Food4Less Pico Rivera

[luckysaver]

Is it true that the Food4Less in Pico Rivera (store 336, 8620 Whittier Blvd) was once the site of a Ford Motor Company facility that moved from Long Beach in 1957? The 1.3 million square feet plant housed the Ford's West Coast Headquarters, Lincoln-Mercury regional offices, and Ford Galaxie/Mercury Comet Assembly operations.

luckysaver

[Jeff]

I don't know. I know the center opened in the 1970's with two anchors, Montgomery Wards (now demolished for a Target) and Roberts Department Store (now part of the Food 4 Less). Food 4 Less opened in a former Alpha Beta that was in the center.

[runchadrun]

Construction on the Wards shopping center started in March 1979 with the intention of opening in the spring of 1980. According to the Times article, "the site has been occupied by a combination of commercial and residential uses."

The Pico Rivera Ford plant was located at 8900 E Washington at Rosemead. Northrop bought it after Ford closed the plant with the intent of building the steath bomber there, except there was no runway (doh!) so they moved the operation to Palmdale. There's a new shopping center now facing Washington and a new industrial park has been built behind it. Indeed, two of the streets are now called Mercury Lane and Stealth Parkway. One thing I can't tell from the aerial views is if they have incorporated its legacy as a car plant into the architecture of the shopping center as has been done with The Plant in Van Nuys (former GM plant) and aviation into Empire Center in Burbank (former Lockheed? plant)

[Jeff]

nope Chad, there is no architecture to show that it was a car yard. Nothing. I work down the street from there and usually are at that spot a few times a week. At least Downey Landing in Downey has plaques and stuff to remember all the projects that occured there.

[sara55clint]

I never know this information ever in my life. So its still running or it moved some where else.