Van Nuys Boulevard

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Van Nuys Boulevard
Maintained by Bureau of Street Services, City of L.A. DPW
South end:	Valley Vista Blvd. in Sherman Oaks
Major junctions:	Ventura Blvd. in Sherman Oaks US 101 in Sherman Oaks Victory Blvd. in Van Nuys Sherman Way in Panorama City Roscoe Blvd. in Panorama City I-5 in Arleta San Fernando Road in Pacoima I-210 in Lake View Terrace
North end:	Fenton Avenue. in Pacoima
Major cities:	Los Angeles, California
System:	Streets in Los Angeles

Van Nuys Boulevard is a major north-south arterial road that runs through the central San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles County, California. It is also the name of a 1979 motion picture about the cruising lifestyle on Van Nuys Boulevard in the 1960s and 1970s.

Contents 1 Van Nuys Boulevard: The Boulevard 1.1 Communities along Van Nuys Boulevard (south to north) 1.2 Landmarks along Van Nuys Boulevard (south to north) 2 Van Nuys Boulevard: The Movie 3 Notes 4 External links

[edit] Van Nuys Boulevard: The Boulevard

Van Nuys Boulevard runs approximately ten miles from the Hollywood Hills in Sherman Oaks at its southern terminus to the foothills of the Verdugo Mountains in Lake View Terrace at its northern terminus. It passes through the affluent community of Sherman Oaks, then continues through the community of Van Nuys, passing the numerous automobile dealerships in southern Van Nuys, then passing through the Van Nuys Municipal Center, the government center of the San Fernando Valley, then continuing north through Panorama City, past the old General Motors plant now converted into a shopping plaza called “The Plant,” before veering north east through the communities of Arleta and Pacoima, passing the San Fernando Gardens housing project, and ending in the foothills of the Verdugo Mountains.

With its wide expanse through the heart of the San Fernando Valley, Van Nuys Boulevard became known from the 1950s through the 1970s as a center of teenage cruising.^[1][2][3][4] Its car culture was celebrated in several motion pictures, including Van Nuys Boulevard. Cruising became a thing of the past as police cracked down on the practice, but the car culture still lives on through the numerous automobile dealerships that line both sides of Van Nuys Boulevard in northern Sherman Oaks and southern Van Nuys.

Despite its reputation as the center of car culture, Van Nuys Boulevard has several bus routes running on it, including two Metro routes with heavy ridership, Metro Rapid 761 & Metro Local 233. Van Nuys is currently the only arterial bus corridor in the San Fernando Valley running NABI 60-BRT articulated buses for both lines. The Metro Orange Line has a station at Van Nuys. Further to the north, there is a Metrolink and Amtrak station. In the first half of the 20th century, Pacific Electric interurban trains ran in the median of Van Nuys Boulevard from Chandler Boulevard to Parthenia Street, which would then continue to Sepulveda Boulevard; traces of this route can be seen in the large medians of the streets the tracks use to run on.

[edit] Communities along Van Nuys Boulevard (south to north)

• Sherman Oaks - south of Burbank Boulevard; population 28,601 (78.6% White (not Hispanic); 8.5% Hispanic; 5.4% Asian)^[5]
• Van Nuys – between Burbank Boulevard and Roscoe Boulevard; population 136,443 (50.3% Hispanic; 34.1% White (not Hispanic); 6.5% Asian; 5.9% African-American)^[5]
• Panorama City - between Roscoe Boulevard and Woodman Avenue; population 65,235 (70.1% Hispanic; 11.6% Asian; 11.9% White (not Hispanic))^[5]
• Arleta – between Woodman Avenue and the I-5  ; population 32,092 (71.4% Hispanic; 13.4% White (not Hispanic); 11.7% Asian)^[5]
• Pacoima - between I-5 and Foothill Boulevard; population 58,908 (89.2% Hispanic; 5.2% African-American)^[5]
• Lake View Terrace, Los Angeles, California – northeast of Foothill Boulevard; population 30,759 (58.6% Hispanic; 19.7% White (not Hispanic); 15.3% African-American; 4.8% Asian)^[5]

[edit] Landmarks along Van Nuys Boulevard (south to north)

• The Village at Sherman Oaks - The Village at Sherman Oaks is the name given to the shopping and dining area surrounding the intersection of Ventura Boulevard and Van Nuys Boulevard. It ranks as one of the Valley’s most recognized destinations for shopping, offering numerous small boutiques and plazas, outdoor shopping centers, specialty shops and service providers. The eclectic collection of trendy shops in The Village offers a main street shopping experience. The Village is home to top-rated restaurants as well as hip fast-food eateries, offering authentic cuisine from around the world.^[6]
• Sherman Oaks Hospital and Grossman Burn Center - Sherman Oaks Hospital is a 153-bed acute care facility on Van Nuys Boulevard in Sherman Oaks. The facility is owned and operated by Prime Healthcare Services, Inc.^[7] The world renowned Grossman Burn Center, founded by Dr. A. Richard Grossman, at Sherman Oaks Hospital has provided specialized and targeted care to burn patients since 1969. It has grown over the years from two dedicated beds to a 30-bed burn center.^[8] In 2007, the Grossbman Burn Center treated a 4-year-old Iraqi boy named Youssif who was doused with gasoline and set on fire in Baghdad.^[9]
• Van Nuys Government Center - The principal government offices for the San Fernando Valley are located in the Van Nuys Government Center on Van Nuys Boulevard. The area includes the Valley Municipal Building, the modern Van Nuys Courthouse designed by Dan Dworsky, the James C. Corman Federal Building, the Van Nuys Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library, and the Marvin Braude San Fernando Valley Constituent Services Center. The Van Nuys Municipal Court building in Van Nuys, California was designed by architect Dan Dworsky and received the Kaufman & Broad Award for Outstanding New Public or Civic Project for the design.^{[10] [11]} The federal building in Van Nuys was renamed the James C. Corman Federal Building in 2001 in honor of James C. Corman who represented the San Fernando Valley’s 21st Congressional District from 1961-1981.^[12] The $34 million Marvin Braude Constituent Services Center was originally proposed by Marvin Braude; it opened in 2003 and houses various city services.^[13][14]

• Valley Municipal Building - Constructed in 1932 and designed by Peter K. Schabarum, the Valley Municipal Building (sometimes called Van Nuys City Hall) is a San Fernando Valley landmark and is considered a good example of the WPA-era "Zig-Zag Moderne" architectural styling.^[15][16] It was designed as a smaller version of the 29-story Los Angeles City Hall.^[17]
• The Plant – A shopping center built on the site of the old Van Nuys General Motors plant, stores include Home Depot, Babies "R" Us, Ross Dress for Less, Michael's, Party City, and a Mann Theatres multiplex. Living Spaces recently opened it's third store in this shopping center.
• Panorama High School - A high school in the Los Angeles Unified School District located on Van Nuys Boulevard across from The Plant shopping center.^[18]

• Arleta High School - A high school in the Los Angeles Unified School District located on Van Nuys Boulevard in Arleta.^[19]
• San Fernando Gardens - A sprawling housing project in Pacoima built during World War II to house workers at the nearby Lockheed aerospace manufacturing facilities in Burbank. The project was racially integrated; its wartime black population was the first significant African-American population in the San Fernando Valley.^[20] The San Fernando Gardens contains 448 units and 1,621 residents, 48% of whom are under the age of 18. The average annual income is $18,000, more than 45% less than the Los Angeles median family income.^[21]

[edit] Van Nuys Boulevard: The Movie

The motion picture “Van Nuys Boulevard”, released in 1979, was written and directed by William Sachs.^[22] The movie featured 1974 Playboy Playmate of the Year Cynthia Wood.^[22] It told the story of a small-town boy who hears about the wild nights of cruising Van Nuys Boulevard in California. He drives out there to check it out, and gets involved with drag racers, topless dancers and bikers.^[22] The movie’s tag line was: “The Greatest Cruisin' in the Land Takes Place on the Street -- Where it all Began... " The cast of the movie included:

• Bill Adler as Bobby
• Cynthia Wood as Moon
• Dennis Bowen as Greg
• Melissa Prophet as Camille
• David Hayward as Leon Barnes “Chooch”
• Tara Stroheimer as Wanda
• Movie Trailer for Van Nuys Boulevard (1979)

[edit] Notes

The Village at Sherman Oaks	Los Angeles River at Van Nuys Blvd.	Grossman Burn Center, Sherman Oaks	Van Nuys Courthouse
Braude Constitutent Service Center	James C. Corman Federal Building	Happy Dogs	Van Nuys Army & Navy Surplus
Big Taco	LA Engine Company No. 39	Chevy Truck Mural	The Plant Shopping Plaza
Panorama Theater Converted into Church	Arleta High School	San Fernando Gardens	Foothills at North Terminus

[edit] External links

• Movie Trailer for Van Nuys Boulevard (1979)
• Photographic Tour of Van Nuys Boulevard (2001)
• Ku Klux Klan parade down Van Nuys Blvd., 1966
• Los Angeles 1957 ad for Van Nuys Savings & Loan space-age building on Van Nuys Blvd.
• View of Van Nuys Boulevard looking north from Delano Street, Los Angeles, ca.1927
• Neighborhood Project: Van Nuys (many photographs along Van Nuys Blvd.)