UCLA acquires Westside Pavilion Mall for research park

UCLA is breathing new life into a former mall, turning it into a research park focusing on developing new treatments for cancer and other illnesses.

The university announced it acquired the former Westside Pavilion Mall in a deal with $700 million. The new UCLA Research Park will house an immunology center. 

"This acquisition will be absolutely transformative for UCLA, our great city and the world," UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said in a statement. 

The acquisition of the 700,000-square-foot former shopping center was made possible in part by an intended $500 million investment, plus $200 million already allocated by the state of California to establish and fund the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy at UCLA.

Governor Newsom was at Wednesday's big announcement, calling California the epicenter of global innovation.

 "From the creation of the internet to the dominance of artificial intelligence, humanity's future happens here first," Newsom said. "Leveraging the next waves of technology and science -- quantum computing and the immense potential of immunology -- the UCLA Research Park will cement California's global economic, scientific and technological dominance into the 22nd century, and beyond." 

The academic hub and its research centers will take about 64 months to complete, the governor said during the news conference. 

The Westside Pavilion Mall opened in 1985 and became a fixture in West Los Angeles. After seeing a decline in business, it closed in 2019 and Google started leasing part of the building as an office site.

"We recognize the former Westside Pavilion's place in L.A.'s history and are grateful for the chance to turn the empty former mall into the future home of discoveries that will change the world," Block said.