The Glendale Galleria was developed by Glendale Associates, a partnership between J.S. Griffiths Co, Broadway Hale Stores and M.J. Brock & Sons. Construction of the mall started in 1973 as agreements were negotiated with Glendale's Redevelopment Agency. The mall cost US$75 million. The architect was Jon Jerde, who credited his design to a Ray Bradbury essay on reviving retail districts. The first shops to open in the mall were the Buffums and The Broadwaydepartment stores, both in August 1976, a few months prior to the mall's formal opening. The Galleria officially opened on October 14, 1976. Ohrbach's and JCPenney opened locations in October and November 1976, respectively. The Galleria's first expansion, Galleria II, was completed in 1983. It expanded a wing of the mall and added another anchor store, Nordstrom along with Mervyn's. The first Panda Express restaurant opened in Galleria II in the same year, on level 3 near Bloomingdale's. The first Disney Store opened in the Glendale Galleria on March 28, 1987. By 1990, the mall was in size, and had annual revenues of $350 million. In 1990, the Buffums store closed, which was demolished and replaced by a three-story Robinsons-May store in 1993. Glendale Galleria was selected by Apple Inc. as the location of one of the first two Apple Stores in the world ; both officially opened on May 19, 2001. On September 4, 2002, the Galleria's three owners at the time; J.S. Griffiths, Cigna, and the New York State Teachers' Retirement System, put the mall up for sale "for reasons unrelated to the mall's performance". On October 28, 2002, it was announced that General Growth Properties will buy the Glendale Galleria for $415 million. The acquisition was completed on December 6th of that year. The Galleria includes the world's first three-story Target store, which opened to the public on July 29, 2007 replacing the former Robinsons-May store. In 2013, Bloomingdale's opened replacing the former Mervyn's store at the mall. In 2016, it was reported that 30 million people have visited the Galleria throughout the year, making it one of the top 100 shopping centers according to Green Street Advisors. As of 2017, over 200 stores remain operational in the Galleria, with 6 of them acting as anchor stores.
Architecture
Originally, the Galleria was covered in a windowless, unadorned brick finish. This type of architecture reflected the style of other shopping malls built across the country between the 1960s and 1970s.
Renovation
Starting April 25, 2012, the Galleria underwent an extensive renovation. Designed by Kevin Kennon and Alan Loomis, objectives of the renovation included a modernized look, improved signage, and enhanced circulation and access. Various metal panels and meshes, most made out of white marble and black granite, were added to the building's facades. The renovation cost $57.5 million and was completed on November 9, 2013.
