Topanga Plaza opens as Southern California's first enclosed shopping mall

Topanga Plaza opened to the public on February 10, 1964, with grand openings at a three-level May Company California and a two-level Montgomery Ward. It was the first fully enclosed, climate-controlled regional mall in Southern California.

The center was built on two levels across roughly 58 acres at 6600 Topanga Canyon Boulevard, about 25 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, and housed 83 retailers at opening. Reported leasable area at completion varies between sources, which is worth resolving before this figure is used anywhere public.

Interior features included a terrazzo floor, aviaries and planters in the north court, and a rain-effect fountain in the south court that became the center’s best-remembered feature.