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Architects and builders plan to give the 54-year-old Van Nuys City Hall a needed face lift, but not until they have completed restoration of the main City Hall in downtown Los Angeles, officials said Friday.
Work on the eight-story building at 14410 Sylvan St., a scaled-down version of the 27-story downtown structure, will probably not begin for another two years, Penny Perlman, acting executive director of the newly formed Project Restore, said Thursday.
The group of architects and builders, which hopes to raise $1.8 million in private and corporate donations for the downtown project, has not yet decided what needs to be done at the Van Nuys building, Perlman said.
The landscaping of the Art Deco structure, with its majestic tower, is not very creative, she said, and surrounding buildings, light fixtures and antennas clutter the ornate tower.
"It really looks sort of sad," Perlman said. "That is a significantly special Art Deco building that has craftsmanship that will never be replaced. I'm sure there was a time when that building stood out. It needs a sense of place.
"The huge radar antenna totally obstructs the edifice . . . there's a total absence of...