Couple Try to Revive Cahuenga Blvd.’s Past

A North Hollywood business is trying to turn back the clock on a two-block stretch of Cahuenga Boulevard.

Anita and Casey Hallenbeck are seeking community and government help in transforming the area between Chandler and Burbank boulevards into “Old Lankershim,” a nod to North Hollywood’s past.

On Saturday, the Hallenbecks will host an open house at Hallenbeck’s General Store. Free food, drinks and entertainment are scheduled, but the main event will be a discussion of the Old Lankershim plan.

The couple plan to display a scale model showing a hub of shops with a nostalgic, early century theme geared both to tourists and the film industry. Casey Hallenbeck is a set decorator who has worked on big-budget projects such as “The Firm” and “Addams Family Values.”

The Hallenbecks describe Old Lankershim as a homier version of Universal CityWalk. The street would recall North Hollywood’s small-town past, a time when the area was a vast expanse of peach orchards.

As envisioned by the Hallenbecks, street vendors would roll vintage carts down the block, selling fresh fruit or flowers. Residents would gather for holiday celebrations or public meetings.

In 1995, the couple bought property on Cahuenga Boulevard and turned it into Hallenbeck’s General Store, which opened in February.

“We have people come in all the time and say, ‘Oh, this takes me back to when I visited my grandmother!’ ” Anita Hallenbeck said.

“Our ultimate goal is to create a ‘new’ Old Town [Pasadena] or Main Street U.S.A., because they don’t have those around here. It makes people feel like they belong.”

Still ahead are key meetings with city officials and community leaders.

“Everyone thinks it’s an uphill battle,” Anita Hallenbeck said. “And it probably is. But we’re just going to keep plugging.”

The open house is from noon to 3 p.m. at 5510 Cahuenga Blvd., near Chandler Boulevard.