9600 Wilshire Boulevard

Saks Fifth Avenue at 9600 Wilshire Boulevard

Company type	Department store location
Industry	Retail
Founded	1938
Headquarters	Beverly Hills, California , United States
Products	Luxury goods, apparel, accessories
Number of employees	500
Parent	Hudson's Bay Company

9600 Wilshire Boulevard is situated in the Golden Triangle commercial area of Beverly Hills, California. Since its completion in 1938, it served as a Saks Fifth Avenue department store, regarded as the brand's secondary flagship following the main store in New York City. In 2024, Saks Fifth Avenue moved to the neighboring location at 9570 Wilshire Boulevard. The original property is slated for transformation into a mixed-use development by Hudson's Bay Company.

1938–2024: Saks Fifth Avenue

The building was conceived by the architectural firm Parkinson and Parkinson, with interior design by Paul R. Williams. The store officially opened its doors in 1938. The Parkinsons were responsible for the exterior architecture, while Williams designed the interior spaces in the distinctive Hollywood Regency style. Architectural historians David Gebhard and Robert Winter characterized the structure as featuring "sufficient curved surfaces to imply that thirties Streamline Moderne could embody elegance." Subsequent expansions and redesigns were undertaken by Williams in 1940 and again in 1948. From its inception, the store enjoyed immediate commercial success, eventually growing to nearly 74,000 square feet (6,900 m²) and employing approximately 500 staff members.

Williams’s approach to the store’s layout marked a shift away from conventional department store designs by minimizing overt commercial displays, anticipating the boutique retail trend of later decades. Merchandise was exhibited sparingly within discreet alcoves. Adam Gimbel, then-President of Saks Fifth Avenue, explained to the Los Angeles Times that "Each room endeavors to evoke an atmosphere consistent with the products offered. For instance, a Pompeian-themed room adorned in cool green tones with an appropriate frieze showcases beachwear and swimwear; meanwhile, a French provincial room is dedicated to casual sports and country attire. Accessories are presented in an oval-shaped room inspired by Regency aesthetics."

Customer experience was enhanced through semi-enclosed individual shipping areas that minimized distractions. Williams’s interior design echoed his work on upscale private homes, featuring indirect lighting and footlights emphasizing garments. The 1940 expansion introduced new departments including furs, corsetry, gifts, and debutante dresses.

The rooftop housed The Terrace Restaurant, operated by Perino's, which served patrons for several years. During renovations in the 1940s, this space was expanded to provide shelter during adverse weather conditions.

Additionally, Saks maintains The Mens Store in a separate building located at 9634 Wilshire Boulevard.

2024–present: Redevelopment

In June 2022, Hudson's Bay Company unveiled intentions to transform the building at 9600 Wilshire Boulevard into a mixed-use development comprising office spaces, retail outlets, and residential units. The plan includes relocating Saks Fifth Avenue by 2023 to the neighboring storefront at 9570 Wilshire Boulevard, which has remained unoccupied since the closure of Barneys New York in February 2020.

In popular culture

The store appears in the 2005 motion picture Shopgirl. Although the original novella is set within Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue successfully persuaded the film’s producers to feature their own store instead.