Theaters fading to black in Westwood

Moviegoers in the 1960s and '70s flocked to Westwood Village, where they had their pick of first-run films on nearly 20 screens. With parking scarce, patrons stashed their cars at the Federal Building on Wilshire Boulevard and took shuttles into the village. A-list celebrities turned out for frequent splashy openings.

The occasional premiere still brings red carpets and klieg lights, but the neighborhood near UCLA is no longer the movie hub it once was. Nearby multiplexes have lured away most of the crowds, who favor comfortable stadium seating, state-of-the-art sound systems and other modern amenities.

The closing Thursday night of the Mann Festival Theatre on Lindbrook Drive -- on top of last year's demolition of the Mann National Theatre and previous losses of the Mann Westwood 4 and Mann Plaza, among others -- is further indication that Westwood's movie culture appears in danger of fading to black.

Preservationists are also bracing for the potential loss of the village's two most architecturally distinctive theaters: the Village and Bruin, which date from the 1930s. Encino-based Mann Theatres has given notice that it intends not to renew its leases on the Broxton Avenue theaters -- one Spanish Mission style with the famed neon-lighted Fox tower, the other Art Moderne with a distinctive wraparound marquee. Both are city historic-cultural monuments.

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--Martha Groves

Comments

[Mufon]

Thank heaven the movie houses, and their associated cultural contributions, are falling by the wayside. That way we can plow down those 80-plus year old buildings, and put in multiple strip malls with 20 stores and 15 parking spaces.

[stephen]

yeah, well maybe if either one of those big theatres would let you bring your own food and drink in, instead of being so "nazi" about it, they wouldn't be facing this. the "village" is a great theatre but they are jerks about outside food and drinks. not everyone who goes there is a resident of bel air and most people can't afford the OUTRAGEOUS prices of a diet coke and a small popcorn...the budgets of some small cities.
fill the theatre with people and don't worry about snacks for crying out loud.

[TruthTeller]

Another symptom of the absolute incompetence of Los Angeles City government. The problem with Westwood is the lack of parking. There is one city lot that only a local can find, as for street parking if you can find it then you run the risk of getting a ticket for any miscalculation. Add the traffic jams that overbuilding has caused. Add the Byzantine permitting that any business (resturant, bar club) needs to navigate and you have.......

Only large corporations are going to be able to provide the legal pull, $, political pull, & ability to have their own parking structures. The small, interesting & unique businesses will be relegated to the small cities that welocome 7 support them: Santa Monica, Pasadena ETC.

[Chris from LA]

This is so sad. I can understand some of the smaller theaters going down - which is tragic. But for the Bruin and Village to be turned into a GAP or something? That is a Crime against our City!

Worse yet -- I fear that many of these theaters will remain vacant like the dirt lot that used to be the Mann National. What a horrible shame.

[Judith]

This is really sad. I remember waiting with my friends to see "A Hard Day's Night" at the Bruin. Those two theatres should be able to be preserved.. Isn't there a group to help with this?