Remember Westwood?
Before multiplexes changed film-going, fans stood in line for hours outside Westwood Village movie palaces to see such blockbusters as "The Exorcist." Before chain stores and Amazon wrested business from independent booksellers, readers browsed the racks of Hunter's, Campbell's and Westwood Books.
And before Old Pasadena, Universal CityWalk and Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade came on the scene, the triangular-shaped district south of UCLA was the hippest place to be in L.A. on a Saturday night.
But in the 20 years since gang intimidation and violence chilled Westwood Village's groovy vibe, the area has struggled -- with spotty success and many setbacks -- to reclaim its former zing. Meanwhile, other shopping options have sprung up, including the faux village known as the Grove at 3rd Street and Fairfax Avenue, and Westfield's revitalized Century City shopping center.
"Is it realistic to think Westwood is going to come back to anything like it was, a major shopping destination?" mused Jeff Abell, a co-owner of Sarah Leonard Fine Jewelers, a 62-year village fixture. "I think nothing substantive is going to happen unless the landlords sit down . . . and work out a cohesive plan."
Given Westwood Village's location amid the "platinum triangle" of Bel-Air, Holmby Hills and Brentwood -- not to mention UCLA's 43,000 students and faculty members -- it's a wonder that the place has ever been anything but a dazzling success.
Village devotees say the lack of a singular vision and the area's notoriously difficult parking are squelching any hope for a robust comeback. But a burst of construction activity promises to spur momentum.
On Glendon Avenue, a block east of Westwood Boulevard, the first of an anticipated 700 tenants have moved into the 350-unit Palazzo Westwood Village even as workers scurry to complete the project. Nearby on Lindbrook Drive, the former site of a Flax art supply store, developer Kambiz Hekmat has broken ground on an "extended stay" boutique hotel that will have shops and restaurants. A modernist retail project from developer Ron Simms is planned at the site of the recently razed 1,100-seat Mann National Theater, where "The Exorcist" had its Los Angeles opening in 1973.
Merchants and landlords say they hope that the activity will bring well-heeled customers. They warn that it is too early to tell how successful Casden Properties Inc., headed by billionaire developer Alan Casden, will be in attracting tenants. Monthly rents for an 860-square-foot, one-bedroom unit start at $2,750; three-bedroom town homes range from $6,900 to about $7,500.
