La Brea’s Historic Firestone Building Could Land Three Restaurants

Since February 2017, there have been plans to convert the historic Firestone Building on Eighth and La Brea into a microbrewery and restaurant. Developers recently expanded the initial plans, which now includes three eateries on site, in addition to the microbrewery. The developers will present their revised plans to the City Cultural Heritage Commission on March 2, according to the Larchmont Chronicle.

The current owner and developer is Brad Conroy from Conroy Commercial, who took over the property in 2015. Conroy plans to keep the Firestone building’s original features, and really doesn’t have much say in the matter, as the building was declared a historic-cultural monument in 2012.

The brewery was expected to open in 2018, but the City Planning Department initially approved a permit for alcohol sales within a 199-seat restaurant. And while Conroy met with the Sycamore Square Neighborhood Association about developing the building and its operating hours, parking is a serious bone of contention. The almost 13,000 square foot property has none, and Conroy suggested valet and Uber drop off areas to remedy the concern.

The Firestone building operated from 1938 until Bridgestone closed it in 2015. Curbed LA reported that the empty Firestone building has been preparing for an update for awhile. And if that building looks slightly familiar, that’s because David Lynch used the building for a location in Lost Highway.

• Machine Age brewery coming to Firestone site [Larchmont Chronicle]
• New La Brea Reclamation Project Could Bring a Brewery to the Heart of the City [ELA]
• Art Deco-style Firestone building on La Brea might be reborn as microbrewery [CurbedLA]
• New Owners of Art Deco Firestone Building on La Brea Want to Preserve It [CurbedLA]