For over thirty years, the Westside Pavilion has been an iconic fixture for the communities of West Los Angeles. The three-story shopping center, high-end theater and community gathering space has nurtured a generation of shoppers, foodies, bookworms, rebellious youths and self-described mall rats eager for a space to escape from the stresses of urban life. It was a parent-approved after-school sanctuary, a family-friendly indoor space, a first-date default, a mall walker’s paradise…
But no more.
With the rise of online shopping and the rapid decline of brick-and-mortar stores, the Westside Pavilion is set to transition from a public mall into a private office complex operated by the tech giant Google. But before this new “GooglePlex” invades the vacated void left by the former mall, one determined individual is hoping to gather the community’s memories of the Westside Pavilion before its too late.
As part of her Arts for LA's ACTIVATE Project, Jennifer Schneiderman de Pressberg will be setting up typewriters at the annual Pick Pico 2019 Block Party right outside the former mall, and is calling for the community to come out and type down any and all memories they had of the Westside Pavilion. These paper memories will be collected and bound, and the finished product will be donated for preservation at the Palms-Rancho Park Public Library.
“Talking to people about the Westside Pavilion, I have learned so much about people as well as their experiences” said de Pressberg. “Sharing and documenting these memories not only brings people together, it creates a permanent community around something that is no longer physically here. Whether it is a big or small thing, it still matters to a lot of people.”
If you haven’t finished partying after Palm’s Community day on May 18th, head over to the Pick Pico Block Party on May 19th, find de Pressberg and share your memories of the iconic shopping center on her typewriters.
The Westside Pavilion may be gone, but with your help, the memories made there will continue to live on for the next generation of Angelenos.
For more information on this project, feel free to e-mail Jennifer Schneiderman de Pressberg at jenniferalexa (at) gmail.com.
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