Landmark theaters in Hollywood face post-quake doubts.

Several key, historic Hollywood theater buildings damaged in the Northridge earthquake face uncertain futures, as their owners seek government funding to help restore them to useable condition.

The theaters in various states of disrepair -- well-known structures in Hollywood's rich history as an entertainment center -- include the Pantages, the El Capitan and the Egyptian. The curtain also has fallen at the Henry Fonda theater in Hollywood because of earthquake damage, and some minor ceiling damage has closed the upper two theaters at the Hollywood Pacific Theatre.

Most severely damaged was the Egyptian Theater, 6708 Hollywood Blvd., which saw sections of two walls crumble during the quake.

Early estimates on the repair costs from the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency, which bought the then-shuttered theater complex in 1992, run in the $2 million-to-$4 million range.

The CRA is looking to insurance money and recovery funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to repair the quake damage. Len Betz, project manager of the CRA's Hollywood Redevelopment Project, said the CRA is "reasonably sure" the insurance and FEMA money will cover the reconstruction tab.

However, the earthquake did complicate CRA negotiations with American Cinematheque, which hopes to lease or purchase the theater and operate it as a home for its various film festivals and special screenings.

"Things were set back very much by the earthquake," said Barbara Smith, American Cinematheque executive director, "but we seem to be back on track now."

The Egyptian is not the only theater counting on government assistance to get back on its feet.

Ron Reed, owner of Restoration Studio, recently assisted in drafting grant applications for the Pantages and the El Capitan. Each building has more than $1 million in earthquake damage and sought about $500,000 from a special grant fund set up to assist in repairing historic structures damaged in the Northridge quake.

The grant applications must first be approved by a local consortium called Historic Preservation Partners, which is affiliated with the L.A. Conservancy, and then sent on to the state. The El Capitan last week was approved for a $225,000 grant.

The El Capitan at 6838 Hollywood Blvd. is owned by Century Life of America, which took the building back in February from a partnership that defaulted on a mortgage. Pacific Theatres leases the building's theater space and has had success recently presenting Walt Disney movies with live stage shows. But the rest of the building consists of office space that has been mostly empty for some time. The quake rendered all but the theater uninhabitable.

Century Life has hired Sovereign/Ring Management Inc. of Santa Monica to supervise repairs and lease the building. Karen Oishi of Sovereign/Ring said Century Life has made enough repairs to have the building declared safe but not leasable.

"It's really kind of in limbo right now," she said.

Approval for partial funding of the El Capitan's grant application took two months. Reed said some people at the conservancy question whether all the damage at the building is quake-related. But Preservation Partners Program Director Pam O'Connor said the organization has "a real finite pot" of $3.35 million for structural repair grants, and "hardly any large project gets full funding."

The Pantages' grant application was just submitted this month. Except for the recent two-week engagement of "The Sound of Music," starring Marie Osmond, the theater has been dark for several months.

The building suffered ceiling and roof damage in the Jan. 17 quake and has been temporarily shored up using airplane cable, said Reed. Nederlander Cos. of Southern California, which owns the Pantages, has applied for a $400,000-plus federal grant and needs more than $1 million to make repairs, said Reed.

Nederlander President Stan Seiden said the theater has booked some concerts for the second half of 1994 but also is suffering from the disruption of Metro Rail construction.

If bookings don't improve and/or money is not available for restoration, Seiden said it is "a very distinct possibility" the Pantages will be converted into a church and leased out to a congregation.

In a letter to the Los Angeles Conservancy, Pantages General Manager Kerrin Clark notes that although the theater is safe, "the ornamental damage is still quite visible and, we expect, frightening to some patrons."

"Without a fully restored auditorium and lobby area, there will be little reason to use the Pantages. ... The theater's decor has been its best asset," Clark wrote.

U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Los Angeles, wrote State Historical Preservation Officer Cherilyn Wydell regarding the Pantages, saying it would be "a shame for this historic site to deteriorate into a pile of rubbish."

Also last week, a preservation group called Hollywood Heritage drafted a letter to L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan, asking for city aid in repairing the theaters, said Joel Schiller, a set designer and member of the Hollywood Heritage public relations committee.

Nederlander also owns the Henry Fonda theater in Hollywood, which has been closed since the quake. Seiden said Nederlander recently advertised for bids to restore the Henry Fonda and hopes to reopen it in November.

Also closed since the earthquake are the two upper screens in the Hollywood Pacific Theatre triplex, 6433 Hollywood Blvd. The quake inflicted some minor tile damage on a false ceiling, which has yet to be repaired because the theater's owner and operator, Pacific Theatres, is looking to sell the facility to the Hollywood Entertainment Museum for about $8 million.

Museum President Phyllis Caskey said the ceiling damage doesn't affect her group's plans to buy the building and surrounding three-acre plot, as museum interior construction would replace the damaged section anyway.

Caskey said the museum group hopes to sign a purchase deal by year-end. Within four months of escrow closing, Caskey said, the first phase of a $48 million project could be open to the public.