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The remains of the Golden Gate Theater, a 1927 building that is considered historically and architecturally significant, is the middle of a preservation battle between developers looking to turn it into a CVS and local activists. While owners Charles Company wants to turn the Spanish baroque building (rarely found in LA) into a pharmacy with alcohol sales and a drive-through window, preservationists would like to see the building restored to its original purpose as a theater. According to LA Now, the "theater's entrance replicates the portal of the University of Salamanca in Spain and is built in the Churrigueresque style, a Spanish baroque form of architecture. The theater is listed on the National Register of Historic Places." The original retail component of the theater was damaged in the 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake and was demolished in 1992, leaving only the theater sitting in an empty lot.
Representatives from the Charles Company, at a hearing yesterday with the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission, testified they would not demolish the building and plan to preserve its architectural elements if they converted it to a commercial building. County staff members plan to prepare an EIR on the pharmacy proposal and present a final report t the commission Aug 19th, so the panel can vote on the proposed project.
· Future of 1927-era East L.A. theater in question [LA Now]
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