South Coast Plaza’s Expansion Gets New Name : ‘Crystal Court’ Title Inspired by Dome in $100-Million Project
Most of the hammering is done, the cement is drying and now C.J. Segerstrom & Sons has finally decided what to call the giant 685,000-square-foot expansion to South Coast Plaza that is scheduled to open Oct 27.
The Crystal Court, as the new center being built across Bear Street is to be called, is the fourth name Segerstrom has tested out on the expansion that has thus far proven to be a marketing and transportation challenge.
Although the addition is a parking lot and a street away from the original center, “we are all South Coast Plaza and expect our patrons will perceive us as one major center,” said Maura Eggan, marketing director at South Coast. Both malls will be marketed as a single entity, she said.
The new title--which follows the now-discarded Bear Street Collection, South Coast Plaza II and South Coast Plaza Retail Complex names--was “inspired by the “crystal-like vaulted dome” in the new plaza, said Jack Matthess, general manager of the new retail center.
In the new mall, Segerstrom, managing partner of the project, is trying to create a shopping center that will be different enough to lure customers and yet convenient enough to allow easy access from center to center.
He hopes to accomplish the first goal by attracting stores that have no other presence in Orange County and the second by establishing a free shuttle that will link the two malls. No target date has been set for the start of the shuttle, and a decision apparently has not yet been made on the type of vehicle that will be used.
Eggan said the 70 planned Crystal Court stores and the 20 to 30 new stores that are going in at the original plaza will almost double the number of retailers at South Coast.
The common area of the new mall will feature red marble floors, oak-trimmed walls, brass-trimmed columns and cantilevered glass handrails on stairways. A 75-foot skylight will be at the center of the court.
“People are more visually sophisticated,” said Eggan, explaining the decision to use such expensive materials. “It will be pretty spiffy looking.”
Anchored by Robinson’s and the Broadway department stores, the $100-million expansion project will eventually include about 70 stores and restaurants. But only about 30 stores will be open by the end of November though more are scheduled to open in December and January, said Barbara Trister, a spokeswoman for the project.
South Coast does not anticipate any problems filling the remaining space, she said.
Many Retailers Interested
Given its national reputation as a shopping center, many retailers want to get in, Eggan said. But “few are called, and fewer are chosen,” she said, paraphrasing a biblical passage.
The Robinson’s store will be the largest of the chain’s 24 stores.
Among those retailers who have leased space in the new mall are North Face, a Berkeley-based concern that sells camping and other outdoor equipment; Koala Blue, an Australia-theme shop co-owned by singer Olivia Newton-John; Alcott & Andrews, a women’s clothier;, Scribner’s, the New York-based bookstore, and Daniel Cremieux, a clothing store.
On the other side of Bear Street, tenants moving into the former Nordstrom site include: Crate & Barrel, a household goods store; Lina Lee, a women’s clothier, and the Golden Bough, a maker of custom gold jewelry.
In addition, Bullock’s is adding 90,000 square feet to its store, bringing it 270,000 square feet, which will make it the largest in its 23-store chain.
When work on both sides of Bear Street is complete, South Coast Plaza will contain eight major department stores and about 300 specialty stores, making it the largest concentration of retailing in California, Eggan said.
It already has the highest sales.
Everett Steichen & Associates, a Palo Alto retail consulting concern, is predicting 1987 sales of about $150 million for the new mall with an added $585 million in sales from the original center. For 1985, sales totaled $450 million and for 1986, sales for both malls is expected to total about $500 million.
In addition to self-parking for 2,700 cars at the new mall, there will be three valet parking stations at Crystal Court, which is a joint venture project of Segerstrom and California Pacific Properties, a Costa Mesa-based commercial and industrial builder. The original mall has parking for 10,804 cars, including valet parking from three stations.
The center draws an average of 20,000 shoppers a day.
