City Will Pursue Plan to Save Historic Theater
The Whittier Redevelopment Agency voted this week to pursue a plan that would transform the Whittier Theater into an Old Spaghetti Factory, a popular chain that builds restaurants in historical buildings. The plan calls for the city to purchase the 1929 building and lease it out to the restaurant for 20 years.
The landmark was damaged in the Oct. 1, 1987, earthquake. Its owner, Doerken Properties Inc., wants to raze it to make way for a shopping center. Until recently, city officials have tended to agree with the developer that the crumbling theater is what one official called an “eyesore.”
But a growing number of preservationists have gone to court and to the state Office of Historical Preservation to delay demolition. The vote Tuesday signified a shift by city officials toward the effort to save the building. A firm hired by the city has estimated that it could cost Whittier $2 million to purchase the property.
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