Mary Cummins, Real Estate Appraiser, Real Estate Appraisal, Los Angeles, California, Mary Cummins.

Mary Cummins is a real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California with 38+ years of experience. Cummins provides real estate appraisals for banks, lenders, mortgage brokers, Appraisal Management Companies (AMCs), lawyers, Courts, factors and private parties for lending, lawsuits, probate, estate planning, divorce and all types of litigation. Cummins provides 1004, 1073, 1025 and other form reports, narrative reports and historical appraisals besides real estate research and appraisal advice.

Tuesday, September 30, 2025

Plaza Mexico Mall in Lynwood Used to be Montgomery Ward Shopping Center by Mary Cummins Real Estate Appraiser

Plaza Mexico is the largest Mexican themed mall in the US located at 3100 E Imperial Highway in Lynwood, Los Angeles, California 90262. It was originally built in 1972 as a Montgomery Ward shopping center. In March 1986 Montgomery Ward closed because they were losing money. The city of Lynwood offered them financing to stay but they still closed. Montgomery Ward allegedly gave the property to the city of Lynwood. The city of Lynwood also owned the large vacant property next door which they wanted to redevelop into a shopping center.

The property became a clearance center store after Montgomery Ward's closure. Later part of Montgomery Ward was demolished. By 1990 it was reopened by the City of Lynwood as the Lynwood Marketplace. It was then 100 shops in two stories with allegedly 800,000 sf per an LA Times article.

Starting around 2001 Korean immigrant brothers Min and Donald Chae began to turn it into the Plaza Mexico that we know today. The project reopened in 2002 after a $55,000,000 renovation. Per a 2005 LA Times article Lynwood Plaza Mexico replicated a traditional Mexican downtown. The plaza resembles Monte Albam, the ancient Indian ruins in Oaxaca. The shops have bold colors of typical provincial towns. There is a shrine to the Virgin of Guadalupe which I believe became the chapel. The Plaza clock tower replicates the facade of the government palace in Guadalajara. Stones and lamps were imported from Mexico. Tiles on the plaza contain occasional figures from the loteria game. The Governor of the state of Nayarit donated a statue in honor of Mexican mothers. Plaza México has replicas of the Angel of Independence of México City and the kiosk of the Zócalo of San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato. A kiosk is an open-air structures with a raised platform enclosed by a simple hand-railing, and then covered with a roof to provide shade.

Chae stated he tried to make the Plaza into a Mexican "China Town." He hired Luis Felipe Nieto an archeologist and restoration expert from San Miguel Allender, Guanajuato, to advise him on Mexican designs and colors. Nieto passed away in 2024. Jon Jerde was the architect. Jerde was the architect for theme malls including Universal City Walk, Bellagio and the Wynn hotel. He passed away in 2015.

"Plaza Mexico is an iteration of a Jerde-influenced commercial center. This heavily Mexico-inspired outdoor shopping center, reaches for one of Jerde's most central placemaking ideals; to create authentic social engagement within a constructed, highly curated environment. Plaza Mexico's developer, M & D Regional Center LLC, two Korean brothers named Min and Donald Chae, attempted to build a culturally relevant, themed shopping center that would attract visitors and shoppers."

The Covid lockdown proved devastating to the destination theme mall. In 2021 Donald Chae's Plaza Mexico mall filed for bankruptcy right before a foreclosure sale. Property was sold in bankruptcy in 2022 for $164,000,000 to the Sterling Organization who owns it today.

Today Plaza Mexico hosts many Mexican and Latino events including El Grito de la Independencia, El dia 12 de Deciembre, Mexican Independence day, Dia de Muertos, Cinco de Mayo and more. Mexican politicians and the Consul General of Mexico of Los Angeles have frequent events at the mall.

Physical description: APN 6171-001-054 Legal description MODJESKA PARK VAC STS, BLK 15, 18 AND POR OF BLK 16. Three buildings. Two were built 1972 and the third was built 2002. 475,209 sf lot. 248,925 sf improvements. It's currently owned by Svap III Plaza Mexico LLC out of Florida. Property last sold in 2022 for $164,000,000.

Must sees at the mall.

The main entrance and clock tower 33.92907608122274, -118.21479515463186
Fountain of Independence 33.929250716415645, -118.21448617989691
Kiosk 33.92842989880324, -118.2135573785178
Aztec sun calendar stone 33.92861835984562, -118.21352842649486
Pancho Villa statue and a few other statues at the front of the clock tower entrance
Chapel de la Virgin de Guadalupe
Olmec head replica next to Planet Fitness
Quetzalcoatl fountain
China Poblana statue of a woman just as you enter the main entrance

Eat at one of the restaurants on the second level on the terrace. Don't eat at the food court unless you just want cheap lower quality food in a very loud gaming environment. Be sure to explore the outdoor mall area with the kiosk, fountains, Olmec head, chapel and Aztec stone. Don't just visit the large indoor mall building.

Other articles

LA Times "Non Latinos Mine Southland's Mexican Markets" December 2025

Print Magazine https://www.printmag.com/design-destinations/l-a-s-plaza-mexico-is-not-just-a-mall-but-a-city-within-a-city/

New York Times Magazine https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/01/magazine/latino-mall-los-angeles.html

The old Montgomery Ward in 1986.

Photos taken by Mary Cummins the author 09/30/2025.

Replica of a famous China Poblana statue. The words state "Tenias que ser poblana, china mia, para llevar a Mexico en tu gracia, tienese, como la ardiente tapatia (women from Guadalajara), ojos de fuego y cabellera lacia." English: "You had to be from Puebla, my China, to bring Mexico into your grace. You have, like the fiery Tapatia, fiery eyes and straight hair."

Replica of a Mexican palace facade and clock tower

Olmec head, reproduction


Sign on back of Aztec sun calendar stone. Text: "Gobierno del Estado de Mexico. EDOMEX Decisiones Firmes. Resultadors Fuertes. Siendo, Gobernador Constitucional del Estado de Mexico. El Lic. Alfredo del Mazo Maza, se entrego el calendario Azteca o piedra del Sol, Replica elaborada a mano por artesanos de Chimalhuacan, Estado de Mexico, para la Plaza Mexico en Lynwood, California, EUA. Diciembre de 2018." Translated:			Government of the State of Mexico. EDOMEX Firm Decisions. Strong Results. As Constitutional Governor of the State of Mexico, Mr. Alfredo del Mazo Maza, presented the Aztec calendar or Sun Stone, a replica handcrafted by artisans from Chimalhuacan, State of Mexico, for the Plaza Mexico in Lynwood, California, USA. December 2018.

Aztec sun calendar stone

Kiosk

Underside of roof of kiosk

Dedication of la China Poblana statue on the back of the statue.
Text: "China Poblana. Pedazo de Tierra Tradicion y Corazon de Puebla. Inaugurado por el: Lic Mario Marin Torres Gobernador de Puebla. Donado por: Ruben Gil Campos. Proyecto: Lice .... y elaborado por: Dr German Gutierrez. Casa Celia Talavera DO4, NOM 132 CRTAL 30 abril 2005." Translated: Piece of Land, Tradition and Heart of Puebla. Dedicated by the licensed attorney and former Governor of Puebla.

Virgin de Guadalupe altar in the chapel

Outside of the chapel

The below are the original Mexican buildings, structures which were recreated at the mall. They also recreated the calendar stone and the Olmec head.

Kiosk

Angel of Independence

Facade and clock tower of Mexican government palace

Map

Mary Cummins of Cummins Real Estate is a certified residential licensed appraiser in Los Angeles, California. Mary Cummins is licensed by the California Bureau of Real Estate appraisers and has over 42 years of experience.

Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary, Cummins, #marycummins #animaladvocates #losangeles #california #wildlife #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehabilitator #realestate #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #lawsuit real estate, appraiser, appraisal, instructor, teacher, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Brentwood, Bel Air, California, licensed, permitted, certified, single family, condo, condominium, pud, hud, fannie mae, freddie mac, fha, uspap, certified, residential, certified resident, apartment building, multi-family, commercial, industrial, expert witness, civil, criminal, orea, dre, brea insurance, bonded, experienced, bilingual, spanish, english, form, 1004, 2055, 1073, land, raw, acreage, vacant, insurance, cost, income approach, market analysis, comparative, theory, appraisal theory, cost approach, sales, matched pairs, plot, plat, map, diagram, photo, photographs, photography, rear, front, street, subject, comparable, sold, listed, active, pending, expired, cancelled, listing, mls, multiple listing service, claw, themls, historical appraisal, facebook, linkedin

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Mary Cummins

Mary Cummins of Cummins Real Estate Services has been in real estate since 1983, over 35 years. She is licensed by the Bureau of Real Estate Appraisers. Mary Cummins was an agent and broker licensed with the California Department of Real Estate selling residential income, commercial buildings, raw land and homes for Merrill Lynch Realty in Beverly Hills and Westside Properties in Los Angeles before concentrating on appraisals. Mary Cummins currently provides real estate appraisals, expert witness testimony, historical research, legal real estate research for mortgage brokers, banks, lawyers, factors, insurance companies, financial consultants and private individuals. Mary Cummins was born and raised in Southern California. Cummins attended Beverly Hills Good Shepherd Catholic School and Beverly Hills High School. Besides being on the Dean's list, Mary Cummins was a top ten national swimmer and competed on the men's water polo team. Mary Cummins began college at the age of 15 attending the University of Southern California on scholarship, majoring in Psychology/Sociology. http://www.animaladvocates.us http://www.facebook.com/AnimalAdvocatesUSA

Wednesday, September 24, 2025

Why Home Appraisal Bias Claims are Falling Apart by AEI, Mary Cummins Real Estate Appraiser

Great article by Tobias Peter of AEI yesterday "Why Home-Appraiser Bias Claims are Falling Apart." It proves that the alleged racial bias by real estate appraisers is false. The false narrative was promoted by the media, Biden Administration and other people with an agenda. Research has proven there is no racial bias in real estate appraisal reports.

"In 2022, numerous mainstream media outlets seized on the experience of married Johns Hopkins professors Nathan Connolly and Shani Mott as clear evidence of systemic racism in the home-appraisal industry. The episode gained national traction after the New York Times published a story in August headlined: “Home Appraised With a Black Owner: $472,000. With a White Owner: $750,000.” ABC and NPR soon amplified the narrative that racial bias in appraisals is real and widespread, locking black Americans out of building home equity and long-term wealth.

What began with great media fanfare, however, ended in silence. When a lawsuit—for which I served as an expert witness for the defense—finally reached judgment last month, a federal court dismissed the discrimination claims. The same outlets that had trumpeted the allegations early on or framed the plaintiffs’ 2024 settlement with the lender as implicit validation of their claims, never returned to cover the case’s conclusion. Their silence leaves the public with a distorted impression of widespread appraiser bias."

So glad Tobias Peter was an expert witness for the defense. These false bias claims have destroyed lives, careers and the appraisal industry reputation.

https://www.city-journal.org/article/home-appraisal-racial-bias-claims

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Mary Cummins

Eastern Columbia Building in Downtown Los Angeles by Mary Cummins Real Estate Appraiser

The Eastern Columbia Building, also known as the Eastern Columbia Lofts, is a thirteen-story Art Deco building designed by Claud Beelman located at 849 S. Broadway in the Broadway Theater District of Downtown Los Angeles. It was built in 1930. In 1957 the business closed and the building became office space for the clothing industry. In 2006 it became 147 live/work lofts.

Units go for $800,000 for one bedrooms to $3,000,000 for larger upper floor units on two floors. I went to the grand opening of the lofts in 2006. There is a rooftop pool and sundeck with a view of the clock. The clock was restored in 2005. Such a beautiful building. I just happened to be walking by this morning and couldn't help but take a few photos of this stunning architecture. Those are blue tiles on the exterior.

From the Los Angeles Conservancy
https://www.laconservancy.org/learn/historic-places/eastern-columbia-lofts/

More photos.

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Mary Cummins

Thursday, September 18, 2025

Appraisal Institute Meeting Visible Value, Invisible Risk in Industrial & Multifamily by Mary Cummins

Appraisal Institute Northwestern Branch Meeting - Visible Value, Invisible Risk on Industrial & Multifamily. September 18, 2025 at Tamayo's restaurant

Notes from the meeting: Juan Huizar sells income properties in Long Beach, California. Rates are up, loans are due and banks want cash to cover equity positions because asset values are down. Many owners are selling their property instead of refinancing because values are down. Today five plus units must cash flow to get a loan. Banks will still allow four or less to not cash flow. There's been about a 19% loss in value over the last five years in five plus units. Many of those properties were heavily improved and rents increased yet values are still down. Landlords can no longer evict tenants for major repairs. Rent control is limiting income. Some buildings with soft first stories will need seismic work. Many are taking the opportunity to turn those parking spots into ADUs. Tariffs on Chinese imports are causing US companies to use warehouses in Mexico to hold the Chinese imports then ship them to the US from Mexico. Tariffs are hurting manufacturing businesses and related property values.

Speakers: Juan Huizar, Gary Martinez

DESCRIPTION: This presentation explores how capital markets are rethinking the value of industrial properties, not just based on leases and rent rolls, but on hidden risks tied to tenant business models, tariffs, insurance costs, political pressure, and supply chain volatility. Through real-world examples and case studies, Gary Martinez, CCIM, SIOR, shares how today’s market is pricing the unseen, and why understanding these invisible risks is critical to understanding true value in 2025. A surprising 17% of all active multifamily properties are now selling for less than they did five years ago—even though many have undergone renovations, rents have increased, and overall asset performance has improved. In this data-driven presentation, we will unpack what’s driving this market correction and why it's creating a rare window of opportunity for investors and appraisers alike.

Juan Huizar, CCIM

BIO: From the rugged terrain of La Victorina in Zacatecas, Mexico, to the thriving business landscape of Long Beach, California, Juan Huizar's journey epitomizes the resilience and determination that define the American Dream. Raised amidst the challenges of a remote village without modern amenities, Huizar's family embarked on a courageous quest for better opportunities in the United States. Enduring the perils of desert crossings, they settled in the fertile Central Valley, where all 10 members toiled in the fields, picking garlic to make ends meet.

Today, Juan Huizar, a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM), stands as a testament to the power of ambition and hard work. With an ingenious video strategy, Juan has elevated himself from relative obscurity to a nationally recognized figure in the real estate industry. His YouTube channel serves as a beacon of knowledge, attracting a remarkable 48% of his leads and drawing attention from esteemed platforms such as CNN, JP Morgan, and Western Real Estate. The CCIM designation underscores Juan’s mastery in financial analysis, market insights, negotiation tactics, and investment strategies.

As the founder and principal of Sage Real Estate, a premier commercial brokerage headquartered in Long Beach, Juan Huizar is at the forefront of innovation and excellence. His firm boasts the highest ratings in the city and ranks among the top 1.5% of boutique brokerages nationwide. Over the past eight years, Juan has personally brokered transactions totaling over $300 million, a testament to his unwavering commitment to client success and satisfaction.

Gary Martinez, SIOR, CCIM

BIO: Gary Martinez is a hardworking commercial real estate broker with 24 years of experience. He has successfully completed over 2,500 transactions, representing investors ranging from Fortune 100 companies to family-owned operations. His expertise includes investment analysis, maximizing cash flow, enhancing commercial property values, and identifying the right opportunities at the right time. While his primary focus is in Southern California, he has completed transactions nationwide.

Gary holds two of the most prestigious designations in commercial real estate—CCIM and SIOR. He is actively involved in the industry, serving as the current President of the SIOR Inland Empire & Orange County Chapter and a multi-time past President of SoCal CCIM. Additionally, he is a CCIM 102 Instructor, teaching Real Estate Market Analysis, and a board member for Cal State Fullerton’s Real Estate Association.

Beyond commercial real estate, Gary is deeply committed to community service. As the Chairman of the Board for The Whole Child, he played a key role in developing and launching The Whole Child’s Interim Housing Program in Santa Fe Springs. This transformative program provides a structured pathway for families to transition from homelessness to homeownership, reinforcing his dedication to creating lasting, positive change in the community.

A few slides.