Americana

DOWNTOWN — A wall is what stands between the community and what will become a $324-million, 900,000-square-foot, mixed-use center that promises dining, entertainment, shopping and quality living. And behind that wall — which wraps around Central Avenue and Brand and Colorado boulevards — construction for the Americana at Brand is coming along smoothly and on schedule, officials said. "If you go out and look at the site, there's a tremendous amount of progress being made," city Director of Development Services Philip Lanzafame said.

Tony Bennett?s voice may be among the many that will emanate from hidden speakers at the Americana at Brand for years, but to herald the opening of the development, Bennett and his band showed up in person. For an audience of about 2,000 people who had some role in the Americana?s development, Bennett followed the Four Tops, the Temptations and Natalie Cole at an invite-only, black-tie gala on the rooftop of the Americana parking structure on Thursday night. For many in attendance, the star-studded event represented the start of a new era in Glendale defined by a high-class destination that some still insist is out of place on Brand Boulevard.

DOWNTOWN — As drivers and pedestrians crane their necks to assess the fortress-like Americana at Brand construction site, it may appear that the 15-acre megaplex is far from completion. And the 475,000-square-foot development is still in the making, but it remains on target for an April 17 completion date, said Rick Caruso, president and chief executive officer of Americana developer Caruso Affiliated. “It will be done,” he said. The stores are expected to open soon after construction is completed, and leasing and sales offices for the project’s residential components are slated to open in about 30 days, he said.

Restaurateur Tancredi DeLuca walked purposefully around his new Glendale delicatessen last week, tasting prosciutto as it came off the slicer, joking with employees in their first day on the job and talking business in Italian with executive chef Piero Topputo. DeLuca was celebrating the grand opening of his new delicatessen, DeLuca's, next door to his Amici restaurant. It is one of two recent openings at the Americana at Brand. American Eagle Outfitters, specializing in denim jeans and casual wear, recently took the space formerly occupied by Martin & Osa, a spin-off that failed to catch on nationally.

Fiona and Shrek, played by Haven Burton and Eric Petersen, perform for a good-sized crowd at the Shrek the Musical preview at the Americana at Brand in Glendale on Tuesday, July 19, 2011. The cast from Shrek the Musical put on a free taste of what is in the show at the Pantages Theatre until July 31.

Apple is scheduled to debut its new store at the Americana at Brand on Saturday, the latest in what will be series of major changes to the outdoor mall. Billionaire developer Rick Caruso, who own the Americana, has also announced plans to bring Nordstrom into a new section of the mall that will take over the recently acquired Golden Key Hotel on Colorado Street. In an email to customers today, Apple announced that the store would open its doors at 10 a.m., with the first 1,000 customers getting a free commemorative T-shirt.

CITY HALL — The City Council and Redevelopment Agency approved amendments Tuesday to a development agreement that regulates a two-acre open space that will sit within the Americana at Brand project. The park space is slated to be used for community events as well as Americana-sponsored events. The amendments confirmed that a master schedule will be used to regulate what events will go on and who will be allowed to use the facility. "In order to have a park for everybody to enjoy, we need to have reasonable rules," developer Rick Caruso said.