Arts Center Construction Underway

Drive along Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills and next door to City Hall—behind the dark green fencing and hard hat signs—is a large hole in the ground.

For a number of months, construction has been underway on a three-story, underground parking garage to serve the needs of the planned Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.

With construction far from finished, the city's Architectural Commission continues to hold hearings on the design of several structures that provide access to the lot, along with landscaping that will complement the new facility—a performing arts center built on the site of the 75-year-old post office on North Crescent Drive.

On Wednesday, architect Zoltan E. Pali presented the seven-member commission with updated drawings for a building that will house elevators and an escalator, slated for construction near the northwest corner of North Crescent Drive and Santa Monica Boulevard.

Pali said the redesign has reduced the size of the building. For example, the elevators now take up half as much space as originally planned. The design currently features a glass structure with a steel frame that is 13-feet high and will house two elevators and their components.

"We have designed the structure to only be as big as needed for two elevators," said Pali, who added that the updated plans are the result of meetings with the commission's subcommittee and city staff.

Commissioners Paul Langh and Barry Bernstein complimented Pali's new design as the right solution for the city's concerns. 

Vice Chairwoman Fran Cohen expressed some reservations about the design, noting that some building material was visible. She also expressed concerns about the possibility of ongoing maintenance.

Because of the design of the glass structure, some of the equipment will be visible, Pali said. But other parts, including lighting and fire sprinklers, will be hidden within the ceiling. He assured Cohen that the design will include space for a worker to get to the equipment to repair or maintain the elevators.

"I appreciate you have included everything the commission has asked for, but I hope the elevator doesn't have maintenance issues once it's up," Cohen said.

Meanwhile, Commissioner Walter Meyer questioned the criteria used to determine the height of the glass and steel structure.

"An absolute minimum ... based in cab size and equipment above," Pali said. "We wanted to minimize the structure's footprint. Nothing more or less."