Warner Center, Los Angeles, California

Warner Center is an edge city in the Woodland Hills district of Los Angeles, California. It was built to relieve traffic to/from downtown Los Angeles, as well as generate jobs in the San Fernando Valley. It was first envisioned in the 1970s and considered complete in the mid-1990s.

It contains many low rise office buildings, as well as several high rise skyscrapers, notably three that are all in the same lot of land (all three being zoned out for commerce). There is also some residential and industrial, as well as some retail such as the Promenade Mall. The western-most stop of the Orange Line Transitway ends at the Warner Center Transit Hub on Owensmouth Street, in between Erwin and Oxnard streets. The transitway opened on October 29, 2005. Los Angeles Pierce College (a community college) is located east of the Center.

The three tallest skyscrapers of Warner Center are all next to each other as to create a miniature skyline that blends in with the other high rises of the Valley, let alone Warner Center itself. The center skyscraper of the three is the tallest (even more of a favor to the skyline), having approximately 25 stories above ground, and as of 2007, has the company logo of AIG at the top. They are owned by Douglas Emmett Properties, which has an overview of these towers [http://www.douglasemmett.com/DEI/properties/warnercenteroffice/warnercentertowers.html at their website] .

The skyline of Warner Center is visible from the 101 freeway, with the farthest view of the entire skyline being visible to the west from the off-ramp of Parkway Calabasas Road, in the city of Calabasas, and with the closest western view being shortly after the Fallbrook Avenue off-ramp in Woodland Hills. The farthest eastern view is unknown at this time, but, on the clearest of days, can probably be seen from Van Nuys.

Warner Center is named for Harry Warner, the eldest of the Warner Brothers, who had owned the land since the 1940s as a small part of his 1100 acre (4.5 km²) horse ranch. Robert Voit led the commercial development of the land after it was sold in the late-1970s. As of 2003, the area employed 40,000 with only 10,000 residents.cite web | url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m5072/is_7_25/ai_98336183 | title=Focus turns to housing, retail at Valley's mega-office project - Spotlight on Warner Center | author=Danny King | accessdate=2007-01-06 | date=2003-02-13 | publisher=Los Angeles Business Journal ]

The Harry Warner family donated 20 acres of land in 1967 that became the Warner Center Park (also known as the Warner Ranch Park).cite web | url = http://search.cityguide.aol.com/losangeles/entertainment/warner-park-lou-bredlow-pavilion/v-91222 | title = Warner Park, Lou Bredlow Pavilion | work = AOL City Guide Los Angeles | author = Fuller, Randy | accessdate = 2007-06-24] Today it is adjacent to the central, high rise buildings of Warner Center. Apart from picnic tables, the park features the US$1.3 million Lou Bredlow Pavilion, which is the permanent home to the Valley Cultural Center's Concerts in the Park.cite web | url = http://www.valleycultural.org/aboutus.php | title = Valley Cultural Center: About | accessdate = 2007-06-24] These free, outdoor concerts play on Sundays starting in June until Labor Day annually.cite web | url = http://www.valleycultural.org/concerts_park.php | title = Valley Cultural Center: Concerts in the Park | accessdate = 2007-06-24]

Warner Center is home to several large businesses, including Health Net, Inc., a Fortune 500 company.

Emergency services

Fire service

Los Angeles Fire Department [http://lafd.org/fs84.htm Station 84] (Woodland Hills) and [http://lafd.org/fs72.htm Station 72] (Canoga Park) serve Warner Center.

Police service

Los Angeles Police Department operates the nearby West Valley Community Police Station [http://www.lapdonline.org/west_valley_community_police_station] .

References

External links

* [http://www.metro.net/orangeline Metro Orange Line]