Sotheby’s New Beverly Hills Space to Include Auction House : Art: The company expects to open in 1995 to ‘have an increased presence on the West Coast.’ The new facility will also accommodate exhibitions and administrative offices.

The New York and London-based Sotheby’s plans to open a new Beverly Hills facility--including a space for art auctions. The decision signals a Southern California comeback for the firm, which closed its Los Angeles sales room in 1982 and retrenched in offices on Rodeo Drive.

The new quarters, on the ground floor of a high-rise at 9665 Wilshire Blvd., are scheduled to open Feb. 1, 1995, according to Andrea Van de Kamp, senior vice president and managing director of Sotheby’s West Coast operations. The 13,000-square-foot facility will accommodate exhibitions, auctions, administrative offices and Sotheby’s International Realty Co.

“Clearly this means that Sotheby’s is going to have an increased presence on the West Coast,” Van de Kamp said.

The firm has conducted jewelry auctions and last spring it held a print auction at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Current plans call for holding two print sales and two jewelry auctions in the new space each year. Auctions of other materials are under consideration, according to Van de Kamp. “The major market for paintings is in New York and London, but there are many other interesting possibilities,” she said.

The new location offers increased visibility, including a terrace at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Bedford Drive that can be used for public functions, she said. Along with hosting exhibitions to promote its auctions, Sotheby’s will organize educational programs in cooperation with galleries and other arts institutions.

Sotheby’s plans have received a largely enthusiastic response from the art community. While some dealers fear that increased auction activity may detract from their business, other dealers and collectors believe the move will benefit the local art scene.

“I think it’s great. It will really stimulate the art market,” said dealer Louis Stern, who recently moved his Beverly Hills gallery to Melrose Avenue where he shares space with Jan Abrams. “I think people were very disappointed when Sotheby’s closed its auction house on Beverly Boulevard,” he said. “This really shows how important the Los Angeles market is. I don’t think it can be ignored.”

“It’s a good thing for the community,” collector Philip Gersh said. West Coast auctions won’t divert attention from major art sales in New York, but Sotheby’s might be able to develop a regional market, he said.

The planned move is the latest indication that Beverly Hills is shaping up as the center of Southern California’s high-end art market. With a few exceptions--notably galleries formerly operated by Stern, Fred Hoffman and Salander-O’Reilly--the city has been known in the art world as the home of highly commercial galleries. But during the past year two New York powerhouses have announced their intentions to open branches in Beverly Hills.

Contemporary dealer Larry Gagosian is renovating a Camden Drive space formerly occupied by Hoffman and Salander-O’Reilly. PaceWildenstein has confirmed its interest in leasing property at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Camden Drive.

Sotheby’s will hold two more auctions at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel before relocating. A sale of modern and contemporary prints is scheduled for Oct. 5; an auction of 19th- and 20th-Century jewelry is slated for Sept. 26.