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Buried deep under all those signs and that billboard is the Fairfax Theater at Fairfax and Beverly, site of yet another development struggle. As we profiled in our Mad Libs Preservation edition post, developer B & F Assoc.* (We had originally identified the developer as Ira Handelman, he is actually a spokesman for the developer.) wants to "gut the interior of the two-story structure" as the Larchmont Chronicle puts it, and transform the 1929 theater into a mixed-use building with 71 condominium units and a rooftop pool. That ticks off preservationists--the theater is "one of the last few remaining neighborhood movie houses left in L.A.," according to the 380-person strong Friends of Fairfax Facebook group, while a member of the Hollywood Heritage group references the recession, noting that with "the economic downturn there is an epidemic among neighborhood theaters closing," so this one should be saved. Additionally, the sticking point among everyone seems to be whether the interior is architecturally significant. And the architect on the proposed project is Howard Laks. A press release from Laks--and his explanation of what will be done on the building--and a rendering of the project are expected shortly.
· THEATRE'S SECOND ACT PITS GROUP, DEVELOPER [Larchmont Chronicle]
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