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Theater Design Fight Is Back for 2nd Act

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Times Staff Writer

Many in Pasadena thought the drama surrounding the fate of the Raymond Theatre had experienced its final curtain call. Instead, the matter has been summoned for an encore.

In May, the Pasadena City Council will review the conceptual design of the project, which would convert the 1,800-seat beaux-arts theater into a mixed-use structure with shops, apartments and offices.

The public hearing is being held because the developers want the council to consider specific parts of their design, especially a proposed skylight. But because this will be a “de novo” hearing -- meaning “starting anew” -- the public may address all issues related to the project, and this cheers longtime opponents who want the theater to remain as it is.

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The developers, Gene and Marilyn Buchanan, disagreed with some of the conditions requested by the city’s Design Commission in its initial review of the project. The commissioners also raised a larger issue, citing concerns that changes in the Buchanans’ design differed greatly from what the City Council had approved two years ago.

“It’s rare for this to happen, but it’s not unprecedented,” Pasadena spokeswoman Ann Erdman said of the de novo hearing. “Whenever there is a project that carries with it as much emotion as this one does, then it’s not terribly surprising that there are many, many questions being asked.”

The City Council is tentatively scheduled to hear a staff report Monday, on whether the design changes are consistent with the council’s original approval. The public hearing is scheduled for May 17.

On both occasions, preservationists will voice their opinions about the project’s direction, lifting the curtain on a scene many thought had ended. The debate over the Raymond Theatre’s future has dragged on for more than a decade.

“It’s not surprising that we continue to argue and battle over this project,” said Sue Mossman, executive director of Pasadena Heritage, a historic-preservation organization that opposes the conversion. “In the kinds of battles we wage in preservation, we need to follow a project to the bitter, bitter end.... If you care about something, you don’t just quit caring at some point in the road.”

The theater, built in 1921, sat vacant for more than a decade. But two years ago, the City Council approved a plan for the Buchanans to restore the theater’s beaux-arts facade, put offices in the balcony area, create retail stores in the main space and build apartments in the parking lot and the 90-foot-high stage house.

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After the council’s initial approval, arts supporters and preservationists sued the city, alleging it had granted the Buchanans special privileges that violated state law and local zoning ordinances. A judge rejected the suits. The groups appealed, and plans to redevelop the theater continued.

This month, after a series of reviews, the city’s Design Commission approved the project’s design with 19 conditions, including removal of the proposed skylights, which it feared would jeopardize the theater’s interior by allowing sunlight in.

The commission also said the project needed approval from Pasadena Heritage before it could move forward. Pasadena Heritage holds a historic-preservation easement on the theater’s facades and must review all potential changes to its exterior.

In addition to the conditions, commissioners sent a letter to the council making it aware of inconsistencies, such as the skylights and an increase in residential space, between the approved project and the initial design.

Gene Buchanan agreed to comply with the commission’s conditions, except for the skylight elimination and the OK from Pasadena Heritage, so he went before the council to request the “call up” of the issue.

“All he wants are his skylights and for Pasadena Heritage to back off,” said Gina Zamparelli, founder and executive director of Friends of the Raymond Theatre, a historic-preservation organization working to restore and revitalize the space. “And if he wants to open up that bag of worms, then we have to get into the entire project. We’ve got bigger problems.”

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As for changing the theater design plans, Buchanan said, there was nothing to discuss.

“As far as [changing] the amount of volume and space, we haven’t done a single thing,” Buchanan said. “We will still have a six-story building to the south and will still restore the Raymond Theatre.

“We will adhere to guidelines on the outside of the building, but on the inside, we’re trying to make the building more sellable and more marketable ... that has nothing to do with design and review.”

Mayor Bill Bogaard said he hoped both the council’s review of the project and the hearing would clear up any remaining confusion and possibly settle the conflict.

But Zamparelli said the fact that questions about the theater’s design had resurfaced simply showed its importance and her group’s resolve to continue fighting.

“We’re not the ones that say, ‘We hope to preserve it and it’s gorgeous and we’ll do our best and see what happens,’ ” Zamparelli said. “We’ve hit this project hard, and the community is upset and mad. No one is going to relent and back off this situation.”

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