The pink-colored Continental and Italian-cuisine restaurant on Wilshire Boulevard was a hot spot during Hollywood's Golden Era from the 1930s to the 1950s, when Frank Capra could be seen greeting Billy Wilder and Joe DiMaggio may have wandered in with the world's most famous blonde.

But it closed down in the last two decades and has fallen into disrepair, its paint peeling and its face overwhelmed with graffiti.

After years of sitting forlorn and vacant, Perino's may make way for an apartment building, says Tom Carey, who with his partner Tef Kutay is in escrow on Perino's.

"I just think the building's in a state of complete disrepair," he says. "The roof leaks, the building itself was never really a building of any architectural character to me ... I don't think it's something that is a contributor to the neighborhood in any way, shape or form as a valuable structure."

Carey, who also is an architect, plans to design the 48-unit apartment building to fit the unique character of the neighborhood and of the old-style, adjacent Los Altos apartments.

He hopes the design will include some of the features of Perino's, such as the old signage and the porte cochere, the passageway through which cars used to drop off patrons.

"The Los Altos and Perino's have a lot of character and appeal," he says. "And we see it becoming something that will be integrated with the area."

Many deals were struck at Perino's. And at least one prominent marriage almost ended.

In 1942, actor Tyrone Power, then smitten with Judy Garland, told his wife over dinner at Perino's that he was in love with someone else. (He didn't say who. A short time later, he got cold feet and declined to divorce her.)

Chaplin was perhaps the biggest fan of the restaurant, which was once located further east on Wilshire. In fact, when a movie was made of Chaplin's life in the 1990s, starring Robert Downey, Jr., one scene was filmed at the current Perino's building.

"Everybody you can imagine at one time or another went to Perino's," says Hollywood historian Marc Wanamaker.

But that was in the Golden Age. Times changed. So did the neighborhood.

"The restaurant, just where it was situated on Wilshire, the neighborhood was changing," he says. "The Beverly Hills, Hollywood people weren't going there. It was the end of the era, like the Brown Derby and other ones."

Now, the building is an eyesore, says resident John Welborne.

"[The apartment plan] is about 100 percent better than having a vacant building," he says.

But Marvin Silver isn't entirely happy. The house behind Perino's will be sold to the developer along with the restaurant. Silver owns a house next to the one that will be sold and he doesn't want to see another Craftsman-style building destroyed on his street.

Carey says he and his partner aren't sure yet what to do with the house, because they will need to seek an exception to the area's tear-down ban, imposed by the city, if they wish to demolish it.

Carey, who also owns the 76-year-old Ohai apartment building at 1929 Whitley Avenue, says he hopes the community will like the developers' plans.

"We have a lot of work to do to show the neighborhood that we are going to do a quality product," he says. "Some people will appreciate that, and some won't."

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