City of Los Angeles Civic Center Mall

300 North Main Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012

1974

Stanton & Stockwell, architectural planners. Cornell, Bridgers, Troller, landscape architects.

Cast concrete

20 ft. x 150 ft. x 25 ft.

$60,000

Retail Clerks International Union, Local 707

Extant in situ, in good condition.

TVS digital record

Van Sant’s elegant bridge over Temple Street was a crucial linking component in LA City’s plan to develop “the nation’s first municipally owned and operated office and shopping complex.” [1]

A sunken, multi-level series of shops and public plazas on the west side of Los Angeles Street, the 7.25-acre LA City Hall Mall was bisected by Temple Street. The bridge and a store-lined tunnel united its North and South Malls.

In keeping with the Mall’s decorative flourishes, which still include streetlights that resemble old-fashioned gas lamps, a four-faced black-cased clock, and a pair of kiosks with pagoda-like roofs, the curving sweeps of the bridge and its stairs hearken to a less self-consciously “modern” architecture than that of its Brutalist neighbors: Stanton & Stockwell’s City Hall East (1973), and the Clara S. Foltz Criminal Justice Center (1972).

A clue to the reasoning behind this contrast can be found in a 1975 article by Dan MacMasters, who wrote: “The mall is a giant leap forward from 25-years ago. That’s when the old Pershing Square, frowsy but picturesque, was wiped out and replaced with a dreary expanse that repelled everyone...The Pershing Square attitude was to keep ‘em out in the open, keep ‘em moving and don’t waste anything on frills. City Hall Mall, happily, is quite the opposite. You are invited to look and to linger and a lot of money has been spent on details. More important a lot of care was spent on the planning.”[2]    

In other words, the Pershing Square redesign offered a salutary example of what not to do if one wanted to attract pedestrians, shoppers, and lunch eaters. Consequently, rather than featureless concrete, motor vehicle prioritization, and a distinct lack of pleasant nooks in which to perch, the City Mall tended to “picturesque” details, shady foliage, raised garden beds, and Van Sant’s pedestrian bridge.

The City planned that the Mall would be “a traditional town square – a place for community meetings, retail, civic institutions, and the display of public art,” while also bringing in “maximum shopping and parking revenues." [3], [4]

Unfortunately, the experiment failed. The twenty-first century City Mall is a bleakly unloved and largely unvisited place. But Van Sant’s elegant bridge continues to announce the presence of a pedestrian center to the motorists below. And, to those of us who walk, its gentle ascent offers a favorable contrast to the steeper and more angular climb of most other LA footbridges.

“Funded by the city and its parking authority (from pay-as-you-go and revenue bond issue money, respectively) the mall is a $70-million project covering nearly two Civic Center blocks...in its planning, the mall concept was based on three purposes: Make a positive contribution to the beauty and public use and enjoyment of the Civic Center. Provide at close proximity restaurants, shopping, personal services and parking for Civic Center employees and visitors. Bring maximum shopping and parking revenues.” [5]

“These photographs can only hint at the variety of the gardens and promenades which extend on two levels for two blocks along the east side of City Hall. In addition to the “dandelion fountain,” there are six other water elements, including one that swirls like a whirlpool around the base of a totem pole. Tom Van Sant designed the pole and also the footbridge that arches gracefully over Temple Street and links the two areas of the mall. The Triforium, a towering sculpture by Joseph Young, dominates the north area. Fountains and paved areas are enriched by tile and mosaic work designed by Hanns Scharff. There are also two sculptures done by Jan Peter Stern. And everywhere you’ll find that missing element in most recent gardens, a comfortable place to sit and linger.” [6]     

[i] Dick Turpin, “Los Angeles Mall More Than 75% Complete,” Los Angeles Times, Mar 3, 1974, pg. J1.

[1] Dan MacMasters: “City Hall Mall... A Giant Leap Forward,” Los Angeles Times, Aug 17, 1975; pg. R20.

[2] The Cultural Landscape Foundation, “Los Angeles Mall.”

[3] Dick Turpin, “LA Mall More Than 75% Complete: Seven Lease Commitments,” Los Angeles Times, Mar 3, 1974, pg. J1.

[4] Dick Turpin, “LA Mall More Than 75% Complete: Seven Lease Commitments,” Los Angeles Times, Mar 3, 1974, pg. J1.

[5] Dan MacMasters: “City Hall Mall... A Giant Leap Forward,” Los Angeles Times, Aug 17, 1975; pg. R20.

[1] Dan MacMasters: “City Hall Mall... A Giant Leap Forward,” Los Angeles Times, Aug 17, 1975; pg. R20.

[2] The Cultural Landscape Foundation, “Los Angeles Mall.”

[3] Dick Turpin, “LA Mall More Than 75% Complete: Seven Lease Commitments,” Los Angeles Times, Mar 3, 1974, pg. J1.

[4] Dick Turpin, “LA Mall More Than 75% Complete: Seven Lease Commitments,” Los Angeles Times, Mar 3, 1974, pg. J1.

[5] Dan MacMasters: “City Hall Mall... A Giant Leap Forward,” Los Angeles Times, Aug 17, 1975; pg. R20.