Taylor is the founder and managing director of the North Village
Improvement Committee.
By Shelley Taylor
Westwood’s movie theater heritage ““ as well as its
economic vitality and cultural life ““ all are at severe
risk.
As reported in the Daily Bruin (“Chain stores move in as
theaters move out,” News, Feb. 5), it looks like Westwood is
about to become the next victim of the voracious national chains,
with Sav-On Drugs (and corporate parent Albertsons) among those
leading the charge.
Since its earliest days, Westwood Village has been famous for
its movie theaters, dating back to the historic Fox Village and
Bruin theaters, both of which opened in the 1930s. Today, Westwood
boasts 18 movie theater screens. These movie theaters have played a
starring role in fueling Westwood’s economic life for many
decades. Westwood is one of the most prestigious and important
movie theater markets in the world.
The presence of these 18 movie screens has attracted
restaurants, shops and other businesses to Westwood. Theaters
contribute to the Village’s pedestrian ambience. Going out to
dinner and a movie, along with shopping or getting a cup of coffee
before or after the show, has long been one of the favorite
pastimes of UCLA students, faculty, staff, neighbors and others who
have been drawn to the community.
In the next couple of weeks, Westwood will lose all four movie
screens at Mann’s Westwood Four-plex Theatre on Gayley, which
is being converted to a Whole Foods Market.
A fifth screen, Mann’s Plaza Theatre on Glendon, will be
demolished to make way for a luxury apartment project. Mann’s
lease at the Plaza has expired and the theater is on
month-to-month.
A sixth screen, the beautiful Crest Theater on Westwood
Boulevard (with its blacklight murals of historic L.A. scenes
decorating the auditorium walls), also faces an uncertain future.
The Crest recently was sold, and Pacific Theater’s lease
expires this year. The new owner announced they plan to greatly
increase the rent, but Pacific has said the new rent is too high to
justify staying.
Now, the three-screen United Artists Westwood Theater has closed
and is threatened with being replaced by Sav-On. The UA Westwood
Theater has been part of our community for 30 years. These three UA
screens often have played smaller, art-house type films, such as
“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “Mulholland
Drive,” “Tailor of Panama,” “Shipping
News,” “Memento,” “Sidewalks of New
York” and many other independent-type films.
Added up, Westwood faces the possible loss of up to nine movie
theater screens. Losing half of Westwood’s screens will have
a devastating impact on the local economy. Many Westwood Village
restaurants and merchants, as well as those along Westwood
Boulevard south of Wilshire, heavily depend on business generated
by these movie theater patrons.
Westwood’s long-promised revitalization is now mired in
the local economic slowdown and a national recession. Even without
the loss of these theaters, many Westwood restaurants and merchants
already are struggling. This past holiday season was very painful
for many Westwood businesses. They certainly will feel the sharp
loss of these movie theaters, and the significant customer traffic
they generate. Sav-On will likely put many of them out of
business.
Bringing in Sav-On, yet another national chain drugstore to an
area already over-saturated with Rite-Aid, Long’s Drugs,
Ralph’s Pharmacy, Walgreens, as well as family-owned Super
Drugs, Westwood Center Pharmacy, Pharmacy 2000, and Imperial
Pharmacy is not a net gain for Westwood. In fact, it is a huge loss
for the community ““ Sav-On adds nothing we don’t
already have.
UCLA also will feel the loss. The university has a rich cinema
heritage, as home to one of world’s top-ranked Schools of
Theater, Film and Television. The UCLA Film and Television Archive
is an international treasure. UCLA also boasts a distinguished
roster of renowned filmmaking alumni including Francis Ford
Coppola, Paul Schrader and Tim Robbins, to name just a few.
Movies are the dominant form of popular American culture.
Westwood’s 18 movie theaters have helped shape and define the
cultural landscape of Westwood as a unique community in Los Angeles
and as UCLA’s college town.
The UA Theater wants to stay in Westwood. Nearly all of
Westwood’s residents, neighbors, business owners and students
want the UA Theater to stay in Westwood. This is a rare case where
the UCLA community, the business community, the artistic community,
and Westwood homeowners are all on the same side.
The good news is that the Sav-On deal is not final. The proposed
Sav-On faces serious zoning problems over its parking, as well as
strong community opposition. More than 700 Westwood residents,
businesses, employees, neighbors and customers have signed
petitions opposing Sav-On. The West Los Angeles Chamber of
Commerce, along with all four of Westwood’s local homeowner
and community groups, are on record opposing Sav-On’s plans.
Local neighbors are organizing a boycott of all Sav-On and
Albertsons stores citywide to make their voices heard.
I urge everyone who cares about preserving Westwood’s
movie theaters to write to Sav-On/Albertsons, or Westwood city
councilman Jack Weiss. Westwood Village is our village. Let your
voice be heard.