Westwood Village, Los Angeles, California
Encyclopedia
Westwood, Los Angeles, California
Westwood is a neighborhood on the Westside of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is the home of the University of California, Los Angeles .-History:...
district in the City 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...
. It is located north of Wilshire Boulevard
Wilshire Boulevard
Wilshire Boulevard is one of the principal east-west arterial roads in Los Angeles, California, United States. It was named for Henry Gaylord Wilshire , an Ohio native who made and lost fortunes in real estate, farming, and gold mining. Henry Wilshire initiated what was to become Wilshire...
, east of Gayley Avenue, south of Le Conte Avenue, and west of Hilgard Avenue.
History
Westwood Village was created by the Janss Investment CompanyJanss Investment Company
The Janss Investment Company was a family run, Los Angeles, California, real estate development company that operated from 1895 to 1995.-First generation:...
, run by Harold and Edwin Janss and their father, Peter, in the late 1920s as an autonomous shopping district and headquarters of the Janss Company. Its boom was complemented by the boom of UCLA (which selected the Westwood Hills as its new home in 1926), developed as a shopping district not just for the residents of Westwood but also for the university. Opening in 1929, the original design was considered one of the most well planned and beautifully laid out of commercial areas in the nation. Harold Janss had hired major architects and instructed them to follow a Mediterranean
Mediterranean Revival Style architecture
The Mediterranean Revival was an eclectic design style that was first introduced in the United States about the end of the nineteenth century, and became popular during the 1920s and 1930s...
theme, with clay tile roofs, decorative Spanish tile, paseos, patios and courtyards. Buildings located at strategic points, including theaters, used towers to serve as beacons for drivers on Wilshire Boulevard
Wilshire Boulevard
Wilshire Boulevard is one of the principal east-west arterial roads in Los Angeles, California, United States. It was named for Henry Gaylord Wilshire , an Ohio native who made and lost fortunes in real estate, farming, and gold mining. Henry Wilshire initiated what was to become Wilshire...
. Janss picked the first slate of businesses and determined their location in the neighborhood; the area opened with 34 businesses, despite the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, had 452 in 1939.
The architectural style met a turning point in 1970, when a 24-story office building now known as Oppenheimer Tower was built in the neighborhood and the design of new buildings soon became a mishmash of styles. The neighborhood's popularity continued to rise, with commercial rents peaking in 1988. The area then suffered a major setback in the late 1980s, when gangs began to frequent the neighborhood and bother visitors; the problems culminated in January 1988 when a gang shootout resulted in the death of a 27-year-old bystander. The neighborhood's well known bookstores and some movie cinemas began closing with the advent of large chain stores, Amazon.com and multiplex theaters.
Today, Westwood Village houses many small and large shops and restaurants. Though some of the restaurants are independently owned, most of the Westwood's establishments are now chain stores. Historically, independent merchants have blamed poor sales on lack of parking; a city-owned garage, on Broxton Ave, provides two hours of free parking for patrons entering before 6 pm, and $3 flat rate parking from 6 pm to close (typically midnight on weeknights and 3 am on weekends). Parking is still cited as a problem.
The streets of Westwood are home to many homeless people
Homelessness
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country...
.
Westwood is also the home of the Hammer Museum
Hammer Museum
The Armand Hammer Museum of Art and Culture Center, or the Hammer Museum as it is more commonly known, is an art museum in the Westwood district of Los Angeles, California...
.
Architecture
A number of notable buildings remain from the early years of Westwood Village, including:The Fox Theater
Fox Theater, Westwood Village
The Fox Theater, Westwood Village, also known as the Fox Village Theater, is a historic, landmark cinema in Westwood Village, Los Angeles, California. It is currently operated by Regency Theaters under the name Regency Village Theater...
(or Village Theater) features a landmark 170 feet (51.8 m) white Spanish Revival
Spanish Colonial Revival Style architecture
The Spanish Colonial Revival Style was a United States architectural stylistic movement that came about in the early 20th century, starting in California and Florida as a regional expression related to history, environment, and nostalgia...
/Moderne
Streamline Moderne
Streamline Moderne, sometimes referred to by either name alone or as Art Moderne, was a late type of the Art Deco design style which emerged during the 1930s...
tower and Churrigueresque
Churrigueresque
Churrigueresque refers to a Spanish Baroque style of elaborate sculptural architectural ornament which emerged as a manner of stucco decoration in Spain in the late 17th century and was used up to about 1750, marked by extreme, expressive and florid decorative detailing, normally found above the...
stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
decorations. The theater looms over the Broxton and Weyburn Avenues intersection. Built in 1931 this cinema later became famous for the many movie premieres held there.
The Janss Dome (Janss Investment Company Building
Janss Investment Company Building
The Janss Investment Company Building, also known as the Janss Dome, is an historic building in Westwood Village, Los Angeles, California. The building is located at the five way intersection of Westwood Boulevard, Kinross and Broxton Avenues....
) the first building to be built in Westwood Village in 1929, is another village landmark with its dome on an octagonal base, portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
and large arched windows. The Dome is situated at the three-way intersection of Westwood Boulevard, Broxton and Kinross Avenues.
Ralph's Market Building, also built in 1929, is a red tile-roofed Spanish Colonial Revival building featuring a rotunda
Rotunda (architecture)
A rotunda is any building with a circular ground plan, sometimes covered by a dome. It can also refer to a round room within a building . The Pantheon in Rome is a famous rotunda. A Band Rotunda is a circular bandstand, usually with a dome...
with a pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
over the entrance and arcaded wings
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
, at 1142-1154 Westwood Boulevard.
The Bruin Theater
Fox Bruin Theater
The Fox Bruin Theater is a large movie palace located in the Westwood section of Los Angeles, California. The structure was designed by noted movie theater architect, S...
(1937), a streamlined Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
cinema, which sits just across Broxton Avenue opposite the Fox Theater.
These four buildings have all been declared Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments. Another village landmark is Holmby Hall
Holmby Hall
Holmby Hall is an historic landmark building in Westwood Village, Los Angeles, California. Built in 1929 Holmby Hall is a streetscape of six Spanish Colonial Revival storefronts and features a prominent white clock tower, capped by a green pinnacle....
(1929), a Spanish Colonial Revival building featuring a clock tower which was damaged by fire around 2003, located at the corner of Weyburn Avenue and Westwood Boulevard
Westwood Boulevard
Westwood Boulevard is a street in Los Angeles that runs through the heart of Westwood Village and further south in West Los Angeles.Westwood Blvd begins south of Sunset Boulevard in the campus of UCLA as Westwood Plaza. After exiting UCLA, it is one of two major thoroughfares in the Village...
.
Current shops and restaurants
- Aah's
- AcapulcoAcapulco Mexican Restaurant and CantinaAcapulco Mexican Restaurant and Cantina was founded in 1960 in Pasadena, California. They currently have restaurants in California and Oregon. The restaurant chain is owned by Real Mex Restaurants which is headquartered in Cypress, California...
- American ApparelAmerican ApparelAmerican Apparel is a clothing manufacturer in the United States. It is a vertically integrated clothing manufacturer, wholesaler, and retailer that also performs its own design, advertising, and marketing...
- Ami Sushi
- Angelino's Cafe
- Baja FreshBaja FreshBaja Fresh is a chain of fast-casual Tex Mex restaurants founded in Newbury Park, California in 1990 and headquartered in Cypress, California. The chain emphasizes fresh ingredients, and each restaurant features a self-serve salsa bar....
- Barney's BeaneryBarney's BeaneryBarney's Beanery is a restaurant and bar located in West Hollywood, California. It was founded by John "Barney" Anthony in 1920 along U.S. Route 66, now Santa Monica Boulevard, State Route 2, that connects Hollywood and the beach.-Summary:...
- bebeBebe storesbebe stores are an American clothing retailer founded in 1976. The name was inspired by, and is pronounced as in, the phrase "to be or not to be" from the play Hamlet. Manny Mashouf, who emigrated to the United States in the early 1970s, opened the first bebe store in San Francisco during a time...
- Bank of AmericaBank of AmericaBank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...
(The domed building in the photograph, above, behind the palm trees, was once a Bank of America branch.) - Baskin Robbins
- Bel-Air Camera
- Best BuyBest BuyBest Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
- BJ's Restaurant & Brewery (not to be confused with the well-known warehouse clubBJ's Wholesale ClubBJ's Wholesale Club, Inc. , commonly referred to simply as BJ's, is a membership-only warehouse club chain operating on the United States East Coast, as well as in the state of Ohio...
in the Eastern U.S.) - Bombay Bites
- Buffalo ExchangeBuffalo ExchangeBuffalo Exchange is a chain of second-hand clothing stores in the United States based in Tucson, Arizona.The first Buffalo Exchange opened in Tucson, Arizona in May 1974, and the chain now has many locations along the west coast with some additional locations in the midwest and east coast....
- Burger KingBurger KingBurger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
- California Pizza KitchenCalifornia Pizza KitchenCalifornia Pizza Kitchen , known within the food industry as CPK, is a casual dining restaurant chain that specializes in California-style pizza...
- ChipotleChipotle Mexican GrillChipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. is a chain of restaurants in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada specializing in burritos and tacos, founded by Steve Ells in 1993 and based in Denver, Colorado...
- ChevronChevron CorporationChevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation headquartered in San Ramon, California, United States and active in more than 180 countries. It is engaged in every aspect of the oil, gas, and geothermal energy industries, including exploration and production; refining,...
- CitibankCitibankCitibank, a major international bank, is the consumer banking arm of financial services giant Citigroup. Citibank was founded in 1812 as the City Bank of New York, later First National City Bank of New York...
- City Bean
- Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (There are two CBTLs, as well as one built into Ralphs.)
- Corner Bakery CafeCorner Bakery CafeCorner Bakery Cafe is a U.S. chain of cafes that specialize in pastries, breads, breakfast dishes, gourmet sandwiches, and salads. Corner Bakery Cafe is considered to be a part of the fast casual market segment of the food service industry, offering a somewhat higher quality of food and atmosphere...
- CVS
- Damon & Pythias
- Dan Deutsch Optical Outlook
- Daphne's Greek CafeDaphne's Greek CafeDaphne's Greek Cafe is a privately owned fast food restaurant chain operating in Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon and soon in Washington with over 80 locations...
- Denny'sDenny'sDenny's is a full-service coffee shop/family restaurant chain. It operates over 1,500 restaurants in the United States , Canada, Curaçao, Costa Rica, Honduras, Jamaica, Japan , Mexico, New Zealand, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.Denny's is known for always being...
- Diddy RieseDiddy RieseDiddy Riese is a popular restaurant in Westwood Village, a shopping area in Los Angeles, CA. Diddy's sells cookies, ice cream, Hawaiian shave ice, coffee, and milk....
- El Pollo LocoEl Pollo LocoEl Pollo Loco is a fast-food restaurant chain specializing in Mexican grilled chicken, headquartered in Costa Mesa, California. "El Pollo Loco" is Spanish for "The Crazy Chicken".Their main dish is pollo asado, a grilled marinated chicken...
- Elysee Bakery (Boulangerie Par Excellence)
- Enzo's Pizzeria
- Falafel King
- Fat Burger
- GNCGeneral Nutrition CentersGeneral Nutrition Centers is a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based American commercial enterprise focused on the retail sale of health and nutrition related products, including vitamins, supplements, minerals, herbs, sports nutrition, diet & energy products.-History:In 1935, David Shakarian opened a...
- Green Tea Terrace
- Habibi Cafe
- HeadlinesHeadlinesHeadlines may refer to:* Headlines , a 2010 song by Alcazar* Headlines , a 2011 song by Drake* Headlines , a 2007 song by the Spice Girls...
- In-N-Out
- Jerry's Famous DeliJerry's Famous DeliJerry's Famous Deli is a chain of delicatessens famous for its large menu, which has offered as many as 700 items. The original deli was founded in Studio City, California, in 1978 by Isaac Starkman and Jerry Seidman...
- Jersey Mike's SubsJersey Mike's SubsJersey Mike's Subs is a submarine sandwich, or "sub", chain headquartered in Manasquan, New Jersey. The Jersey Mike's franchise has more than 400 stores across the United States.-History:...
- Lamonica's New York Pizza
- LidsHat WorldHat World Inc. is an American retailer specializing in athletic headwear. It primarily operates under the LIDS and Hat World brands with stores in the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada. The majority of the stores operate in shopping malls and factory outlet centers. The company was founded in 1995 and...
- Mr. NoodleMr. NoodleThe goofy-acting human characters Mr. Noodle, Mr. Noodle's Brother, and Miss Noodle all appear in Sesame Street 's "Elmo's World" segments. The characters, who do not speak, attempt repeatedly to demonstrate a particular activity related to the episode's topic, while offscreen children verbally...
- Napa Valley Grille
- Native Foods
- Noodle Planet
- Novel Cafe
- O'Hara's on Campus (O'Hara's was formerly known as Maloney's on Campus.)
- PalominoPalominoPalomino is a coat color in horses, consisting of a gold coat and white mane and tail. Genetically, the palomino color is created by a single allele of a dilution gene called the cream gene working on a "red" base coat...
- Peet's Coffee
- Piccomolo
- PinkberryPinkberryPinkberry is a franchise of upscale frozen dessert restaurants headquartered in Los Angeles, California. There are currently over 100 stores, mostly located in Southern California, 14 in New York City, New York, two in New Orleans, Louisiana, two in Denver, Colorado, one in Colorado Springs,...
- Quizno's
- Radio ShackRadio shackRadio shack is a slang term for a room or structure for housing radio equipment.-History:In the early days of radio, equipment was experimental and home-built. The first radio transmitters used a noisy spark to generate radio waves and were often housed in a garage or shed. When radio was first...
- RalphsRalphsRalphs is a major supermarket chain in the Southern California area and the largest subsidiary of Cincinnati-based Kroger. It is the oldest such chain west of the Mississippi River. Ralphs also operates stores under the Food 4 Less and Foods Co. names in California.-History:Ralphs Grocery Company...
- Red MangoRed MangoRed Mango is a frozen yogurt and smoothie brand known for its all-natural frozen yogurt, fresh fruit smoothies, yogurt parfaits, and probiotic iced teas. There are currently more than 145 locations in 25 states in the United States. And in 2011, Red Mango was named the #1 Zagat Rated chain in...
- Regency Theatres (There are three single-screen theaters in Westwood Village; two of them are owned by Regency.)
- Rite-Aid
- San Sai
- Sepi's
- Socko's Subs
- Starbucks Coffee (There are two Starbucks as well.)
- SubwaySubway (restaurant)Subway is an American restaurant franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches and salads. It is owned and operated by Doctor's Associates, Inc. . Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world with 35,519 restaurants in 98 countries and territories as of October 25th, 2011...
- Thank You Mart
- Trader Joe'sTrader Joe'sTrader Joe's is a privately held chain of specialty grocery stores headquartered in Monrovia, California. , Trader Joe's had a total of 365 stores. Approximately half of its stores are in California, with the heaviest concentration in Southern California, but the company also has locations in 30...
- Urban OutfittersUrban OutfittersUrban Outfitters, Inc. is a publicly traded American company that owns and operates five retail brands: Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Free People, Terrain, and BHLDN....
- Victoria's SecretVictoria's SecretVictoria's Secret is an American retailer of women's wear, lingerie and beauty products. It is the largest segment of publicly-traded Limited Brands with sales of over US$5 billion and an operating income of $1 billion in 2006...
- Westwood Brewing Company
- Whole FoodsWhole Foods MarketWhole Foods Market is a foods supermarket chain based in Austin, Texas which emphasizes "natural and organic products." The company has been ranked among the most socially responsible businesses and placed third on the U.S...
- YamatoYamatoYamato was originally the area around today's Sakurai City in Nara Prefecture of Japan. Later the term was used as the name of the province and also as an ancient name of Japan...
- YogurtlandYogurtlandYogurtland is an international franchise chain of frozen yogurt stores based in Anaheim, Orange County, California.Yogurtland offers self-serve soft-serve frozen yogurt with active cultures. Yogurtland has stores in seven states in the United States and in Mexico and Japan. In 2009, it had a...
Past shops and restaurants
- Ann Taylor LOFT
- Ben & Jerry'sBen & Jerry'sBen & Jerry's is an American ice cream company, a division of the British-Dutch Unilever conglomerate, that manufactures ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet, and ice cream novelty products, manufactured by Ben & Jerry's Homemade Holdings, Inc., headquartered in South Burlington, Vermont, United...
- Bratskeller
- Brentano'sBrentano'sBrentano's was an American bookstore. In addition to the numerous locations in the United States, there was a Brentano's on Avenue de l'Opéra in Paris, at the same location for 114 years....
bookshop - Circuit City
- Cowboy Sushi
- GAPGap (clothing retailer)The Gap, Inc. is an American clothing and accessories retailer based in San Francisco, California, and founded in 1969 by Donald G. Fisher and Doris F. Fisher. The company has five primary brands: the namesake Gap banner, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta. As of September 2008,...
- Eurochow
- EXPOExpoExpo may refer to:*Expo , short for "exposition", and also known as World's Fair*A trade fair, an exhibition where companies in an industry showcase and demonstrate their latest products...
- Häagen-DazsHäagen-DazsHäagen-Dazs is a brand of ice cream, established by Jewish-Polish immigrants Reuben and Rose Mattus in the Bronx, New York, in 1961. Starting with only three flavors: vanilla, chocolate, and coffee, the company opened its first retail store in Brooklyn, New York, on November 15, 1976...
- Long's Drugs
- Madison's Bar & Grill (replaced Stratton's Bar & Grill currently Barney's BeaneryBarney's BeaneryBarney's Beanery is a restaurant and bar located in West Hollywood, California. It was founded by John "Barney" Anthony in 1920 along U.S. Route 66, now Santa Monica Boulevard, State Route 2, that connects Hollywood and the beach.-Summary:...
) - Mann TheatresMann TheatresMann Theatres is a movie theatre chain that, as of November 17, 2011, operates in only one location with 8 screens in the city of Westlake. Its motto is "Where Hollywood goes to the movies"....
(There are several single-screen theaters in Westwood Village; all of them are owned by Mann.) - Monty's Steakhouse
- Olive GardenOlive GardenOlive Garden is an American restaurant chain specializing in Italian-American cuisine. It is a subsidiary of Darden Restaurants, Inc., which is headquartered in an unincorporated area in Orange County, Florida, near Orlando. Olive Garden operates more than 730 locations globally.- History :The...
- Penny LanePenny Lane"Penny Lane" is a song by The Beatles, written by Paul McCartney. It was credited to Lennon–McCartney.Recorded during the Sgt. Pepper sessions, "Penny Lane" was released in February 1967 as one side of a double A-sided single, along with "Strawberry Fields Forever". Both songs were later included...
- Sassoon Sassoon
- Shakey's PizzaShakey's PizzaShakey's Pizza is a pizza restaurant chain based in the United States. The chain currently has about 500 stores globally, and about 60 in the United States.-History:...
- Stratton's Bar & Grill (replaced by Madison's currently Barney's BeaneryBarney's BeaneryBarney's Beanery is a restaurant and bar located in West Hollywood, California. It was founded by John "Barney" Anthony in 1920 along U.S. Route 66, now Santa Monica Boulevard, State Route 2, that connects Hollywood and the beach.-Summary:...
) - TargetTarget CorporationTarget Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
(coming soon) - Tommy's of Westwood
- Tower RecordsTower RecordsTower Records was a retail music chain that was based in Sacramento, California. It currently exists as an international franchise and an online music store....
- UNESCOUNESCOThe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
(United Nations) store - Wherehouse Music
- Wilshire Westwood Florist (later known as Floral Works)