San Pedro’s historic Warner Grand Theatre has been closed since January, wading through the required city maze to get permits, plans and a general contractor approved and finally in place.
Now, work is slated to begin later this month for the project that will take yet another two years to complete.
But before the construction fencing goes up, theater fans will be able to get a final peek inside the lobby during a special walk-through and outdoor celebration from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 17.
RSVPs are required and must be made by Friday, Dec. 13, by emailing julia.chavez@lacity.org.
The 93-year-old Warner Grand, 478 W. Sixth St., in downtown San Pedro, has needed the infrastructure overhaul to continue operating safely and within code, said Liz Schindler Johnson, president and executive director of the Grand Vision Foundation.
Without the renovations, Johnson said, “the theater could not continue to be open to the public.”
Much of the work will involve updating the plumbing and electrical systems, adding more bathrooms, installing elevators, upgrading the heating/air-conditioning/lighting/and fire systems and — “hopefully,” Johnson said — adding a “small rooftop deck and a special room off the lobby.”
Other improvements include:
Restoring the historic ceilings, walls, columns, pilasters, flooring and railings.
Expanding the concession service.
Seismic retrofitting and upgrading the auditorium.
Part of the project will encroach on the connected storefront to the west — which houses the popular coffee house Sacred Grounds. The impacts on that business remain unclear but Johnson said it could be downsized.
“The cafe will stay,” she said, “but I don’t know the details.”
The coffee house owner said he is scheduled to be briefed in a few days about the plans.
The temporary loss of the theater just in the past year, Johnson said, has already been felt by many of the groups that have relied on the historic movie palace for holiday performances, film festivals, concerts, school and youth plays, graduations, and other special programs.
While disruptive, Johnson said, the finished product will be worth it.
“We have to keep our eyes on the prize,” she said, but acknowledged that the closure is :upending our lives.”
The ripples from the closure have changed “our whole ecosystem on Sixth Street and in downtown San Pedro,” Johnson said.
As to what’s caused the longer-than-anticipated, yearlong preparation just to get to the start of construction, chalk some of it up to L.A.’s multilayered bureaucracy.
“A lot of boxes had to be checked,” Johnson said.
“It was just the process,” she added. “(Several) departments had to approve (each step), board reports had to be written, then those had to be brought before commissions.”
Going out to bid for a general contractor — requiring the “lowest qualified” bidder — was also time consuming and entailed reviews and vetting by different departments, she said.
“The city process required numerous steps, including a competitive bidding and award process,” Juan Garcia, acting director of marketing, development and design strategy for the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs, said in a written statement. “Additionally, there was a funding shortfall, which prevented the city from issuing the RFP (request for proposal). Councilmember (Tim) McOsker identified additional funding in this year’s budget to allow the bid to be released. The contract is for a time period of 500 days.”
Tuesday’s walk-through and program, meanwhile, will give folks a last look at the theater’s lobbies before the construction work finally launches. Speeches and refreshments will be offered at an outdoor program from 11 to 11:30 a.m.
“It’s really an acknowledgment and celebration of the fact that the work is about to be initiated,” Johnson said.
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