Local News in Brief : Theater Spared for Now

Whittier historic preservation activists have won a court battle to spare the Depression-era Whittier Theater from demolition until an environmental impact report can be prepared.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Warren Deering issued a preliminary injunction barring the city or property owner Peter Doerken from destroying the theater until the report can be completed, a process expected to take several months.

City officials said the theater suffered irreparable damage in the Oct. 1 earthquake and should be destroyed because it is a public hazard. Doerken wants to level the theater to build a multimillion-dollar shopping plaza.

Michael Sullens, president of the Whittier Conservancy, said the injunction will give his group time to develop a plan for buying the theater and restoring it as a regional performing arts center.