First stand, last stand? The original Fatburger is being sold for development. Preservation is a possibility.

THE site of the first Fatburger hamburger restaurant is for sale, and the broker representing the parcel envisions a residential development there, requiring the demolition of the 55-year-old stand.

The full-block property is at 3001 to 3023 S. Western Ave., between 31st and 32nd streets. The hamburger stand, which has been closed for at least four years, is in the middle of the block.

Los Angeles conservation experts say that the South Los Angeles stand is not designated as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument and is not protected from demolition by any other historic register. Still, the city's conservation community has a history of fighting to save greasy spoons as cultural structures.

"If they start the process of designating this building as a historic landmark, it is going to be a long fight to try to demolish it," said developer Abe Shofet, president and owner of Axiom Real Estate Investment. He battled with preservationists when he built the recently-opened Coliseum Center, a shopping center in South Los Angeles that is on the site of a historic bowling alley.

The title for the 35,375-square-foot Western Avenue property is held by Gwen Adair, daughter of Lovie Yancey, the Fatburger founder, said Frank Evanisko, president of the Studio City-based real estate brokerage Evanisko Realty & Investment Inc.

Evanisko is selling the property for the family. He said that the lot is less than one mile from the planned light rail Exposition Line station at Exposition Boulevard and Western Avenue, making it a prime site for residential development in re-emerging South Los Angeles.

"I envision probably a four-story residential building," Evanisko said. "All residential developers are looking at this, from tax credit developers to market rate, to affordable developers."

The property, which is vacant and includes a mobile home and storage facilities, could potentially include more than 80 residential units. The asking price for the property is $4.3 million, or about $122 per foot.

Fatburger past

Yancey, who is in her 90s, sold the company in 1990 to an investment group that included Island Trading Co. As part of that sale, Yancey retained control of the original stand's site.

Now Fatburger Corp. is majority-owned by Portland-based Fog Cutter Capital Group Inc., which bought the company in 2003. There are currently about 80 Fatburger restaurants in the United States and Canada.

Yancey created the modest hamburger stand with encouragement from a construction worker named Charles Simpson. He had sampled Yancey's hamburgers at late-night neighborhood jazz music sessions and was so impressed he partnered with her. The two built the stand--initially known as Mr. Fatburger--in 1952 using scrap materials parceled out by Simpson's employer, Martin Sheavy Construction Co.

When Yancey and Simpson ended their business partnership, the eatery became known simply as Fatburger.

Adriene Biondo, chair of the Los Angeles Conservancy's modern committee, said that the original Fatburger stand should be recognized because of the cultural importance of the site, and she said the building could be eligible for designation as a historic landmark.

"It might be eligible not only culturally but also as a pretty original conception," Biondo said. "This was an African American woman who created what eventually became a recognized chain. It is something from the heart--it had the original intention of providing the local area with good food."

In 2005 the Conservancy reviewed the site and drafted a letter to Fatburger Corp., stating concern for the original stand. The Conservancy suggested that Fatburger Corp. could buy the parcel and turn it into a landmark restaurant, paying tribute to the origins of Fatburger, according to Biondo.

But Andrew Wiederhorn, chief executive of Fog Cutter and chairman of Fatburger Corp., said that his company evaluated the site three years ago with real estate consultants and determined that the best use for the property is a residential, mixed-use development.

"It pains us greatly to see that historical landmark torn down, but at the same time we want what's best for Lovie and her family," said Wiederhorn. "Our advice to her was to maximize the value of their property."

A member of Yancey's family did not return calls seeking comment.

Wiederhorn said that as the neighborhood has changed, "a fast casual restaurant the size of Fatburger today" would not work at the site.

And Evanisko emphasized that the best use for the site is a residential development. Because of the parcel's size and location near the rehabilitated Crenshaw Corridor, Evanisko called the property a "catalytic site."

"The developer Could instigate a significant change to this neighborhood," he said.

Community view

Evanisko said that in its current state, the site is not contributing to the community. The dilapidated stand is marked with graffiti and the entire property is enclosed by a fence.

"People are calling me and saying, 'I am glad to see the site is on the market,'" said Evanisko, whose firm focuses on marketing infill development sites across Los Angeles.

Jean Frost, vice president of the West Adams Heritage Association, said that her organization has not reviewed the Fatburger site, but said it should be looked at before any development is done there. The property is in the West Adams area.

"We very much prefer analysis before dispute," said Frost, who is the chair of the association's historic preservation committee.

Building on a site with a historic structure can lengthen the development process.

It took developer Shofet six years to build the Coliseum Center, and in the end, the historic Holiday Bowl bowling alley was mostly demolished, except for its coffee shop, where a Starbucks has been installed. A neon sign from an old Pontiac dealership that was also on that property was preserved, creating the motif for the shopping center.

"There is a distinction between historic significance and nostalgia," Shofet said. "That's what people get mixed up. That is subject to a close examination by a preservationist."

Evanisko acknowledged that preservationists could fight the potential demolition of the stand.

"There is always a chance that someone would fight the project," he said. "But I think that the homeowners there would like to see a project."

Given Los Angeles' love affair with the burger, a fight seems likely, according to preservationists. In the past, groups have fought to save landmarks such as West Hollywood's Irv's Burgers and Jay's Jayburgers, which closed in 2005.

"Everyone associates the Fatburger name with L.A.," said Pat Saperstein, editor of Eating L.A., a blog about the Los Angeles food scene. "I think L.A. just doesn't have a very long history. So strangely enough, burger stands have become an important part of L.A. history, like hot dog and doughnut stands."

Shofet said that if the Fatburger is not found to be historically significant, the future owner has every fight to demolish it.

Even if the Fatburger property is sold and the stand is tom down, Fatburger may not be out of the area for long.

"Fatburger is looking to add locations in the Central Los Angeles area," Wiederhorn said.