A proposal to convert the historic Alabama Theatre into a Trader Joe's grocery store is headed for review by a city building committee this week.

Property owner Weingarten Realty Investors has submitted a Certificate of Appropriateness to the Houston Archaeological and Historical Commission outlining proposed changes to the exterior of the Art Deco building.

The changes include new signs above the historic marquee and a circular turret with the Trader Joe's name on the back of the building at 2922 S. Shepherd Drive near West Alabama.

As a historic landmark designated by the city, changes to the building's facades must be reviewed by the commission. Even if committee members disapprove the plans, however, the owner still can go forward with the changes after a 90-day waiting period.

The interior space is not subject to review.

David Bush, of the of the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance, said the exterior changes to the front of the building appear to be minor.

A bigger concern, he said, is the interior.

When the theater was renovated for the previous tenant, Barnes & Noble's Bookstop, many key architectural details were left intact.

"The murals on the walls, the lighting and the color scheme are pretty much all 1939 when the theater opened," he said.

The bookstore also incorporated the theater's sloped floor and balcony levels where it kept additional merchandise and sold coffee.

Houston-based Weingarten would not comment and directed inquiries to Trader Joe's.

Alison Mochizuki, a spokeswoman for Trader Joe's, said the company is interested in the site but would not say if it has a signed lease yet or provide any other details.

"We'd love to be there, assuming everything goes as planned," Mochizuki said.

The city's historic commission will consider the proposal at 3 p.m. Thursday at the City Hall Annex, 900 Bagby downtown.

The Planning & Development Department is recommending the commission approve the alterations, said Suzy Hartgrove, a department spokeswoman.

"I think their intent is to try to keep as much of the historical character as possible," she said.

Earlier this year, Trader Joe's said it was expanding into Texas with stores planned for Houston and Dallas, but it would not say when stores would open.

The company, which has its headquarters in Monrovia, Calif., sells a line of private-label items in stores that typically range from 10,000 to 15,000 square feet. It operates more than 350 stores in 29 states.

The 72-year-old Alabama Theatre was built by the Interstate Theatre Co., a national chain that at one time operated 10 movie houses in Houston, including Garden Oaks, Majestic, Metropolitan and River Oaks, according to the Weingarten document filed with the city. Dallas architect W. Scott Dunne designed the building.

A couple of years after the theater was built, the Clayton Foundation developed additional retail space on both sides of the theater to serve the surrounding neighborhoods. Renowned Houston architect Kenneth Franzheim designed that space, which now houses Whole Earth Provision Co., PetSmart and a Japanese restaurant.

The 14,500-square-foot theater has a 4,600-square-foot mezzanine level.

Parking requirements for a grocery store are the same as for a bookstore - four spaces per every 1,000 square feet, according to the city. Since Bookstop met the requirements, Trader Joe's should have sufficient parking as long as spaces aren't removed, Hartgrove said.

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