Renewal funds fuel optimism for revival of Pico-Normandie.

IT takes almost a religious fervor to organize the disparate pieces of a century-old business community. So it seems logical that the force behind the recently formed Byzantine-Latino Quarter Business Improvement District was Rev. Jay Cunnane, pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle Church.

The Roman Catholic church, on Pico Boulevard just east of Normandie Avenue, has been at the epicenter of a renaissance--driven in part by the church's reopening in November 2002 after a $3.3 million renovation following an arson fire.

While the neighborhood had been neglected and run-down for some time, Cunnane said "the Quarter has a lot of long-standing institutions, and when they began to work together, that created an energy and a momentum for community change."

"Now," he added, "there is a new movement that has drawn the community together. That makes it a better place to live and a better place to do business."

Though the merchant BID was approved by a majority of the 139 businesses in the area--the first assessments were sent out in December--the organization can't disburse funds until it receives approval by the Los Angeles City Council.

"We've had a few hiccups already," said Cunnane. "There is a whole bureaucracy to go through. The money hasn't started to flow yet."

Covering businesses fronting Pico between Normandie and Hoover avenues, the BID has yet to make its impact felt, but other groups are spurring investment.

The BLQ Foundation, formed by community, religious and business leaders five years ago to seek city and state redevelopment funding, as well as to form the BID, has helped bring in more than $1 million in grants. The Foundation used one to buy a vacant 20,000-square-foot industrial building at 2755 W. 15th St., which it will be converting to a community center.

"They talked about it as an area that peaked just after World War I," said Don Swartz, president of the Quarter's Business Improvement District, which formed last July. "It's really been adrift since then. There has been a substantial lack of new investment and that's just beginning to occur now."

Mixed messages

The Byzantine-Latino Quarter, so named in 1997 to accommodate its older Greek population and the newer Latino residents, stretches 70 square blocks from Venice Boulevard north to 11th Street and from Ardmore Street east to Alvarado. The population today is 78 percent Latino.

"It was an area that was forgotten seven or eight years ago," said Rev. John Bakas, dean of St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral, an area landmark for five decades. "It was in front of you but you didn't give it a lot of attention. The Quarter has given the area a theme and a focus (and) united the communities."

Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative, which made the Quarter one of its target improvement areas in 1997, has been funding street and sidewalk improvements, as well as the construction of bus stop shelters and so-called pocket parks on traffic islands.

The safety and aesthetic upgrades blend with landmarks such as St. Thomas and St. Sophia, along with Loyola High School, which opened in 1865 and is the oldest continuous operating pre-colligate institution in Southern California.

Within the last year, a handful of new businesses have opened near the intersection of Pico and Normandie. Among them are the El Sembrador religious bookstore, Salvadoran restaurant E! Baron and Yalalag, which serves Oaxacan cuisine.

The owner of Papa Cristo's, a Greek deli and market that has been at Pico and Normandie for 56 years, is expanding both physically and culturally. Next month, owner Chrys Chrys will open Papito's, a Mexican and Mediterranean restaurant in an adjacent building.

"We've been doing our best to accommodate the neighborhood and all those who are interested in our food and products," said Chrys. "Everybody is important."