Sundance Submits Plans for Aero Theater By Jorge Casuso Robert Redford's Sundance Film Centers has submitted plans to the City to restore the historic Aero Theater on Montana Avenue and turn it into a landmark independent film venue with two screens and two adjoining restaurants. If approved, the proposal would assure that Santa Monica's last remaining neighborhood theater will remain a mainstay of the rapidly changing commercial strip it has called home since World War II. It also would put Santa Monica on the map as a center for independent movies. "I wanted to find a tenant who had what I had in mind, which was to preserve the use of the building as a theater and preserve the architectural integrity," said Jim Rosenfield, the building's owner. "It's a center for independent films for this community and for the world. I'm very pleased with what they want to do." Representatives of Sundance said that adding a screen to the city's last remaining single screen theater was necessary in order to make the expensive venture economically viable. "It makes economic sense," said Eric Eberhart, operations director for Sundance Film Centers. "Single screen theaters just aren't performing now." Instead of splitting the theater down the middle - as in most movie house expansions - Sundance would remove the front ten rows of the existing venue to make way for a smaller theater tucked away behind the major screening room. The screen in the main auditorium would remain 36 feet wide, and a new screen and projection room would be added for the smaller venue. The number of seats is still to be determined, but the larger hall likely will hold about 350 moviegoers and the smaller one about 100. "Instead of limiting to one (venue), we'll have more variety there," Eberhart said. Sundance also plans to run two restaurants out of the adjoining retail space in the building. The restaurants would offer American cuisine with an emphasis on vegetarian fare using organic produce, Eberhart said. One of the restaurants, which will be more like a cafe, will offer lighter meals. The restaurants - both of which plan to serve liquor -- will require Planning Commission approval of Conditional Use Permits, according to City staff. The proposal also requires a variance for parking, since the area faces a parking crunch, particularly in the daytime. Sundance representatives said they have proposed a parking plan that includes leasing spaces. "Our challenge is in the afternoon," said Eberhart. The planning commission hearing likely won't take place for two to three months, said Donna Jerecks, the City planner in charge of the project. If the proposal adds new uses, it also preserves as many of the original features of the theater as possible. They include restoring the marquee and main entrance and removing a false ceiling to reveal the original gabled roof in the proposed dining area. Rosenfield said he is excited about the prospect of preserving a landmark that once provided round-the-clock entertainment to areospace workers and which, rumor has it, was the place where Redford fell in love with the movies. "People say there's nothing worth saving in L.A.," Rosenfield said. "We may not have centuries of history, but it's our history. It's a legacy that's worth preserving for our children to enjoy." |
Copyright 1999-2008 surfsantamonica.com. All Rights Reserved. |