Former Los Angeles Macy’s store converted to mixed-use commercial space

Work to convert the former Westside Pavilion Macy's department store in West Los Angeles to a mixed-use commercial campus recently completed. The development repurposes about 240,000 sf of shuttered retail space into an open, creative office campus with new commercial leasing opportunities.

“Adaptive reuse of the former Westside Pavilion Macy’s preserves an urban fabric that a generation of Angelenos associate with the memories of time spent with family and friends at the mall,” said Sejal Sonani, principal and managing director at HLW, which provided architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture services. “West End is also an impressive case study on repurposing underperforming and abandoned malls throughout the country.”

Located next to the former Westside Pavilion that was transformed into a 584,000 sf Google office campus, the development bolsters a new transit-oriented job center near the Westwood/Rancho Park Expo light rail station. The project included seismic upgrades, a glass curtain wall system, extensive landscaped courtyard areas, and a new 1,000-car parking structure.

While maintaining the architectural style and integrity of the existing structure, the design divided the building into two sections with a 52-foot-wide courtyard extending north to south to the parking structure, adding open lobbies and generous balconies to connect the two halves, and creating a seamless indoor-outdoor connection. The ground plane was pushed down one level below the street, creating a light-filled courtyard at the lower plaza level. The building’s façade, previously sealed to the exterior, was retrofitted with floor-to-ceiling glass furthering the visual connection between the interiors and the property’s surroundings.

“Boasting an abundance of outdoor space, better integration of the building into the urban fabric, and adding to the pedestrian-friendly character of the rapidly changing neighborhood, West End has been transformed and blended into the infrastructure of Greater Los Angeles, incorporating wellness and biophilic design elements into the site for the first time in its history,” the release says. “Once leased, West End's new tenant(s) will enjoy a proximity to places to work, shop, and dine, as well as the adjacent Google campus.”

On the building team:
Owner and/or developer: GPI Companies
Design architect: HLW
Architect of record: HLW
MEP engineer: AMA Consulting Engineers
Structural engineer: Saiful Bouquet
General contractor/construction manager: Del Amo Construction