1 p.m. 6. Soursop Shake In Old Pasadena (a vast 80's redevelopment project where only the extravagantly refurbished facades of retail spaces are remotely old), Cafe Atlantic (53 East Union Street, 626-796-7350) spiritedp spirited and big-flavored food from the Cuban childhood of its owner, Xiomara Ardolina.
So, working with PKSB Architects, Thor proposes to recreate the old brownstone facade for a retail conversion, but with a few exceptions: the ground-floor cast-iron front installed at some point in the 19th century would be retained; the brownstone would actually be precast concrete; and the element crowning the building in 1855 would be omitted.
One developer is proceeding with a plan to restore the 100-year-old Woodward & Lothrop store, with its elaborate, landmarked facade, as a mixed retail and office development.
Today, it has a spruced-up facade, but there is retail space built out onto the open plaza, which originally defined the stark rectangular form.
Instead, in a retail version of "Hollywood Squares," the facade will be dominated by display windows, bringing the inside out and outside in.
A spokesman for Pollen Estate said the proposals would provide new office, retail and art gallery spaces behind existing facades.
In the months leading up to the Stanley's closure, Famous Players had a conditional sale agreement for the theatre with Vancouver developer Sandy Cox, who was planning to keep the Stanley's facade and convert the interior into retail space.
Another one-bedroom, on East 76th Street, cost $2,100 a month and had a lovely renovation, but the building facade — concrete framing a large street-level retail window — stopped them cold.
The proposal would also ensure that Chelsea Market's distinctive facade remained, and that 75 percent of the ground-floor retail space be preserved for food-related businesses.
But the developer needs a special permit to allow retail on the ground floor, and a restoration of the original facade makes such a permit easier to secure.
