Elevator caps South Coast 40th anniversary rise

South Coast Plaza, which commenced a massive renovation last year in anticipation of its 40th anniversary, finished the project Friday as the mall’s glass observation elevator opened.

The 6,000-pound elevator travels between the first and second levels in the mall’s Jewel Court near Nordstrom. Service began Friday when the mall opened at 10 a.m.

The mall’s renovation features also 150,000 square feet of new flooring, new iron-glass guardrails on the upper level, teak benches and new landscape architecture.

“Our guests as well as our retailers are commenting on how much lighter and brighter the center appears,” Debra Gunn Downing, the mall’s marketing executive director. — Michael Miller