Vibiana

 restaurant, interesting place, event manager

The former cathedral of the archdiocese of Los Angeles was opened on April 9, 1876. Designed by Ezra F. Kysor and W.J. Matthews, two of the city’s first practicing architects, the cathedral’s Italian Baroque façade was inspired by the Los Angeles bishop’s childhood church in Spain. Architect John C. Austin enlarged the structure in 1922 and created a new Main Street façade of Indiana limestone.

St. Vibiana’s Cathedral was designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #17 in 1963. In 1995 Cardinal Roger Mahony announced plans to demolish the church, which had been seriously damaged by the January 1994 earthquake, to make way for an all-new cathedral complex on the site. At 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, 1 June 1996, the Archdiocese began to demolish the cathedral with neither a permit nor the required environmental review. The L.A. Conservancy obtained an emergency court order by mid-day to halt demolition, but not before the lantern had been removed from the cathedral’s bell tower cupola, with a wrecking ball poised within feet of the landmark. This illegal demolition attempt prompted the first of two lawsuits by the Conservancy to prevent the cathedral’s destruction.

The next month, in an unprecedented move, the City Council voted 14-1 (with Joel Wachs courageously dissenting) to revoke the cathedral's designation as a Historic-Cultural Monument, eliminating the need for environmental review. The Archdiocese obtained a demolition permit within two hours of the de-listing. The Conservancy obtained yet another restraining order on grounds of inadequate review, analysis, and disclosure of the intended result of de-listing: demolition of the landmark. This prompted the second lawsuit against both the Archdiocese and the City of Los Angeles. The Conservancy ultimately prevailed in both lawsuits, despite appeals from the Archdiocese and the City. State Senator Tom Hayden played a key role in preventing an attempt by the Archdiocese to circumvent state environmental review laws through legislative action.

In 1999, the landmark was purchased by Tom Gilmore, a visionary in using downtown’s historic buildings as catalysts for revitalization (starting with the residential conversions at Main and Fourth Streets, known as the Old Bank District). The Conservancy worked with Gilmore Associates to secure funding from multiple sources, including $4 million from the State of California, thanks to the leadership of Senator Gilbert Cedillo; a $1 million appropriation from Congress, thanks to Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard; and more than $500,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The nonprofit Vibiana Arts Project was created to administer the state funds and manage the site.

Project architects Levin and Associates, with structural engineers Nabih Youssef and Associates and general contractor PCL, adapted the structure for use as a performance and event venue, seismically reinforcing the structure while painstakingly restoring historic details. Now known simply as "Vibiana," the building plays host to a wide range of events including fashion shows, fundraising events, live entertainment, and wedding receptions.

The site was adaptively reused as Vibiana Place on 12 November 2005. In August 2007, after lying in a parking lot for over a decade, the lantern of the former cathedral was re-attached by crane to its bell tower -- capping off one of the L.A. Conservancy’s toughest preservation battles and, ultimately, greatest successes.

bigorangelandmarks.blogspot.com/2007/04/no-17-st-vibian...
thegoodplace.smugmug.com/Episode-412/PARTY-VENUE/Vibian...

214 South Main Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 626-1507
vibiana.com/