WhenVan Nuys was plotted in 1911, the main thoroughfare and its offshoots were called Sherman Way. ThePacific ElectricSan Fernando Lineinterurban railway was constructed north to San Fernando between 1911 and 1913 largely in the boulevard'smedian strip.[1] As the town developed, North Sherman Way was renamed Van Nuys Boulevard as the main boulevard in the town of Van Nuys, which got its name from longtime Valley wheat farmerIsaac Newton Van Nuys.[2]Sherman Way, named for entrepreneur and Valley developerGen. Moses Hazeltine Sherman, originally included segments of the thoroughfares known today as Chandler and Van Nuys boulevards.[3][4] Rails were removed from the street by 1981.[5]
Van Nuys Boulevard at the Metro G Line crossing, 2008
Van Nuys Boulevard runs approximately eleven miles from theSanta Monica Mountains inSherman Oaks at its southern terminus to the foothills of the western end of theSan Gabriel Mountains inLake View Terrace at its northern terminus. It passes through the affluent community ofSherman Oaks, then continues through the community ofVan Nuys, passing the numerous automobile dealerships in southern Van Nuys, then passing through the Van Nuys Municipal Center, the government center of theSan Fernando Valley, then continuing north throughPanorama City, past the oldGeneral Motors plant now converted into a shopping plaza called “The Plant,” before veering north east through the communities ofArleta andPacoima, passing theSan Fernando Gardens housing project, and ending in the foothills of theSan Gabriel Mountains.
With its wide expanse through the heart of theSan Fernando Valley, Van Nuys Boulevard became known from the 1950s through the 1970s as a center of teenagecruising.[6][7][8][9] Its car culture was celebrated in several motion pictures, includingVan Nuys Boulevard. Cruising became a thing of the past as police cracked down on the practice, but the car culture still lives on through the numerous automobile dealerships that line both sides of Van Nuys Boulevard in northern Sherman Oaks and southern Van Nuys.
Van Nuys Boulevard has several bus routes running on it, including twoMetro routes with heavy ridership,Metro Rapid line 761 andMetro Local line 233. Van Nuys is currently the only arterial bus corridor in the San Fernando Valley runningNew Flyer XN60articulated buses for both lines (previously operated byNABI60-BRT buses). TheMetro G Line has a station atVan Nuys. Further to the north, there is aMetrolink and Amtrak station. In the first half of the 20th century,Pacific Electric interurban trains ran in the median of Van Nuys Boulevard from Chandler Boulevard to Parthenia Street, which would then continue toSepulveda Boulevard; traces of this route can be seen in the large medians of the streets the tracks used to run on.
Metro is currently proposing a light rail line from the G Line station to San Fernando along Van Nuys Boulevard as part of theEast San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit Project. Additionally, Metro plans to have a line through theSepulveda Transit Corridor terminate at the Van Nuys Boulevard Metrolink station, with one proposed route also including two additional stops on Van Nuys Boulevard.
Van Nuys Boulevard travels through (from south to north):
Sherman Oaks - south of Oxnard Boulevard; population 28,601 (78.6% White (not Hispanic); 8.5% Hispanic; 5.4% Asian)[10]
Van Nuys – between Oxnard Boulevard andRoscoe Boulevard; population 136,443 (50.3% Hispanic; 34.1% White (not Hispanic); 6.5% Asian; 5.9% African-American)[10]
Panorama City - betweenRoscoe Boulevard and Woodman Avenue; population 65,235 (70.1% Hispanic; 11.6% Asian; 11.9% White (not Hispanic))[10]
Arleta – between Woodman Avenue andI-5; population 32,092 (71.4% Hispanic; 13.4% White (not Hispanic); 11.7% Asian)[10]
Landmarks on Van Nuys Boulevard include (from south to north):
The Village atSherman Oaks - The Village at Sherman Oaks is the name given to the shopping and dining area surrounding the intersection of Ventura Boulevard and Van Nuys Boulevard.[11]
Sherman Oaks Hospital andGrossman Burn Center - Sherman Oaks Hospital is a 153-bed acute care facility on Van Nuys Boulevard in Sherman Oaks. The facility is owned and operated by Prime Healthcare Services, Inc.[12] The Grossman Burn Center, founded by Dr. A. Richard Grossman, at Sherman Oaks Hospital has provided specialized and targeted care to burn patients since 1969. It has grown over the years from two dedicated beds to a 30-bed burn center.[13] In 2007, the Grossman Burn Center treated a 4-year-old Iraqi boy named Youssif who was doused with gasoline and set on fire in Baghdad.[14]
Van Nuys Government Center - The principal government offices for theSan Fernando Valley are located in the Van Nuys Government Center on Van Nuys Boulevard. The area includes the Valley Municipal Building, the modern Van Nuys Courthouse designed byDan Dworsky, the James C. Corman Federal Building, the Van Nuys Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library, and the Marvin Braude San Fernando Valley Constituent Services Center. The Van Nuys Municipal Court building inVan Nuys, California was designed by architectDan Dworsky and received the Kaufman & Broad Award for Outstanding New Public or Civic Project for the design.[15][16] The federal building in Van Nuys was renamed the James C. Corman Federal Building in 2001 in honor ofJames C. Corman who represented the San Fernando Valley’s 21st Congressional District from 1961-1981.[17] The $34 million Marvin Braude Constituent Services Center was originally proposed byMarvin Braude; it opened in 2003 and houses various city services.[18][19]
Valley Municipal Building - Constructed in 1932 and designed by Peter K. Schabarum, the Valley Municipal Building (sometimes called Van Nuys City Hall) is a San Fernando Valley landmark and is considered a good example of theWPA-era "Zig-Zag Moderne" architectural styling.[20][21] It was designed as a smaller version of the 29-story Los Angeles City Hall.[22]
Panorama High School - A high school in the Los Angeles Unified School District located on Van Nuys Boulevard across from The Plant shopping center.[23]
Mural Mile - A section of Van Nuys Boulevard in Pacoima where artists, led byLevi Ponce in 2011, have painted large murals on walls facing the street.[26]
San Fernando Gardens - A sprawling housing project in Pacoima built during World War II to house workers at the nearbyLockheed aerospace manufacturing facilities inBurbank. The project was racially integrated; its wartime black population was the first significantAfrican-American population in the San Fernando Valley.[27] The San Fernando Gardens contains 448 units and 1,621 residents, 48% of whom are under the age of 18. The average annual income is $18,000, more than 45% less than the Los Angeles median family income.[28]
^Whiteson, Leon (June 4, 1990). "Courting Beauty in Construction: New Van Nuys Municipal Court Combines Functionalism and Dignity of Design".Los Angeles Times.
^"21st Beautification Awards Announced".Los Angeles Times. June 2, 1991.
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