Firestone Tire: Renderings show how the landmark will be transformed into a food hall

Mid-Wilshire’s landmark Firestone building is making serious strides toward its next phase in life: adaptive reuse as a food hall and microbrewery.

In a presentation to the city’s Cultural Heritage Commission last week, John Thomas, a representative for developer Conroy Commercial, gave commissioners a brief rundown of the plans for the project, along with a handful of visuals that show how the 1937 streamline moderne building might be transformed.

Located at 800 South LaBrea Avenue, the Firestone building sits on the corner of Eighth Street and LaBrea. Its cool Art Deco style will be preserved, from the enamel exterior panels to the big, industrial-style windows to the neon lights that trace the eaves. The rooftop Firestone sign will also be refurbished.

The interiors will maintain an industrial vibe be redone to accommodate seating for multiple food vendors and the microbrewery. (No brewery has been named yet.) There would also be a small retail section inside.

The project would not have on-site parking, though a rep for the project had previously told neighbors that the developer had leased 20 spots from the church across the street and were seeking out more parking.

No timeline announced at the presentation, but the project is moving forward and all the commissioners’ comments about it at the meeting were positive.

• Art Deco-style Firestone building on La Brea might be reborn as microbrewery [Curbed LA]