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Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Museum Opens at Westfield Fashion Square

The Tongva Indians, Hollywood starlets and Martin Luther King Jr. have arrived at the Westfield Fashion Square in Sherman Oaks. The Museum of the San Fernando Valley has entered the world of the Valley girl, moving into its first storefront location about two months ago — a free offer that includes utilities by Westfield to bring in traffic while the mall looks for a permanent resident. “It gives us a chance to show off space in our center and not let it be empty,” said Juliet Mother-shed, the mall’s marketing director. Old photos dot the museum’s roughly 3,000 square-foot location. Hollywood stars, street cars, farms, and Edgar Rice Burroughs — author of the Tarzan books and owner of the former Tarzana Ranch — all make an appearance. “I live in Tarzana,” museum President Gerald Fecht said. “My orange trees were planted by Edgar Rice Burroughs.” The new location has increased visibility and attracted media attention, curious shoppers and more donations. “What it is … is a snowball,” Fecht said. The retired Moorpark College professor views history as something that can build a “sense of place,” encouraging community involvement, higher home prices and increased visits to local merchants. The organization was founded in 2005. Before moving into the mall, it operated mobile displays at schools, libraries and post offices, Fecht said. Since the museum arrived at its new home, visitors even have offered some history of their own. One man — after browsing the Westfield location and seeing a bust of Martin Luther King Jr. created by a Van Nuys artist — offered the museum an audio recording of the civil rights leader’s address at Canoga Park High School in 1961. The museum uses the space to display its historic items, hold lectures and conduct educational programs for children. Last month, volunteers hosted an event that introduced local children to the Valley’s first residents — the Tongva Indians, responsible for such names as Cahuenga and Tujunga. The eventual goal, Fecht said, is to gain a permanent space, while continuing to operate pop-up exhibits. To do so, the organization is adding board members with business experience so it can become economically viable, Fecht said. Mothershed said the museum will remain in its temporary location until the mall locates a new tenant. Westfield is currently researching what types of restaurants the community would like to see in the former Panini Cafe space, she said. — Andrew Khouri

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