The Hahn Company

The Hahn Company, San Diego, California, alternately known as Ernest W. Hahn, Inc., was a major American shopping center owner and developer from the 1950s to the 1980s. Purchased by the Trizec Corp. in 1980 (which then took the name TrizecHahn), it became defunct.

Corporate history

The company was founded and managed by Ernest W. Hahn (1919–1992). During its 30 years of existence the company built 45[1] shopping malls in 18 states, from Florida to Oregon.[2] Their first major project was the regional shopping mall La Cumbre Plaza in Santa Barbara, California, which opened in 1967. Hahn went on to become the largest mall builder in the West.[3]

The innovative Horton Plaza mall in Downtown San Diego, which opened in 1985, helped lead the rejuvenation of the city's downtown area. It was the first successful downtown retail center since the rise of suburban shopping centers decades earlier.[4] Hahn had previously built the Fashion Valley and Parkway Plaza malls in San Diego.

In 1980 Trizec Corporation, of Toronto, Ontario, acquired the company's shopping center interests. Trizec took the new name TrizecHahn to reflect the purchase. TrizecHahn exited the shopping center business in 1998. The majority of its properties west of Las Vegas were acquired by Westfield America, Inc. (precursor to The Westfield Group) and those east of Las Vegas by The Rouse Company.

Projects

References

  1. ^ The Free Library
  2. ^ New York Times, December 30, 1992
  3. ^ Evolution of the Shopping Center, History Department, University of San Diego Archived 2010-01-31 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Horton Plaza Redevelopment Project, in Journal of San Diego History, Summer 1995