Westwood theater closes, to be replaced by retail development
By Sandhya Ravikumar
Nov. 15, 2004 9:00 p.m.
The Mann Plaza movie theater on Glendon Avenue closed its
curtains on Oct. 21 and will be demolished later this month to make
way for a $100 million retail development by Alan Casden.
“We’re obviously sorry to see it go from a
historical point of view and a business point of view. We liked to
operate in the Plaza,” said Peter Dobson, co-chief executive
officer of Mann Theaters.
The 500-seat single screen theater played movies after they were
shown in Westwood’s Mann Bruin, National and Village
theaters. The theater, which was owned by Laemmle Theaters until
1981, was once popular for its art films and midnight
screenings.
Dobson said he had known for two years that the theater’s
lease was going to expire and did not invest more money into
it.
In 2002, both the Mann Westwood four-screen theater on Gayley
Avenue and the United Artists theater on Wellworth Avenue were
closed and replaced by chain stores in Westwood.
While older, smaller theaters have been closing, there are plans
for new theaters in Westwood.
Developer Jeff Katofsky hopes to convert space behind
Jerry’s Famous Deli at Broxton and Le Conte avenues into a
stadium seating movie theater. Also, Mann Theatres may be building
another theater in the area.
“We are possibly exploring a new complex in another
location in Westwood in 2006,” said Bill Hertz, spokesman for
Mann Theatres.
Casden Properties Vice President Howard Katz believes that Mann
Plaza “has never been identified as anything of historical
significance” and that the development of new theaters is
beneficial to Westwood.
“The theaters we’re taking down are basically old.
It makes sense. It will bring state of the art theaters into
Westwood Village,” Katz said. “The seats are bigger,
the perspective to the screen is better, and the person’s
head is not in front of me.”
Dobson said that it is disappointing to see theaters such as the
Plaza leave the Village.
“Modern-day development doesn’t surround itself with
an old cinema, which is sad. But at the end of the day, it’s
business for the landlords who own the site,” he said.
While new multiplexes are opening across the country, they will
not replace all the older theaters, said Shana Murphy, a city
employee who works with the Westwood Design Review Board.
Murphy said older theaters can accommodate more people for
premieres and openings. The Mann Bruin and Mann Village theaters,
both built in the 1930s, are the sites of some of Hollywood’s
biggest premieres.
“Movies initially go to (the older) theaters, and when the
demand is less they go to multiplexes with smaller theaters,”
she said.
Local businesses said the closing of Mann Plaza Theater has not
directly affected their business, but the theater will still be
missed.
“I am sad to see it go because I love that theater. It
seems nowadays that the only things that can make money are the big
multiplexes,” said fourth-year economics student and Westwood
Brewing Company bartender Thien Doan.
