An idea germinated in the mind of Laguna Beach architect Suzanne Redfearn with the closure of the retail shop Stephen Frank, at the corner of Forest and Third Avenue in downtown Laguna Beach.
She envisioned restoring the structure originally built by Carl Benson in 1917 for his own use as Benson Plumbing.
She and her husband, Carey, are better known in town for running the Lumberyard restaurant, located in another restored historic structure opposite the building that Mrs. Redfearn had designs on. “I think we can finish off the corner,” she recalled telling her husband.
This week, the Redfearns took the wraps off their newest endeavor, which adds a distinctive and affordable dining experience to the mix of traditional fine-dining restaurants in downtown. Slice Pizza & Beer, which offers build-your-own pizzas and serve-yourself beers, opens officially Monday, Oct. 23, in the restored space of an early plumber.
Gone is the sloping mansard roof from a previous remodel. Near the entry, a bronze plaque now commemorates the original builder, whose descendants retain ownership of the property. Inside, the original walls are exposed, revealing expertly fitted odd-sized bricks and wooden inserts that provided resilience for earthquakes, Mrs. Redfearn said.
A new touch of color and whimsy embellishes one of the bright white external walls of the building, facing Third Street. There, street artist Colette Miller of Los Angeles last week installed her signature work, disembodied angel wings. Miller said she works a week in her studio to construct the wings from wheat paste and paper, which are then installed and finished on location with varnish and carved with a power sander.
More than 200 pairs of Miller’s winged creations, her Global Angel Wings Project, adorn walls worldwide. Several pairs flutter in her adopted hometown of Los Angeles, the City of Angels. “We are the angels of this earth; I want people to remind themselves of their better nature,” said Miller, who attended the Virginia Commonwealth Art School in Richmond, Va. She also paints works on canvas that are representational, but with a touch of abstraction and innocence.
Earlier this year Redfearn spotted street art fans in the Los Angeles arts district taking selfies with Miller’s wings, which are broadly posted on Instagram from locations worldwide. “I wasn’t sure she would want to do this,” said Redfearn, tickled by people interacting with the wall art on Colyton Street. She expects similar antics outside Slice.
Inside Slice, her own artistic endeavors are on display, a wall-sized bottle cap portrait of “Maria” and a delight for Scrabble lover’s in the restroom. Patrons also confront a work of functional art. The red-tiled domed pizza oven required an excruciatingly exact installation that involved removing the window framing from one of the building’s arches to allow it to slip in.
While the historical building was approved for retail uses beginning in 1991, the Redfearns’ conversion and restoration plans received approval in March by the City Council after previous reviews by the Heritage Committee and Planning Commission.
The operators of the 32-seat restaurant were not required to provide extra parking, receiving a 62.8 percent reduction in required parking predicated on the restoration and rehabilitation of the building’s historic character, says the terms of a conditional use permit.
