CYPRESS PARK : Lawry’s Restaurant, Tours Close Saturday

Lawry’s California Center, long a Los Angeles landmark, will close its restaurant, tours and gift-shop operations Saturday.

More than 100 employees will be laid off, said general manager Diana Wymer. Lawry’s corporate offices will remain at the site, 570 West Avenue 26.

Thomas J. Lipton Inc., which owns the property, will also continue to run its western region sales and distribution there.

Lawry’s Prime Rib, Tam O’Shanter and Five Crowns restaurants, owned by the Frank and Van de Kamp families, will remain open.

The center is known for its Spanish-style architecture and antiques. For 30 years, its tours and restaurants attracted visitors and schoolchildren.

“When we were doing full tours we had a lot of senior groups come here,” Wymer said. “We were on the routes of the tour bus companies, so lots and lots and lots of people have gone through this facility.”

Manufacturing was moved to plants in the Midwest and East in 1990. This year, the company expects sales of $4 million, down from past years when sales were as high as $7.5 million, Wymer said.

The restaurant was originally scheduled to close last January. Lawry’s thought it had a buyer for the 17-acre center, Wymer said, but that deal fell through. Lawry’s still has no buyer for the property, she said.

“We really are just winding it down more on the quiet side,” Wymer said.