Sherman Oaks Galleria
Encyclopedia
Sherman Oaks Galleria is a shopping mall
and business center located in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles
, California
, United States
, at the corner of Ventura
and Sepulveda Boulevard
s in the San Fernando Valley
.
Locals colloquially refer to the mall simply as "the Galleria". The teenage mall culture which formed around it and nearby malls formed the basis of the popular 1982 Frank Zappa
/Moon Unit Zappa
satirical single "Valley Girl
" from Zappa's album Ship Arriving Too Late To Save A Drowning Witch
. The mall has also been a shooting location for many films.
's original 1911 thousand-acre investment in the area, at the present-day intersection of Ventura and Sepulveda boulevards. It opened in 1980 with two department stores (Robinsons anchored the south, May Company
anchored the north). Pacific Theatres
' Pacific 4 occupied the uppermost level of the mall. In 1993, Robinsons and May Company merged, forming Robinsons-May
- both stores in the mall were converted to Robinsons-May, the north store becoming a Men's and Home store, and the south store becoming a Women's and Children's store. The mall became famous in the early 1980s as being the center of the Valley Girl
culture and a well-known teenage hangout.
The next decade saw business at the Galleria decline. In January 1994, the mall closed for 11 days for repairs following the Northridge earthquake
. Although the mall reopened quickly, Robinson-May re-opened its south wing store four years following the earthquake, and many smaller stores on that floor closed. During that closure, the mall suffered due to having only one main anchor store. Mall management sued to evict Robinson-May in 1998, alleging that the delay was a lease violation and caused the store closures, but R-M countersued, claiming that poor mall promotion and management were the cause. Closures continued through the 1990s until a gift and jewelry shop was one of the few remaining stores in 1999.
The mall closed in April 1999 for a major renovation and reopened in 2002 as an open-air center which was quite different from its previous incarnation. The new layout was termed "mixed-use". The only remnant of the original mall is the court where the Pacific 16 Theatres is located, which are on the uppermost of what was previously the southern Robinsons-May store. The majority of the remaining mall was turned into offices. Warner Brothers set up offices in what was once one of the mall entrances. Several mortgage companies and financial services providers are headquartered within the mall. Additional tenants include several major restaurant chains. The remodeling and new construction was done by Peck/Jones Construction, which in 2005 filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy.
On Monday, June 4, 2007 the Pacific Galleria 16 Theaters changed into an ArcLight Cinema, as the Pacific Theaters own the ArcLight brand. The transformation began gradually, with re-branding at the start, and renovation throughout the summer of 2007. The theater was closed for three months to complete the process.
, Valley Girl
(aerial, exterior shots),
Commando
, Back to the Future Part II
, Albert Brooks' Mother
,
Terminator 2,
Phantom of the Mall: Eric's Revenge
, Walk Like a Man
(with Howie Mandel), Innerspace
and Chopping Mall
were filmed at the Galleria, as were scenes for the 2011 release Crazy, Stupid, Love
.
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
and business center located in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, at the corner of Ventura
Ventura Boulevard
Ventura Boulevard is one of the primary east–west thouroughfares in the San Fernando Valley, USA; as it was originally a part of the El Camino Real , Ventura Boulevard is one of the oldest routes in the San Fernando Valley. It was also U.S...
and Sepulveda Boulevard
Sepulveda Boulevard
Sepulveda Boulevard is a street in Los Angeles, California, which stretches some 42.8 miles from Rinaldi Street at the north end of the San Fernando Valley to the city limits of Hermosa Beach, where it "jumps" east and continues on to Long Beach. It generally runs north-south, passing underneath...
s in the San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
.
Locals colloquially refer to the mall simply as "the Galleria". The teenage mall culture which formed around it and nearby malls formed the basis of the popular 1982 Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
/Moon Unit Zappa
Moon Unit Zappa
Moon Unit Zappa is an American actress, musician and author. She goes by the name Moon Zappa; "Unit" is her middle name.-Personal life:...
satirical single "Valley Girl
Valley Girl (song)
"Valley Girl" is a song by the musician Frank Zappa and his 14 year-old daughter, Moon Unit Zappa. It was released on Zappa's 1982 album Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch. Moon supplied Frank with much of the content, speaking typical "Valley girl" or "Valspeak" phrases she heard at...
" from Zappa's album Ship Arriving Too Late To Save A Drowning Witch
Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch
Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch is an album by Frank Zappa, released in May 1982 and digitally remastered in 1991. It features five tracks composed by Zappa, and one song, "Valley Girl", co-written with Moon Unit Zappa, his daughter, who provided the spoken monologue mocking some of...
. The mall has also been a shooting location for many films.
History
The three-level mall was built on the site of Moses ShermanMoses Sherman
Moses Hazeltine Sherman was a land developer who built the Phoenix Street Railway in Phoenix, Arizona, and later built other lines and owned property in the San Fernando Valley and Hollywood, California. He also served on the Los Angeles Water Board.At the junction of his streetcar lines west of...
's original 1911 thousand-acre investment in the area, at the present-day intersection of Ventura and Sepulveda boulevards. It opened in 1980 with two department stores (Robinsons anchored the south, May Company
May Company California
May Company California was a chain of department stores operating in the Southern California and Nevada, previously with headquarters in North Hollywood, California. It was a subsidiary of May Department Stores and merged with May's other Southern California subsidiary, J. W...
anchored the north). Pacific Theatres
Pacific Theatres
Pacific Theatres is a chain of movie theaters in the Los Angeles area of California. Pacific Theatres is owned by Decurion Corporation which also owns ArcLight Cinema Company .- Developments : The company has some 300 movie screens in California...
' Pacific 4 occupied the uppermost level of the mall. In 1993, Robinsons and May Company merged, forming Robinsons-May
Robinsons-May
Robinsons-May was a chain of department stores operating in Southern California, Arizona and Las Vegas, Nevada, previously with headquarters in North Hollywood, California...
- both stores in the mall were converted to Robinsons-May, the north store becoming a Men's and Home store, and the south store becoming a Women's and Children's store. The mall became famous in the early 1980s as being the center of the Valley Girl
Valley girl
Valley Girl is a stereotype leveled at a socio-economic and ethnic class of American women who can be described as colloquial English-speaking and materialistic...
culture and a well-known teenage hangout.
The next decade saw business at the Galleria decline. In January 1994, the mall closed for 11 days for repairs following the Northridge earthquake
Northridge earthquake
The Northridge earthquake was a massive earthquake that occurred on January 17, 1994, at 04:31 Pacific Standard Time in Reseda, a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, lasting for about 10–20 seconds...
. Although the mall reopened quickly, Robinson-May re-opened its south wing store four years following the earthquake, and many smaller stores on that floor closed. During that closure, the mall suffered due to having only one main anchor store. Mall management sued to evict Robinson-May in 1998, alleging that the delay was a lease violation and caused the store closures, but R-M countersued, claiming that poor mall promotion and management were the cause. Closures continued through the 1990s until a gift and jewelry shop was one of the few remaining stores in 1999.
The mall closed in April 1999 for a major renovation and reopened in 2002 as an open-air center which was quite different from its previous incarnation. The new layout was termed "mixed-use". The only remnant of the original mall is the court where the Pacific 16 Theatres is located, which are on the uppermost of what was previously the southern Robinsons-May store. The majority of the remaining mall was turned into offices. Warner Brothers set up offices in what was once one of the mall entrances. Several mortgage companies and financial services providers are headquartered within the mall. Additional tenants include several major restaurant chains. The remodeling and new construction was done by Peck/Jones Construction, which in 2005 filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy.
On Monday, June 4, 2007 the Pacific Galleria 16 Theaters changed into an ArcLight Cinema, as the Pacific Theaters own the ArcLight brand. The transformation began gradually, with re-branding at the start, and renovation throughout the summer of 2007. The theater was closed for three months to complete the process.
Use in films
The Galleria was featured in scenes in several films. Fast Times at Ridgemont HighFast Times at Ridgemont High
Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a 1982 American coming-of-age teen comedy film written by Cameron Crowe and adapted from his 1981 book of the same name...
, Valley Girl
Valley Girl (film)
Valley Girl is a 1983 romantic comedy film, starring Nicolas Cage, Deborah Foreman, Elizabeth Daily, Cameron Dye, and Joyce Heiser. The film was the directorial debut of Martha Coolidge, and was the first film in which Nicolas Coppola was billed as Nicolas Cage.The American release of Valley Girl...
(aerial, exterior shots),
Commando
Commando (film)
Commando is a 1985 American action film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Vernon Wells, Rae Dawn Chong, Alyssa Milano, Bill Duke, Dan Hedaya and James Olson. It was directed by Mark L...
, Back to the Future Part II
Back to the Future Part II
Back to the Future Part II is a 1989 American science fiction comedy film and the second installment of the Back to the Future trilogy. It was directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, and starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Thomas F. Wilson and Lea Thompson...
, Albert Brooks' Mother
Mother (1996 film)
Mother is a 1996 comedy-drama film directed by Albert Brooks, and was co-written by Brooks with Monica Johnson. The film stars Brooks and Debbie Reynolds.-Plot:...
,
Terminator 2,
Phantom of the Mall: Eric's Revenge
Phantom of the Mall: Eric's Revenge
Phantom of the Mall: Eric's Revenge is a 1989 horror film about a young man who apparently dies in a suspicious house fire after saving his girlfriend, Melody; a year later, at the new mall built over the site of the burned-out house, thefts and murders begin to occur as a mysterious figure...
, Walk Like a Man
Walk Like a Man (film)
Walk Like a Man is a 1987 comedy film about a young man who finally returns to his high-society family after having been raised by dogs. The film was directed by Melvin Frank, and stars Howie Mandel, Christopher Lloyd, and Cloris Leachman.-External links:...
(with Howie Mandel), Innerspace
Innerspace
Innerspace is a 1987 science fiction comedy film directed by Joe Dante and produced by Michael Finnell. Steven Spielberg served as executive producer. The film was inspired by the classic 1966 science fiction film Fantastic Voyage. It stars Dennis Quaid, Martin Short, Meg Ryan, Robert Picardo and...
and Chopping Mall
Chopping Mall
Chopping Mall is an American horror/science fiction film, produced by Julie Corman and originally released on March 21, 1986 under the title Killbots....
were filmed at the Galleria, as were scenes for the 2011 release Crazy, Stupid, Love
Crazy, Stupid, Love
Crazy, Stupid, Love. is a 2011 romantic comedy-drama film directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, written by Dan Fogelman, and starring Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, Marisa Tomei, Analeigh Tipton, and Kevin Bacon...
.