The Americana at Brand | photo via Lifescapes International

“Prior to The Americana, most similar “lifestyle centers,” such as Caruso’s previous property, The Grove, or Victoria Gardens in Rancho Cucamonga, offered outdoor shopping streets and plazas, but exclusively for commercial uses. Today, most mall redevelopment proposals include housing options. In Glendale, The Americana pioneered the concept of mixed-use urban residential in a downtown and inspired a 10-year building boom that added over 3,000 new residential units across 20-plus projects to the immediate area.”

My essay about The Americana at Brand is one of the many entries in the online SAH Archipedia.

The Society of Architectural Historians Archipedia is a carefully selected subset from an encyclopedia of US architecture, containing peer-reviewed essays, photos, and maps for more than 4200 structures in 1710 cities and all 50 states. I am grateful to Emily Bills, coordinator of the massive chapter on California, for asking me to contribute this essay.

The full essay can be read here: https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/CA-01-037-0093