Hawthorne city leaders have obtained a court order against the owners of the long-vacant Hawthorne Plaza Shopping Center, which requires action on the mall’s redevelopment or demolition within one year.
Stretching across a full city block along Hawthorne Boulevard, the sprawling shopping plaza has sat vacant for nearly 30 years.
“Redevelopment of the site is considered critical to the economic recovery of the city’s downtown and will also provide relief to surrounding neighborhoods,” the City of Hawthorne wrote in a Sept. 9 news release.
The Hawthorne Plaza Shopping Center opened in 1977, replacing a “blighted commercial strip,” according to the Hawthorne Historical Society.
Ownership of the mall changed over the years, while several factors contributed to its demise, including the collapse of the area’s aerospace industry, crime at the mall in the mid-1980s, and the 1992 riots, which resulted in heavy damage to the mall.
By 1994, mall occupancy dropped from 130 stores to about 87 stores. Its final anchor store, JCPenney, closed in 1998, and the mall closed in 1999.
After the mall’s closure, the property was sold again, and in the following years, TV productions and music videos were shot at the site. Plans for revitalization or conversion continued to be put on hold.
City of Hawthorne 
The newly issued court order addresses the negative impacts on the surrounding community and requires that mall owners secure the property, conduct structural and asbestos testing, install fencing to prevent trespassing, provide daily cleanup, and maintain on-site security.
This mandate parallels a 2021 nuisance abatement lawsuit brought by the city with allegations that the center is a blight and a danger to the community.
At the time, the city said the vacant mall is a magnet for illegal dumping, graffiti, homeless encampments, and hazardous conditions, including exposed plumbing and electricity.
“There is a significant safety threat that needs immediate attention, as evidenced by the repeat transient and children break-ins, among a host of other dangers,” a statement from the City of Hawthorne said about the lawsuit, filed on Nov. 24, 2021.
Mall property owners have no later than Aug. 31, 2026, to move forward with redevelopment or demolition. If this deadline isn’t met, the property will fall into receivership.
“The City appreciates the numerous community members who stepped forward to voice their concerns over the years,” City Attorney Robert Kim said in a statement.
“We were able to present those complaints to the court to show just how negative of impacts the mall has had to ensure we could get relief.”
link
