The auction for the unused, but still quite intact, Fox Inglewood Theatre was supposed to end earlier this month, but the deadline has been pushed back to March 23 by request of the city and preservationists. Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation rep Hillsman Wright tells us the city is now preparing a bid on the 1949 theater, "However, the City has made it clear that they don’t want to operate a theatre. That’s where the LAHTF and [Inglewood Fox Theatre Alliance] come in. If the City will help buy and rehab the theatre, we’re interested in operating it on a non-profit basis." The organizations want to restore the theater into a multi-purpose event center. Wright points us to the Crest Theatre in Sacramento, which he says is one of three that are similar to the Fox Inglewood and "has been used very successfully in the way we’d like to see the Fox Inglewood develop."
The Fox Inglewood's current owner is former NFL player Mark Fields, who according to the South Los Angeles Report, "purchased the property seven years ago with the intention of transforming it into a complex of condos anchored by a sports bar and parking garage." A rep for the auction company told the Report that restoration will be expensive, mainly because of the asbestos in the theater.
The LAHTF and IFTA are holding a meeting on March 6 to rally the local troops in supporting the Fox Inglewood.
· Inglewood Fox Theatre Going to Auction, Preservationists Getting Nervous [Curbed LA]
· The end of an era: Historic Fox Theatre in Inglewood for sale [South Los Angeles Report]
Loading comments...