Puente Hills Mall

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Puente Hills Mall, located in Industry, California, United States, is a major regional shopping center in the San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County.

The mall was built in 1974 after the completion of the Pomona Freeway a few years earlier. It opened in a cross shaped design by the architecture firm of Victor Gruen Associates, with four primary anchors. In 1996, two anchors departed: The Broadway (which at the time was purchased by Macy's) and J.C. Penney. At the time of JCPenney's departure, the mall had about a 50% occupancy. [1] The mall was extensively renovated afterwards and now features a 20 screen AMC Theatres multiplex, and stores traditionally found in power centers like Linens 'n Things, 24 Hour Fitness and Burlington Coat Factory, in addition to the remaining two original anchors, Macy's (formerly Robinsons-May) and Sears. It also includes popular teen shopping stores such as American Eagle, Hollister, Old Navy, and Pac Sun. Borders is no longer in the Puente Hills Mall. To ensure that people going to the movies walk through the mall, there is no entrance from the parking lot directly to the theater lobby, however there is an exit that leads directly to the parking lot.

Today the mall is almost fully occupied and is the regional hub of a shopping and entertainment district that includes restaurants, auto dealerships, big-box stores, and a go-kart track (all off mall property).

Contents 1 Back to the Future 2 Anchors 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Back to the Future

It was the location of the Twin Pines Mall (later Lone Pine Mall) in the Back to the Future film, where the old JCPenney and Robinsons can be seen. Also visible is a strip mall across the street, which was anchored by Ross before the store was eventually relocated to the Puente Hills Mall. On the DVD audio commentary, Bob Gale stated that several fans gathered at the Puente Hills Mall in the early hours of October 26, 1985, the date given in the film as the present day, to see if anything would happen.

The center of the mall used to feature a large cubed water fountain, then a merry-go-round attraction built in 1990, but it was later removed by the mall's owners, Krauzs Company, as they were losing money in its operation. An East Asian-style koi pond had once replaced the carousel's place, but was removed as of 2006. The mall recently underwent a full make-over which was featured in HGTV's Extreme Makeover in 2006, shortly after the removal of the koi pond. The mall now features the most modernized interior appointments and, for the first time in its history within the 21st century, an upscale ambiance for the walking consumer inside the mall.

Due to the large and influential Asian immigrant populations residing and/or operating businesses in nearby areas (notably in Industry, Hacienda Heights, Rowland Heights, Walnut, and Diamond Bar), the new owners of the mall have redesigned some elements of the Puente Hills Mall in order to conform to feng shui principles. ^[1] There are also outlets of the Filipino chain restaurants Max's, Jolibee, and Chow King in this mall, catering to the heavy Filipino-American population in the Rowland Heights, Walnut, and West Covina areas.

[edit] Anchors

• AMC 20 (85,000 sq ft.), formerly The Broadway
• Burlington Coat Factory (82,000 sq ft.), formerly JC Penney
• Linens 'n Things, formerly JC Penney
• Macy's (152,000 sq ft.), formerly Robinsons-May
• Ross Dress For Less, formerly JC Penney
• Sears (196,165 sq ft.)
• 24 Hour Fitness, formerly JC Penney

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official Puente Hills Website

Coordinates: 33°59′37″N 117°55′39″W / 33.99356°N 117.92750°W / 33.99356; -117.92750