ImaginAsian Center

ImaginAsian Sale Listing Seems an About-Face by Developer

By Eric Richardson — May 16, 2008 — 16 Comments

Ed Fuentes

Earlier this week Curbed noticed that the ImaginAsian Center was listed on Loopnet, a real estate sales site. The theatre, which opened in late 2007, is listed for $5.7 million.

Cinema Properties Group developed the site, bringing ImaginAsian in to operate. In statements to Curbed and later the Downtown News, broker Sandy Bleifer said that a turn-around sale was always the plan. That stands in contrast to a statement Cinema Properties Group made to the L.A. Business Journal in 2006. — Continued Inside...

Free Screening Tonight at ImaginAsian

By Eric Richardson — December 20, 2007

Eric Richardson

If you're planning on sitting around bored this evening, you might as well go sit in some comfy new theater seats instead. The ImaginAsian Center has a free screening of A Taste of Tea tonight at 9:30pm. Their site describes the film thusly:

The Taste of Tea is a psychedelic version of Ingmar Bergman's Fanny and Alexander and a lysergic homage to Yasujiro Ozu's human portraits of Japanese family life. The Haruno family has moved to the countryside and are quietly living their lives. That's the movie right there. No more and no less. Mom is sitting at the kitchen table, working on the handmade animated epic that'll give her re-entry into the anime industry she left behind to raise her kids. (synopsis from Subway Cinema)

Previously: Coverage of ImaginAsian's Downtown debut

ImaginAsian Center Makes Its Main Street Debut

By Ed Fuentes and Eric Richardson — December 02, 2007 — 10 Comments

Ed Fuentes

Last night brought the ImaginAsian Center's Main street debut as a nearly full house turned out for the venue's introduction and ribbon-cutting. Elected officials and their representatives congratulated ImaginAsian President J. Edward Lee and Cinema Properties' President Sue Ann Kirst on bringing a modern movie house to the heart of Downtown.

In a very real way the ImaginAsian Center is a throwback to Hollywood days of old, when the studios controlled all three phases of moviemaking. Downtown was home to the United Artists theater on Broadway and the Warner theater on Hill, both opened to play content produced by their respective production arms. When asked if this was coincidence or strategy, ImaginAsian's Lee replied that these consolidated operations are the direction of today's market.

Though the venue doesn't hold its official opening until Friday's presentation of Midnight Eagle, Downtowners can get inside starting today, with the kickoff of the Fuji Television Movie Series. Shows run tonight through Thursday, and all are free to the public. — Continued Inside...

ImaginAsian Center Gets Set for Its Big Day

By Eric Richardson — November 28, 2007

Eric Richardson

Passing by the glass-clad exterior of the ImaginAsian Center today one could look in and see fire alarms flashing as construction crews worked with city inspectors to get the venue's occupancy permits in order. Saturday the theater premieres with a red carpet gala hosted by Carrie Ann Inaba and Michelle Krusiec before opening to the public on December 7th.

While finishing touches are still being applied, it is remarkable to see the theater's transformation in the three and a half months since we took a peek inside, but the change is even more impressive if you remember back to what it looked like in February. This weekend Main will really get a boost as the construction wall is pulled away and the Hodgetts+Fung design gets to connect to the street for the first time.

Also Previously: Renderings and Specs from July.

ImaginAsian Looking to Staff Up

By Eric Richardson — October 24, 2007

I have no intentions of creating a blogdowntown job board, but this seemed like one worth not passing up. ImaginAsian Entertainment, the company that'll soon be opening the ImaginAsian Center in the old Linda Lea theater on Main street, is looking for a House Manager and an Operations Manager. Full details are up on their website.

If you're living Downtown but stuck with a commute (and happen to have a bit of movie theater experience), this may just be your chance to trade it in and join the happy ranks of those who walk to their job. It's also a chance to help guide the direction of a venue that should become an important partner in the Downtown arts scene.

ImaginAsian Center Will Add Modern Life to Main

By Eric Richardson — July 25, 2007 — 33 Comments

Though I never set foot in the old Linda Lea theater on Main street, it was clear just from passing by that the building wasn't in the best of shape. When architecture firm Hodgetts+Fung got inside to plan work on the new ImaginAsian Center, there wasn't much that they could save. The building's rehab has been a rebuild, with only the exterior walls and a few ceiling joists maintained.

The building that's rising inside that historic shell has a very different look than what stood before. Yesterday afternoon H+F sent over a trio of renderings showing off the new theatre, and the building portrayed is definitely striking.

After the jump: big things in small dimensions, a cool bike rack, and a projected opening date.

Also check out our construction shots from the theater. — Continued Inside...

Life at the Linda Lea

By Eric Richardson — February 16, 2007 — 3 Comments

Eric Richardson

One year ago today the Times ran a piece saying that the Linda Lea could be reopened by summer 2006. That obviously didn't happen.

A year later and renovations are finally underway. Signs of life first showed up two weeks ago, and if you pass by the site today you'll see a full-on construction scene. As you can see in the photo, the inside of the space is pretty much gutted. Outside braces support the south wall to keep it from coming down.

Benjamin Pezzillo sent in these two shots of the old sign being carefully removed on February 8th. That would seem to indicate that they're planning to restore it and put it back into place.

I haven't read any sort of an opening date or seen renderings, but the architects doing the designs -- Hodgetts + Fung -- have an impressive body of work.

Update (5pm): This press release says that they're rebranding the theater the "ImaginAsian Center." That's really sad to hear, and calls into question what might be happening with the old signage. It's also a really bad name.

Also, this recent Variety piece pegs the opening in June.