Center is a slice of ‘Americana’

Josh Kleinbaum

Developer Rick Caruso envisions Glendale’s Town Center as being a

taste of Americana.

At a marathon City Council meeting Tuesday, Caruso showed just

what that vision looks like. And he gave it a name.

Caruso announced that the proposed Town Center, a 15.5-acre

commercial and residential development in downtown Glendale, will be

called The Americana at Brand, a name that’s intended to echo the

city’s history.

“This is a classic American town,” Caruso said. “It represents the

best of America, as corny as that sounds, and the Town Center will

represent that. It’s a great fit.”

The project will include high-end retailers and a 1.85-acre park,

and Caruso has inked a deal for a movie-in-the-park experience.

Caruso said he included the second half of the name to emphasize

the project’s connection with and commitment to Brand Boulevard,

which runs along the Town Center’s western border.

“I think it’s a little too long, but I think it’s a great name,”

Mayor Bob Yousefian said. “It’s going to take a lot of letters.”

Caruso selected the name out of more than 200 entries in a contest

for Glendale residents. Stephen Soule-Maggio, an eighth-grade English

teacher at Wilson Middle School, invented the name, and will receive

a $1,000 shopping spree at any of the stores in Caruso’s development.

Caruso will also donate $1,000 to Wilson Middle School on

Soule-Maggio’s behalf.

“It’s a very diversified community,” Soule-Maggio said. “We wanted

something to tie it all together. That fact that I’ll be able to see

this name, that I had a part in making, for years, that’s very cool.”

Caruso also outlined just what Americana entails -- an impressive

list of high-end retailers, and a commitment to community-oriented

projects.

Caruso has already inked 12 tenants for The Americana at Brand --

Anthropologie, Babystyle, Cheesecake Factory, Chico’s, Coffee Bean

and Tea Leaf, Guess Accessories, Lucky Strike Lanes, Marciano, Soma,

Rite Aid, Pacific Theatres and a retail store for Turner Classic

Movies.

Turner Classic Movies will have a significant presence at The

Americana. During the summer, The Americana will screen films from

the company’s library on a large screen in the project’s park, which

will be called Americana Park. Caruso also said he will team with the

Alex Theatre to have community events in the park.

“This has never been about building a shopping mall,” Caruso said.

“It’s about a place where people feel at home. It’s about a place

that reflects the community of Glendale, its history, its family, its

richness and its pride.”

While the park and its events could be the heart of The Americana,

the shops will be its bloodlines. On top of the tenants that Caruso

already has deals with, he is also in negotiations with Bristol

Farms, Brighton Collectibles, Club Monaco, Cole Haan, Crate & Barrel,

Sigrid Olsen, Sur La Table, Urban Outfitters, Z Galleria, P.F.

Chang’s, Marmalade Cafe and Fox Sports Grill, which will include a

broadcast studio.

Caruso said he is also beginning negotiations with BCBG, Burke

Williams Spa, Eileene Fisher, J. Crew, Kenneth Cole, Restoration

Hardware, Panera Bread and Wood Ranch.

Caruso said he is confident all of those retailers will wind up in

The Americana.

“It’s very upscale,” Caruso said. “This city’s demographics

support that.”