West Sunflower Avenue and Crystal Court Drive
Costa Mesa, California
By the mid-1980s, Orange County, California's SOUTH COAST PLAZA was firmly established as one of the preeminent shopping malls in Southern California. Retailers were clamoring to be added to its diamond-studded list of tenants, but there wasn't room for a sizable expansion.
The owner-developers, C.J. Segerstrom & Sons, entered into a joint venture with Santa Ana-based California Pacific Properties. It was decided to build an annex mall on an adjoining 17.8-acre tract, situated northwest of SOUTH COAST PLAZA. Said site was located 40 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, in the bedroom community of Costa Mesa.
At first, the complex-to-be was known as SOUTH COAST PLAZA II . Midway through construction, the annex mall was renamed BEAR STREET COLLECTION. However, just before its official grand opening, it was christened CRYSTAL COURT.
The 3-level -100 million dollar- CRYSTAL COURT enveloped 685,000 leasable square feet. It was anchored by two Los Angeles-based department stores; a 3-level (208,000 square foot) The Broadway and 3-level (215,000 square foot) J.W. Robinson's. These were dedicated on October 31, 1986. Ten inline stores began business at a mall-wide inauguration .
Trumpeters dressed in Renaissance attire greeted patrons at the Main Entrance and a string quartet performed at the Level 3 atrium. Eventually housing sixty stores and services, CRYSTAL COURT mall included Alcott & Andrews, Talbot's, The North Face, Hold Everything, Espirit Kids and See's Candies.
Competing malls in the trade area included FASHION ISLAND (1967) {5 miles southeast, in Newport Beach} and THE MARKET PLACE (a.k.a. "THE TMP") (1988) {5.6 miles northeast, in Tustin}.
CRYSTAL COURT received a new name (its fourth) in January 1999. It would be known, henceforth, as SOUTH COAST PLAZA WEST. Anchor nameplate changes had commenced with the conversion of J.W. Robinson's, into a Robinsons-May, on January 31, 1993. This store was shuttered on January 5, 1999.
The possibility of re-leasing the building to a single tenant was unlikely. A plan was devised that would divide its 3-levels into approximately eighteen store spaces. Wheeling, Illinois-based Crate & Barrel became one of the first stores to open, on November 3, 1999. It would be accompanied by Borders Books and Sport Chalet.
The Broadway received a Macy's Clearance Store nameplate on July 5, 1996. At this time, Macy's mentioned the possibility of converting the location to a Home Store sometime in the future. This was put in motion when the Clearance Store was shuttered on December 20, 1999. It re-opened, as a Macy's Home store, in August of the year 2000.
At this time, a pedestrian link between the SOUTH COAST PLAZA and CRYSTAL COURT malls was under construction. The Bridge of Gardens, extending for 611 feet, was dedicated on September 29, 2000. Borders Books, which had opened at the mall in the fall of 1999, was shuttered on September 12, 2011.
In the 2020s, the CRYSTAL COURT mall is officially promoted as the CRATE & BARREL WING. The 685,000 square foot complex contains forty-nine stores and services. These include Z Gallerie, Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Apple Store, Ruby's Diner, Talbot's Women, West Elm and The North Face.
Sources:
The Los Angeles Times
The Tustin News
http://www.southcoastplaza.com
http://www.family-vacation-getaways-at-los-angeles-theme-parks.com/South-Coast-Plaza-Shopping.html (Vicki Funes)
"South Coast Plaza" article on Wikipedia
