Hawthorne Plaza demolition is underway in the South Bay after a court-ordered August deadline, ending decades of uncertainty around a mall closed since 1999. The property also became a production location for major films and music videos. The teardown now shifts attention to the site’s long-delayed transition and what remains unresolved.
Key Takeaways
- Demolition activity is underway after a court order required work to begin no later than Aug. 14, 2026.
- AMPCO Contracting Inc. is carrying out a five-phase demolition beginning at the south end of the property.
- Hawthorne Plaza opened in 1977, closed in 1999 and later became a filming location for movies and music videos.
- The site was used for projects involving Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift” and “Minority Report.”
- No final replacement project for the roughly 35-acre property has been publicly established.
Hawthorne Plaza is coming down after spending more years closed than it operated as a shopping mall.
The demolition follows a July 30 court hearing that produced a firm schedule for the long-vacant Hawthorne Boulevard property. The City of Hawthorne announced July 31 that the owners were ordered to begin demolition no later than Aug. 14 and submit outstanding demolition permit applications for two parking structures by Aug. 28.
The order tightened an earlier deadline. In September 2025, the city announced a permanent injunction requiring property owners The Charles Company and affiliate M&A Gabaee to proceed with redevelopment or demolition by Aug. 31, 2026.
By mid-August, heavy machinery and crews were visible at the site. Reporting published Sept. 1 also documented dump trucks carrying metal debris from behind security gates.
“This court decision provides a clear, enforceable schedule for the remediation of the Hawthorne Mall property,” City Manager Vontray Norris said when the July order was announced.
Before major structural work, the owners had installed perimeter fencing, gates and a job-site trailer and issued advance demolition notices to nearby residents. The court cited those steps as evidence of progress toward the ordered schedule.
Court Order Put Hawthorne Plaza Demolition on a Fixed Schedule
The owners contracted AMPCO Contracting Inc. to perform demolition at 12124 Hawthorne Blvd., according to the city. The Hawthorne Mall Work Plan divides structural demolition into five phases labeled A through E, beginning at the southern portion of the site and moving north.
The plan sets routes for trucks carrying material from the property. The city said highside end dump trucks must use West 120th Street, with mixed debris directed to Gardena and scrap metal transported to Long Beach.
The work follows years of disputes over conditions at the vacant complex. The city’s nuisance abatement action cited concerns including trespassing, graffiti, trash and safety issues. The 2025 injunction also required fencing, structural and asbestos testing, cleanup and on-site security.
The July order did not establish a new project for the land. It set a schedule for removing the existing structures, making demolition the immediate change at a property that had been tied to several unrealized redevelopment concepts.
That distinction is significant because previous proposals never reached the point of replacing the mall. Concepts involving housing, offices, retail space and other commercial uses surfaced at different stages while the main complex remained largely inactive.
Hollywood Turned the Empty Mall Into a Production Location
Hawthorne Plaza developed a second identity after retail operations ended. Its empty corridors, parking structures and stripped commercial spaces became settings for film and music projects.
The property was used for music videos involving Taylor Swift and Beyoncé. Its parking garage appeared as a street-racing location in “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift,” while Steven Spielberg filmed portions of “Minority Report” at the complex.
That production history kept the mall visible long after shoppers disappeared. A large, inactive commercial property also gave productions access to spaces without requiring crews to work around the normal traffic of an operating shopping center.
The location is disappearing during a difficult period for local production. FilmLA recorded 4,711 permitted on-location shoot days in Greater Los Angeles during the second quarter of 2026, down 12.7% from the same period a year earlier. The broader Hollywood filming activity provides additional context for the loss of a site that had remained available to production crews for years.
Hawthorne Plaza’s screen history was ultimately a byproduct of vacancy, not a formal entertainment use. The same lack of regular commercial activity that made the property useful for cameras left a large site inactive along a major South Bay corridor.
The original complex was built on a much different premise. Historical records show that planning for the Hawthorne Plaza project began years before construction, with the enclosed center designed around department stores, specialty retailers and extensive structured parking. Its physical scale later helped make the vacant property adaptable to large production setups.
Demolition now closes both parts of that history. The work removes the remains of a former regional retail center while also eliminating a Los Angeles County filming location that developed its screen presence only after the stores were gone.
A 1977 Retail Center Spent More Time Closed Than Open
Hawthorne Plaza opened in February 1977 after years of planning for a downtown redevelopment project. Historical records identify J.C. Penney, Montgomery Ward and The Broadway as its three department-store anchors, with roughly 130 shops planned for the enclosed center.
Records compiled by the Hawthorne Historical Society say about 100,000 people attended the Feb. 21, 1977 grand opening. By the following month, 81 of 130 stores were operating.
Its retail position weakened over time. By 1994, occupancy had fallen from about 130 stores to approximately 87. J.C. Penney, the final anchor, closed in 1998, and the mall shut down in 1999.
The property was sold to The Charles Company in 2001, according to historical records. Various reuse plans followed, including mixed-use concepts, but the mall remained standing.
The long vacancy reflects a broader challenge for large commercial properties after their original use disappears. Other Los Angeles mixed-use projects have moved toward combinations of housing, retail and other uses, although Hawthorne Plaza does not yet have a finalized replacement plan.
That distinction remains central to the current story. The demolition work addresses the existing structures and site logistics. Publicly available information reviewed for this article does not establish a completed development program, construction schedule or opening date for whatever may eventually replace the mall.
For Hawthorne, the immediate change is specific. A shopping center that opened in 1977, closed in 1999 and spent more than a quarter-century largely vacant is being dismantled under a court-directed schedule.
The Hawthorne Plaza demolition also removes a production location recognized from films and music videos. Once the phased teardown is complete, the property will no longer offer the same physical backdrop, while the longer-term use of the site remains unresolved.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Hawthorne Plaza demolition begin?
A July 2026 court order required demolition to begin no later than Aug. 14, 2026. Heavy equipment and crews were subsequently documented at the property, with demolition activity reported during the second half of August.
Why is Hawthorne Plaza being demolished?
The demolition follows years of disputes over the long-vacant property and a nuisance abatement action by the City of Hawthorne. A permanent injunction in 2025 required the owners to move forward with redevelopment or demolition, and a later order established specific demolition deadlines.
What movies and music videos used Hawthorne Plaza?
The property was used in “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift” and “Minority Report.” It also served as a location for music videos involving Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.
When did Hawthorne Plaza close?
Hawthorne Plaza opened in February 1977 and closed in 1999. J.C. Penney, its final department-store anchor, closed in 1998.
What will replace Hawthorne Plaza?
No finalized replacement project has been publicly announced in the sources reviewed for this article. The Hawthorne Plaza demolition is proceeding under a phased work plan, while the longer-term use of the site remains unresolved.
