Street level picture of The Bloc. The under construction retail center had its roof removed in June.
The Bloc: Tear the Roof Off
The 1970s era Macy’s Plaza in downtown Los Angeles is in the midst of a major makeover. Developer The Ratkovich Company is turning the mall – which will be renamed The Bloc - into an open air retail center. That means that they tore the roof off the mall.
Sunlight slipped into the mall building in June when the roof was removed. I passed by The Bloc earlier this week, and saw a unique, if temporary, bit of skyline in downtown Los Angeles, which is pictured above. Look closely at the area once covered by the roof, and you can see signs left over from retailers which have not done business at the mall for a long time.
The finishing touches will be put on The Bloc before it is scheduled to reopen in late 2015 with office towers, a Macy’s anchor and a Sheraton Hotel, both of which have been operating during construction. Also joining The Bloc will be restaurants and a pedestrian tunnel which will connect with the 7th Street/Metro Center Station for light rail.
New businesses expected to join The Bloc are Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, a theater and restaurant venue and Wingtip, which will be the Los Angeles location of the San Francisco-headquartered clothier and club for men. Nordstromrack.com and Hautelook.com also are scheduled to open creative offices in The Bloc’s office tower section.
