Machine Age brewery coming to Firestone site

| March 1, 2018 | 0 Comments

MICROBREWERY and a restaurant are on tap for the landmark Streamline Moderne building at La Brea Avenue and Eighth Street.
Adrian Biondo/L.A. Conservancy.

You will have to wait a little longer to enjoy a brew at the historic Streamline Moderne Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. building at the corner of Eighth Street. and La Brea Avenue.

The building’s Machine Age design was considered ultra modern when it opened in 1938, and plans for a restaurant and microbrewery at the former tire and repair shop will be equally stunning.

“It’s going to look awesome,” said developer Brad Conroy of Conroy Commercial.

Originally expected to open by early 2018, the building’s adaptive reuse was reviewed by the City Cultural Heritage Commission last year.

“We now understand that the design team is revising the plans based on some operational changes and revised tenant requirements,” said Ken Bernstein, principal city planner, in the Department of City Planning’s Office of Historic Resources (OHR).

The development project team is expected to present its updated plans to the OHR for its review in the near future.

“There is a proposal for a microbrewery and up to three restaurants, as an adaptive reuse of the existing building,” Bernstein said.

The City Planning Department approved an application for a conditional use permit for a full line of alcohol sales for the 199-seat restaurant.

While a retail area also was approved, an outdoor coffee kiosk and outdoor seating were denied for the city Historic-Cultural Monument.

Conroy met with members of the Sycamore Square Neighborhood Association to discuss parking, hours and repurposing the former tire and service center at 800 S. La Brea Ave. into a 3,493-square-foot restaurant and microbrewery.

The 12,724 square-foot property has no on-site parking. Valet and Uber drop-off areas will be offered, Conroy said.

He plans to retain many of the Firestone building’s original features, including its fire-engine-red sign.

The tire store was in continuous operation from 1938 until the last owner, Bridgestone, closed the business in the fall of 2015. The building’s aerodynamic design gives the illusion of speed, precision and efficiency, with uninterrupted horizontal lines and rounded corners, according to the Los Angeles Conservancy website.

Rooftop lettering sits atop a curving canopy illuminated by fluorescent lights and is clad in original baked porcelain enamel panels of pale yellow accented with burgundy, a one-time popular color scheme.

UPDATE: March 28, 2018: This article was updated to remove an incorrect reference to an expected March 2 meeting.

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Category: Real Estate

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