Developer Threatens to Circumvent Landmark Movie House

A developer who wants to demolish the 46-year-old La Reina movie theater in Sherman Oaks and construct a retail plaza on the site threatened Wednesday to board up the building and build around it if the city should declare the theater a historical monument.

Meanwhile, the proposed landmark designation moved closer toward approval as the city’s Cultural Heritage Board voted 5 to 0 to urge the City Council to grant a preservation application submitted by a Sherman Oaks group, “Friends of the La Reina.”

Powerful Ally

The proposal’s chances of success are regarded as good because it is strongly endorsed by Councilman Joel Wachs, who represents the area. The City Council tends to defer to colleagues from the affected district on matters affecting only that district.

If the council ratifies the proposal, the 875-seat Art Deco theater would be the first movie house in the Valley to receive landmark designation, which would mean it could not be altered or razed for 360 days without the heritage board’s approval. The moratorium is aimed at giving builders the opportunity to develop plans to use the structure in its existing form.

The La Reina is owned by Mann Theatre Corp. but is in escrow to Beverly Hills developer Dennis Bass. The historical-monument designation would not block completion of the sale.

Seizing on that opening, Bass said before Wednesday’s meeting that, regardless of the outcome of the preservation drive, he intends to buy the theater and two adjacent properties on Ventura Boulevard at Cedros Avenue.

Mann officials have said they want to sell the La Reina because large, single-screen theaters can no longer compete with multiple cinemas.

Bass said that, if the city declared the theater a monument, he would simply board up the La Reina and build on top of the structure and around it, leaving the building intact but unused. Although his plans now call for a two-story complex of boutiques and restaurants, city zoning laws on that block permit six stories.

“I would just go up six stories and build around the theater,” Bass said, explaining that, by doing so, he could recoup the square footage he would lose if he is forced to preserve the theater.

$500,000-$750,000 Spent

Bass said he has been negotiating with Mann for about a year and has spent an estimated $500,000 to $750,000 drawing up plans and conducting studies--money that he said he does not want to see go down the drain.

Lee David, founder of “Friends of the La Reina,” termed Bass’ remarks a “smoke screen” and said the developer “has treated this like he’s holding a gun over the community.” David contended it would not be profitable for a developer to build around the theater and leave the huge structure empty.

After the meeting, Bass softened his remarks slightly and said he would have to re-study his plans to determine what would be feasible. He said he was “surprised” by the board’s ruling because he considers the building to be a “concrete warehouse” that does not merit preservation.

The “Friends of the La Reina” group and several other preservation societies, however, believe the theater has architectural and historical significance to the Valley. The La Reina is one of only a few Art Deco buildings remaining in the Valley and is the only theater in the Valley designed by S. Charles Lee, a noted Los Angeles theater architect.

Preservationists also argue that the early development of the La Reina amid wheat fields in 1938 demonstrated the motion picture industry’s confidence in the growth of the Valley.

David said he would begin contacting performing arts groups and investors who might be interested in operating the La Reina as a live theater.

One group that has expressed interest in the building is the Back Alley Theater in Van Nuys. Actor John Anderson, who represented the group at Wednesday’s meeting, said his colleagues wanted to convert the La Reina into a legitimate theater.