| Location | West Covina, California, USA |
|---|---|
| Opening date | 1957 |
| Developer | May Centers, Inc. |
| Management | Westfield Group |
| Owner | Westfield Group |
| No. of anchor tenants | 11 |
| Total retail floor area | 800,000 sq ft (74,322 m²) |
| Website | [1] |
Westfield Eastland, formerly Eastland Shopping Center, is a shopping mall in West Covina, California, currently owned by The Westfield Group. Its anchor stores are Target and Burlington Coat Factory.
Westfield America, Inc., a precursor to Westfield Group acquired the shopping center in 1998, and renamed it "Westfield Shoppingtown Eastland", dropping the "Shoppingtown" name in June 2005.
Once a fashionable department store-anchored regional shopping mall, in 1997 it was converted to a power center, as the nearby Plaza at West Covina became the dominant area center. It was once anchored by a five story May Company department store, where the Target now stands. Uniquely, the power center is two levels, with parking for the lower level on south side of the center and parking for the upper level on the north side. Corridors connect both the upper and lower levels.
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Eastland Center was designed by architect Albert C. Martin and opened in 1957 as an outdoor mall along the San Bernardino Freeway (U.S. Route 60 and U.S. Route 99, later Interstate 10). It opened with a 5-level May Company on the east end of the mall, and 2-Level W.T. Grant on the west end. This mall was unique at the time, as it had a regular mall on the upper level, and a strip center on the lower level facing the freeway. The Huddle restaurant chain had a location in the parking area where a TGIFridays now stands. An outparcel structure, known as the Avenue Shops, was located in the northwest parking area and included a Hiram's Supermarket.
The mall was enclosed and expanded in 1979 with a Roberts department store (local chain) being installed in previously existing space at the center of the mall. W.T. Grant had closed in 1976 and was converted into shops on the upper level. The Avenue Shops outparcel was renamed the Street Shops. It now housed a Lucky Market, Longs Drugs, the Five Lanterns Chinese cuisine restaurant and small shops.
In the early 1980s, Mervyns department store was added on to the west end of the mall, next to the old W.T. Grant location. This brought out the first of the big box locations on the lower level, with Office Depot moving into the W.T. Grant lower level, and Marshalls taking lease to the center shops. The early-1980s also saw one of Southern California's few ShowBiz Pizza Places opening at Eastland. Later down the line, Ross Dress for less and Famous Footwear finished off the lower level. In the mid-1980s, Sportmart opened up in the Basement level of the May Company store, and May used the basement for bargains only.
In the early 1990s, May closed its Eastland Center location and moved to the nearby West Covina Fashion Plaza. The ex-May location stood empty for years, with the Sportmart continuing to operate in its former basement. In 1997, the upper level of the mall was permanently closed. The Sportmart was closed and ex-May location was torn down, except for the basement level, and the entire center was big boxed. The Disney family play center Club Disney took up the spot where the May was located, opening on February 15, 1998, only to be closed less than two years later to be replaced by Circuit City. Mervyns continued, and other national chains, such as Levitz (replacing Loehmann's), Bed Bath & Beyond and Babies "R" Us took up spots in the upper level. Local sporting goods Chick's (Now renamed to "Dick's") is also on the second level. Burlington Coat Factory took up shop in the former basement of the May Co.
The Westfield Eastland Shopping Center is patrolled and secured by Professional Security Consultants The Security Office is located in the tunnel between Avenue Plus and Marshalls on the South side of the shopping center. Security guards patrol on foot, bicycle, and motorized vehicle.
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