SANTA MONICA, Calif.,
Dec. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/
-- Macerich (NYSE:MAC) announced today that its Santa Monica
Place has been selected as the Best High Street Retail Development
for this year's prestigious MAPIC Awards.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121211/LA19754)
The completely re-imagined property opened in August 2010, anchored by the West Coast's only
SoHo concept Bloomingdale's to an innovative Nordstrom concept
store and an array of the city's best shops – Burberry Brit,
Hugo Boss, All Saints, Ted Baker, Tory
Burch, Tiffany and Co., Louis Vuitton,and more recently,
Emporio Armani, plus an entire third level dedicated to food
experiences.
"We purchased Santa Monica Place recognizing its tremendous
potential as one of the most well-situated retail properties in the
entire United States," said
Art Coppola, Chairman and CEO of
Macerich. "Our vision was to completely transform this property
from a traditional mall into a new destination that would maximize
its near-perfect Southern
California setting to appeal to the region's sophisticated
locals and visitors, and of course, the world's best retailers.
That's exactly what we have accomplished at Santa Monica
Place."
The best high street category was open to shopping centers,
retail parks, factory outlets and retailers, with private owners,
cities or local authorities eligible to submit. The other two
finalists in the category included a significant new shopping and
cultural district in Marseille,
France; and the formidable CapitaMalls' ION Orchard
development in Singapore. Santa
Monica Place was selected as the winner of the group, and
represents a major international accomplishment for Macerich's
Southern California
open-air retail and dining destination, now in its second year
of operation since the redevelopment.
The MAPIC Awards, now in its 17th year, honors
significant retail-oriented development projects and is held each
fall in conjunction with the international market for retail real
estate conference held in Cannes,
France. The High Street Retail category rewards the most
innovative retail real estate project located on a 'high street',
or primary business/tourist district, within a city center.
According to MAPIC, judges placed critical emphasis on the concept
design quality, integration within the urban environment,
adaptability within the community, innovative leasing mix,
attraction to both locals and tourists, and the development's
overall economic and social sustainability.
In 2002, Macerich teamed with The Jerde Partnership to begin
replacing its 1980's era, enclosed mall with a new, urban open-air
district, connected to the thriving downtown on all sides. Located
just two blocks from the ocean, Santa Monica Place complements and
extends Third Street Promenade providing a public plaza and is one
of the few large-scale urban centers to be Gold LEED certified.
"MAPIC is a long-standing and important event in the retail real
estate industry, and for Santa Monica Place, a project we are very
proud of, to win this category speaks volumes for the true sense of
place that Macerich has created for the city," says David Rogers
FAIA, Jerde co-design director and principal designer for Santa
Monica Place.
About Macerich
Macerich is a fully integrated self-managed and
self-administered real estate investment trust, which focuses on
the acquisition, leasing, management, development and redevelopment
of regional malls throughout the United
States. Additional information about Macerich can be
obtained from the Company's website at www.macerich.com.
About The Jerde Partnership
The Jerde Partnership is a visionary architecture and urban
design firm that creates places to deliver memorable experiences
for people. To date, Jerde Places attract over 1 billion people
annually. Founded in 1977, the firm has pioneered "Jerde
Placemaking" throughout the world with projects that provide
lasting social, cultural and economic value and promote further
investment and revitalization. Based in a design studio in
Los Angeles with project offices
in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Seoul, Jerde takes a signature, co-creative
approach to design and collaborates with private developers, city
officials, specialty designers and local executive architects to
realize the vision of each project. The firm has received critical
acclaim from the American Institute of Architects, Progressive
Architecture, American Planning Association, and The Chicago
Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design. To date, over 100
Jerde Places have opened in diverse cities, including Atlanta, Budapest, Hong
Kong, Istanbul,
Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Osaka, Rotterdam, Seoul, Shanghai, Tokyo and Warsaw. For more information,
please visit www.jerde.com.
SOURCE Macerich