Construction crews are tackling exterior upgrades at the West Hollywood Gateway shopping mall on WeHo’s eastside, where scaffolding and safety barriers now line the sidewalk. Workers are using scissor lifts to reach the upper facade while businesses below stay open.
The work includes facade improvements, new canopies to increase signage potential, and drought-tolerant landscaping, according to Kristen Weidemann, senior property manager with Vestar. The project is expected to wrap up by late May or early June.
The construction zone stretches along the Santa Monica Boulevard side of the property at 7100 Santa Monica Boulevard. Plywood barriers protect storefronts and white water-filled barriers keep pedestrians safe and clear of the work area.
Mendocino Farms posted banners out front telling customers they’re still serving sandwiches despite the construction. Other tenants are also operating normally.
The current work follows similar upgrades completed on the property’s La Brea Avenue-facing side back in 2023.
The mall opened in March 2004, which means it’s been around for more than two decades. The project was designed by architect Jon Jerde and developed through a partnership between the JH Snyder Company and the city.
At the time, it was a big deal, a very big deal. The Gateway brought Target and Best Buy to West Hollywood, the city’s first big-box retailers. The development turned a corner that had been sitting empty into one of the busier shopping spots in the area. Some of you may remember the corner was occupied by auto repair shops and a car wash. While it was convenient to have both nearby for this eastsider, I have to admit, I was thrilled to see something more attractive serving as “the gateway” into our beautiful city. It really was the beginning of what would become an eastside building boom and beautification effort.
The 248,000-square-foot center has two floors of shops and restaurants above underground parking. Along with Target and Best Buy, there’s Ulta, BevMo, and several places to eat. The property also includes the Formosa Cafe, a free-standing Hollywood landmark.
The center features public art including a 50-foot projection screen installation by video artist Paul Tzanetopoulos above the main courtyard.
The Gateway sits right at Santa Monica Boulevard and La Brea Avenue, serving neighborhoods across West Hollywood’s east side and into Hollywood, Hancock Park, and Los Feliz. Since it opened, developers have built or proposed more than 900 apartments within four blocks of the center.
The property is owned by Clarion Partners, a real estate investment management firm. West Hollywood Gateway was among 11 retail properties in Clarion’s portfolio recognized in the 2024 Kingsley Excellence Awards for tenant satisfaction.
This is one of the most poorly designed shopping centers in all of LA area. And besides that, it’s unattractive. The upside is it did bring Target and Best Buy and some other stores to the area, but it’s impossible to get from one side to the other without either going through the parking garage or walking around the street. On top of that, the whole plaza area is so sad. It’s dilapidated looking and mostly empty. The whole place needs to be refurbished.
The headline is misleading as I thought you were referring to the Pleasure Chest.
The opening of the Gateway Project was the most important accomplishment of West Hollywood’s Re-Development Agency and it launched the City’s economic “miracle” and historic budget surpluses that got the City through COVID.
Thank you for the update and the timetable Brian- noticed when driving by yesterday!
Some may recall that there was talk of Costco putting a store there originally, which was quashed due to traffic concerns, as I remember.
Every time I schelp to a distant Costco, I wish the outcome had been different!
God, wouldn’t a Costco run to La Brea and Santa Monica be a joy-1/2! I wish!
They are so cheap the escalators were broken all during CHRISTMAS!