San Fernando & Fletcher

[nichols]

The big K-Mart store across from the historic Van de Kamps bakery has closed and Home Depot has purchased their lease. Their normal type of store is not allowed there and councilman Garcetti is seeking input. That corner is going to be so much nicer when Van de Kamps is completed as the new LACC satellite.


http://www.arroyoseconewsgroup.com/stor ... kamps.html


From Councilman Garcetti's office:
Home Depot has purchased the lease that K-mart held on San Fernando Road, and they've expressed an interest in developing a big-box format store at that location. However, the interim control ordinance now in place requires them to make design choices more in keeping with the pedestrian-friendly vision that many of you have spoken about with regards to the Fletcher/San Fernando area. I've asked the developers to meet with the affected neighborhood councils (Glassell Park and Atwater Village). What do you want to see there? Speak up! To find out about community meetings, please contact Field Representative Christina Ortega.

Los Angeles Council District 13
200 North Spring Street, Room 470
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 473-7013

[modfan]

The Van De Kamp's 2 windmill drive in that used to be where the El Pollo Loco (& Denny's?) is across the street-seems ped friendly with outdoor dining-maybe someone can find an archive pic. Speaking of Denny's-there's a precedent-the windmill restaurant in Arcadia.

[nichols]

The Van De Kamp's Twin Drive-In was an incredible place. At first there was a small traditional windmill on the corner, that was replaced by a small drive-in in 1938 designed by Plummer and Feil and expanded wildly by architect Wayne McAllister in 1940. This is when it became the "Twin Drive-In" and gained it's signage and neon and all that.

[nichols]

THIS is the 1967 Nyberg & Bissner VDK in Arcadia with MODCOM members out front:



We convinced Denny's that there was no need to remove the windmill during their remodeling. (Thereby saving them a great deal in demo expenses!)

Here is is without us blocking it:

[KevinEP]

This should help provide an oasis of building materials in the veritable home improvement Sahara between the Home Depot on San Fernando Road in Glendale and the Home Depot on San Fernando Road & Fig.

I was just thinking that Atwater doesn't have enough stuccoed bungalows with aluminum sliders and etched glass entry doors.

In all seriousness, this intersection deserves better. There's so much foot & car traffic, yet this stretch of San Fernando seems so chaotically planned. I hope Garcetti's succesful (and the Community College actually happens at Van De Kamp's).

Kevin

[nichols]

This seems to be the latest version of the LACC/Van De Kamps site designed by Stephen Ehrlich.





http://www.park2parkla.com/040315/favne ... letter.cfm

[Lynxwiler]

[modfan]

[nichols]

Like I said, Wayne McAllister designed the Van de Kamp's "Super Twin Drive-In" at the corner of San Fernando and Fletcher in 1940. Notice in the aerial how it sits at the northwest corner of the property. In 1967 it was replaced with a new Van de Kamp's Coffee Shop, which became a Tiny Naylor's, which became a Denny's. There is an El Pollo Loco at the corner. The menu lists all their locations as of 1957.

[nichols]

Just to clarify the placement of buildings on this site...


c. 1940

1940 with 2007 improvements

Google Earth

[Lynxwiler]

Former Van de Kamp's for sale in Norwalk:

11012 Firestone Blvd, Norwalk, CA

[nichols]

Checking in on construction of the new Los Angeles City College at Van de Kamp's (February, 2009)

[nichols]

Almost done. Neon is back.

[Lynxwiler]

Hooray for that great neon sign! My flickering faith in humanity has (momentarily) been restored!

[Pal George]

[deanna b]

Here's what it looked like in 1936:
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/assetserv ... AA-NG-3981