Building Demolitions

At first, the news of the proposed demolition of the Shubert Theatre in Century City may look like a case of "out with the old, in with the new." The "old" in this case, the Shubert itself, is 30 years old. On Monday, real estate developers confirmed that they plan to raze the theater--after the Shubert Organization's lease runs out in September 2002--as well as the rest of the ABC Entertainment Center. Two office buildings will go up on the site.

They stand like ghosts from a bygone era, struggling to maintain a shabby dignity in the face of creeping foliage and years of neglect, all the while fueling a debate: Should they be protected as rare treasures or leveled as worthless junk? Preservationists fear that Yangon's several hundred colonial-era buildings, a legacy of the British Empire at its height, will succumb to voracious Chinese property developers with a history of building tacky shopping malls for a quick buck. Several low- and mid-market malls have sprouted up in recent years, most a few miles from the run-down, old downtown area where the vintage buildings are concentrated, raising concern that Yangon will become just another noisy, ugly Asian city of mini-malls and sprawl.

Architectural purists won't be running to rescue the Long Beach school district's 66-year-old downtown headquarters. The building, a perplexing mixture of Spanish revival and modern styles, has been scheduled for demolition next year. Maintenance bills of more than $100,000 a year prompted the decision, school officials said. In August, the district's headquarters will move to an 11-year-old building at 1515 Hughes Way in West Long Beach.

At first, the news of the proposed demolition of the Shubert Theatre in Century City may look like a case of "out with the old, in with the new." The "old" in this case, the Shubert itself, is 30 years old. On Monday, real estate developers confirmed that they plan to raze the theater--after the Shubert Organization's lease runs out in September 2002--as well as the rest of the ABC Entertainment Center. Two office buildings will go up on the site.

Plans for the demolition of the earthquake-damaged University Tower Apartments will be discussed at a public briefing Monday, Cal State Northridge officials announced this week. "There is a substantial amount of interest in the community as far as when the project will take place and what we're planning to do," said Roger Bethell, project manager for CSUN's main earthquake-recovery contractor, Daniel, Mann, Johnson & Mendenhall.

A fireball and implosion destroyed Orlando's old City Hall early Friday in a thrifty disposal of an unwanted building that will provide truly special effects for the film "Lethal Weapon III." The 33-year-old, eight-story building went up in a flash before coming down in a pile of rubble before a live audience of about 700 people, The city paid $65,000 for the implosion. But it will get $50,000 from Warner Bros. for rights to use the scene in the movie starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover.

The San Diego City Council on Tuesday cleared the way for demolition of a unique but aging building and the fabled arch that greets visitors to the historic Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach. Owners of the Crystal Pier administration building, which was built in the 1930s, first must win permits from the Coastal Commission and other agencies before building a $2.5-million project that would incorporate a 19-room motel, several retail shops and an underground parking garage.

To the surprise of council members and some residents, a 1930s-era Spanish-style landmark on Pacific Coast Highway was demolished this week. Demolition crews Tuesday quickly leveled the 15-room building at 34185 Pacific Coast Highway that had long housed Straight Ahead, an alcohol and drug treatment center. Only a piece of the complex remains. The facility was closed last July by the state Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs. The complex was built as a motel in 1936.

They stand like ghosts from a bygone era, struggling to maintain a shabby dignity in the face of creeping foliage and years of neglect, all the while fueling a debate: Should they be protected as rare treasures or leveled as worthless junk? Preservationists fear that Yangon's several hundred colonial-era buildings, a legacy of the British Empire at its height, will succumb to voracious Chinese property developers with a history of building tacky shopping malls for a quick buck. Several low- and mid-market malls have sprouted up in recent years, most a few miles from the run-down, old downtown area where the vintage buildings are concentrated, raising concern that Yangon will become just another noisy, ugly Asian city of mini-malls and sprawl.

A boisterous group of property owners and real estate agents Tuesday night persuaded the Santa Monica City Council not to impose a 45-day moratorium on the demolition of buildings constructed before 1940. The City Council instead unanimously approved a compromise plan to be drafted and voted on next week. It would amend the city's landmarks ordinance to include review by the city of all pre-1940 buildings scheduled for demolition, rehabilitation or remodeling.

Plans for the demolition of the earthquake-damaged University Tower Apartments will be discussed at a public briefing Monday, Cal State Northridge officials announced this week. "There is a substantial amount of interest in the community as far as when the project will take place and what we're planning to do," said Roger Bethell, project manager for CSUN's main earthquake-recovery contractor, Daniel, Mann, Johnson & Mendenhall.

Architectural purists won't be running to rescue the Long Beach school district's 66-year-old downtown headquarters. The building, a perplexing mixture of Spanish revival and modern styles, has been scheduled for demolition next year. Maintenance bills of more than $100,000 a year prompted the decision, school officials said. In August, the district's headquarters will move to an 11-year-old building at 1515 Hughes Way in West Long Beach.

Although a Los Angeles city panel granted 78 quake-damaged buildings reprieves from demolition, preservationists warned Thursday that the city's demolition process may be moving too fast to save historically significant structures. The buildings reviewed by the city's Building and Safety Commission were the first of more than 360 quake-damaged structures citywide that were "red-tagged" and declared public nuisances. The owners were given 30 days to make repairs or face demolition.

Los Angeles officials may drop plans to pay up to $15 million to private firms to oversee the demolition of hundreds of buildings damaged in the earthquake, saying that city workers may be able to do the job for less. Mayor Richard Riordan called Friday for public employees to manage the work, putting a damper on what one official called a "feeding frenzy" by firms that are bidding for the work.

To the surprise of council members and some residents, a 1930s-era Spanish-style landmark on Pacific Coast Highway was demolished this week. Demolition crews Tuesday quickly leveled the 15-room building at 34185 Pacific Coast Highway that had long housed Straight Ahead, an alcohol and drug treatment center. Only a piece of the complex remains. The facility was closed last July by the state Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs. The complex was built as a motel in 1936.

Preservationists aim to fire their best shots next week when the City Council is expected to decide the fate of the 63-year-old Public Service Building, which has been marked for demolition. Members of the Glendale Historical Society and other groups will ask that the city reject as inadequate an environmental-impact study that estimates the cost of preserving the six-story building at $5.5 million and pans the architectural significance of the Art Deco/Moderne-style structure.

Los Angeles officials may drop plans to pay up to $15 million to private firms to oversee the demolition of hundreds of buildings damaged in the earthquake, saying that city workers may be able to do the job for less. Mayor Richard Riordan called Friday for public employees to manage the work, putting a damper on what one official called a "feeding frenzy" by firms that are bidding for the work.

A fireball and implosion destroyed Orlando's old City Hall early Friday in a thrifty disposal of an unwanted building that will provide truly special effects for the film "Lethal Weapon III." The 33-year-old, eight-story building went up in a flash before coming down in a pile of rubble before a live audience of about 700 people, The city paid $65,000 for the implosion. But it will get $50,000 from Warner Bros. for rights to use the scene in the movie starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover.

The San Diego City Council on Tuesday cleared the way for demolition of a unique but aging building and the fabled arch that greets visitors to the historic Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach. Owners of the Crystal Pier administration building, which was built in the 1930s, first must win permits from the Coastal Commission and other agencies before building a $2.5-million project that would incorporate a 19-room motel, several retail shops and an underground parking garage.