A NEW BANK, WITH DRAW ANIMATION MUSEUM COULD ATTRACT TOURISM.

Byline: Alex Dobuzinskis Staff Writer

GLENDALE - A group that includes a DreamWorks SKG executive, architects and animation producers wants to turn an old Glendale bank building into a center to celebrate animation, with hopes to open it in 2006.

Plans call for the former Fidelty Federal Savings and Loan building at Broadway and Louise Street to house the Animation Bank, which would have a museum, a screening room, a library, a cafe and work and training space for fledgling animators.

``This is one of the areas in the world that has a lot of animation studios, and a lot of people in animation live and work around Glendale,'' said Frank Gladstone, who is in charge of creative services at DreamWorks and is involved in starting the Animation Bank.

DreamWorks has its animation division in Glendale. The Walt Disney Co. produced ``Beauty and the Beast,'' ``Aladdin'' and ``The Lion King'' when it had animation facilities in the city from 1985 to 1994.

Several small animation companies have nested in Glendale, including Rough Draft, the company behind the TV series ``Futurama.'' And nearby Burbank has the Nickelodeon Animation Studios, the Cartoon Network and Disney.

The city of Glendale, which bought the bank building in 2001 for about $1.1 million, would lease it the museum group for a nominal amount. But project backers must raise about $18 million to get the building renovated and fully operational.

Gladstone admitted that fund raising has been slow so far, but he said that could change once the effort begins in earnest.

Besides Gladstone, the committee developing the Animation Bank includes Max Howard, president of Melwood Pictures and independent animation producer Tom Knott. Ken Ott, a fund-raiser for Loyola Law School, is also onboard.

Gladstone said he hopes the Animation Bank will open in 2006, which, according to some historians, will be the 100th anniversary of animation, dating back to a piece called ``Humorous Phases of Funny Faces.''

Once opened, the Animation Bank would look for ties with major animation companies to obtain material for its exhibitions. The center could run into some copyright hitches, but those are likely to get smoothed out, Gladstone said.

``Any of the animation folks that are feeling a little bit of trepidation about showing their work will be put at ease by the kinds of presentations'' the center will do, Gladstone said, adding that the museum could also host traveling animation exhibitions.

About 25,000 square feet of the Animation Bank would be dedicated to exhibitions, which could range from presentations of specific artists' work to European animation or Japanese anime exhibits. The center's screening room would have 160 seats.

The building was designed by architect W.A. Sarmiento and opened in 1956 as Fidelity Federal Savings and Loan. In 1976, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services moved in, and Glendale bought it in 2001.

The building has a number of unique architectural features, including a contrast between brick and metal louvers, said Mark Stankard, an architect for Osborn Architects, which is planning the building's new look.

``From the exterior, it's going to look pretty much the same,'' Stankard said. But he added there are plans to project an image of Astro Boy or video animations on part of the outside of the building.

Gladstone said features that identify the building as a former bank will be preserved.

``We call it an Animation Bank now because it was a bank, and a bank is a repository of good things, we hope,'' he said.

On Tuesday, the committee will ask the Glendale Redevelopment Agency to extend to the end of the year its exclusive right to negotiate for the property, said Eve Rappoport, community services supervisor in arts and culture for Glendale and the committee's liaison to the city.

Glendale is offering the building to the committee on the condition that the Animation Bank would be completely self-sufficient financially after it opens, said Jeanne Armstrong, director of development services for the city.

``It would be a visitor attraction for our downtown, and I believe it would bring customers to our existing restaurants and our businesses,'' Armstrong said. ``There would also be programs at night and on the weekend and that would bring additional people into our area.''

The center will be a place for those already in the animation industry to schmooze, said Gladstone, who added ``there's very little opportunity to meet as large groups'' and the center would fill that void. Office space would be leased to animation start-ups and small producers.

And the center would offer training to school children and young animators hoping to learn the craft, with help from schools and post-secondary institutions, he said.

Museum backers believe that ``once the installation is in place, probably every kid in L.A. County and Southern California will visit it at one point or another,'' Gladstone said.

Alex Dobuzinskis, [phone]

alex.dobuzinskis(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

Project architect Mark Stankard oversees the Animation Bank project in Glendale.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer