Marlton Square facts for kids

Marlton Square is a special area in the Baldwin Village neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It's a place where you can find a medical facility, shops, and homes. This area is located on Marlton Avenue.

Marlton Square is surrounded by several streets. To the north is Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Marlton Avenue is on the east. Santa Rosalia Drive is to the south. Angeles Vista Boulevard is on the southeast. Thrive Drive is to the southwest, and Buckingham Road is on the west. Right across from the medical facility, you'll find the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, which is a large shopping mall.

History of Marlton Square

Marlton Square was first built in the early 1950s. Back then, it was a row of shops called a retail strip mall. It was known as Santa Barbara Plaza because it was located on Santa Barbara Avenue. Later, that street's name was changed to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Redevelopment Project Begins

In 2003, local builders started a big project to update Marlton Square. This project covered about 22-acre (89,000 m²) of land. The first part of this plan was to build the Buckingham Place Senior Retirement Community. This community is a large apartment complex with 180 units. It is next to the Baldwin Villa Plaza senior housing complex and the shopping mall.

The builders expected this first phase to be finished by the spring of 2004. Many millions of dollars from both public and private sources were given to help with the project. Even though there were some early worries about how the money was being handled, everyone hoped this project would be a major step forward for the Baldwin Hills and Crenshaw communities. It was seen as a very important development for the whole area.

Challenges and Delays

The project faced many problems soon after it started. There were financial difficulties and other issues. For example, one of the first payments to the city in 2001 did not go through. People who worked on the project also raised concerns, which led to an official review early on.

These problems became too much for the main company in charge of the development. The project faced serious financial trouble, and the redevelopment of Marlton Square stopped for a while. Several other groups were involved in the project, including Keyshawn Capital Development. This company is owned by Keyshawn Johnson, a former professional football player. The old shops were taken down in May 2011 to make room for new buildings.

New Beginnings

By the end of 2009, the Buckingham Place building was mostly finished. However, it stayed empty for some time due to the financial issues. Finally, in early 2012, the Buckingham Place housing complex officially opened its doors.

A large Kaiser Permanente medical facility opened on September 7, 2017. This building is about 100,000-square-foot (9,300 m²) in size. It includes a two-mile walking path and an outdoor plaza for people to enjoy. As of 2025, there are also plans for a new shopping center complex. This will include new restaurants and retail stores, which private companies are planning to build. In 2022, the city chose Hudson Pacific Properties to work on these future plans.

Getting Around Marlton Square

The Martin Luther King Jr. station is a convenient way to reach Marlton Square. This station provides access to the Kaiser Permanente medical facility. It also connects to the Crenshaw Medical Arts Centre clinic office building and the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza shopping mall. You can get there using the K Line train.