New plaza strives to restore Westwood Village to old glory

Los Angeles’ newest pedestrian-only plaza is also its largest.

Broxton Plaza — 14,000 square feet of outdoor space in Westwood Village, just minutes from UCLA — is getting its big introduction to Angelenos today.

A grand opening event from noon to 5 p.m. includes a ribbon-cutting with UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk, city officials and performances by UCLA’s marching band and spirit squad.

The plaza, years in the making, is the shopping district’s big play for visitors at a time when businesses there could really use the foot traffic.

“It’s been struggling for a while,” said Michael Russell, executive director of the Westwood Village Improvement Association, which has been pushing for a plaza for the last decade.

The plaza, which had a soft opening in October, already draws regulars who come for the weekly farmer’s market , the vintage clothing Bruins Flea market and First Thursday nights featuring UCLA artists and musicians.

Broxton Plaza aims to attract the more than 200,000 people living within a three-mile radius.

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Westwood Village Improvement Association

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Now that it’s permanently closed to traffic, the plaza could become its own attraction and compete with the likes of Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica and the Westfield Century City mall, Russell said.

“You’re not worried about getting hit by cars,” Russell said. “We're in an area that's a safe space for people to come and enjoy the city again.”

Glory days

The district’s heyday was some 50 years ago when its famed theaters, shops and restaurants drew crowds into the night.

“When I was a kid and I would visit Westwood Village in the '80s, it was really the hot spot,” Russell said. “I remember going to those theaters, seeing 'Goonies' there, going to Diddy Riese.”

That’s the cookie shop on Broxton — still open. It began serving customers in the '80s when Westwood “was the only kind of real destination on the Westside,” Russell said.

Tables are set out every day by a "plaza ambassador."

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Westwood Village Improvement Association

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UCLA’s Vice Chancellor of Strategic Communications Mary Osako recalls growing up in the '70s “two exits down the 405 from Westwood.”

“If there was a movie opening, everyone headed to Westwood,” Osako said. “Westwood was the jewel of Los Angeles in terms of being a place of community."

But then other cities and developers started to put their stake in the ground, and more shopping plazas opened.

“And then, unfortunately, there was the tragic incident,” Russell said.

A sudden turn

Gang violence was surging in L.A., and in 1988 it jolted Westwood Village.

A 27-year-old woman named Karen Toshima was taking a stroll after dinner with a friend when she was killed by gang-related gunfire.

Her death in the affluent neighborhood shocked the city. Police patrols tripled, but the crowds began to dwindle.

“And then right after that, the market competition happened,” Russell said. “Third Street Promenade became an official promenade. Then the Westside Pavilion mall opened. Then eventually the Grove.”

Plaza ambassadors

Broxton Plaza is anchored by local institutions, including the Broxton Brewery.

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Westwood Village Improvement Association

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Russell expects the new plaza — on Broxton Avenue between Kinross and Weyburn avenues — will help turn around the district’s fortunes.

The city’s Department of Transportation resurfaced Broxton and added signage, barricades and planters through its People Street program launched under former Mayor Eric Garcetti.

It's surpassed the Sunset Triangle Plaza in Silver Lake as the largest plaza in the city. Others include Leimert Park Village Plaza and Bradley Alley Plaza in Pacoima.

The Westwood Village association plans to spend upwards of $100,000 a year on upkeep and staffing including a dedicated Plaza “ambassador” who will greet visitors and set up tables and chairs outdoors to expand the al fresco dining areas for restaurants, which include Barney’s Beanery and the Broxton Brewery.

The plaza now provides much-needed open space in Westwood Village, said Megan Furey, the business association’s director of programs and partnerships.

“We're just looking to add a third space and get back on the radar,” Furey said. ”I feel like a lot of times Westwood gets forgotten, and we're here and we're not what we used to be, but we're going to be something different, something better."