Sundance to Make Aero Model for Neighborhood Movie Houses

By Jorge Casuso

Santa Monica's Aero Theater - a venerable movie house that dates back to the dawn of World War II - will likely become a model for filmmaker Robert Redford's plan to renovate old neighborhood movie houses across the country.

"The Aero is a model for restoring neighborhood theaters," said Scott Dickey, senior vice president for the Sundance Film Centers. "Our intent is to look at architecturally important art houses around the country that we feel could be ripe for renovation. The Aero is our first since it is close to our heart."

The Los Angeles-based Sundance announced to a gleeful crowd at Tuesday night's City Council meeting that it had signed a lease to take over the movie house Redford had frequented as a kid.

Sundance officials would not reveal the length of the lease, saying only that it was "long term." According to a clause in the lease, the company has 180 days to "get all the permits and deal with parking and seismic issues," Dickey said.

"There's a window here of evaluation that will determine if we will continue and move forward," Dickey said. "We're trying to evaluate the implications and how to overcome that. Our intention is we'll be there a long time."

Sundance plans to turn the Aero -- Santa Monica's last remaining neighborhood movie house, as well as single-screen theater -- in a venue for first-run independent film. "We're going to try to show stuff that's not out there," Dickey said.

The company also is planning to open a restaurant next to the theater, Dickey said. "That's the initial intent," he said.