Panorama Mall

Opened in 1955, Panorama Mall wasn’t always the enclosed shopping haven you see today. It began as an open-air strip mall known as the Broadway-Valley shopping center. This original strip boasted 89,000 square feet of retail space. It shared a parking lot with a massive 226,000-square-foot Broadway department store, designed by the renowned architect Welton Becket. Imagine strolling down that sun-drenched promenade, browsing Silverwoods, Mandel’s, Kinney Shoes, Lerner’s, and Woolworth. Panorama Mall’s early days were a vibrant testament to the post-war retail boom. Over the next decade, Panorama City truly blossomed into a retail powerhouse. A Montgomery Ward opened its doors in 1961, followed closely by a J. W. Robinson’s the same year. Then, in 1964, Ohrbach’s joined the lineup, solidifying Panorama City Shopping Center’s claim as the first shopping center with four major department stores. The area thrived, becoming a one-stop shop for everything from fashion to home goods. By the 1970s, however, newer, flashier malls like the Sherman Oaks Galleria and Northridge Fashion Center began to draw shoppers away. Panorama City Shopping Center needed a change to stay competitive. That change arrived in 1980 when the mall underwent a significant transformation. Macerich Co. and Connecticut General Mortgage and Realty Investments invested millions to enclose and renovate the space. The improvements included a sleek new look, additional shops, and a roof covering the walkways. This connected the mall directly to the Broadway store, creating a seamless shopping experience. A stunning stainless steel sculpture by Sebastian Trovato, featuring intertwined rings, was installed, becoming a symbol of the mall’s revitalization. Despite these changes, Panorama Mall still faced stiff competition. In 1986, it ranked 40th out of 61 regional shopping malls in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Though the mall’s sales were improving, the surrounding retail landscape remained sluggish. The late 1990s brought another wave of change. Following the merger of Broadway into Federated Department Stores and then Macy’s, the former Broadway building welcomed a new tenant: Walmart. This marked the arrival of the first Walmart within Los Angeles city limits and the first multi-level Walmart in the entire United States. Panorama Mall, once again, was breaking new ground. Today, Panorama Mall continues to serve the community, anchored by Walmart and Curacao, a retailer catering to a Hispanic customer base. While the mall has seen its ups and downs, it remains a testament to the evolving retail landscape of the San Fernando Valley, constantly adapting to meet the needs of its shoppers.