How a Macy’s parking structure became latest L.A. luxury apartment complex

An unlikely corner of one of L.A.'s once-famous, now-dead malls is open for business again this week as residents move into luxury apartments on the spot that used to be a Macy's parking lot.

- BY ROGER VINCENT

DEVELOPER Lee Wagman of GPI Cos., middle left, stands in the rooftop lounge area of the new Overland & Ayres apartment complex in Los Angeles. The development stands at the site of the former Westside Pavilion. Its amenities include a pool and a dog park, above right.

The Westside Pavilion was one of the city's premier shopping venues and a cultural touchstone for generations of Angelenos, appearing in movies, television shows and music videos.

Built on the site of California's first drive-in movie theater, the center played prominent roles in the 1995 film "Clueless" and the video for Tom Petty's 1989 hit "Free Fallin'."

But like many other indoor malls, the Westside Pavilion fell out of favor in the 21st century before closing in 2019 to be converted to offices for rent.

Now the former mall also has housing, which is even more in demand than offices these days. New residents will be allowed to start moving in this week.

On a spot once occupied by what the developer called an "absolutely horrible, obsolete" parking structure, there are now 201 luxury apartments — a six-story complex that includes townhouses with front doors that open onto a residential street.

"You have your own stoop," developer Lee Wagman said of the townhouses. "It's kind of like a brownstone."