The Quest for a Place in History : Former Ralphs Building May Get a Place on National Register

One of the first six buildings constructed in Westwood in 1929 has been nominated to the National Register of Historic Places because of its significance to the history of Westwood and because it “represents the original architectural style of Westwood.”

The Spanish Colonial-style building at Westwood Boulevard and Lindbrook Drive was originally a Ralphs grocery store. Today, the Odeon Cinema, several boutiques and a restaurant occupy the Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival building at 1142-54 Westwood Blvd., just north of UCLA.

A decision on the historic designation is expected to be made by Aug. 13 by the keeper of the national register in Washington. Historians say there is no reason why the building, designated a Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Monument in 1988, will not be named a national historic place.

The owner, who wishes to remain anonymous, spent “well in excess of $1 million” and nine months to restore the building, said Greg Bernstein, the owner’s representative.

Christy Johnson McAvoy, a consultant for Historic Resources Group, which worked with the owner on the building’s rehabilitation, said the building was nominated under a 1986 federal tax-certification program that requires rehabilitation of a historically significant structure according to federal standards. The owner, in turn, gets a tax credit that equals 20% the cost of rehabilitation. Because the interior was altered years ago, only the exterior was rehabilitated.

McAvoy said: “It is one of the incentives for rehabilitating historically significant buildings. We don’t have very many of these incentives, and it should be easier to create them.

“But government is reluctant to give any more of them in these tight economic times. There are thousands of eligible buildings in Los Angeles, but I would say less than 100 have taken advantage of this particular credit.”

The development of Westwood Village began in 1925, after the regents of the University of California purchased a tract of land from the Janss Corp. The site was chosen for its large size, ideal weather and proximity to downtown Los Angeles.

The Janss Corp. subsequently began to develop the land to the south and east, where there was no housing, shops, markets or entertainment facilities to support the incoming university population.

The Ralphs was the first big supermarket built in Westwood Village. Architect Russell Collins designed the store to conform with the Mediterranean architectural theme recommended by urban planners in the village.

The principal facades were finished in scored stucco, smooth stucco and cast-stone ornament. The Ralphs stores of this period were known for their ornate architectural style, according to McAvoy, who completed the application form for the National Register of Historic Places.

The L-shaped building, dominated by a stout cylindrical tower at Lindbrook Avenue and Westwood Boulevard, with stylized Mission Revival parapets at the end of each of the building’s wings, made it a focal point for anyone entering the area from the north toward UCLA. It served as a model for a cluster of low-rise commercial brick buildings subsequently constructed along Lindbrook Drive and Glendon Avenue.

The ornate tower facade is now burnt orange and forest green with gold accents, painted at the request of the new leaseholder, La Salsa, a Mexican food restaurant chain.

Ralphs opened to the community of about 2,000 in November, 1929, two months after the first students enrolled at the new UCLA campus.

Local papers announced the three-day grand opening celebration and gala festival of the Westwood Ralphs as one of the most “auspicious occasions ever witnessed in the community.” The store remained open until the mid-1960s.

“I remember when it was Ralphs,” said Greg Fischer, whose family moved to Westwood in 1939 and who is president of Westwood-Holmby Historical Society. “I was about 10 years old and my family used to shop there. It was a charming place to be, convenient and the parking was good.

“It’s a very good-looking building, but it was ordinary at the time because all the buildings in the village were one or two stories and were the original concept of the Mediterranean style. The village was a district devoted to small neighborhood shopping. But you will never capture that scale again because the university has gotten too big.”

Most Westwood visitors and UCLA students will remember the building as the home of the Bratskeller restaurant. Designed like a medieval castle replete with armored knights standing in corners, the restaurant, which served American food and some German dishes, was popular with families and UCLA students while it was open from 1968 to the mid-1980s.

From 1968 through 1989, the Odeon Cinema site was operated as a United Artists theater. For three years in the mid-1980s, it was known as the Egyptian Theater.

There are some benefits to a building’s designation as a national historic place, in addition to the optional brass plaque identifying the building’s historic significance and a listing in numerous Los Angeles tourist guide books.

Maryln Bourne Lortie, a historian with the national register section of the California Office of Historic Preservation, said: “The building will get some environmental protection from being affected negatively by any federally funded projects, such as highway widening or any other projects that would negatively impact the structure.”