TGI Friday’s Woodland Hills Kicks Off Week Of Celebration For 30th Anniversary
Friday's Woodland Hills 30th Anniversary
Congratulations to TGI Friday’s Woodland Hills as they celebrate their 30th Anniversary this week! Check out all of the special events noted in the advertisement card above, including Thursday’s flare show and an invitation-only black tie event on Sunday!
Does anyone remember when Friday’s first opened? Any other early memories? Please post them in the comments!
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SF Valley Cultural Landmarks In The News, Including “Corbin Palms House” In Woodland Hills
Corbin Palms Advertisement
Some San Fernando Valley landmarks were in the news yesterday, including a home in Woodland Hills.
Chris Nichols knows a good beer-barrel building when he sees one. And a group of Kennedy High School students has an eye for San Fernando Valley architectural gems.
Both are seeking to save four historic buildings, from a Lankershim Ranch reading room to a North Hills church.
And both are working to name each a city Historic-Cultural Monument, which would protect such landmarks as the onion-domed Sepulveda Unitarian church and the barrel-shaped bar once known as the Idle Hour Cafe.
The nominations for monument status, including three by the Kennedy High students, will be considered today by the Cultural Heritage Commission. If approved, the applications will likely clear the City Council this spring.
“It’s particularly exciting to have four remarkable San Fernando Valley landmarks in a single Cultural Heritage agenda,” said Ken Bernstein, manager of the city Office of Historic Resources.
“It’s tremendously exciting that a Valley architectural magnet school is preparing an entirely new generation of preservationists to take responsibility for Valley history.”
Fewer than 10 percent of the city’s nearly 1,000 historic-cultural monuments are located in the San Fernando Valley.
One of these sites is the Corbin Palms House:
The Corbin Palms House, an impeccable ranch-style house in Woodland Hills built in 1955 by William Krisel and Dan Palmer. The duo designed many modernist homes in the Valley and Palm Springs.
A site I found called Eichler Networks did an great write up about Corbin Palms here (a must read), and this is there blurb about that development:
• Corbin Palms is located on the west side of Corbin Avenue, between Calvert and Hamlin streets. The 6100 and 6200 blocks of Jumilla have homes that are particularly well preserved. Two landmark homes share a broad, park-like lawn on Corbin, just south of Topham Street. Victory Boulevard has a remarkable array of palms.
I was trying to figure out by searching online exactly which home they are speaking about in the article, and as of this moment I’m not sure. If anyone has any idea, please leave a comment so I can find it and go take a picture.
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The Former Life Of FedEX Kinkos In Woodland Hills
Warner Center FedEx Kinkos
New commenter DRG91367 writes in with regards to the above picture:
FedEx/Kinkos was indeed a bank (actually, a couple of them) but was originally a Disco! Back in the 80s, Woodland Hills was filled with these places. The spot in question was a “Flannigan’s Big Daddy’s”, and next to it was “Reuben’s Summerhouse”.
Over on Canoga, where BJ’s is (was? I never go there), was the infamous Red Onion, and Ventura and Corbin was home to Tennessee Gin & Cotton.
God it’s hard to believe there was actually night life (albeit lousy) in Woodland Hills at one time!
Thanks for the info DRG91367! I love exploring the history of the buildings and places around us! Personally, I am fascinated by the many tile mosaics found on banking facades in the valley. I hope that this one on the Kinkos will be saved when they demolish the building.
I dug a little bit and found this article about the history of Flanigan’s. Here are some of the highlights that you may or may not find as fascinating as I do:
As they evolved, Flanigan’s Big Daddy’s liquor lounges became the most popular gathering spots for legions of students on spring-break in South Florida. Bikini contests and drinking competitions were seductive draws, as was the availability of 38-cent drinks at Big Daddy’s lounges. Flanigan, who stood six-feet tall and weighed more than 230 pounds, held sway over the annual festivities, embodying the drunken rowdiness that made South Florida famous as a spring-break Mecca. Within ten years, Flanigan’s Enterprises was generating $15 million in annual revenue, with the lack of capital representing virtually the only impediment to further growth.
In 1969, Flanigan sought to resolve the company’s financial shortcomings by taking it public, but he was able to do so only after convincing the American Stock Exchange that his business had no ties to organized crime. Once he dispelled this suspicion, and the company completed its initial public offering of stock, the proceeds were used to finance expansion. During the next several years, he opened Big Daddy’s lounges throughout Florida and related lounges in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Nashville, Tennessee, and Mobile, Alabama. By 1972, four years after registering $15 million in sales, Flanigan’s Enterprises generated $38 million.
Bad Decisions in the 1970s
As Flanigan expanded his chain, the need for further capital became a persistent problem. The proceeds from the public offering provided enough funds for the company’s initial growth spurt, but more was needed. Consequently, Flanigan began to borrow heavily, using bank loans to build a financial operating base for national expansion. Bankers were reluctant to lend Flanigan as much as he wanted, however, so he was forced to search for other ways to raise cash. The solution to the problem ended up being the worst business decision Flanigan ever made.
And, after a long blurb about some bad lease deals that Flanigan made:
To make matters worse, Flanigan’s Enterprises suffered from other mistakes during the period as well. In the late 1970s, the company tried to capitalize on the pervasive discotheque trend. Flanigan ordered the construction of giant, three-story nightclubs that featured delicatessens, dancing, and packaged liquor for carry-out. The business failed primarily because the discotheque fad faded just as Flanigan’s three-story nightclubs were opening their doors. Flanigan also tried to capitalize on another trend: he built an expensive racquet club in Atlanta, hoping to reap rewards from the popularity of the fitness movement. The foray failed in 1979 when a patron at the Atlanta club was electrocuted as he sat in an improperly grounded Jacuzzi.
Gotta love the 70s! Check out the full article for much more salacious details. The funny part is that the company still exists, albeit much smaller, in Florida.
Oh, and just to leave you with an example of the kind of fun that went on at Flanigan’s Big Daddy – from the August 20, 1978 Valley Variety page of the LA Times:
August 20, 1978 Disco Advertisement
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Today’s Vacant Lot Is Yesterday’s History – Explore Google or Jump A Wall To Touch It
Early this morning I set out to take a simple photograph of a vacant lot to accompany my post about 20600 Ventura Blvd being sold. Easy enough, in theory. From Ventura Blvd it is actually difficult to take a picture of the property because it is on an elevated plateau. In fact, it is on two elevated plateus, one about 20 feet above street level, and another 50+ feet above street level. So, in an attempt to get a better view I invited myself onto the property of an adjacent condominum complex, jumped a wall (okay, a half-wall), and took the last two pictures of the above gallery. Interestingly enough, from this vantage point you can see that the property is indeed larger than it seems to be from Ventura Blvd.
In the process of beginning to make this post I wanted to confirm that the address of this property was in fact 20600 Ventura Blvd, so I punched that address into a Google search and was surprised at what I found. Before the facility formerly on this property was an assembly hall for the Jehovah’s Witnesses, it was a valuable and storied piece of San Fernando Valley history and culture – The Valley Music Theater.
An undated online petition from, in my estimate, 2005 or 2006 reads:
I am reaching out to all of you. I am in the midst of trying to keep and bring back a landmark to the valley. I am talking about the Jehovah Witness Temple on Ventura Blvd. Well before they bought it, it used to be a theater and concert venue in the valley during the 60’s. It had performers such as Ray Charles, the Doors, Buffalo Springfield, the Byrds, Ike & Tina Turner, Peter, Paul & Mary, BB King, Lou Rawls, Three Dog Night, Jim Croce & the Spiral Staircase, among others. Sammy Davis Jr., Johnny Carson, Don Rickles & Woody Allen also performed in the futuristic domed structure.
Well it was sold to developers years back when the Jehovahs outgrew it and now they want to turn it into another set of Apt/ town homes. Now I am all about growth in the valley but this is one piece of land that would be a waste to turn into more housing. I’m in the process of trying to file a petition to make it a woodland hills landmark and halt any demolition they plan to do it. I have spoken to the President of the Woodland Hills Home Owners Assoc. and I have reached out to the local assemblyman as well. I am most likely going to need petitions from other San Fernando Valley residents, so I am going to start that here and now. With me being the first signature. Please go ahead and include your name down the list. If you know other people not on myspace that want to be included in this, please get them involved as well. There is serious and do need people who believe in this or would like to have a concert venue brought back to the valley so us “valley kids” don’t always have to go to the city. Its time the bands/theater/comedy comes to us. Please keep reposting this!!!
I found this enlightening and captivating. So, this building had a former life. And a noteworthy one, at that! Searching for Valley Music Theater reveals this blurb from AmericansSuburb.com (an amazing, yet dormant site):
The theater at 20600 Ventura Boulevard was supposed to be the first local performing arts hall with serious ambitions. Designed as theater in the round, it was built by pouring a concrete dome over a dirt mound, then excavating away the soil. Bob Hope and other local celebrities backed the venture, which opened July 6, 1964, with a gala premiere of The Sound of Music. When legit theater didn’t catch on, rock music was tried. On February 22, 1967, the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield and the Doors put on a memorable show. Boxing matches were tried, but in 1980 the theater became a Jehovah’s Witness assembly hall. In 2004 the church sold to a developer who hopes to build condos and retail on the site.
- Valley Music Theatre Postcard
I also came across an article from this summer in the Daily News about the developer who razed the theater in 2007 but defaulted on the loan before executing their grand vision for the property. They write:
“They (JPI) put a very large loan on (the site), graded it and ran out of money,” said a Valley real estate executive familiar with the project who did not want to be identified.
JPI also wanted to modify its original plan to cut costs but ran into opposition from neighborhood groups.
However, any residential project would have to include a retail component and a shuttle that runs from early morning to early evening, Murley said.
“They wanted to do a very cheap facade that just didn’t fit in,” said Gordon Murley, president of the Woodland Hills Homeowners Organization. “They started grading, then covered it with plastic and that’s it.”
The current entitlements will transfer to any new owners, he said.
It should be noted, that the quote above exhibits the first mention of Gordon Murley on this blog. A man who, I have been duly informed, is perhaps the most powerful man behind-the-scenes (and not-so-behind-the-scenes) in Woodland Hills politics. It has also been explained to me that he generally seeks to limit development in Woodland Hills, specifically and especially along Ventura Blvd.
I guess my marginal bit of commentary with regards to the demolition of the facility is that the whole thing was conducted as a business deal, when in fact there possibly should be been more involvement from the community in recognizing that, while the structure itself was no doubt completely obsolete and had long since been retired from its original use a community theater, there was indeed some historical and community significance to both the theater and the use of the land on which it stands.
Sadly, any notion of using the land for the benefit of our community gave way to the economic motivations of real estate developers, who in hindsight had eyes bigger than their stomachs. What I also half wonder is if there aren’t some ‘powers that be’ who are both happy that there is neither a theater or community enriching facility at the site, nor any other development (with realistic prospects and/or known timetable) slated for the site in the near future.
If you have anything to add or any insight that you can provide to me, please leave a comment on this post or e-mail me at contact@hillsofwoodland.com.
I leave you with a gallery of photos of the theater as it stood in these undated photos most likely from the year or two before it was demolished. Photo source: abandonedbutnotforgotten.com
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Girard and the Pepper Trees
1920's Girard Tour Brochure
I was finally polishing up the “About Woodland Hills” page today, mostly with info from the Chamber of Commerce, and in my criss-cross of web travels I found the great image above in the CSUN’s Oviatt Libary Digital Collections. If you ever want to search for old pictures of the SF Valley, that site is the place.
Also in my travels, I came across a great blog entry by a guy named Floyd B. Bariscale (a pseudonym?) with many photos and much insight about the Pepper Trees of Canoga Avenue. He has visited many landmarks of Los Angeles and blogged about them, check out his full site Big Orange Landmarks. The pictures and historical information are pretty amazing and the site is referenced in many blogs and articles.
Sadly, it seems he stopped updating the blog in April. Hopefully he is not dead or in prison.
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