THE OLD THEATER: Against a backdrop of some of downtown L.A.s tallest buildings, workers dismantle the Linda Lea, once one of the nations top exhibitors of Japanese movies. (Myung J. Chun / LAT)
A LINK TO THE PAST: Were trying to preserve as much as we can, says Sue Ann Kirst, a co-owner of the theater site, with one of the Japanese movie posters found relatively undamaged in the Linda Lea. The new theater is expected to open in the summer. (Ricardo DeAratanha / LAT)
