$400-Million Mall, Office Complex Opens

The Burbank Media City Center, a $400-million indoor mall and office complex, threw open its doors to customers during a ceremonious preview Wednesday. City officials hope the mall will bring a strong retail base.

The three-story center, with distinctive skylights and glass elevators, was partially financed with $50 million in city redevelopment funds and is expected to generate about $2 million annually in city sales tax revenue, officials said.

Councilman Robert R. Bowne said the timing of the opening “gives the city an infusion of excitement, especially on the heels of losing our industrial base,” he said, referring to the impending departure from Burbank of Lockheed Corp. Construction of the mall had been clouded by collapsed negotiations and economic woes since it was first proposed for downtown Burbank in 1979.