# Valley Plaza

North Hollywood, CA · mall · tier: draft · Retrofit Atlas record `m-31b5364d66` · release 2026-10-20

Canonical: https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/ca/north-hollywood-valley-plaza/  
JSON: https://retrofitatlas.org/data/records/m-31b5364d66.json · Provenance: https://retrofitatlas.org/data/records/m-31b5364d66.provenance.json · API: https://retrofitatlas.org/api/v1/sites/m-31b5364d66

## Facts

| Field | Value | Provenance |
|---|---|---|
| Status | demolished | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Strategy | redevelop | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| New use | retail, entertainment | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| What is there now | Demolition underway; future use unknown | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Opened | 1951 | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Retrofit year | 2000 | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Acres | 100.0 | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| GLA (sq ft) | 1039000 | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Original developer | Bob Symonds | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Redeveloper | J. H. Snyder | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |

## Quoted support

- **year_opened**: “The shopping center opened on August 12, 1951, with parking for 4000 cars, and had cost between $20,000,000 and $40,000,000 (depending on the source) to build.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_Plaza
- **acres**: “Valley Plaza would later extend along Victory Boulevard to cover 100 acres (40 ha).” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_Plaza
- **gla_sqft**: “By 1956 it was reported to cover 100 acres with 1,039,000 square feet of retail space, the third-largest in the nation at that time, after Cross County Shopping Center in Yonkers, New York and Northland Center in Greater Detroit.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_Plaza
- **original_developer**: “The idea to develop the plaza came from developer Bob Symonds in 1942” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_Plaza
- **after_notes**: “On October 29th, 2025 demolition of the plaza began. It is unknown what will be replacing the former shopping center.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_Plaza
- **status**: “On October 29th, 2025 demolition of the plaza began.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_Plaza
- **strategy**: “Shortly after 2000, J. H. Snyder acquired the core Valley Plaza property from lender iStar, and announced plans for a $300 million renovation.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_Plaza

## Anchors

Sears, McDaniels supermarket, Thrifty Drug Stores, Mayfair-Big Owl/Rexall supermarket-and-drugstore, Bond's clothing stores, Woolworth's variety store, Occidental Savings Bank, Hartfield's

## Parties

- J. H. Snyder — owner (from text) (2000–2011)
- iStar — owner (from text) (2011–2020)

## Timeline

- 1942: Developer Bob Symonds conceives Valley Plaza
- 1948: 210,000‑sq‑ft Sears store announced
- 1951: Shopping center opens
- 1954: Occidental Savings Bank opens
- 1955: Woolworth's variety store opens
- 1956: Plaza reaches 100 acres and 1,039,000 sq ft retail
- 1959: J. C. Penney opens as anchor
- 1960: Valley Plaza Tower completed
- 2000: J. H. Snyder acquires core property from iStar
- 2025: Demolition of plaza begins

## Background (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened)

Valley Plaza was a shopping center in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, one of the first in the San Fernando Valley, opened in 1951. In the mid-1950s, it was reported to be the largest shopping center on the West Coast of the United States and the third-largest in the country. It was located along Laurel Canyon Boulevard from Oxnard to Vanowen, and west along Victory Boulevard. Like its competitor, Panorama City Shopping Center to the north, Valley Plaza started with one core development and grew over time to market, under the single name "Valley Plaza", a collection of adjacent retail developments with multiple developers, owners, and opening dates.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_Plaza

## Sources

- Quoted support for year_opened — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_Plaza

## Cite

Retrofit Atlas (2026). "Valley Plaza, North Hollywood, CA." Record m-31b5364d66, release 2026-10-20, tier draft. https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/ca/north-hollywood-valley-plaza/ (accessed 2026-10-20).

```bibtex
@misc{retrofitatlas_northhollywoodvalleyplaza,
  title = {Valley Plaza, North Hollywood, CA},
  author = {{Retrofit Atlas}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/ca/north-hollywood-valley-plaza/}},
  year = {2026},
  note = {Record m-31b5364d66, release 2026-10-20, tier: draft. Built on the Retrofitting Suburbia map (Dunham-Jones and Williamson) and the sources listed on the record. Accessed 2026-10-20}
}
```

Licence: research use only; terms undecided with the authors (https://retrofitatlas.org/licence/). Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0. Tiers: curated = from the authors' public map, not reviewed by them; draft = imported or model-extracted, unreviewed.