Americana at Brand sign |
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| Location | Glendale, California |
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| Address | 889 Brand Blvd Glendale, CA 91210 |
| Opening date | May 2, 2008 |
| Developer | Caruso Affiliated |
| Owner | Caruso Affiliated |
| No. of stores and services | 75 |
| No. of floors | 4 |
| Website | www.americanaatbrand.com |
Americana at Brand is a large outdoor shopping community in Glendale, California. The property was built and is owned and operated by Los Angeles businessman Rick J. Caruso and his company Caruso Affiliated. Caruso Affiliated has built and operates of many other projects including The Grove at Farmers Market in Los Angeles, CA. Americana at Brand has 75 retail shops including BCBGMAXAZRIA and Barney's New York Co-op and a variety of dining options. The Americana includes 100 condominiums and 238 apartments.[1]
The Americana project stirred debate in Glendale for four years; with some merchants fearing the Grove-style "lifestyle center" would hurt businesses for stores along Brand Boulevard and in the Glendale Galleria. Some residents worried about overdevelopment and traffic.[1]
Both The Americana and The Grove are organized upon the idea of a city center—with a mix of architectural styles, building heights and materials used, as well as vast open spaces at the projects' center. Caruso Affiliated often sets their developments in place and time. The architectural style of the Americana is meant to reflect the industrial era, including a massive elevator shaft with exposed steel beams, in contrast to The Grove, which is based on 1940s Charleston, South Carolina.[1] The Americana at Brand is much like The Grove in that it is designed to appear like a public space, but is private property, and is protected as such. However, the 2-acre (8,100 m2) park in the center of the complex is entirely public property, further blurring the line between public and private space. Even though the park is public, the policy is that personal photography, other than that of friends or family, is forbidden. The private security force that patrols the grounds is quick to stop guests from taking pictures. Security also restricts the size of dogs that one may bring into the mall and to the park.[2]
The project opened to the public on May 2, 2008.[3]
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The Americana shares some of its retail and dining options with sister center The Grove at Farmers Market, such as a three-level flagship Barnes and Noble as well as Barneys New York CO-OP, J.Crew, Apple, Kiehl's, The Cheesecake Factory, and Anthropologie, and will soon be anchored by a three-level Nordstrom. It also features an XXI Forever flagship, two-level H&M and Urban Outfitters locations, Pinkberry, an 18-theater Pacific Theaters cinema, American Eagle Outfitters, Calvin Klein, Gilly Hicks, Free People, Armani Exchange, and higher-end stores like Tiffany and Co., Juicy Couture, and GUESS? by Marciano. Most of the restaurants at The Americana are local concepts, such as Frida Mexican Cuisine, Chi Dynasty, and Trattoria Amici.
In addition to Americana at Brand's upscale shops, restaurants and movie theater, the outdoor mall features Waters of Americana, an animated fountain by WET. The musical fountain, located in the central landscaped park, performs every hour, though a non-musical program runs between shows. A gold-leaf statue, chosen by developer Rick Caruso, rises from the center of the fountain's smaller pool. The statue is a replica of Donald de Lue's 1949 Spirit of American Youth sculpture in France, a memorial to Americans who fought at Normandy in World War II.[4] The statue also serves as the icon for The Americana at Brand.
An internal transit system uses an electric-powered trolley car (built by the Gomaco Trolley Company) to shuttle visitors through the main square and around the perimeter of the complex.
On November 15, 2008, the Sayre Fire resulted in the "worst loss of homes due to fire" in City of Los Angeles history.[5] Nevertheless, and with the fire still raging at the north end of the San Fernando Valley, Americana at Brand decided to move ahead with an evening fireworks display as part of its Christmas tree lighting ceremony. The Los Angeles Times reported that the fireworks sent area residents "running outside in alarm."[6] One resident was quoted in the Times as saying that, with the local hotels filled with evacuees, "It was a really an inappropriate display. This was not the time to shoot off fireworks."[6] The ceremony was to include a performance by Peabo Bryson, singer of "A Whole New World."[7] A mall spokesperson said the fireworks could not be rescheduled and added, "We weren't trying to be insensitive."[6]