Valley Plaza

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Valley Plaza in the 1950s Valley Plaza shopping center.jpg
Valley Plaza in the 1950s

Valley Plaza was a shopping center in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, one of the first in the San Fernando Valley, opened in 1951. In the mid-1950s it was reported to be the largest shopping center on the West Coast of the United States and the third-largest in the country. [1] It was located along Laurel Canyon Boulevard from Oxnard to Vanowen, and west along Victory Boulevard. Like its competitor Panorama City Shopping Center to the north, Valley Plaza started with one core development and grew over time to market, under the single name "Valley Plaza", a collection of adjacent retail developments with multiple developers, owners, and opening dates. [2]

Contents

Opening

The idea to develop the plaza came from developer Bob Symonds in 1942, who had helped to create the Miracle Mile concentration of shops on Wilshire Boulevard. [3] from started with a 210,000-square-foot (20,000 m2) 2-story Sears store announced in 1948. The center was on a 50-acre lot including 15 acres of parking. [4] Urbanism analyst Richard Longstreth wrote that Symonds was the first developer in Southern California to recognize the importance of the new, ever-expanding freeway system to shopping centers, as they would attract large numbers of shoppers who would find it convenient to visit by car, [5] avoiding problems with existing shopping areas, almost all of which required navigating streets choked with traffic, either in Downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood, or the central business districts of the surrounding towns, and which provided limited parking some distance from the stores.

The shopping center opened August 12, 1951, [1] with parking for 4000 cars, and having cost between $20,000,000 and $40,000,000 (depending on the source) to build.

Early anchors included (from north to south):

Expansion

Valley Plaza would later extend along Victory Boulevard to cover 100 acres (40 ha). [3] By 1956 it was reported to cover 100 acres with 1,039,000 square feet of retail space, the third-largest in the nation at that time, after Cross County Shopping Center in Yonkers, New York and Northland Center in Greater Detroit. It was reported to have close to $100 million in annual sales. [1] The Valley Plaza Merchants Associated counted the May Company department store at Oxnard St., as part of "Valley Plaza", [19] but later, in 1968, May would build an enclosed mall, Laurel Plaza, attached to their store, thus forming a separate identity from Valley Plaza. The May Co. being very large, 452,000 square feet (42,000 m2), Valley Plaza was reported to have the second-largest suburban branch department store in the country, outsized only by a branch of Hudson's in suburban Detroit. [3]

On February 5, 1959, a third major department store anchor, a 100,000 sq ft (9,300 m2), two-level J. C. Penney opened on the north side of Victory Blvd. just west of Sears and just east of the Hollywood Freeway. [20] [21] A Goodyear tire store also opened around this time. [22]

It was also around this time that the Hollywood Freeway was extended north to Magnolia Boulevard and the Ventura Freeway was completed nearby, greatly increasing the accessibility of the center.

In 1960 the Los Angeles Federal Savings and Loan Tower, now known as the Valley Plaza Tower, was completed. The building is now occupied by Wells Fargo Bank. It was upon opening, the tallest building in the San Fernando Valley. Architects were Douglas Honnold and John Rex and the style is "Corporate International". It was one of the first skyscrapers built in Los Angeles after the 1957 repeal of a 150-foot height limit ordinance. Murals that have adorned the full height and width of the western side of the tower over the decades. Today it portrays the history of Los Angeles; previous subjects were the 1976 United States Bicentennial, the 1984 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles, and former football team of the city, the Los Angeles Raiders. [23]

Decline

Reasons for the decline of Valley Plaza included: [2]

From the original development on the west side of Laurel Canyon Boulevard, the current status is as follows: [24]

Along Victory Boulevard west of Laurel Canyon, the Penney's building at 12215 Victory is used by West Coast University as a campus. The Regal Cinemas closed as of December 2021. [28] The McMahan's Furniture store at 12126 Victory Blvd. is now a DaVita dialysis center. [24]

Further south along Laurel Canyon (Laurel Plaza and the May Co.), after the 1994 Northridge earthquake, the Laurel Plaza mall was closed due to damage but the department store May Co. remained open. It became a Robinsons-May in 1993, then Macy’s in 2006 which operated until 2016, after the property was sold for redevelopment, [29] and is now a mixed-use development called NOHO West, home to Trader Joe's, L.A. Fitness, and Regal Cinemas, amongst others.

After the earthquake, the renovation of Valley Plaza and Laurel Plaza area became a project of the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles. Shortly after 2000, J. H. Snyder acquired the core Valley Plaza property from lender iStar, and announced plans for a $300 million renovation. Over the next 10 years, leases were not renewed and tenants were evicted, resulting in a mostly abandoned property. However Snyder was not able to follow through on the plans and sold it back to iStar in 2011. [30] As of mid-2020, only the former May Co./Laurel Plaza site is under construction as NoHo West, a mixed-use development including retail. [31] [24] [32]

Diagram of key tenants

Key tenants along Laurel Canyon Boulevard

Original businessCurrently [24] Location↑
N



L
A
U
R
E
L


C
A
N
Y
O
N



S
↓
←W   Archwood
McDaniels Market Planet Fitness 6657
Thrifty Drug Stores 99 Cents Only Stores 6639
Big Owl [33] (1951)
Thriftimart (1954)		 Smart & Final Extra! 6601
←W   Kittridge
Wetherby Kaiser Shoes (1955) Roy Romer Middle School,
ISANA Palmati Academy		6543
Bond's [34] 6541
Woolworth's 6521
Leeds shoes 6513
Hartfield's 6507
←W   Hamlin
Sears (closed 2019) [25] Burlington
Ross Dress for Less, [26]
Target [27] 		(northwest
corner)
12121
←W    VICTORY BLVD.VICTORY BLVD.    →E
  IHOP 6343  
←W    SylvanSylvan    →E
Gold's Gym 6233 6260 RE/MAX realtors
←W    ErwinErwin    →E
 6150 May Company
Laurel Plaza 		NOHO West:
Regal Cinemas
Nordstrom Rack
Trader Joe's
L.A. Fitness

Key tenants along Victory Boulevard

Original businessCurrently [24] Number↑
W

V
I
C
T
O
R
Y

E
↓		NumberOrig. bus.Currently [24]
←S   BellinghamBellingham   N→
Alexander's
Pic 'N' Save (1973)		 Regal Cinemas
(closed by Dec. 2021) [28] 		6355
Bellingham
McMahan's Furniture DaVita dialysis center [24] 12126 12215 J. C. Penney
(opened
1959)		 West Coast University

(southwest
corner)
12121
(northwest
corner)		 Sears
(closed
2019)		 Burlington
Ross Dress for Less
Target
←S    LAURELCANYON    N→

Movies filmed here

Valley Plaza served as a filming location for: [35] [36]

TV shows

Music videos

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Esquivel, Ralph (May 1, 1956). "Survey of Sales Reveals Record by Valley Plaza". Valley Times (North Hollywood, CA).
  2. 1 2 "Fall" in "The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of Valley Plaza" (archived), Sirinya Tritipeskul for UCLA course "Urban Planning 253: Sprawl", Professor Randy Crane, Fall Quarter 2007
  3. 1 2 3 "Development of Valley Plaza Brings Vast Market Center". Valley Times (North Hollywood, CA). May 1, 1956.
  4. ↑ "Sears planning Valley store". Los Angeles Times. January 24, 1948.
  5. 1 2 Longstreth, Richard W. (1998). City center to regional mall: architecture, the automobile, and retailing in Los Angeles, 1920-1950. The MIT Press. p. 297. ISBN   978-0-262-12200-9 . Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Advertisement for McDaniels Market". Valley Times (North Hollywood, CA). September 11, 1951.
  7. ↑ "Biggest U.S. Shopping Center for Valley". Valley Times (North Hollywood, CA). May 23, 1950.
  8. ↑ "Work is being speeded on Valley Plaza…". Valley Times (North Hollywood, CA). July 14, 1950.
  9. ↑ "Owl-Mayfair Drug and Food Mart Rising in Valley Plaza". Valley Times (North Hollywood, CA). February 1, 1951.
  10. ↑ "Big Owl Valley Plaza to become Thriftimart and Owl Drugs". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. August 6, 1954. p. 6. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Valley Plaza ad (addresses)". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. February 11, 1963. p. 38. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  12. 1 2 "Valley Plaza ad (sketch, Woolworth's grand opening, Hartfield's address)". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. June 15, 1955. p. 33. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  13. ↑ "New Sears Store One of the Biggest". Valley Times (North Hollywood, CA). September 3, 1951.
  14. ↑ "Occidental Savings Bank Opens Doors Tomorrow". Valley Times (North Hollywood, CA). January 21, 1954.
  15. ↑ "Occidental Savings Bank Opens Doors Tomorrow". Valley Times (North Hollywood, CA). January 21, 1954.
  16. ↑ "Alexander's Markets history". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. April 2, 1952. p. 4. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  17. ↑ "Pic-'N'-Save Valley Plaza grand opening". Valley News. February 15, 1973. p. 100. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Alexander's Markets in Socal - Groceteria.com". www.groceteria.ca. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  19. ↑ "Advertisement for Valley Plaza". Los Angeles Times. April 29, 1960.
  20. ↑ “Penney Co Maps Birthday Party”, Valley Times, September 29, 1959
  21. ↑ "Penneys ad". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. February 4, 1959. p. 11. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  22. ↑ "Head of Chamber Sees Great 1960". Valley Times (North Hollywood, CA). December 11, 1959.
  23. ↑ "Valley Plaza Tower". Los Angeles Conservancy. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  24. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Valley Plaza North Hollywood". Google Maps. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  25. 1 2 "It's the end of an era for the Valley Plaza Sears in North Hollywood". Daily News. November 8, 2019.
  26. 1 2 "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  27. 1 2 Smith, Kevin (July 17, 2023). "Target opens new stores in North Hollywood and Ontario". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  28. 1 2 "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  29. ↑ "Laurel Plaza shopping center in North Hollywood is sold". Los Angeles Times . January 23, 2014.
  30. ↑ Dakota Smith, "J.H. Snyder Loses North Hollywood Valley Plaza Site", L.A. Curbed, April 13, 2011
  31. ↑ "Laurel Plaza's Bright Future", website of Paul Krekorian, Los Angeles City Council
  32. ↑ "NoHo West developer announces 3 major tenants at old Laurel Plaza site". August 12, 2019.
  33. ↑ "Big Owl Market Shoppers Come in Thousands". Valley Times. November 2, 1951. p. 3.
  34. ↑ "Bond's 51st and Greatest Anniversary Sale (ad)". The Los Angeles Times. November 3, 1960. p. 7. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  35. ↑ Styles, Seth (November 21, 2023). "Remembering the Golden Age of the Great Los Angeles Mall | JohnHart Real Estate Blog". Real Estate Celebrity News Blog, JohnHart Gazette.
  36. ↑ Cowan, Jared (October 27, 2020). "This Dilapidated Valley Shopping Center Is the Backdrop for Decades of Huge Movies and TV Shows". LAmag - Culture, Food, Fashion, News & Los Angeles. Retrieved March 29, 2024.

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