Hollywood Bowl Preservation Efforts Continue

The refusal of the California State Supreme Court to hear our appeal to prevent he demolition of the landmark 1929 Hollywood Bowl orchestra shell has led Hollywood Heritage in another direction. After learning on the radio of the court’s refusal, Dr. Richard Fernandes, of Citrus College, was shocked to just then learn of the planned demolition. Dr. Fernandes is head of the school of architecture at Citrus College in Glendora and, like so many others, has fond memories of Hollywood Bowl concerts. He told his students who agreed that this demolition of a landmark was wrong and a new class project was born.

With the help of his assistants, Kimberly Yarbrough and Matthew Tod Schaiterer, he started to research the situation. The Hollywood Heritage website gave the background on our legal and historical issues and led to their contacting President Kay Tornborg and VP Robert Nudelman. After meetings, phone calls, emails, and an exchange of documents provided by Hollywood Heritage, a plan was created. Citrus College is now preparing alternative plans to protect the shell and provide the necessary requirements of the Los Angeles Philharmonic as they stated in court. This plan was outlined in our previous Newsletters and in our court documents. New renderings and a model will be created with specifications to show how it can be done, and a major contractor has agreed to budget the work.

This is being done to show that the shell can be saved and restored, and that the concerns of all can be legally and acoustically met. Also, it will show how it can be done on budget for millions of dollars less than is being proposed by the county (their budget was prepared in 1992-3; the actual plans are only now being completed and budgeted).

Hollywood Heritage and Citrus College will hold a press conference in early May to show these plans, refuting the county’s claims that the only way to preserve the facility is to destroy it. Other concert experts are being consulted on the design and their approval of the final plan will be a key part of our efforts. We will also be contacting celebrities who have played at the Hollywood Bowl and have expressed their support for its preservation to help at the press conference (we will notify members of the press conference date).

We will now push for our position in the court of public opinion and will continue to demonstrate the economic problems of the county’s unfunded proposal with one that works for everyone.