Cinerama Dome – A Los Angeles public hearing drew sharp questions from the community as owners sought a liquor license tied to reopening hopes for the shuttered Hollywood landmark.
Hollywood’s Cinerama Dome has been dark for years, but on Tuesday morning the community made it impossible to ignore—at least at City Hall.
The question of when the historic venue will reopen became the focus of a Los Angeles public hearing held by the city’s Associate Zoning Administrator on May 12.. The hearing was specifically tied to a request for a conditional use permit that would allow the complex to sell alcohol—an approval that was granted by the Zoning Administrator. though it remains subject to appeal.
For longtime fans of the theater and residents who see it as a cultural anchor. the timing is part of the frustration.. The Dome has been closed since the pandemic began in 2020. and it stayed shuttered after Arclight Theaters and parent Pacific Theaters stopped operating.. The venue’s reopening has also faced repeated delays. leaving supporters to wonder how much longer the landmark will remain dormant.
Adding to the tension is the long-running perception that the owners have stayed quiet. Advocates and community supporters said they wanted the ownership group’s representatives to answer questions directly, especially given the Dome’s visibility in Hollywood’s entertainment history.
At the center of the ownership structure is Decurion, the company behind the Dome.. Its commercial real estate agency, Robertson Properties Group, has also been associated with the property’s handling.. During the hearing. the group was represented by Elizabeth Gower. who introduced the venue and requested that the alcohol license be granted “in perpetuity. ” noting that the current permit with the city was set to expire.
Gower told attendees that approval of the conditional use permit would help support the complex’s ability to reopen in the future. but she did not offer a timeline for when that would happen.. When asked during the proceedings. she pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic as the main reason the site remained closed. even as the public continued pressing for clarity.
Public commenters used the Zoom call to challenge not only the lack of dates. but also the broader approach they felt was missing from the owners’ presentation.. Filmmaker Michael Wayne Osborn captured the mood when he said that. in his view. the Dome’s closure makes it feel as if Hollywood is “dead.”
Other speakers linked the theater’s silence to wider stress across the entertainment industry and Hollywood’s local business environment.. One commenter described job losses and closures in the area. calling the Dome an iconic piece of architecture and a historic cultural monument—arguing it could help restore vibrancy to the neighborhood.
Several speakers also said the owners’ framing didn’t reflect what they believe has been happening around the wider theater landscape.. They pointed out that other Pacific Theaters and Arclight venues were acquired by other theater chains and later reopened. while the Cinerama Dome remained shut.. Some attendees also referenced more recent reporting indicating that Decurion had received offers to acquire the entire complex. but that the owners had not entertained those offers or made the Dome available for acquisition.
That uncertainty carried into concerns about Gower’s request for a license “in perpetuity.” One speaker named Danielle von Zerneck said that while COVID may have explained the closure at first. she found it concerning that the presentation did not also include discussion of a restoration plan as part of the alcohol-license request.. The sentiment among many speakers was that the city’s decision should not become a tool for indefinite delay.
More than one attendee pushed for a different structure: granting permission, but with conditions that require concrete reopening timelines.. In that view. a license tied to alcohol sales could reduce public leverage if it allows the owners to continue postponing meaningful progress without returning to the community for renewed scrutiny.
Zoning Administrator Tim Fargo addressed part of that concern while keeping the hearing within its legal framework.. He clarified that “in perpetuity” has become the city standard. but explained that if the permit is not used within three years. the recipient would have to apply again in another public setting.
Fargo also distinguished between the hearing’s purpose and the separate licensing process.. He noted that this proceeding was for a conditional use permit. while the Alcoholic Beverage Control of Los Angeles is the body that officially grants the license.. He further explained that Alcoholic Beverage Control policies dictate why a conditional timeline on reopening dates can’t be imposed in the same way.
The hearing also became a stage for the grassroots effort that has helped keep pressure on the owners alive for years.. A large number of speakers took part in the session through a Partiful event invite circulated by activist Ben Steinberg.. Steinberg has spent several years leading a campaign aimed at getting the Cinerama Dome reopened and demanding answers from Decurion.
That movement has included an account dedicated to the cause and a petition that attracted 30,000 signatures.. Steinberg has been publicly critical of the Forman family and has described the closure as civic abandonment—an argument many commenters echoed through questions about why reopening hasn’t happened yet.
Steinberg has also staged high-visibility demonstrations.. Last month. he projected images onto the venue urging Forman to “REOPEN THE DOME.” The response from the LAPD came after the Forman family considered the protest harassment. prompting the shutdown of the public action; Steinberg later complied with that request.
On Tuesday’s call. Steinberg asked about a separate issue that has become part of the Dome’s visual story: whether the venue’s tiled exterior—described as tagged with graffiti—would be restored.. The question reflected how supporters connect reopening plans to broader stewardship of the landmark itself.
Near the end of the hearing, Gower was given additional time to respond to the concerns raised by the public. She indicated she would convey the request for another community meeting to the owners, even though she said she does not have a schedule.
Gower also addressed how she said the complex would be preserved if it reopens. She stated the plan is for the entertainment space to retain all movie theater screens, and she said the Cinerama Dome signage will remain and is intended to be restored.
In her comments, she returned to the challenge of restarting business operations.. She acknowledged the frustration with the timing and emphasized that bringing a historic site back to activity involves more than COVID’s legacy. describing it as a broader task of reestablishing operations and ensuring success.
Gower positioned the Dome as a protected historic monument, saying it is “in perpetuity,” and linking that status to requirements for maintaining historic elements, including restoration of the tile, along with preserving the Dome itself in place.
Cinerama Dome Decurion Hollywood reopening conditional use permit liquor license Tim Fargo Ben Steinberg