San Pedro's burned out storefronts set for demolition

Demolition is expected to begin this month on the string of coected storefronts in downtown San Pedro that were bued in a predawn fire on Nov. 2.

Permits for the work took longer to secure than expected, but property owner Eric Eisenberg said Monday that it appeared they would be forthcoming “within the next day or two.”

The pre-1933 masonry structure — a string of coected storefronts that rounded the northeast coer of Sixth Street and Pacific Avenue — was not salvageable, Eisenberg said.

At the time, fire investigators said the cause was electrical and began in the rear of the shop at 524 S. Pacific Ave. that rented out caabis-harvesting equipment. But Eisenberg said Monday that investigators did not find any damaged equipment in that shop and that the fire likely started in the attic at the main electrical junction near the alley.

The fire raced through the contiguous, coected attic space, collapsing roofs. It caused only minimal damage to the Waer Grand Theater coected at the east end of the building.

Demolition of the 12,000-square-foot structure could take a couple of weeks, he said.

Eisenberg said there are no firm plans to rebuild on the property. With a bid possibly going out to find an outside operator for the theater, Eisenberg said some of the area could be attractive for adjunct theater uses in the future.

Tenants displaced by the fire included a gymnasium and the popular Renz Wear art studio.

In the meantime, to prevent the area from looking blighted, a community paint-out was organized by Linda Grimes, director of the San Pedro Waterfront Arts District, just days after the fire to create large murals on the boarded-up storefronts.

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