Good Bye Hawthorne Plaza

Pictorial video of the life and death of the Hawthorne Plaza Mall, Hawthorne California.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Hawthorne
• Plaza
• Cougartown
• Mall
• history
• nostalgia

[Chasmodon]

At the end of the video:

WHAT are those HUGE piles of trash in the mall promenade?! They look like chunks and scraps of the wallboard and ceiling! I loved that old place, and find your video informative (the neighborhood before the mall...wow it was nice!) but also alarming and sad.

Hm. Overall, Hawthorne Plaza was something of a failure, wasn't it?

[jerrymiles]

@Chasmodon

Yes, I believe that is demolition debris at the end. The very last still shot is when the landmark tower was removed from the Plaza Theatre. In my humble opinion, Hawthorne Plaza Mall was a colossal failure.

[sleepy310714]

what year did this mall c lose in

[jerrymiles]

Stores started to leave in 1997 and by 1999 it was pretty much over as a mall. The southern portion was redone in 1998 and is still open.

[mlinton35]

MEMORIES! I 'm teary eyed watching this. I move to Hawthorne in '83 that's when it was middle classed black folks & whites and the city and area were extremely nice. By '86 people by the way of Compton started moving in to escape all the gang bangin/drugs and brought alot of that riff raff with them next thing you knew Hawthorne had gangs and white folks started moving out there area. Patrini shoes, Kinney's,Straw Hat Pizza, the arcade and the dollar movies at the theatre where my favorite spots

[knightmare50]

This is the place where me and my family would come to meet our friends from school (Washington Prep.). Its sad that the City of Hawthorne would let a Great Land Mark Fall... It was the best mixing pot of friends, family, cultures. I pass by it ever so often, just remember all the great times I had there. To all those who where part of the "Mixing Pot".... HI, and I miss you. Orange Julies, Milllers Outpost, Round Table, and the ARCADE.. Someone WAKE the giant up again... Someone?..I guess not.

[chavitavb]

The Hollywood video rental place is gone.

[sirhcdnahcir]

What happened poor people moved into Hawthorne? Breaks my heart to see something that was viable turn to....

[krazydboy]

The record stores were called "The Warehouse and Sam Goodies. Originaly it was called Licorice Pizza. I remember the Hot Dog on a stick and that Orange Julius. We ate Pizza at Round Table and played games at the arcade. I think it was called The Great American Arcade. Their was an ice cream place next to See's Candy upstairs. I miss X-Mas and the big tree in front of Broadways.I miss "The Mall" as we called it in Lennox. Took the bus up and back twice a week.

[yakridersky]

I hate that they tore out the little traffic circle parks to put that ugly sonofabitch in. I remember riding my bike up Broadway and across Hawthorne Blvd just to ride around them and sit under the date palms. That's a warm memory that I have of Hawthorne.

[medranofamilytx]

@angeleyes79gs haaaahaaaa!!! You just brought me waaaay back!! JJ Newberry's!!! Mom and I used to go there all the time and I used to always get some kind of cheap toy! The pizza place was awesome, and the arcade was pretty cool too, wasted away many of my moms quarters there. Wonder what its future fate will be?

[angeleyes79gs]

@medranofamilytx omg, yes, i remember we use to go to the arcade area and then right across was the pizza place and Newberry's....i miss this mall, they should of left it alone...

[medranofamilytx]

Oooohhh man!!! I miss my Orange Julius and that KB toy store that was there. In the 80's, we used to go there all the time, we would park beneath Montgomery Wards, walk around a bit in there, checking out all the electronics, go into the Mall and walk around all day. Does anyone else remember the pet shop that had that giant boa constrictor in the window?? Awesome memories... its too bad it went to waste. FYI, the former Fox Hills Mall down in Culver City was VERY similar in style. Good times!!

[diplo33]

i love my city! idc whats it been threw