Americana at Brand

With apartment rents north of $2,000 and condo prices starting at $700,000, the Americana attempts to deliver an experience that’s novel for Southern Californians, including valet parking, concierge service and, most notably, the hum of city living — shops and restaurants just outside the front door.  (Carlos Chavez/Los Angeles Times)

The trolley, the fountain, the Sinatra on the sound system: This isn’t Greenwich Village, Jackson Square or Lincoln Park, to be sure.  (Ken Hively/Los Angeles Times)

For those too tired to walk from Jewel City Diner to Beard Papa’s for dessert.  (Ken Hively/Los Angeles Times)

Backed by the faux industrial elevator and its version of the Eiffel Tower, children take to the playground in the center of the Americana. Where else in this metropolis will you see staff wiping down the playground equipment in the morning?  (Ken Hively/Los Angeles Times)

Forty bucks for a haircut at the cool little barbershop? Does that come with lunch?  (Ken Hively/Los Angeles Times)

The bustle of shoppers, twinkling lights and a golden statue jumping naked toward the Cheesecake Factory. Is this Proteus rising from the sea? Or Caruso ordering a sandwich?  (Carlos Chavez/Los Angeles Times)

It’s an easy target, but talk to the Americana’s residents and you hear praise for the convenience and amenities. Erskine’s 5-year-old was hooked, especially on the twice-hourly fountain shows.  (Carlos Chavez/Los Angeles Times)

Fred and Jan Cuevas were among the first residents. “People always ask if it’s noisy,” Fred Cuevas says. “Everything shuts down at 10. My wife and I have director’s chairs on the patio and we sit there and have martinis.”  (Ken Hively/Los Angeles Times)

At night, the whole place twinkles. Spotlights turn the fountain into a giant gin and tonic. Some happenstance might be nice, though — a real-life street musician, a squirrel or two, a bird. For those who like some patina — that lived-in look — you’ll have to wait. As Dean Martin crooned in the courtyard: If this ain’t love, it’ll have to do till the real thing comes along ... till the real thing comes along.

For more Home stories, including profiles of a creative Venice live-work space and a Mulholland Drive-area house remodeled to maximize its views, keep reading our website or check out the Thursday print edition of the L.A. Times.  (Carlos Chavez/Los Angeles Times)

Rick Caruso’s mega retail and residential center, Americana at Brand, is open in Glendale. Get set for a Grove on steroids.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The $400-million project is spread over 15.5 acres, with a “dancing” fountain as its centerpiece.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Architectural purists will bemoan the hodgepodge of design styles — Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Mediterranean, Classical and many more.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

In addition to shops and restaurants, Americana has 100 condos and 238 apartments for sale, ranging from the low $700,000s to $2 million, and for rent from $2,000 to $5,500 a month.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Walking the paved pathways, you feel as if you’re strolling Boston’s Newbury Street or the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Or the Vegas Strip.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Construction workers at the entrance to a theater complex at the Americana at Brand in downtown Glendale, set to open May 2.  (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)

A sign marks the Americana at Brand, a $400-million shopping center and residential complex.  (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)

A worker climbs scaffolding at the Americana.  (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)

A construction worker welds a sign at the Americana at Brand.  (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Developer Rick Caruso is setting out to top his popular Grove shopping center in Los Angeles’ Fairfax district with the Americana at Brand in Glendale. The four-block complex is designed to evoke the feel of a prosperous small town.  (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)

A condominium building at the Americana at Brand. Condos are on sale from about $700,000 to more than $2 million. Rents run $2,000 to $5,500 a month.  (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)