Development of Pan Pacific Site for Commercial Uses Scuttled by State

The state will not allow commercial development on the site of the fire-gutted Pan Pacific Auditorium, according to Board of Supervisors Chairman Ed Edelman.

Before the May 24 fire devastated the historic auditorium, the county was weighing a proposal to raise money for the restoration of the 100,000-square-foot auditorium by developing part of the site with office buildings, an ice skating rink and movie theaters.

“We thought the only way to go was to bring in the private sector to get money in to restore it,” Edelman said. “But then the building burned down and there was no longer anything to save.”

After the fire, he said, a state historic preservation officer requested that the auditorium be removed from the National Register of Historic Places because the building’s architectural integrity had been destroyed.

Edelman, whose district includes Pan Pacific Park, said the director of the state Department of Parks and Recreation recently wrote the county that the state would not allow commercial development of the site. The county administers the state-owned land.

“The land should be dedicated to the general public’s use and enjoyment and must be protected against exploitation,” the letter said. “The multiple recreational opportunities should not be designed to meet purely local needs. . . . Commercial exploitation must be avoided.”

As a result, Edelman said, the county will look for ways to preserve the distinctive Streamline Moderne facade, which remains standing, and build a museum to showcase memorabilia from the auditorium’s heyday. The remaining land will be used to expand the adjacent Pan Pacific Park.

The decision was welcome news to numerous homeowner groups that have been fighting commercial development and supporting enlargement of the park.

“We were promoting the expansion of green space,” said Diana Plotkin, president of the Beverly Wilshire Homeowners Assn. “This is a great victory for this community.”

Because Pan Pacific Park is in a flood control basin with a steep incline, it has been inaccessible to many senior citizens and mothers with small children who live in the area, she said. The park expansion will be on level ground.

Money Needed

Edelman said the next task is trying to come up with money to preserve what is left of the 54-year-old auditorium, which was abandoned in 1972. The auditorium was once the site of ice shows, sporting events, beauty pageants and other entertainment, including a concert by Elvis Presley.

“I worked for the restoration of the auditorium and I am disappointed that the opportunity to do that has been stolen from us by arsonists,” Edelman said. “But I will work now toward preserving the western facade and to building a museum.” He said he hopes to raise money through public and private sources.