Slide show celebrates rich Village history

By Amy Golod

Daily Bruin Contributor

Leonora Passarelli, a Westwood native, remembers going to the
Village drive-in, Truman’s, for cherry Cokes and curly fries
in the 1950s.

“I remember when Westwood was a quaint, little
village,” she said.

So did other Westwood residents and members of the
Westwood-Holmby Historical Society who reminisced Monday over
Westwood’s charm with a slide presentation titled
“Westwood: Then and Now.” Jim Heimann, author of books
such as “California Crazy” and “Out with the
Stars,” narrated the show.

To begin the presentation, Heimann pointed out that the recent
remodeling of the El Paseo building on the corner of Broxton and
Weyburn Avenues shows the potential for Westwood.

“The El Paseo building makes a nice statement with
contemporary elements, yet it makes references to the past. That is
what Westwood is all about,” Heimann said.

One of the introductory slides showed an advertisement from the
Janss Investment Corporation, which helped develop the Village.

When development began, newspapers were filled with
advertisements for houses available to prospective buyers, Heimann
said.

A lighthouse, surrounded by Westwood land, provided a lookout to
view the land.

Westwood featured towers and empty space to “grab
automobile drivers from the road,” Heimann said.

Retail shops such as Al Cooper, Dyches Lingerie and J.C.
Penny’s lined Westwood Boulevard. One slide showed a
black-and-white picture of a woman holding a parasol while window
shopping.

“There was a nice cadence to the Village that was
compatible with the surrounding community,” Heimann said.

Throughout its development, Westwood featured more than just
shops and restaurants. In 1938, Westwood had an outdoor ice skating
rink with stadium seating for 16,000 and 10 acres of parking. Also
during the ’30s, visitors could play miniature golf on a
course built to occupy vacant space.

When Westwood developed more of an entertainment focus in the
’80s with fast-food restaurants and video arcades, the
character of the Village shifted, Heimann said.

Gangs hanging out in the Village during that time also
contributed to the changing image of Westwood, Passarelli
added.

Some people say that the Third Street Promenade and Old Town
Pasadena are models for a future Westwood Village. The Village,
however, needs to serve the needs of UCLA, business owners and its
community, Heimann said.

“Preservation is the smart way to go,” he added.

Heimann became attracted to building visuals when writing his
first book “California Crazy: Roadside Vernacular
Architecture.” While working on “Out with the Stars:
Hollywood Nightlife in the Golden Era,” which chronicles the
history of Los Angeles night clubs, he began researching in
archives for photographs.

“It is fascinating to recreate photographically this
section of Los Angeles,” Heimann said.

The research sparked interest in the architecture of Los
Angeles, including Westwood, Heimann said.

He said that his interest in Westwood mainly grew when he wrote
a Dec. 26 article in the Los Angeles Times about Westwood’s
history.

The article stated reasons for the decline of the Village since
its founding and hope for its restoration.

Groups such as the 11-year-old Westwood-Holmby Historical
Society work toward preserving the flavor of the Village.

“We think it is important to get the word out about our
old and rich history,” said Carolyn Mannon Haber, president
of the society.

Each year, the society hosts a meeting, such as this one on
Westwood, to give back to the members, she said.

The society gives presentations to schools, especially to
elementary school classes on California history. It also provides
photographs of Westwood to businesses such as the new Westwood
Starbuck’s.

The society sometimes works with groups such as Friends of
Westwood and Save Westwood to help with building preservation.

“The ’20s and ’30s are still there, the
architecture has just been covered up,” Heimann said.