North Hollywood : Theater Wins Funds to Fix Temblor Damage

Almost two years after the Northridge earthquake shook the El Portal theater into ruin, a North Hollywood theater company will receive $1.5 million in federal funds needed to finish restoring the 70-year-old venue, it was announced Friday.

“That will get the job done for us,” said Bob Caine, managing director of Actors Alley. Caine added that the troupe hopes to finish repairs on the theater’s interior by the end of 1996.

“We’re shooting for the end of the year,” he said. “Hopefully we can do something for the holidays.”

The Lankershim Boulevard landmark was just two weeks from reopening when the Jan. 17, 1994, earthquake struck, spilling asbestos, plaster and glass throughout its three theaters--damage estimated at more than $2 million.

Actors Alley sought FEMA assistance several months later but watched months roll by as its application languished.

But as the saying goes, the show must go on, so the company secured a $1.25-million loan from the Small Business Administration to retrofit the building and repair the smallest theater, the 49-seat Storefront.

Hammers ceased pounding in July when the money ran out, but an additional $12,000 was raised at a “builders bash” in November that drew 350 attendees.

Caine admitted he’s disappointed that it took so long for the funds to arrive, but said he’s extremely grateful for the support that FEMA has given the arts in quake-ravaged Los Angeles.

“It’s difficult,” Caine conceded. “It’s extremely difficult. But I’m not bitter. It’s the way the government operates.”