Church’s Conversion to Theater, Eatery OKd

They’re taking the Spirit out and bringing the spirits in.

Turning down an appeal, the Los Angeles City Council agreed Wednesday to convert the Little Country Church of Hollywood, home to the first radio ministry in the city and probably the nation, into a theater and restaurant designed to complement the emerging entertainment district on Hollywood Boulevard.

The only trouble is that some of the neighbors are angry that the council exempted the restaurant from parking requirements and for approving a liquor license in what they call a residential area. A vocal group of residents filed an appeal to the project, stalling it and encouraging lawmakers to support them.

Ruth Goulet, who runs the Carlos/Vista del Mar Civic Organization, said the council set precedent by approving the liquor license in a residential neighborhood.

Council members, who are eager to attract new development to old Hollywood, added a restriction that entrances and exits must be kept on Argyle Avenue rather than the surrounding neighborhood streets. Lawmakers also agreed with the city zoning board that parking is plentiful in that area.

The property is located at 1750 N. Argyle Ave., near the Pantages, Doolittle and Henry Fonda theaters. A parking lot is being built across the street and the subway is half a block away.

The project will be developed in the old Hollywood bungalow-style of the 1930s by restaurateur Susan Moore, who owns the funky and much-beloved Hollywood Hills Coffee Shop on Franklin Avenue. She has fought to develop the church and the rest of the property for the past two years.

“I can’t believe that the whole project is taking this long,” she said. “It’s benefiting most of the citizens and the tourists” who flock to Hollywood Boulevard.

In approving the project, council members said that the project is entirely fitting with the area and that this is precisely the kind of development that will help improve Hollywood’s tarnished image.

“The nice thing about it is that we’re preserving a church that unfortunately the congregation couldn’t afford to,” said Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg, who represents Hollywood, adding that she does not believe that the neighborhood will be adversely affected.

The church, which is 3,400 square feet on a 37,000-square-foot property, closed its doors after its dwindling congregation could no longer pay its operating expenses.

It is completely soundproofed, making it perfect for entertainment and banquet facilities, Moore and others said. She already has secured a chamber music group that plans to hold concerts there.

She plans to build a 200-seat restaurant with outdoor seating and a small bar that will serve alcohol. She also says she will maintain the garden on the grounds.