"The Valley Plaza was among the first and largest open-air shopping malls on the West Coast and a major center of commerce when it opened in 1951. Now, swathes of the historic mall are being demolished, after years of complaints from nearby homeowners that the collection of vacant buildings and parking lots had fallen into disrepair. David Udoff fondly remembers how his mother would drive him and his brother to Valley Plaza in her avocado Dodge Dart."
"The family would shop at the once-vibrant and bustling selection of retail businesses. They would visit the Sears, a bakery and the animatronic fortune-telling machine in front of the drugstore. Then they would lunch on Salisbury steak and Jell-O platters at Schaber's Cafeteria. "The good old Valley days," the 67-year-old former North Hollywood and Toluca Lake resident said of his family outings in the 1960s."
"In its heyday, the sprawling complex of suburban buildings and modernist high-rises drew crowds and even a visit from John F. Kennedy during his 1960 presidential campaign. The demolition, which began this week, came after a panel of Los Angeles city commissioners appointed by Mayor Karen Bass voted in August to declare much of the site a public nuisance. The vote greenlighted the destruction of six buildings in the plaza."
Valley Plaza opened in 1951 as one of the first and largest open-air shopping malls on the West Coast and became a major commercial center. The complex included suburban storefronts, modernist high-rises and attractions that drew shoppers and notable visitors. Over decades many businesses closed and large areas of buildings and parking lots fell into disrepair, prompting complaints from nearby homeowners. A panel of Los Angeles city commissioners appointed by Mayor Karen Bass declared much of the site a public nuisance and approved demolition of six buildings. Some structures deemed historic, including a 12-story tower, will be preserved.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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