The Changing Architecture of Arcadia

The new Rusnak showroom takes on a curious glow at night. The $25 million project is expected to be completed in the early part of 2016. – Photo by Terry Miller

By Joe Taglieri

After a nearly 14-year effort, Arcadia’s only auto dealership and the city’s largest generator of sales tax revenue is in the final stage of its quest to construct a larger, more elaborate showroom.

Rusnak Mercedes-Benz – in town since 2000 and currently located at 55 W. Huntington Drive near Santa Anita Race Track and the Civic Center – broke ground last December to begin construction of a 22,500-square-foot, two-story structure just around the corner from its longstanding base of operations. The new location is destined for the 100 block of Santa Anita Avenue and will also include 78,000 square feet for vehicle service and repairs, storage and parking.

In line with Mercedes’ arguable status as the flagship of luxury car brands, the plan for Rusnak’s new showroom is indeed nothing short of luxurious. The palatial yet at the same time conservative design features panoramic glass walls with sleek light-blue columns and white stone surfacing on the roof, creating a front facade reminiscent of somewhere between an ancient Roman temple and ultra-modern sports arena.

Inside, the forthcoming showroom will boast a massive sales floor to accommodate upwards of 30 brand new vehicles. Centrally placed interior columns will form an inner circle likely to showcase Rusnak’s top models.

An upper level platform that wraps around a significant portion of the building’s perimeter will host a number of additional vehicles for customers to browse and offer a birds-eye view of autos on the ground level in addition to the neighboring cityscape and the San Gabriel Mountains off in the distance.

Reportedly a $10 million development, Rusnak Auto Group CEO Victoria Rusnak put the total price tag for the project at more than $25 million.

The dealership’s annual sales total for 2014 was $170.5 million, up more than $18 million from 2013, according to CEO Rusnak.

City Manager Dominic Lazzaretto also shared his exuberance for the imminent dealership expansion.

“The City is very excited that the Rusnak project is underway,” he said via email. “It is a significant investment by an elite retailer in a fantastic location. Once complete, the facility will provide an interesting and modern facade to the heart of our downtown.”

“In the end this dealership will benefit the community tremendously,” Victoria Rusnak said. “It not only generates a gigantic amount of sales tax dollars, which of course funds the police, fire department and schools, it also brings incremental business to the community in terms of shopping, restaurants and all of that. When you’re selling and servicing that many cars, you have a lot of clients coming in.”

This article previously ran in The Arcadia Weekly in January 2015.

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