Whittier : Depot, Theater Preservation

The Planning Commission has recommended that the century-old Southern Pacific railroad depot and the Whittier Theater be included on the city’s list of historic sites. The action is an attempt to protect the two structures from being demolished without a review of their historic value.

If the City Council accepts the commission’s recommendation, a developer who wants to destroy or renovate the depot or theater would be required to wait six months while city officials evaluate the plans. Until recently, a property owner could apply for a permit and demolish a building within days of the request. Two years ago, another old railroad depot, the Union Pacific station, was torn down without much public discussion. The outcry prompted the council to adopt a historic preservation law two months ago. The depot and theater are the first two buildings to be considered under the new law.

The Southern Pacific depot, built in the late 1880s, was recently donated to the Los Angeles-based Pacific Railroad Society, which wants to keep it in the Whittier area and restore it as a museum. The Whittier Theater, built in 1929 on the corner of Hadley Avenue and Whittier Boulevard, is being sold by its owner, Pacific Theaters. A Los Angeles man, Tom Paradiso, has made an offer to buy it. He wants to restore it for film festivals and live concerts in the 1,000-seat theater. The theater, with its Hacienda-style architecture, is one of the last of big movie houses built before the Depression.