Dogs and Cats: The Americana and the Glendale Galleria Make Up

(Pic by Shannon.)

Despite all the bad blood between Glendale’s two megamalls, it appears that both sides have finally declared a truce.

According to the Glendale News-Press, the formerly warring mall owners have realized that both of their malls feeds off the other one:

“We have an open line of communication with them,” said Janet LaFevre, senior marketing director for the Galleria, owned by General Growth Properties. “We focus on what is the best thing to drive sales and traffic.”
…

The Galleria also shares ideas with malls in Century City, Los Angeles and Orange County, she said.

But the Galleria, unlike its other Southern California competitors, did wage a three-year legal battle challenging the Americana for consumer supremacy as the 15.5-acre outdoor mall was planning its unveiling.

Immediately following the Americana’s 2004 City Council approval, General Growth filed suit against Caruso Affiliated Holdings, which runs a string of high-end shopping malls in Southern California, alleging that the Americana’s environmental impact report violated California law.

A judge rejected that claim in a January 2005 decision, paving the way for the project to proceed.

In turn, Americana owner Rick Caruso filed a $40-million antitrust suit against General Growth in 2004, alleging that the Chicago-based real estate investment trust engaged in interference and unfair business practices by trying to strong-arm tenants away from potential deals at the Americana.

General Growth denied the claim but was forced to pay $89 million in damages in November 2007 after a jury found that the real estate company tried to derail a deal between Cheesecake Factory and the Americana.

The issue involved a 43-month delay in which the restaurant balked at signing a lease in the Americana after General Growth threatened to block the restaurant’s inclusion at some of its more than 200 malls nationwide.

But the ill will seemed to evaporate after the Americana opened and the Galleria’s customer count rose.

Meanwhile, the letters to the Glendale News-Press supporting Americana developer Rick Caruso — who was criticized by many (including us) for the mall’s recent inappropriate fireworks display — have bordered on the ridiculous. Some highlights:

Developer Rick Caruso and the Americana project has been the best thing for Glendale in my memory. Yet, for some reason, he meets opposition at every turn. Not, mind you, from the majority, but from a vocal few.
+++++
Rick Caruso, thank you again.

In a time of tough times and loss from fires, we need positive events to keep us going in life.

Why do people have to be negative in a great place like Glendale?
+++++
Rick Caruso went to great lengths to make sure that the fireworks were safe and approved by our own Fire Department. I believe he would have been the first person to pull the plug if he thought there was a danger. Surely, he’s the last person who wants to see a fire break out at the Americana, or anywhere in Glendale.
+++++
Never in the history of Glendale, or anywhere around us, have the citizens had a free community extravaganza like Rick Caruso put on at the Christmas tree-lighting event celebrating the holidays. Whether you’re a mom, dad with family, teen on a date, 10 years old or 100, Caruso offered, free of charge, entertainment for everyone. Never has Glendale seen such a gathering of its residents in our downtown. Finally, we have a reason to congregate, socialize and enjoy an environment in our own city. And no matter what our council members said in their public meeting, those who attended all thanked and congratulated Caruso for a great evening and show.

Shame on you, Councilman Bob Yousefian. Shame on you, Councilman Ara Najarian. And shame on you, Mayor John Drayman. Have any of you ever taken the time to pick up the phone or pen to represent our citizens and properly thank Caruso for his generosity and his vision and for what he has done for our city?

Caruso has raised the image of Glendale and our downtown, and we surely needed it. Enough is enough.
+++++

Apparently Caruso should have considered running for Glendale City Council, rather than L.A. mayor. In this town, apparently the masses believe he walks on water.

They’re Not Big On Tact at the Americana

(Pic from last May by the Atwater Village Newbie.)

Wildfires are raging all over Southern California, destroying countless homes — and laying waste to a mobile home area in Sylmar. The smell of smoke is in the air all over the region, even several miles from where the blazes are lighting the nighttime sky.

Over in Glendale, the Americana at Brand was set tonight to light up its first-ever Christmas tree tonight, complete with Santa, a choir, Peabo Bryson, and a big fireworks display.

Surely, they’d cut out the fireworks, right? Might be tacky, given what’s going on right now in the region.

Naaah. Like I said, the Americana isn’t exactly known for its restraint, or tact. Back in May, its opening celebration ran long — and the shopping center wound up freaking out the city by unleashing its fireworks display at 11:15 p.m. (see above).

This time, having been watching fire coverage all day, we both at first freaked out when we heard loud pops — and then fire in the sky off in a distance. It took us a beat to realize that those were fireworks — and that the Americana was behind it.

MEANWHILE, we were home to catch the Americana fireworks because — I’m sure like many of you — the fires forced us to cancel our evening plans. We were set to attend an early Thanksgiving meal at a friend’s house in La Mirada… but the thought of Blogger Preschooler breathing in all that smoke — and the thought of battling traffic down to Orange County — convinced us to phone our regrets, sadly. KFWB finally convinced us once and for all, when a county fireman warned listeners to stay off the freeways if they could.

If the smoke is this noticeable in the Atwater Village/Silver Lake/Los Feliz/South Glendale area, I gotta imagine it’s nearly unbearable closer to the actual blazes. How are all of you faring? Let’s all send good thoughts tonight to the brave firefighters working overtime to save homes and lives.

Martha Speaks

(Photo by JustJenn.)

Our TiVo is filled with episodes of “The Martha Stewart Show.” Our bookcases? Years of Martha Stewart magazine issues. And my go-to gift for Maria remain Martha Stewart books (which there never seem to be a shortage of). Even Blogger Preschooler knows the name of his mommy’s idol.

I never thought much of Martha Stewart before i met Maria, but she completely converted me to the pro-Martha camp. By the time Martha went to prison, I was ready to rally in the streets to proclaim her innocence. (Well, not quite. But I still think she got a raw deal… yet it wound up being pretty good for business!)

On Monday, Martha herself visited our ‘hood to sign her latest, “Martha Stewart’s Cooking School: Lessons and Recipes for the Home Cook,” at the Barnes & Noble located inside Glendale’s Americana at Brand.

Maria may be an uberfan, but the idea of spending all that time in line for a brief Martha encounter — especially in the middle of a busy workday — didn’t quite appeal. Fellow bloggers JustJenn and Christine did make the trek, and both seemed to have pretty good brushes with Martha. Both also wound up giving the Domestic Diva notes: Jenn (who took the photo above) handed her a postcard she designed, while Christine gave Martha a hand-written note. She writes:

I know better than to rely on myself to say what I want to say, so while we waited for our group to be called, I wrote Martha a note. My mom did, too.

The actual meeting, of course, went by way too quickly. We handed our notes to Martha, and she seemed to genuinely appreciate them, thanking us like the gracious host she is, before tucking them away.

Then she signed our books and posed for a photo. “I’m so excited!” Mom said with glee. I was too, and that’s why I couldn’t think of a thing to say other than, “Thank you.”

Before I could even try to redeem myself, we were being shuffled aside for the next fans.

My favorite part about it all wasn’t seeing Martha’s perfectly coifed hair and smiling eyes in person or adding one of her gorgeous books to my collection. It was geeking out with my parents all day long about our celebrity studded day.

Jenn happened to overhear Barnes & Noble staffers freaking out over a chair that Martha was supposed to use: “Apparently they had bought the chair especially for her, she had specified that it had to be made of ‘hard wood.’ Hilarious.”

Sad Sod at the Americana

Flickr pic above by fellow Glendalian Scott Lowe (let’s get together soon, guys!), who’s been chronicling some of the mishaps so far at the Americana at Brand.

Last week, Maria and Evan hit the Americana — only to be told to stay off the grass. Apparently the sheer number of people trampling over the grass has already forced the shopping center to rip up the grass and plant new sod — possibly twice. We returned on Saturday night, and the fence was down — but the new sod was already looking sorry. Perhaps they ought to think about installing the fake stuff — would probably fit the manufactured-town-square theme a bit more anyway.

Meanwhile, Evan’s still bummed to see that the trolley isn’t operating. I’ve assumed that it’s been in storage because of the crowds; with so many people walking over the tracks, it would be tough to navigate around the mall. But as Scott’s photograph below shows, there’s something actually going on with the trolley. Here, mechanics are messing with it:

ADD: Over at Tropico Station, Scott has a few more interesting Americana nuggets:

The Americana has been getting 400-500,000(!) visitors on weekends. Remember that Glendale’s entire population is only 200,000.

Glendale’s 911 center was overwhelmed with 250 calls from scared residents immediately after the infamous 11:15pm Americana fireworks display.

One Upon A Time In Glendale, Pre-Americana

The Glendale Public Library blog dug up this photo of Brand Blvd., facing north, in 1936. The library provides context:

This photograph (courtesy of the Special Collections Room of the Glendale Public Library) shows Brand Boulevard looking north, dating from around 1936. Harvard Street, which will act as the eastern entrance into the Americana, crosses Brand Boulevard here behind the Western Auto Supply Co. sign on the left and in front of the Famous Department Store building on the right.

Other notable businesses in this image that operated in the area now covered by the Americana include a Pep Boys Auto Supplies store and the Capital Theatre. The tall building in the top center of the photograph is the Bank of America Building, which would be torn down in 1982 to make room for the Galleria II project.

Yes, that classic Bank of America building was destroyed so that the area’s most tattered Mervyn’s could be built. Fair trade.

Big Dogs Not Allowed at the Americana?

The Americana at Brand’s recent ad campaign has featured illustrations of stylish women walking their dogs across the shopping center’s courtyard. (Above, a screen grab from the Americana website… but ads have also run in the Glendale News-Press that illustrated Americana patrons with much larger dogs.)

That’s why it’s kind of strange that this Glendale News-Press letter writer hit so much resistence when she tried to walk her dog at the Americana:

I live one block from the Americana and have been looking forward to its opening. I saw it to be a place that we could walk to in the evenings with the family and our dog and enjoy the surroundings. Wednesday night we took the dog (a Great Dane) for her walk over to the Americana.

We were stopped by a rent-a-cop and were told we had to leave the Americana because our dog was too large. We pointed out to this young man that no signs were posted at any of the entrances that no dogs were allowed, let alone the size of the dog.

He informed us that if you cannot carry the dog you cannot bring the dog in.

And so begins the debate over what’s allowed and what isn’t at the Americana — and whose land is it, anyway.

Americana at Brand: First Impressions

The Franklin Avenue 3 wasn’t originally planning on visiting the Americana at Brand this weekend; the idea of battling the traffic and crowds didn’t appeal. Yet we couldn’t resist, especially since we needed to return a few things at the Galleria.

So we parked at the Galleria — free, after all — and eventually made it across the street to the Americana. A few early thoughts… first on the plus side: I like the fact that it has more of a city vibe than the Grove; perhaps that can be chalked up to the residential spots above the retail. Perhaps it’s also because the Americana opens up to Brand, an actual honest-to-goodness street. I also like the higher ceilings in much of the retail, which also brings a nice urban feel to Glendale.

What’s more, the Americana is close enough to Franklin Avenue H.Q. that we will indeed be taking public transportation (the Glendale Beeline) there.

Now, the cons: C’mon, Rick Caruso, enough with the ego. Caruso’s name is everywhere — so much that several awnings are emblazoned with a “C” rather than an “A” (for “Americana”) or even “E” (for the Excelsior residential condos and rentals). Also, as L.A. Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne notes, a debate over what’s public space and what’s not is inevitable. Because this was sold to Glendale voters as “Glendale’s Town Center,” and Glendale’s redevelopment agency actually owns the two-acre green space at the center of the Americana, does Caruso have the right to severely restrict what is and isn’t allowed there?

Hawthorne writes:

It will be intriguing to watch how the Americana’s shared space–particularly the park–evolves and is used over time, particularly by residents of the complex. Will they treat it as their own front yard–which it basically is? What about the kids who live–and grow up–there? What if they want to ride a bicycle or skateboard there–will they be allowed to?

According to Dave Williams, Caruso’s executive vice president for archi- tecture, they will not. “The open spaces will be handled the same way they’re handled at the Grove,” he told me. “Operationally, we have a safety threshold we want to maintain.” That means no bikes and no skateboards, no dogs heavier than 25 pounds, plus a slew of other restrictions.

My guess is that those restrictions will prove to be more of an issue in Glendale than they’ve been at the Grove. It may not happen right away, especially if the first wave of residents includes more twentysomethings than families.

But as the Americana evolves, those residents may start to wonder why a public park at the foot of their apartment buildings is patrolled by Caruso’s security team (if indeed that’s what happens). If the private cops, who will be backed up by a substation staffed by Glendale police, start breaking up pickup soccer games or taking away skateboards, they may even start resenting it.

Some pics from our Saturday visit:

Check out that big camera stationed above the stoplight. Yes, You Are Being Filmed. Now go spend some money.

Cheesecake Factory? Check. Pacific Theatres? Check. Barnes & Noble? Check. Yup, it really is “The Grove East.”

Jewel City Diner. (Trivia: Unless you live in Glendale, betcha didn’t know “Jewel City” is the town’s nickname.) Too bad this isn’t a West Coast outpost of the Shake Shack — damn, I’d be there every weekend.

Americana’s don’t-confuse-it-with-an-Eiffel-Tower-replica spire.

Residential, retail and Bellagio-style fountain.

Old timey ice cream. Wait, so is the Americana supposed to invoke 1930s, uh, Americana?

Meanwhile, across the street… the Glendale Galleria has added a few banners to what had been a random entrance — but is now the gateway to the mall from the Americana. Inside, on Saturday the Galleria was jam-packed with people. Perhaps, for all of Galleria owner General Growth’s handwringing, it’s not going to hurt the mall. For starters, as the Galleria makes sure to stress, the original mall still boasts most major retailers, including Banana Republic, Gap, Apple, Target, etc.

Americana at Brand: First Impressions

The Franklin Avenue 3 wasn’t originally planning on visiting the Americana at Brand this weekend; the idea of battling the traffic and crowds didn’t appeal. Yet we couldn’t resist, especially since we needed to return a few things at the Galleria.

So we parked at the Galleria — free, after all — and eventually made it across the street to the Americana. A few early thoughts… first on the plus side: I like the fact that it has more of a city vibe than the Grove; perhaps that can be chalked up to the residential spots above the retail. Perhaps it’s also because the Americana opens up to Brand, an actual honest-to-goodness street. I also like the higher ceilings in much of the retail, which also brings a nice urban feel to Glendale.

What’s more, the Americana is close enough to Franklin Avenue H.Q. that we will indeed be taking public transportation (the Glendale Beeline) there.

Now, the cons: C’mon, Rick Caruso, enough with the ego. Caruso’s name is everywhere — so much that several awnings are emblazoned with a “C” rather than an “A” (for “Americana”) or even “E” (for the Excelsior residential condos and rentals). Also, as L.A. Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne notes, a debate over what’s public space and what’s not is inevitable. Because this was sold to Glendale voters as “Glendale’s Town Center,” and Glendale’s redevelopment agency actually owns the two-acre green space at the center of the Americana, does Caruso have the right to severely restrict what is and isn’t allowed there?

Hawthorne writes:

It will be intriguing to watch how the Americana’s shared space–particularly the park–evolves and is used over time, particularly by residents of the complex. Will they treat it as their own front yard–which it basically is? What about the kids who live–and grow up–there? What if they want to ride a bicycle or skateboard there–will they be allowed to?

According to Dave Williams, Caruso’s executive vice president for archi- tecture, they will not. “The open spaces will be handled the same way they’re handled at the Grove,” he told me. “Operationally, we have a safety threshold we want to maintain.” That means no bikes and no skateboards, no dogs heavier than 25 pounds, plus a slew of other restrictions.

My guess is that those restrictions will prove to be more of an issue in Glendale than they’ve been at the Grove. It may not happen right away, especially if the first wave of residents includes more twentysomethings than families.

But as the Americana evolves, those residents may start to wonder why a public park at the foot of their apartment buildings is patrolled by Caruso’s security team (if indeed that’s what happens). If the private cops, who will be backed up by a substation staffed by Glendale police, start breaking up pickup soccer games or taking away skateboards, they may even start resenting it.

Some pics from our Saturday visit:

Check out that big camera stationed above the stoplight. Yes, You Are Being Filmed. Now go spend some money.

Cheesecake Factory? Check. Pacific Theatres? Check. Barnes & Noble? Check. Yup, it really is “The Grove East.”

Jewel City Diner. (Trivia: Unless you live in Glendale, betcha didn’t know “Jewel City” is the town’s nickname.) Too bad this isn’t a West Coast outpost of the Shake Shack — damn, I’d be there every weekend.

Americana’s don’t-confuse-it-with-an-Eiffel-Tower-replica spire.

Residential, retail and Bellagio-style fountain.

Old timey ice cream. Wait, so is the Americana supposed to invoke 1930s, uh, Americana?

Meanwhile, across the street… the Glendale Galleria has added a few banners to what had been a random entrance — but is now the gateway to the mall from the Americana. Inside, on Saturday the Galleria was jam-packed with people. Perhaps, for all of Galleria owner General Growth’s handwringing, it’s not going to hurt the mall. For starters, as the Galleria makes sure to stress, the original mall still boasts most major retailers, including Banana Republic, Gap, Apple, Target, etc.

Happy Americana at Brand Day

(Flickr pic by Fezmonger.)

It’s finally arrived — the opening of Glendale’s Americana at Brand. After years of promise, Glendalians finally get their first taste of Life. Style. Caruso. today. (Most egocentric tag line out there?)

Well, some residents got their first view of it last night, during the gala opening celebration — while others of us, ahem were not invited.

At around 11 p.m., we heard all the commotion outside — and realized that it was the Americana fireworks, as promised. Guess that letter from the Caruso folks paid off after all.

BUT, as the Atwater Village Newbie notes, that’s FAR later than the “between 7 and 9:30 p.m.” time frame promised in the letter. Plus, the fireworks freaked out non-Glendale residents who live closeby but didn’t get a letter. Several angry posters at the AVN site note that the fireworks spooked dogs, woke babies and caused some to dial 911. Given the recent spate of shootings in Northeast Los Angeles, setting off fireworks at 11:15 at night was pretty cruel.

The event itself featured perfs by Tony Bennett, the Four Tops, the Temptations and Natalie Cole. The Glendale News-Press covers the event in todays paper:

For many in attendance, the star-studded event represented the start of a new era in Glendale defined by a high-class destination that some still insist is out of place on Brand Boulevard.

“Some may say that this project is too elegant, that it’s too sophisticated for Glendale,” said Rick Caruso, president and chief executive officer of Americana developer Caruso Affiliated. “Well that’s just dead wrong.”

Uh, thanks, uh, for sticking up for us?

In an address to the audience — his face portrayed on giant video monitors on both sides of a raised stage — Caruso had the jurors stand to rousing applause and then took verbal jabs at General Growth, singling out the mall owner for its staunch opposition to the Americana.

“The reason we’re not celebrating our second anniversary is because we had a neighbor…” Caruso said. “Everybody’s got somebody in their life. Hillary’s got Bill. I’ve got General Growth.”

Gotcha.

Happy Americana at Brand Day

(Flickr pic by Fezmonger.)

It’s finally arrived — the opening of Glendale’s Americana at Brand. After years of promise, Glendalians finally get their first taste of Life. Style. Caruso. today. (Most egocentric tag line out there?)

Well, some residents got their first view of it last night, during the gala opening celebration — while others of us, ahem were not invited.

At around 11 p.m., we heard all the commotion outside — and realized that it was the Americana fireworks, as promised. Guess that letter from the Caruso folks paid off after all.

BUT, as the Atwater Village Newbie notes, that’s FAR later than the “between 7 and 9:30 p.m.” time frame promised in the letter. Plus, the fireworks freaked out non-Glendale residents who live closeby but didn’t get a letter. Several angry posters at the AVN site note that the fireworks spooked dogs, woke babies and caused some to dial 911. Given the recent spate of shootings in Northeast Los Angeles, setting off fireworks at 11:15 at night was pretty cruel.

The event itself featured perfs by Tony Bennett, the Four Tops, the Temptations and Natalie Cole. The Glendale News-Press covers the event in todays paper:

For many in attendance, the star-studded event represented the start of a new era in Glendale defined by a high-class destination that some still insist is out of place on Brand Boulevard.

“Some may say that this project is too elegant, that it’s too sophisticated for Glendale,” said Rick Caruso, president and chief executive officer of Americana developer Caruso Affiliated. “Well that’s just dead wrong.”

Uh, thanks, uh, for sticking up for us?

In an address to the audience — his face portrayed on giant video monitors on both sides of a raised stage — Caruso had the jurors stand to rousing applause and then took verbal jabs at General Growth, singling out the mall owner for its staunch opposition to the Americana.

“The reason we’re not celebrating our second anniversary is because we had a neighbor…” Caruso said. “Everybody’s got somebody in their life. Hillary’s got Bill. I’ve got General Growth.”

Gotcha.