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Hawthorne Plaza mall demolition begins after nuisance ruling
A court order directed the owners to start demolition this month, with a redevelop-or-demolish deadline set for August 2026.
Housing and redevelopment plans for Hawthorne Plaza are moving forward as demolition begins on the abandoned South Bay mall, after the property was deemed a nuisance site. Bisnow reports the city said a court order issued last month required the owners to begin tearing down the complex this month.
The city said the owners, M&A Gabaee, have hired contractors and laid out a phased teardown plan, according to the report. Earlier this week, heavy machinery and construction equipment were visible on site, local news channel KTLA 5 reported.
Bisnow also links the redevelopment delays to legal trouble at the mall owners' parent company, The Charles Co. The report says the co-founder, Arman Gabaee, pleaded guilty in December 2022 to bribery related to efforts to secure a $45 million lease for county offices at the Hawthorne location.
A court injunction issued last year required the owners to redevelop or demolish the site by the end of August 2026. The mall closed in 1999 and previously drew film productions including The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and Gone Girl, the outlet notes.