Blue Note Jazz Club Moves Forward at Hollywood ArcLight Complex — Will the Cinerama Dome Be Next?
The mission to re-open Hollywood’s ArcLight Cinemas and the historic Cinerama Dome continues.
On Thursday morning, Los Angeles’ Office of Zoning Administration held a public hearing regarding both the theater complex and the upcoming Blue Note Jazz Club. The hearings were to allow the sale and dispensing of a full line of alcoholic beverages for onsite consumption within the complex.
The applicant was Dome Center, LLC /Robertson Property Group, a subsidiary of The Decurion Corp., the family business that has long owned the Dome and ArcLight property. Land use consultant Elizabeth Peterson of the Elizabeth Peterson Group presented the case on behalf of the owners.
During her presentation, Peterson said, “I wanted to bring a little bit of the legacy of what the Cinerama Dome stands for, because they’re working very hard to reactivate the entire space.” Peterson continued, “Robertson Property Groups, now a part of Decurion Corp, has shown a strong commitment to modernizing and maintaining the property.”
The theaters shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic and the ArcLight and Cinerama Dome remain boarded up, despite some renovation work ongoing inside. And what once used to be a bustling area on any given weekend afternoon is nearly abandoned. Restaurants Veggie Grill and Wildbird are still open, but not always busy. Upstairs, the 24-hour Fitness Gym remains.
In 2023, it seemed possible that the Cinerama Dome would be reopening in 2025. It was announced that the remodeled complex would be renamed Cinerama Hollywood and a liquor license application was posted back in 2021.
Thursday’s hearings gave a glimmer of hope to the plan to revitalize the once bustling area.
Peterson said, “Blue Note L.A. will soon occupy the remaining Blue C. Sushi space and the former Stella Bara space at Ivar Blvd. and Sunset Blvd, and there will be the third restaurant in the complex with entertainment.”
A second hearing immediately following delved deeper into the plans for the Blue Note Jazz Club.
Peterson said, “Blue Note has [programmed] countless legendary jazz musicians and has expanded its reach globally with locations in cities like Tokyo, Milan, Napa, California and now Hollywood. Of course, Los Angeles is included in that statement.” She added, “We are confident that, like New York, Blue Note will become a cultural institution within Los Angeles.”
The proposal described plans for Blue Note with hopes to develop the Los Angeles jazz scene and focus on emerging artists. Blue Note’s club will include two separate rooms — the showroom will feature main artists, while the second room will be called the B-Side.
During an opportunity for public questions, Variety asked Peterson about the plans to reopen the Cinerama Dome. Peterson said, “The property owner is again Dome Center for LLC Robinson Property Group. They have reached out to me and have recently started discussing moving forward with the Cinerama Dome. We don’t have any plans yet, but I think that they wanted to make sure that they did this in a timely manner.” Peterson went on to say, “The ownership is very committed to moving forward to continue redeveloping the site. Obviously, the theater would be next. And all I can tell you is that they have reached out to me to discuss that.”
Peterson stressed that talks are still ongoing. “Their goal is to restore the entire property,” she told the hearing.
In the meantime, the AMCs at the Grove, Burbank and Century City locations have taken over major bookings and many premieres, and Los Angeles residents continue to hold out hope that the Cinerama Dome will reopen either with or without the ArcLight theater complex.
On Thursday morning, Los Angeles’ Office of Zoning Administration held a public hearing regarding both the theater complex and the upcoming Blue Note Jazz Club. The hearings were to allow the sale and dispensing of a full line of alcoholic beverages for onsite consumption within the complex.
The applicant was Dome Center, LLC /Robertson Property Group, a subsidiary of The Decurion Corp., the family business that has long owned the Dome and ArcLight property. Land use consultant Elizabeth Peterson of the Elizabeth Peterson Group presented the case on behalf of the owners.
During her presentation, Peterson said, “I wanted to bring a little bit of the legacy of what the Cinerama Dome stands for, because they’re working very hard to reactivate the entire space.” Peterson continued, “Robertson Property Groups, now a part of Decurion Corp, has shown a strong commitment to modernizing and maintaining the property.”
The theaters shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic and the ArcLight and Cinerama Dome remain boarded up, despite some renovation work ongoing inside. And what once used to be a bustling area on any given weekend afternoon is nearly abandoned. Restaurants Veggie Grill and Wildbird are still open, but not always busy. Upstairs, the 24-hour Fitness Gym remains.
In 2023, it seemed possible that the Cinerama Dome would be reopening in 2025. It was announced that the remodeled complex would be renamed Cinerama Hollywood and a liquor license application was posted back in 2021.
Thursday’s hearings gave a glimmer of hope to the plan to revitalize the once bustling area.
Peterson said, “Blue Note L.A. will soon occupy the remaining Blue C. Sushi space and the former Stella Bara space at Ivar Blvd. and Sunset Blvd, and there will be the third restaurant in the complex with entertainment.”
A second hearing immediately following delved deeper into the plans for the Blue Note Jazz Club.
Peterson said, “Blue Note has [programmed] countless legendary jazz musicians and has expanded its reach globally with locations in cities like Tokyo, Milan, Napa, California and now Hollywood. Of course, Los Angeles is included in that statement.” She added, “We are confident that, like New York, Blue Note will become a cultural institution within Los Angeles.”
The proposal described plans for Blue Note with hopes to develop the Los Angeles jazz scene and focus on emerging artists. Blue Note’s club will include two separate rooms — the showroom will feature main artists, while the second room will be called the B-Side.
During an opportunity for public questions, Variety asked Peterson about the plans to reopen the Cinerama Dome. Peterson said, “The property owner is again Dome Center for LLC Robinson Property Group. They have reached out to me and have recently started discussing moving forward with the Cinerama Dome. We don’t have any plans yet, but I think that they wanted to make sure that they did this in a timely manner.” Peterson went on to say, “The ownership is very committed to moving forward to continue redeveloping the site. Obviously, the theater would be next. And all I can tell you is that they have reached out to me to discuss that.”
Peterson stressed that talks are still ongoing. “Their goal is to restore the entire property,” she told the hearing.
In the meantime, the AMCs at the Grove, Burbank and Century City locations have taken over major bookings and many premieres, and Los Angeles residents continue to hold out hope that the Cinerama Dome will reopen either with or without the ArcLight theater complex.