South Pasadena’s Historic Rialto Theater Eyes Revitalization With New Restaurant | Eater LA

"This 93-year-old single-screen theater, which closed in 2007, has drawn renewed attention after serving as a filming location for the Oscar-winning film La La Land. Mosaic Church, which signed a long-term (reported 15-year) lease and now occupies the building, is participating in a revitalization effort aimed at attracting both locals and visitors beyond its congregation. Senior pastor Erwin McManus has proposed reworking the ground-floor retail into a cafe or restaurant; the church is accepting sublease offers and prefers businesses that would operate seven days a week. Church leadership, including pastor Lawrence Fudge, says returning the building to a movie-theater use is unlikely given modern economics that favor multiplexes, leaving this as one of Los Angeles’s remaining single-screen houses." - Mona Holmes