The century-old Westlake Theatre across from MacArthur Park may finally be stepping out of the shadows after decades of mostly gathering dust. A local nonprofit theater company, the Strindberg Laboratory, is driving a proposal to buy and restore the ornate movie palace and turn its long-quiet auditorium into a performance space, community meeting rooms, and offices for neighborhood organizations. The effort drew a small, flashlight-led walk-through of the vacant building this week, bringing residents, artists and community groups into the cavernous, empty hall.
Organizers say the idea is still very much in its early days. The concept is to preserve the historic proscenium and murals while updating the building for local arts events, film screenings, neighborhood council meetings and nonprofit offices. Acquisition and restoration could run roughly $6 6 8 million, according to LAist. The group plans to form a steering committee, then chase a mix of philanthropic, city and state funding if the right partners line up. If financing comes together, organizers say they hope to complete a purchase by winter, with a full restoration taking several years.
History Inside A Fading Movie Palace
The Westlake opened in 1926 as an ornate Spanish-style vaudeville and movie palace, with roughly 1,949 seats and murals by Anthony Heinsbergen, according to the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation. It stayed in theatrical use for decades before closing as a movie house in 1991 and later becoming an indoor swap meet, a shift documented by preservation groups such as the Los Angeles Conservancy. The building is listed on the National Register and is a designated local landmark, status that advocates say strengthens the case for a careful adaptive reuse instead of another round of neglect.
Who Owns The Property Now
The city’s Community Redevelopment Agency bought the theater in 2008 with the stated goal of rehabilitating it as an entertainment venue, but the agency was dissolved in 2012 and the effort stalled out. In 2018 the property was sold to an entity listed as 634 Alvarado LLP, controlled by Jamison Properties, in a deal for about $2 million, according to CRA/LA records and reporting by The Real Deal. Since the sale, the ground floor has continued to operate as a swap meet while the theater’s main auditorium has largely remained unused.
Plans, Partners And The First Steps
Strindberg Laboratory founder Michael Bierman says the idea emerged from the company’s search for a permanent home, and that the Westlake is better suited as a shared civic space than as a single group’s headquarters. The concept was laid out during a flashlight tour attended by roughly 50 people, the group told reporters, according to LAist. That tour drew representatives from Koreatown Youth and Community Center, Homies Unidos, LA Commons and the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation, who organizers say will help shape a steering committee. The Strindberg Laboratory lists contact details for neighborhood groups and residents who want to get involved.
Neighborhood Stakes And Vendor Worries
Neighbors and vendors are split on the prospect of a full-scale revival. Supporters say a restored theater could provide much-needed public gathering space and give a lift to nearby businesses. Longtime swap-meet tenants, though, worry that redevelopment might push out small operators who depend on the existing marketplace for their livelihoods, concerns highlighted in earlier coverage by the Los Angeles Times. Any new chapter for the building will have to balance preservation goals with protections for current businesses and sustained community input, a stance echoed by preservation advocates such as the Los Angeles Conservancy. Organizers say wrestling with those tensions will be central to the steering committee’s work.
For now the proposal sits at the crossroads of historic preservation, community development and small-business survival. Organizers say the next concrete step is forming a steering committee and mapping out a financing strategy. If partners and funders sign on, they hope to move toward acquisition and a multiyear restoration process. Whether the grand old marquee lights up again will likely come down to whether the coalition can pull together the roughly $6 6 8 million they estimate it will take to bring the Westlake Theatre back to life. People who want updates or a seat at the table can contact the Strindberg Laboratory through its website.
