Beverly Center Donning New Look to Outdo Its Competition.

One of L.A.'s grand dames - in a bid to look younger and hipper alongside a host of eye-popping competitors - is getting a facelift.

The 18-year-old Beverly Center retail mall is launching a multimillion-dollar renovation this week, aiming to keep pace with such highly touted projects as Hollywood & Highland and The Grove at Farmers Market.

Gone will be the stark white interior of the 900,000-square-foot Beverly Center, as well as the cool gray exterior. The surfaces will be painted with warmer tones, such as a soft yellow and beige.

In addition, the center plans to create themed "gathering areas." Chandeliers, carpet and furniture pieces such as funky brushed-aluminum stools, leather ottomans and plush sofas in tones of sage green and gold will replace the black-marble sunken pits enclosed with black leather seating.

But the highlight of the facelift will be a new al fresco dining spot on the roof of the eight-story structure. The open-air venue has been designed with a seating area for 600, filled with a garden of plants and teak-and-aluminum furniture. Builders will knock down an eight-foot-high wall in the food court and replace it with a sliding glass door through which diners can access the exterior eatery.

To appease merchants during the hectic renovation process, which is scheduled to conclude by mid-November, construction will occur only in the evening hours, General Manager Laurel Crary-Globus said.

Crary-Globus declined to specify the exact amount being spent on the renovation, which was designed by Seattle-based Callison Architecture Inc., but she said it's well worth the "significant" investment.

"We recognize that our customers come from eclectic backgrounds and we wanted to offer them an environment that's different from a mall setting," Crary-Globus said.

This renovation is a first for the mall, which has undergone only minor modifications over the years. The most notable followed the 1994 Northridge earthquake, when the mall was forced to close for six days after it suffered broken windows and water damage, and a stucco facade broke off from a parking structure and crashed to the sidewalk.

Although the mall's owner, Bloomfield, Mich.-based Taubman Centers, doesn't release sales figures, Crary-Globus said year-to-date sales per square foot are pacing ahead of last year. And the mall's vacancy is only around 3 percent.

So far, merchants seem enthusiastic about the pending upgrade.

"It's time the mall did this. We've always had good clientele and this will only enhance their shopping experience," said Jennifer Kaufman, owner of a store in the mall that bears her name.

As more malls come on line and customers shun enclosed malls for trendy open-air spaces, it's increasingly critical for places like the Beverly Center to reinvent themselves, industry observers said.

"It's just essential that malls and retail locations keep themselves current and fresh and change their offerings," said Richard Giss, a partner with the retail practice at Deloitte & Touche LLP. "The landscape has changed dramatically and people shop differently, so malls need to adjust to the new shopping culture."