

  The legacy mall has lost several traditional department-store anchors and is being repositioned for a mixed-use future.

  Action taken

  The supplied reference material reports a groundbreaking ceremony and planned demolition of the former Sears building, parking structure, and adjacent restaurant buildings for multistory townhomes.

  Aftermath

  The reported work marks a transition from the historic department-store mall format toward residential and mixed-use development.

  Source

• 2021

  Sell the mall to Harridge Development GroupM&A

  Background

  Earlier sale proposals involving CIM Group and LIVWRK/DFH Partners did not proceed amid community protests and redevelopment disagreements.

  Action taken

  Harridge Development Group acquired the mall and separately acquired the former Macy’s building.

  Aftermath

  Harridge gained control of most of the site and advanced a mixed-use lifestyle and entertainment redevelopment concept.

  Mall acquisition price. $111 million (August 2021)

  Source

• 2020

  Cancel the CIM Group transactionM&A

  Background

  CIM Group agreed to purchase the mall and proposed office conversion involving former anchor space.

  Action taken

  The transaction was cancelled after community opposition, particularly concerning the proposal’s omission of residential development.

  Aftermath

  The failed transaction intensified discussion about community participation and the balance between commercial and residential uses.

  Proposed acquisition price. (2020)

  Source

• 2018

  Approve a large mixed-use transformationStrategy

  Background

  Declining traditional department-store retail and the need to reposition the site prompted a broader redevelopment strategy.

  Action taken

  Los Angeles approved entitlements for housing, offices, a hotel, restaurants, public space, parking, entertainment, and additional retail.

  Aftermath

  The approval became the basis for subsequent ownership bids and prolonged community debate over the site’s future.

  Source

• 1986

  Rebuild the open-air center as an enclosed regional mallStrategy

  Background

  The original automobile-oriented retail complex required a major modernization to remain competitive.

  Action taken

  Much of the original center was replaced with a two-level indoor mall, a third anchor, a pedestrian bridge, structured parking, and new restaurants.

  Aftermath

  The rebuilt property opened in 1989 as Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza and expanded its reported retail area.

  Source

1. 1Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plazaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Official Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza websitebaldwinhillscrenshawplaza.com