(Flickr pic by Touchdownturnaround.)
Good news on the preservation front: The City's Cultural Heritage Commission approved plans to give landmark status to Felix Chevrolet's sign and showroom.
Notes the L.A. Times:
Felix's fans urged that the sign and showroom be left intact. They noted that landmark status does not permanently block removal of a historic structure but does force property owners, developers and city officials to carefully study the effects of demolition.
"Felix Chevrolet is a landmark in every sense of the word," said Mitzi March Mogul, a historic preservation consultant.
L.A. Conservancy representative Jay Platt told commissioners he is among millions "who loved the Felix the Cat sign as a kid."
View from a Loft has been covering Felix's fate closely, including here and here.
Prior to the committee vote, the blog wrote:
As the Figueroa Corridor grows, and competition between rival developers heats up, the cat is caught in the middle. It's seen as a speed bump from further developing the site where the sign and showroom is located across the street from the recently completed USC Galen Center.
The sign and showroom at Figueroa and Jefferson was owned by Nickolas Shammas until his death in 2003. The business was passed on to the Shammas Corporation currently under the direction of son-in-law, Darryl Holter. He's since added
dealerships near Figueroa and Washington. Holter, who also chairs the Figueroa Corridor Partnership, has stated the land where the sign is would be more "beneficial to the community if it were used for student housing."
Since 2000, Holter has been planning University Gateway development where Felix now stands, and has since added Urban Partners to oversee the project. An added twist is Conquest Student Housing, a "housing provider" for students, have filed appeals and lawsuits against Urban Partners , CRA and the City citing items that range from parking variances or "botched" environmental reports.
We last wrote about Felix's fate here back in March.
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