Puente Hills Mall
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Total retail floor area 1,000,000 sq ft (93,000 m2)[2] | | |
| No. of floors | 2 | |
|---|---|---|
Puente Hills Mall, located in
History
1974-75 opening
Puente Hills Mall was opened in phases over a year from February 1974 through Spring 1975, after the completion of the
The first anchor to open, on February 18, 1974, was
The mall has a cross-shaped design and was developed by The Hahn Company.[citation needed]
1990s
In 1993, J.W. Robinson's rebranded as
2000s
In September 2006, Borders was officially closed while Robinsons-May rebranded as Macy's, after
The center of the mall previously featured a large cubed water fountain, then a
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), some redesigns of the mall incorporated feng shui principles.[7]
Decline
Toys "R" Us opened in June 2011, taking the spot previously occupied by Circuit City. Toys "R" Us had formerly been located at the Plaza at Puente Hills on Gale Avenue in Industry. It closed along with all Toys 'R' Us stores in early 2018, shutting down on April 15, 2018.[8] In 2021, Round1 expanded into the former Toys 'R' Us retail space to open the first U.S. location of their Japanese "Spo-Cha" indoor sports and interactive activity centers.[citation needed]
On May 31, 2018, it was announced that Sears would be closing as part of a plan to close 72 stores nationwide. The store closed in September 2018.[9]
On December 1, 2019, Forever 21 announced it would close the Puente Hills Mall store along with 21 other locations in California, and 90 stores nationwide. The store closed in January 2020.[10]
On January 5, 2022, Macy's announced that their Puente Hills Mall anchor would be closed in the first financial quarter of 2022.[11] The store closed on March, with Burlington slated to close on March 22, 2024; leaving Round 1 and AMC as the final two remaining anchors in the mall.[citation needed]
Crime
Numerous crimes have been reported around the mall property going back into the late 1980s. Recent decline in foot traffic around the mall has been a catalyst for recent crimes.
- On July 25, 2016; a 45 year old Claremont man identified as Richard Camarena was arrested for indecent assault of a child in the mall's restroom.[12]
- On June 17, 2018; a woman was tased by a gang of three unidentified men in a botched robbery attempt.[13]
- On June 11, 2022; four suspects were involved in a smash-and-grab robbery at one of the jewelry stores in the mall before they fled into the parking lot.[14][15]
1991 murder spree
| Puente Hills Mall Murders | |
|---|---|
| Location | Puente Hills Mall |
| Date | July 5, 1991-August 27, 1991 |
Attack type | Robberies, Shootings |
| Weapons | 9 mm caliber Beretta |
| Deaths | 5; Jose Avina 22, Shirley Denogean 56, Elizabeth Nisbet 49, Willie Sams 40, Augustine Ramirez 53 |
| Injured | 3; Eugene Valdez 55, Juan Rios 28, Sonia Aguirre 26 |
| Victims | 8 |
| Perpetrator | John Irving Lewis; accomplices – Eileen Huber, Robbin Machuca, Vincent Hubbard[16] |
| Motive | Robbery |
In September 1991, a gang of four suspects from
Back to the Future
Puente Hills Mall served as a filming location for the fictional Twin Pines Mall (later Lone Pine Mall) in the 1985 film
Puente Hills Mall featured replicas of the Twin Pines Mall sign, the time machine, and Dr. E. Brown Enterprises truck in its parking lot in October 2015.[23]
References
- ^ "Puente Hills Mall" (PDF). glimcher.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 30, 2014. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
- ^ "Puente Hills Mall". www.glimcher.com. Archived from the original on November 25, 2014. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
- ^ "Puente Hills Mall Celebrates". Los Angeles Times. March 13, 1975.
- ^ "Broadway to Open $40-million Puente Hills Mall". Los Angeles Times. February 17, 1974.
- ^ "Advertisement for Puente Hills Mall". Los Angeles Times. September 26, 1975. p. 184.
- ^ Fickes, Michael (January 1, 1998). "The Puente Hills Comeback". Retail Traffic.
- ^ Belgum, Deborah (2002-01-21), "Colima Road: Neighborhood puts Cultural Face on Firms. (Chinese Prosperity – L.A.'s Growth Market)", Los Angeles Business Journal
- ^ "Toys 'R' Us casualties include West Covina and Puente Hills stores". 24 January 2018.
- ^ "Sears to close another 72 stores, one in City of Industry, as sales plunge". 31 May 2018.
- ^ "See the list of Forever 21 stores closing in Southern California". December 10, 2019.
- ^ "Macy's is closing more stores in 2022. Will your location close? See the list".
- ^ "Claremont man arrested for child molestation in Puente Hills Mall".
- ^ "Woman Shocked with Stun Gun During Robbery Attempt at Puente Hills Mall".
- ^ "Suspects seen fleeing from mall smash and grab: Deputies investigate".
- ^ "Disney Employee Accused of Touching young Boy in Puente Hills Mall Bathroom".
- ^ "California jury convicts four in 'mall murders'".
- ^ "The Puente Hills Mall Murders - Pt. 1".
- ^ "California True Crime - Puente Hills Mall Murders".
- ^ "4 Convicted in Series of 'Mall Murders'".
- ^ "20 years later: victim's husband recalls Puente Hills Mall Murders".
- ^ "Death Term Ordered for Man in 1991 'Mall Murders' crime spree".
- ^ ""Mall Murder" Suspects Face More Charges".
- ^ Jensen, Danny. "Photos: 'Back To The Future' Fans Swarm The 'Twin Pines Mall'". laist. Archived from the original on November 5, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2017.