Old Building Reuse to Be Forum Topic

A panel of Los Angeles planners and real estate executives will discuss the challenges of finding new uses for empty buildings and derelict landmarks during a Jan. 18 seminar sponsored by the local chapter of the Urban Land Institute.

The program--titled “Adaptive Reuse: They Said It Couldn’t Be Done”--will feature Con Howe, chief of planning for the city of Los Angeles; developer M. David Paul; Robert Cavanaugh, managing director of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Real Estate Capital Partners; Thomas W. McCaslin, executive vice president for Tishman Construction Corp. of California; and architect Stephen Johnson of Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates.

The panel discussion will be held in downtown Los Angeles at the Junipero Serra State Building, a former Broadway department store that state officials renovated into an office building as part of a $52-million project.

The program, which begins at 7:30 a.m., costs $40 for non-institute members. Information is available by calling (213) 236-4882.