Rialto Theatre’s historic sign to be saved, but then what?

It appears the historic blade sign hanging in front of the Rialto Theatre in South Pasadena will survive a safety scare that arose this month, but preservationists and city officials are worried about more than just the sign. They are concerned their efforts to revitalize the moribund 87-year-old theater may crumble like the exterior of the building, which is held together in places by wire mesh.

Last week, representatives of leaseholder Landmark Theatres said they have decided to repair the sign and are in the process of hiring a contractor.

“The elephant in the room is the question of what’s next?” said Scott Feldmann, president and chief executive of the South Pasadena Chamber of Commerce. “What’s going to happen to the Rialto now that we saved the rusty old sign?”

The South Pasadena Fire Department closed the Rialto for safety reasons in 2010. It has remained closed ever since.

Earlier this month the city closed off pedestrian access under the Rialto’s 34-foot neon sign on Fair Oaks Avenue out of concern that it had been weakened by recent windstorms. Landmark also placed a support structure under the sagging marquee, and it has since been fixed.

Although Landmark has pledged to fix the sign, Interim City Manager Sergio Gonzalez said officials have been disappointed with the company’s apparent lack of interest in the Rialto.

“We’re obviously concerned about the lack of detail and follow-through from both the lease-holder and property owner,” Gonzalez said. “It’s a building that’s a landmark in the city and a reflection of the city.”

The Rialto opened in 1925 and was acquired by Dominick Jebbia in the 1930s. He put it in a family trust in 1950, where it remains. Landmark, which operates first-run theater complexes throughout the country, holds the lease until 2024.

Landmark officials and representatives of the Jebbia family did not return calls seeking comment.

The Rialto is on the National Register of Historic Places, and the blade sign is considered a defining feature. South Pasadena officials are concerned that any changes to the sign could affect the building’s historic standing.

The chamber, Friends of the Rialto and the city are hoping to collaborate on a long-term plan to reopen the theater, with Landmark and perhaps the help of a nonprofit or a major donor.

“I’m not sure how to go about finding a millionaire who loves theaters, though,” Feldmann said. “The Rialto is the most obvious unpolished jewel that we have. That’s why we’re so intent on getting it opened.”

Landmark, Feldmann said, “is busy running their new business model that doesn’t have anything to do with running a historic theater.”

adolfo.flores@latimes.com