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 Westwood
Village has long been admired as a prototypical community -- a
unique blend of historic Mediterranean-style architecture housing
a diverse mix of small businesses, together with theaters, museums,
modern office high rises, an affluent neighborhood and a world
renowned university.
The original Village,
constructed in 1929, was a haven for attractive shops, intimate
restaurants, an outdoor skating rink and the social and academic
atmosphere created by the university. The history of Westwood
became tightly interwoven with that of UCLA when it opened its
new neighboring campus on September 18 that same year.
At the time, there were
more than 2,000 residences in the area, which was in the process
of being developed by The Janss Company. Edwin and Harold Janss
were responsible for moving UCLA from Vermont Avenue in Hollywood,
and for creating and promoting the unique residential and commercials
sectors surrounding the campus that remain viable and thriving.
Westwood's first retail
business was Campbell's Book Store, which opened in 1929 directly
on Le Conte Avenue across from UCLA's front gate, setting the
precedent for Village merchants who appealed to student trade.
The residential neighborhoods were then bounded by Sunset, Sepulveda
and Pico Boulevards to the north, west and south, and by the City
of Beverly Hills line to the east. The Village offered its original
residents a Ralph's and A&P Markets, smaller produce stores and
the pioneering Fox and Bruin movie theaters.
In the 1950s, the Janss
Development Company sold the partially developed property to Arnold
Kirkeby, responsible for a major redevelopment to the Village
and the acceleration of commercial growth, which continued unabated
into the mid 1980s.
Westwood today is a district
on its way back, with its merchants, cultural assets, history
and UCLA still forming a solid foundation for growth and recovery.
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