Sponsored message
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

Arts & Entertainment

The Abandoned Mall From 'Westworld' And 'Gone Girl' Is Set For Demolition

Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.

The Hawthorne Plaza mall, which has been mostly abandoned since 1999, will likely see a merciful end soon.

Last Tuesday, the Hawthorne City Council unanimously approved a deal that will provide financial support to a development that will sprout up at the site of the mall, reports The Daily Breeze. Plans for the new project—another mall—were submitted to Hawthorne City Hall and calls for construction to start as early as next year.

Previous plans were rejected by the Hawthorne City Council because they didn't like them (picky!) and the approved project will have a price tag of $500 million. Construction and demolition is set to begin once county workers, who currently live in converted apartments at the mall, have been relocated.

Since its closure in the late '90s, the mall has become a popular site for film and TV shoots as well as urban explorers. It has been used in movies and shows like MTV's Teen Wolf, Gone Girl and was most recently seen in HBO's Westworld, where it was used as a cold storage facility on sub-level 83.

The feature in the mall that has perhaps gotten the most screentime are the shuttered escalators.

Sponsored message


The abandoned parking lot is also a popular attraction:

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.

Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.

If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.

Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Make your tax-deductible year-end gift today

A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right