Westlake Theatre, a grand L.A. movie palace, could come back from the dead

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Set us as preferred Armed with flashlights, dozens of community members stepped into the darkened Westlake Theatre, sidestepping puddles and broken glass as they imagined what the century-old movie palace could become.Inside, much of the theater looks frozen in time.Dust coats the staircases leading to the balcony, while rows of worn seats still face the stage beneath peeling painted ceilings and decorative plasterwork.

Above the auditorium, a faded Anthony Heinsbergen mural offers a glimpse of the theater’s past.Los Angeles nonprofit theater company Strindberg Laboratory hopes to change that.The organization wants to purchase the historic Westlake Theatre and transform it into a community arts and nonprofit hub.Its proposal calls for preserving the space while adapting it into a shared civic center that could host live performances, film screenings, neighborhood council meetings, lectures, arts workshops and office space for community organizations.The effort is in its early stages.The building has not been purchased, no major funding has been secured and organizers say community input will help determine what the project ultimately becomes before fundraising begins.

The group’s proposal estimates acquiring and restoring the theater would cost between $6 and $8 million.“This is just the first gathering,” Michael Bierman, founder of Strindberg Laboratory, told The LA Local.“It’s not an exclusive club.

We welcome everybody and anybody.Everybody has something to input in their community.”Bierman wants to create a coalition to see the project come to life.

Several organizations have already expressed interest, he said, and about 50 people attended the tour, including representatives from the Koreatown Youth and Community Center, Homies Unidos, LA Commons, the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation, Central City ...