Sherman Oaks Galleria
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Sherman Oaks Galleria is a shopping mall and business center located in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.
Description
Sherman Oaks Galleria is located at the corner of Ventura and Sepulveda Boulevards in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles County.
History
The mall opened in the 70's with two department stores (Robinsons anchored the north, May Company anchored the south) and a Pacific 5 Theatres. This mall was 3 levels, and open and bright. The theatres were located on the upper most level of the mall. In 1992, Robinsons and May Company merged, forming Robinsons-May. Both department stores were converted to Robinsons-May. The north store being Men's and Home, and the south being Womens and Children.
The mall became famous in the early 1980s as being the center of the Valley Girl culture and a well known teenage hangout. In 1994, the Galleria closed for eleven days due to the Northridge Earthquake, and the mall never fully recovered from the economic impact. Towards the late 1990s, many businesses began closing due to lack of consumer interest in the Galleria, until only a single store, a gift shop, was left remaining in 1999. The mall was suffering drastically due to having only one main anchor, and was being outgrossed by the smaller, but busier Sherman Oaks Fashion Square, located about two miles away.
The mall finally closed that year for a major renovation, and reopened in 2002 as an open air center that was nothing like what it had been before. The only remnant of the original mall is the court where the Pacific 16 Theatres is. The theatres are on the uppermost of what had once been the southern Robinsons-May. the rest of the mall was turned into offices. Warner Brothers set up offices here and can be seen in what was once one of the mall entrances.
In popular culture
Some scenes in the movies Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Commando (film), , and Chopping Mall were filmed at the Galleria, and was mentioned in the song Valley Girl by Frank Zappa, which features a monologue by his daughter Moon Unit Zappa.
External links
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