Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke has cleared the way for creating a training facility for his Super Bowl champions with the purchase of the former Anthem building for $175 million.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Kroenke is the buyer of the 13-story vacant Landmark office building at 21555 Oxnard St. at Warner Center. Situated on 32 acres, the Landmark building sits adjacent to the dormant Westfield Promenade mall property, which Kroenke purchased in March for $150 million. With the acquisition of the 45,000 square foot Landmark, Kroenke now owns a 65-acre block in Woodland Hills.
The building’s sellers include Abraham Lerner, who in 2020 told the Business Journal that there were plans to create a hotel and restaurants on the property.
While Kroenke has not revealed plans for the properties he’s purchased, the assumption is that the combined sites will be transformed into the L.A. Rams’ new team headquarters and practice facility with surrounding commercial development resembling a scaled-down version of the SoFi stadium area in Inglewood.
The Rams are currently headquartered in Agoura Hills and practice during the season at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks.
Back in March, Los Angeles City Councilman Bob Blumenfield reflected on the rumors of the Los Angeles Rams coming to the Promenade site.
“That sounds like a really great opportunity and would be good news if true,” Blumenfield, who represents Woodland Hills, said. “There is a plan in place for a venue at the site that protects the community and could let our Super Bowl champs get something up and running in my district pretty soon, which is incredibly exciting.”
The land is ripe for commercial development. Before Kroenke purchased the Promenade site, previous owner Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield recently completed the city’s planning and development process, securing approval for the 3.2 million-square-foot mixed-use Promenade 2035 project. The $1.5 billion overhaul of the parcel between Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Oxnard Street would have brought 1,400 apartment units, retail and restaurants, a 527-key hotel, a 25-story office building and 10,000- to 15,000-seat sports arena to the site.
Anthem Inc. had occupied the Landmark building since its inception in 1978. In 2019, the company relocated to its current Woodland Hills location at 6300 Canoga Ave.