Ralphs Grocery Store (Los Angeles, California) facts for kids
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Ralphs Grocery Store
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Tower on the former Ralphs Grocery Store, 2008
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 Location in the Los Angeles metropolitan area
Location in California
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1142–1154 Westwood Boulevard & 10887–10889 Lindbrook Drive, Westwood Village, Los Angeles, California |
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| Built | 1929 |
| Architect | Russell E. Collins, S.N. Benjamin |
| Architectural style | Mission Revival/Spanish Colonial Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 92000969 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | July 30, 1992 |
The Ralphs Grocery Store building is a historic landmark in Westwood Village, California. It was built in 1929 and was one of the first six buildings in the area. This building is famous for its unique round tower, called a rotunda, topped with a low, round roof, known as a saucer dome. It also has a triangular shape, or pediment, above its entrance.
The building was even photographed by the famous photographer Ansel Adams in 1940. Because of its special history and design, it was named a Historic-Cultural Monument in 1988. Later, in 1992, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, which lists important historical sites across the country.
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Westwood Village: A Planned Community
The story of Westwood Village began in 1925. The Regents of the University of California bought a large piece of land. They purchased it from the Janss Investment Company to build the new UCLA campus.
The Janss family kept the land south of the campus. They decided to create a special shopping area there called Westwood Village. It was carefully planned to be a "model college town." Both the university and the Janss family agreed that the buildings in the village should match the campus style. They chose a beautiful "Mediterranean style" for all the new buildings.
Ralphs Grocery Store: A Grand Opening
Westwood Village started to open its doors in 1929. One of the very first buildings was the Ralphs Grocery Store. It was located on Westwood Boulevard, close to Wilshire Boulevard.
The most striking part of the store was its low, round tower, or rotunda. This rotunda was at the corner of Westwood Boulevard and Lindbrook Drive. The outside walls of the building were first made to look like stone. Later, they were covered with a smooth material called stucco.
The building's design mixes several old styles. These include Mission Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival, Romanesque Revival, and Renaissance Revival. Its design was so good that it became a model for other smaller shops in the village. Early advertisements for Westwood Village often showed pictures of the Ralphs tower. This tower, along with the Janss dome, became well-known symbols of the area.
The store opened in the fall of 1929. This timing was perfect, as it coincided with the opening of the UCLA campus. The Los Angeles Times newspaper called it "one of the most beautiful exclusive grocery marts in the West." To celebrate, Ralphs held a free food show. They even had a new service: uniformed boys would wrap purchases and carry them to customers' cars!
In 1940, the famous photographer Ansel Adams took many pictures of Westwood Village. Some of these photos show the Ralphs building. You can see these pictures in the collections of the Los Angeles Public Library.
What Businesses Called It Home?
Ralphs Grocery Store operated in the building until the mid-1960s. After that, Ralphs moved out of Westwood Village for a while. Years later, Ralphs returned to the area. They opened a new grocery store in the old Bullock's department store building.
Since the mid-1960s, the original Ralphs building has been home to many different businesses. In 1970, a large part of the building became a movie theater. This theater had several names over the years. It was known as the United Artists Theater, the UA Egyptian, the Odeon Cinema, and finally the Mann Festival. The movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show even had its first US showing there in 1975! The theater closed on July 30, 2009.
A restaurant called The Bratskeller was also in the building. It was very popular with UCLA students from the late 1960s to the mid-1980s. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the main corner space of the building was split between Daphne's Greek Cafe and Togo's Sandwich Restaurant. In late 2008, these were replaced by a Peet's Coffee & Tea, which is still there today. In early 2012, part of the closed movie theater was turned into an 800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria.
Preserving a Piece of History
Since the 1970s, many new office buildings and apartments have been built around the UCLA campus. This has meant that some of the original Mediterranean-style buildings have been replaced by tall, modern high-rises. The picture on the right shows how a modern building stands behind the historic Ralphs building.
People who care about history, called preservationists, wanted to save the remaining original architecture in Westwood. In 1988, the Ralphs-Bratskeller-Egyptian Theater building was officially named a Historic Cultural Monument (HCM #360). This was done by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission. At the same time, eight other historic buildings in Westwood Village also received this special status. These included the Fox Bruin Theater, the Fox Village Theater, and the Janss Investment Company Building.
Later, in 1992, the Ralphs building received another important honor. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This listing helps protect the building and recognizes its importance in American history.
