$24M Complex Rises at Perino's

LOS ANGELES-Development group Carey & Kutay has begun work on a 47-unit, $24-million apartment project at the site of the former Perino's restaurant, which was a gathering place for celebrities for 40 years before it closed in 1986. The apartment complex, on the northwest corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Norton Avenue, is being designed by Killefer Flammang Architects of Santa Monica.Tom Carey, managing partner of Carey & Kutay, says the four-story complex will occupy both the former Perino's site and an adjacent property to the north. Carey notes that the project is being designed to blend in with the surrounding neighborhood, which includes the adjacent Los Altos Apartments, a neighborhood landmark. The complex is scheduled to open early in 2007.Perino Apartments will consist of a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units, with floor plans ranging from 650 sf to 1,450 sf, with parking on two subterranean levels. The complex will feature a community room and an exercise center, along with about 8,000 sf of commercial and retail space.Carey, who is an architect as well as a developer, points out that the porte cochere, sheet metal awning and neon sign of the famed restaurant have been incorporated into the project. The first floor lobby will feature a "remembrance room" that will include the original bar, several booths and light fixtures.The Perino Apartments will occupy a site that was the second location for the restaurant, which founder Alexander Perino first opened just a few blocks away. When he opened the restaurant at Wilshire Boulevard and Norton Avenue, he hired the late Paul Williams, one of the most prominent L.A. architects of the day, to remodel the building.