Mall being stripped to make way for Google
By Sam Catanzaro
Crews are making steady progress gutting the former Westside Pavillon to make way for a new 500,000 square foot, $400 million Google campus set to open in 2022.
The property will be renamed to One Westside with Google set to occupy 584,000 square feet of office space, according to property owner Hudson Pacific Properties. The redevelopment will cost around $400 million, and Google has signed a 14-year lease that will begin in 2022 upon completion of construction and build-out tenant improvements.
The former Westside Pavillion was once one of Los Angeles’ premier shopping malls, but in recent years had fallen behind to competition as shopping centers like Westfield Century City and the Grove have gone through renovations and the Rick Caruso’s Palisades Village has opened its doors.
Given One Westside’s prime location just steps from the Expo Line light rail’s Westwood/Rancho Park station, proximate to the I-405 and I-10 freeways and immediately adjacent to the residential enclave of Cheviot Hills, developers are hoping Google’s presence will bring the property back to its former glory.
“Google’s selection of One Westside demonstrates the strength of the Los Angeles tech and media industries, and exemplifies the type of creative office space that is in demand from large tech and media tenants,” Victor Coleman, chairman and CEO of Hudson Pacific Properties, said in a statement.
One Westside, with construction expected to commence later this year, will be a first-of-its-kind conversion from landmark shopping mall to Class A creative office space. Designed by architecture firm Gensler, the project repurposes high ceilings and a multi-level atrium and skylight, allowing for natural light-filled interiors. Up to 150,000-square-foot floorplates provide hyper-flexible open layouts, while 45,000 square feet of expansive exterior terraces and patios with 15-foot wide folding glass walls create a seamless indoor-outdoor environment. The property also features a rooftop amenity space with a garden deck and direct bridge access to the Landmark Theatre, Westside Tavern restaurant and in-line retail shops.
“Google’s been a proud member of the Los Angeles community since 2003. We’re excited to continue investing in the community as part of Hudson Pacific and Macerich’s adaptive reuse project at One Westside,” said RG Kahoe, Google’s Real Estate Project Executive for the Southwest.
Adjacent to the Google campus will be a separate office development planned to open in 2021 at the site of the former Macy’s department store. The project, called the West End, will include 230,000 square feet of leasable space, with floor-to-ceiling glass windows wrapping the structure’s exterior and a courtyard to provide the building with natural lighting. HLW International is the project’s designer.
