The Quad at Whittier

The Quad at Whittier is a shopping mall in Whittier, California.

The Quad at Whittier

Side Entrance of the Quad
Location	Whittier, California, USA
Coordinates	33°57′39″N 118°1′56″W
Address	Cnr SEC Whittier Blvd. & Painter Avenue
Opening date	1953
Owner	Terramar Retail Centers
No. of anchor tenants	7
Total retail floor area	432,596 sq ft
Website	The Quad at Whittier

The front corner of the Quad in Whittier, CA

History

It was built in 1953^[1] and expanded in 1965 with the addition of a 3-story, 248,000-square-foot May Company California department store.^[2] Arcadia-based Hinshaw's and Pasadena-based Nash's were other major tenants.^[3]

The center began to seriously struggle in 1986 after May Company closed, though it had not been a solid performer beforehand. Without May, merchants struggled due to poor visibility as commercial centers on Whittier Boulevard siphoned off traffic.^[4] A minor renovation including new landscaping and the demolition of a small portion of the center had begun by March 1987.^[5] The 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake collapsed the parking garage in front of the May building, leading to its demolition.^[6] At the urging of the city of Whittier, which was anxious to replace lost tax revenue, Schurgin Corporation acquired the Quad property in 1988 from Golden West Properties; Schurgin planned to demolish the entire center except for Hinshaw's, which would reduce its footprint.^[7] Hinshaw's, the only store not affected by the earthquake, closed in 1992.^[8]

Present day

The current shopping center includes^[9] Michaels, Marshalls, Ross Dress for Less, TJ Maxx, Five Below, Staples, Rite Aid (formerly Thrifty Drugs), Vallarta Supermarkets (formerly Ralphs), Rubi's, Olive Garden, Chili's, and Chuck E. Cheese.^[10] Burlington Coat Factory occupied the old Hinshaw's building along with Staples next door. However, Burlington closed its store in 2024.