For many years, visitors often thought of Hollywood as a place of glitz and glamour. But locals knew it as a seedy area. Then a big new mall opened at Hollywood and Highland in 2001, complete with white elephants on columns, a view of the Hollywood sign, and a new theater for the Oscars.
Last year, investors DJM Capital and Gaw Capital bought Hollywood and Highland. They’re working with local design firm Gensler on a $100 million makeover of the complex, which they’ll rename as Ovation. They plan to break ground on the project later this year.
“It's not simply a kind of place for consumerism. It will be a place to work. It will be a place that you can bring your family, and kind of have a better, more rich experience,” Gensler’s David Glover told KCRW.