La Reina Theatre : Developer’s Ax Poised Over Landmark Movie House

One of the Valley’s oldest movie theaters, the 875-seat La Reina in Sherman Oaks, may be sold to a developer who has proposed razing the 45-year-old picture house and building a two-story complex of retail stores and restaurants in its place.

An official at Mann Theatre Corp., which owns La Reina, said it is growing increasingly difficult for a large, single-screen theater to remain profitable today against the competition of multiplex developments, which cluster several small theaters at one location.

Mann has entered into negotiations with Beverly Hills developer Dennis Bass, who plans to purchase the site and build a $5-million plaza containing four restaurants and 12 retail shops at the corner of Ventura Boulevard and Cedros Avenue.

Grew Up With Theater

The news saddened Encino resident Anna Tulanian Boyajian, 61, who grew up with La Reina. She recalled that her parents used to take her there to see Shirley Temple films and that a beau escorted her to a matinee on her first date.

“It was the prettiest theater in the Valley,” she said. “I can’t imagine it not being there. It’s a landmark.”

Her brother, Jack Tulanian, who owns a patio furniture and fireplace equipment store across the street from the theater, said he attended opening night at La Reina in 1939.

“It was before the war. I was 16 or 17,” said 62-year-old Tulanian. “I can’t remember what was playing. All I know is, it was packed.”

But the days of sell-outs at La Reina appear to have passed.

“Few single-screen theaters can remain competitive in today’s market,” said Ben Littlefield, director of real estate for the Mann theater chain. The exceptions, he said, are several theaters in Westwood Village, which have the “unique advantage” of being in the popular night spot.

Area merchants acknowledge that La Reina is not the theater it once was, having fallen into disrepair with the thinning crowds.

“It’s been neglected,” said John Crisalli, 62, who works in Tulanian’s store and recalls that he used to meet his wife at the theater before they were married.

“It’s useless now. I’d like to see a nice shopping center there, as long as they don’t have a furniture store.

If La Reina is demolished, it would leave only two other single-screen theaters in the Valley showing English-language pictures--the Studio in Studio City and the Holiday in Canoga Park. Seven other large Valley theaters have featured Spanish-language films since the late 1970s. It was then that theater chains began vacating single-screen theaters because they were too difficult to keep filled.

Bass, president of Developers Equities, said he hopes to complete negotiations with Mann in March and begin construction by May. He said he has hired an architect, a contractor and a leasing agent and has entered into preliminary agreements with several businesses that wish to locate in the new development.

As a condition of the sale, Bass said he has agreed to build replacement theater facilities nearby. Tentative plans call for a six-screen theater to be built at the site of another Bass development planned at Victory and Sepulveda boulevards. The theater would be leased to Mann, he said.

Bass said he sympathizes with members of the community who would like to see La Reina stay, but added, “It’s totally impractical. From the standpoint of the theater in today’s marketplace, you cannot operate with one screen.”

Preservation Plans

At least one Sherman Oaks resident, however, hopes to head Bass off at the pass.

Lee David said he plans to petition the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Board to preserve the structure by having the city declare it a historical monument.

“I just can’t see tearing down that beautiful theater to put up a pizza parlor,” said David, a free-lance journalist. “It seems ridiculous.”

Ileana Welch, coordinator of the cultural board, confirmed Thursday that David had contacted the agency regarding La Reina and was sent the necessary application form. In order for a building to be declared a monument by the City Council, it must be shown to have some architectural, historical or cultural significance to the community, she said.

Scaled-Down Rodeo Drive

Developer Bass sees another future for that stretch of Ventura Boulevard, which he believes can become a scaled-down Rodeo Drive or Melrose Avenue, with chic stores, patio dining and constant foot traffic.

“It’s a safe area to walk at night and not have to look over your shoulder,” Bass said.

And, although the theater property is zoned to allow a six-story building, Bass said he intends to limit the height of development to prevent intrusion into neighboring residential areas.

“Office buildings have been slowly moving east on Ventura Boulevard from Encino,” Bass said. “We would provide a natural barricade to office development and help preserve the retail on Ventura Boulevard. The demographics of the people who live there are just ideal.”