LOS ANGELES : Arts Center to Move to Converted Warehouse
A children’s arts center evicted by fire marshals 18 months ago from its downtown Los Angeles loft headquarters has found a new home.
Leaders of Inner-City Arts said they have purchased an 8,000-square-foot warehouse that will be converted next year into a permanent studio and performing arts center.
The building at 720 Kohler St. will replace a temporary art center that for the past year has operated on the grounds of the 9th Street Elementary School, officials said.
The 3-year-old nonprofit arts program was ousted from a donated loft near the school in May, 1991, when Los Angeles Fire Department inspectors discovered that a neighboring manufacturer was dyeing blue jeans with chemicals that could potentially create toxic fumes.
Rega Petlin, an arts center spokeswoman, said the purchase and renovation of the building is expected to cost about $2.5 million. A fund-raising campaign has raised more than half that amount, she said.
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