@beverlycenter
One of the most renown malls in the Los Angeles area would definitely have to be the Beverly Center. The eight story structure houses top name restaurants and some of the world’s most famous brands, including Banana Republic, Victoria’s Secret, Dolce & Gabbana, Louis Vuitton, Prada, and more. Many tourists flock here from around the world just to get a taste of the LA and celebrity lifestyle. Opened in 1982, and located in the center of the city, it’s definitely a top place for any fashion enthusiast. Here is a list of 10 interesting facts about the Beverly Center worth knowing about.
Legendary Movie Theater
When the mall first opened on July 16, 1982, one of it’s trademarks was the multiplex movie theater which contained 14 screens. At the time, this was the most number of movie screens within a shopping mall theater. The opening of the theater was so huge, that the news spread nationwide, with The New York Times writing a full article on the mall. By the late 1980s, however, three smaller screen were replaced on the main floor, making way for two large auditoriums to be built. The mall eventually closed down the theater on June 3, 2010.
First Hard Rock Cafe in America
Hard Rock Cafe is a chain of theme restaurants which opened in 1971 in London, England, with a second location opening later in Toronto, Canada. The location is known for it’s rock themed atmosphere, with rock and roll memorabilia adorning the walls. When the Beverly Center officially open in 1982, the site contained the first Hard Rock Cafe location in the United States. It was the third installment of the overall chain, and welcomed some of the top names in rock music. The restaurant has lost it’s glamour over the years, causing it to be removed from the mall in 2007.
Oil Production Below the Mall
The Beverly Center location used to be an industrial site used for drilling oil, which is also the reason for the structure’s famous kidney shape architecture. In fact, the Salt Lake Oil Field still exists underneath the mall to this day. The oil production occurs in a soundproof, surrounded island where the wells slant to an angle to avoid interaction with the buildings above.
Kiddieland Amusement Park
One very interesting Beverly Center fact is that from the 1940s to 1970s, the area of the current mall was home to two attraction parks, Beverly Park and Beverly Ponyland. Together, they were known as “Kiddieland.” The site offered a roller coaster, a pony ride, carnival games, food, and a Ferris wheel. It is said that Walt Disney was inspired to create Disneyland after frequenting this theme park. The Beverly Park eventually closed down due to rent increases and plans to redevelop the land, with Ponyland following soon after.
Still Part of Studio Zone
While the Beverly Center mall itself has been used quite often as a Hollywood movie location, the Kiddieland parks that existed before the mall were also just as popular. The merry-go-round in Beverly Park was featured in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Strangers on a Train.” That is why the area of the mall where the Kiddieland park stood is still legally considered part of the entertainment industry’s “studio zone.”
Rapper Murder
A forgotten tragedy occurred at the Beverly Center on May 18, 2009. A young and rising star in the rap industry named “Dolla” was murdered near the valet area off La Cienega. The news reported later that the rapper was followed by his alleged shooter from his home city of Atlanta, where both men had been in an altercation at a strip club frequented by the hip-hop community. While the Beverly Center is in a great neighborhood and houses luxury brand stores, it’s sometimes still prone to violence nonetheless.
Importance in Hollywood and Pop Culture
The Beverly Center has been included in a lot of entertainment over the years. The famous 1985 novel “Less Than Zero” by author Bret Easton Ellis had a chapter set in the Beverly Center. The 1991 film “Scenes from a Mall” with Bette Midler and Woody Allen also had the Beverly Center as its setting. In the movie “Selena” starring the young Jennifer Lopez, one could notice the slight resemblance of the Beverly Center as the main character and her friend went shopping before attending the Grammy Awards. Before the mall was even built, the film “Eraserhead” used the area to film the industrial wasteland scenes. And lastly, Grand Theft Auto V featured the mall as Rockford Plaza, in it’s video game re-imagining of the city of Los Angeles
Hub for Celebrity Sightings
Beverly Center is no stranger to celebrity sightings. Top stars like Ben Affleck, Britney Spears, Brad Pitt, Cameron Diaz, and Mark Wahlberg have been spotted shopping here. Courtney Cox was seen recently shopping for jewelry at “Jennifer Kaufman.” Jerry Seinfeld was spotted looking at shoes at “Steven Madden.” And while singer David Bowie was once seen at a book store casually flipping through magazines, Paul McCartney was visiting the Macy’s in the mall. A funny memory of a store clerk at Bloomingdale places Pamela Anderson at the payment counter trying to cash a check. Lastly, Leonardo DiCaprio was spotted with ex-girlfriend Bar Rafaeli at the food court eating Mongolian BBQ while the two were dating.
New Renovations
In 2016, the mall began renovations to fit in newer businesses to attract more customers. One of the main goals was to bring restaurants back to the street level of the mall. The official renovations began in March 2016, with a food hall, restaurants, and a skylight added, all at the cost of around $500 million. This was not the only change. A steel facade was built on the outside of the building, as well as an upgraded parking area. Advanced technology also brought automated vehicle locators to the parking structure, to help drivers remember where they parked.
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