Makeover of the Century Ground Breaking event June 3, 2004

(Originally appeared in the July 1, 2004 edition of the Century City News)

On June 3, 2004 a groundbreaking ceremony was held at the Westfield Shopping Center to celebrate the new development which has commenced on the property.

AMC TO HOUSE FLAGSHIP THEATER IN CENTURY CITY

Dick Walsh Executive Vice President of Film and Marketing for AMC Theaters announced that AMC would be opening it’s number one premier theater at the Westfield Shoppingtown Century City. The new AMC theatre complex will feature 15 screens on two theatre levels. The theatre auditoriums will provide stadium seating top-to-bottom and extra-wide seats and expanded legroom. In addition, each theatre will be equipped with wall to wall screens and digital surround sound.

Said Dick Walsh at the Makeover groundbreaking party “AMC has designed a world class facility to suit a world class location. The theatre’s design is highlighted by a four-story, glass front atrium and a curved grand staircase. Add to that the best choices in first run films and a specially commissioned, custom interior design and this new AMC 15 will be the movie theatre to go to in Los Angeles.

Apple Store Coming to Century City

As part of the Makeover of the Century Paul Kurzawa (General Manager of Westfield Shoppingtown Century City) announced that Apple will be among the new retailers scheduled to open in the Westield Shoppingtown Century City. Other retailers scheduled to open include Williams’Sonoma Home, Hold Everything, The Container Store, Limited Too, Baby Gap, Swarovski and Papyrus. These additions will create a whole new synergy and redefine the ultimate shopping experience.

The Makeover of the Century

We just entered a new Century and already we have a makeover that will be unparalleled. Only fitting that this makeover should happen in the Capital of Makeovers. This isn’t just cosmetic but full blown reconstruction. The cost of the makeover is expected to top one hundred twenty seven million dollars. Who could possibly spend this kind of money on a makeover? Any guesses? I will give you a hint, it’s one of the last outdoor shopping malls in California.

Still don’t know?

Westfield has commenced work on the Makeover of the Century an exciting redevelopment and expansion of Westfield Shoppingtown Century City to make shopping better for you. The redevelopment will include a state of the art 15 screen AMC Theatre, more fashion for you and your home, an expanded Gelson’s The Super Market, more dining options, new and expanded alfresco style food court and a distinctive new center design.

A groundbreaking was held on June 3, 2004 to commence “The Makeover of the Century”. In attendance at the event was Paul Kurzawa the General Manager of Westfield Shoppingtown, Ken Wong, Jack Weiss 5th district council member for the city of Los Angeles, Chuck Stilley, the President of AMC Realty, and Jim Lynch, the CEO of the Century City Chamber of Commerce (prior to his departure to Beverly Hills).

Westfield Shoppingtown Century City is built upon what used to be the back lot of Twentieth Century Fox Film Studios. Prior to that it was a ranch owned by Tom Mix. Many films have been filmed on this site including: “Conquest of the Planet of the Apes” and more recently “Anywhere But Here” and “Bandits”. Once the Studio that made the films how fitting that this Makeover should include a four story glass front atrium and a curved grand staircase to high light AMC’s new 15 screen Theatre Complex. AMC will be equipping each theatre with wall-to-wall screens and digital surround sound, stadium seating, custom interior design and the best choices in first run films. All of this will make this the popular choice theatre in Los Angeles

Contemporaneously construction will continue on The sixty-eight million dollar beautification and expansion project on Santa Monica Boulevard, between the 405 Freeway and Beverly Hills city limit that is scheduled for completion in late 2005 and will greatly enhance the access and visibility of the Shoppingtown.

As we know Westfield Shoppingtown is a memorable shopping experience. It begins the moment you arrive and continues until the moment you leave. An array of thoughtful services are yours for the asking, like gift suggestions from their Shopping Concierge or package carryout. However they can serve you, their priority is to make you feel special and appreciated. After all, it’s what they do to make shopping better for you. The service of the shopping concierge doesn’t stop there. The Concierge is there to assist you in any way possible. From Gift ideas to store directions to package carryout, a Shopping Concierge is at your service. The Shopping Concierge Center is located near the AMC Century 14 Theatres.

Westfield also offers some services unique only to Westfield Shoppingtowns. If you are an expectant mother there are parking spaces reserved just for you conveniently placed for easy store access. Valet services are available for shoppers every day. Westfield offers a signature gift box to complement almost any gift. Topped with a beautiful ribbon it makes an impressive presentation. When you need a gift, you can valet your car, spend a few hours shopping, and walk away with a beautifully presented gift. Westfield is also kid friendly offering free balloons and Kiddie Kruzzers. Westfield Shoppingtown Gift Cards are perfect for any occasion or take advantage of the Shopping Concierge for gift ideas for weddings, birthdays or any occasion that will impress anyone on your list.

The Westfield difference is evident throughout - from design, to operations, to customer service at every one of their shoppingtowns here in California and across the Country. The definition is embedded in the hearts of every one of their employees and they know that their customers come to expect from every Westfield Shoppingtown. Each member of the team is dedicated to delivering and exceeding expectations for all of their customers

The Makeover will take this spirit of customer service to a new level. An expanded Gelson’s Super Market will open later this year, a new “State of the art” 15 screen AMC Movie Theatre with Stadium Seating will open in the Fall of 2005, and a larger Food Court will open in the Summer of 2005. New restaurants and retail shops will all be showcased by a distinctive new design center. This makeover will solidify Century City as the premier shopping, dining, and entertainment destination in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. Stores like Tiffany, Louis Vuitton, Dooney & Burke, Coach, and Tourneau will continue to provide shoppers with the an incredible shopping experience.

The Makeover Of The Century

Development Update JULY – AUGUST 2004

The existing parking entrance towards the west-side of Constellation leading to Gelson’s The Supermarket and the Shoppingtown have now closed to allow excavation work to commence on the site that will be the new 15 screen AMC movie theatre. A new temporary entrance to Gelson’s and the parking garage has been opened approximately 100 feet east on Constellation Blvd. Customers requiring access to Gelson’s and the Shoppingtown garage should now enter and exit through this new temporary entrance. Pedestrians should enter the Shoppingtown via Macy’s and access Gelson’s via the excalators next to Tourneau.

Demolition work on the two existing retail buildings on the west-side of the Shoppingtown is now complete. In addition, over half of the 150 columns in the parking garage that require strengthening to support the second level of retail have also been completed. The remaining column work will continue over the next few months as work begins on preparing the first level of retail for steel erection later this year. To facilitate this work, several retailers will temporarily relocate within the Shoppingtown (Coach, The Body Shop, Horton & Converse, Century City Optometry and Great Earth Vitamins). Please visit the Shopping Concierge center for exact locations. Please note that due to federal security guidelines, the US Post Office was unable to secure a temporary location. The Post Office will close at the end of July for a few months and reopen in their new space for the holiday season. 

For more information about the Makeover of the Century please call the Redevelopment Hotline 877-276-7000 or visit their website at www.westfield.com.

Jim Lynch Hits the Road

(Originally appeared in the July 1, 2004 edition of the Century City News)

Jim Lynch is still burning the midnight oil.  Beverly Hills oil, that is.  July 12th marked Lynch’s official switch from Century City Chamber of Commerce Executive Director and CEO to heading up the chamber in Beverly Hills.  Some things never change, despite geography.  

“At least I’m not doing a midnight council meeting tonight. It’s good because I could use the sleep,” says an ambitious, yet calm and collected Lynch from his new Beverly Hills office, fresh from a three-day string of late-night city council meetings and 7 a.m. mornings. 

“I’ve just got a lot of stuff to take care of. I jumped right in from day one,” continues the Pasadena native, who is now working with the Los Angeles City Council on the Montage Hotel Project, a plan to replace some older buildings and a parking lot in Beverly Hills’ Golden Triangle with a five-star luxury hotel complete with retail, public gardens, and water treatments.

As Lynch gets straight to work a few miles away, the impression he leaves on the people and the businesses in Century City remains indelible. 

July 16th would have celebrated Marianne Klein’s fifth year working with Lynch at the Century City Chamber. “We’re a three-member office here, so I’ve always worked very closely with Jim as the Director of Membership,” says Klein, who has accumulated much respect for Lynch, as both a professional and a friend.  “He’s a walking dictionary and encyclopedia about the city, the population, development, and political issues.”

Many agree that Lynch’s knack for public service has been specifically instrumental in making The Century City Chamber what it is today.  

“I think he made the chamber a better place, a more amicable place,” continues Klein, “He made people feel welcome to the chamber as opposed to before he came. He was always so hospitable that it gave the chamber a better image.  I hear from others that ours is the best chamber in the vicinity--that it has never been run like this.”  

Stefan Pollack, current chair of the Century City Chamber’s Board of Directors and Vice President and CFO of The Pollack PR Marketing Group, was on the search committee that hired Lynch.  “In a nutshell,” says Pollack, “I have worked with Jim in just about every capacity.” 

Pollack’s meticulous remembrance of Lynch’s Century City achievements provides a good breakdown of Lynch’s impact on the community:

“During Jim's tenure with our chamber we had a lot of exciting things happen,” Pollack begins. “We saw our Golf Tournament grow to become our single biggest networking event and fundraiser in our history.  We reformatted and repurposed our Annual Luncheon and Citizen of the Year event, enabling it to grow and become one of the City's ‘must attend’ events. Jim also possesses a wonderful personal nature about him that allowed our chamber to become a warmer and friendlier environment.  Additionally, he brought greater civic and government visibility to our chamber on key issues that involved our entire community, such as…the recent hospital change over, as well as the many non-profit and charity activities that our chamber and Century City as a whole, rallies behind.”

But which of his Century City contributions makes Lynch, himself, most proud?  

“Something I’m really happy about that we were able to do during my time in Century City was build the MGM Tower and get unanimous approval from the Los Angeles City Council to develop the new 2000 Avenue of the Stars Project,” Lynch says modestly. “Those are two big achievements that I’m very pleased about.”

Lynch has also left his mark on several projects that are still ongoing in Century City today.  He worked to devise the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan for all of Century City—a safety measure taken to ensure readiness in the event of a natural disaster or terrorist attack.  Due to the concentrated nature of the office towers and their occupants, a plan like this will continuously evolve. Additionally, the enduring Santa Monica Blvd. construction project is the largest street improvement project in the history of Los Angeles, and Lynch helped to coordinate it everyday by inspecting the site to ensure that people could get to and from work safely.  

The breaking-in process typical with a new CEO will be much smoother in Beverly Hills this summer thanks to Lynch’s experience in Century City.  “The same issues that face businesses in Century City are a lot of the same issues that face businesses in Beverly Hills,” says Michael Robinson, Director of Communications at the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce. “So even from a big picture perspective, it’s going to be a much smoother transition, I’m sure.”

Lynch’s move to Beverly Hills does not mean a complete shift away from Century City, however.  Key to Lynch’s continued involvement in Century City is his leadership of the Entertainment Industry Council, which he began during his time in Century City.  The  collaborative effort involves five chambers, including the Beverly Hills, Century City, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, and the Los Angeles Area Chambers of Commerce. “Lynch may no longer have authority as to the Century City Chamber’s organization,” adds Klein, “but when it comes to The Entertainment Industry Council, he will still be able to make decisions that may ultimately affect us in this chamber.”

While Lynch’s ties to Century City should remain strong, the chamber will undergo a definite adjustment period.  “Right now, we’re in mourning,” says Klein, “It depends on who takes over his leadership. He will be difficult to replace.”  

While there are several applicants eager to fill Lynch’s shoes, no decisions have been made just yet.  The Century City Chamber hopes to locate someone by August 1st.

Pollack is confident that Lynch’s legacy in Century City will nurture the chamber’s new leader.  “Jim leaving our chamber obviously leaves us with a great void to fill,” says Pollack, “but we are excited about our future, as Jim brought our chamber to a wonderful platform that any new person coming into the position will have to grow from.”

In late July, the Los Angeles City Council will honor Lynch for his years of service to the Los Angeles area.  From his venerated and evolving position, where does Lynch see Century City going?

Lynch replies, simply, “I think Century City has a great nucleus of people and a lot of dedicated volunteers that put together some wonderful programs, and I think they’ll do just fine.”