To identify, protect and preserve the historic, architectural, and cultural resources of West Hollywood
At its meeting Monday night, May 23, 2016, the West Hollywood’Historic Preservation Commission will consider a proposal to create incentives for encouraging the preservation of multi-family buildings.
The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in Room 5 at the Pllummer Park Community Building, 7377 Santa Monica Blvd.
The proposal is available online. Click HERE to download the 286-page PDF.
The West Hollywood Preservation Alliance board of directors sent this letter to the city in support of its purchase of the Coast Playhouse building at 8323-8325 Santa Monica Blvd.:
RE: SUPPORT AGENDA ITEM 5.A. – PURCHASE OF REAL PROPERTY LOCATED AT 8323-8325 SANTA MONICA BOULEVARD IN THE CITY OF WEST HOLLYWOOD
Dear Mayor Meister, Mayor Pro-Tem Heilman, and Councilmembers D’Amico, Duran and Horvath:
The West Hollywood Preservation Alliance (WHPA) supports the “Purchase of Real Property Located at 8323-8325 Santa Monica Boulevard” being discussed under Agenda Item 5.A. at the April 18thCouncil Meeting. Most recently the home of the “Coast Playhouse,” the building dates from 1925 and has a storied history in West Hollywood as both a live performance and a motion picture theater.
As the staff report lays out, purchasing this property and rehabilitating it for use as a city-owned cultural facility meets the city’s primary strategic goals of promoting economic development, enhancing the creative life of the community, and maintaining West Hollywood’s status as a regional hub and innovator in the fashion, arts and design sector.
The WHPA would like to go further and point out that purchasing this property will also address the General Plan’s Human Services element in “Arts and Culture” by addressing Goal HS-2.1 that “The City should support and/or establish cultural facilities to meet community needs for theater, art, intellectual exchange, and other cultural activities.”
Preserving and rehabilitating this nearly century-old building will also help meet General Plan Historic Preservation Goal HP-3 to “Protect cultural resources from demolition and inappropriate alterations.” The City is currently conducting a survey of potentially significant and historic commercial properties. Although we may be putting the cart before the horse, the WHPA believes that this building certainly meets the criteria for historical significance as well as future designation as a local cultural resource.
Sincerely,
West Hollywood Preservation Alliance Board of Directors Laura Boccaletti, Judson Feder, Roy Rogers Oldenkamp, Victor Omelczenko, and Jon Ponder
Cc:
City Officials Andrew Campbell, Steve Campbell, Helen Collins, Oscar Delgado, Stephanie DeWolfe, Rachel Dimond, Maribel Louie, David Wilson
West Hollywood City Clerk Yvonne Quarker
There are rumors on the Intertubes that the building that once housed Sinatra hangout Dominick’s Restaurant at 8715 Beverly Blvd. is going to be demolished to make way for an apartment building.
It appears certain that the two buildings to the east of it, including the old Jerry’s Deli site at 8701 Beverly, are slated for demolition as part of a mixed-use development that will encompass the corner lot at Beverly and North Sherbourne Drive.
Last fall, LA.Eater.com reported that operators of a new restaurant called Verlaine had applied for a liquor license in preparation for opening in the old Dominick’s space.
If you know anything about the fate of the Dominick’s site, please let us know: info@westhollywoodpreservationalliance.org.
In the battle to preserve historic structures in West Hollywood, it often seems like the losses far outweigh the successes. In an article published by WehoVille, local historian Bob Bishop uncovers what appears to have been the first community effort to protect a building in West Hollywood.
The building in question was the William S. Hart residence at 8341 De Longpre Ave., which may be the oldest remaining structure along the Sunset Strip. The battle to save it took place in 1985, a year after West Hollywood became a city.
Bishop writes that the owners of St. James Club — now the Sunset Tower Hotel — next door to the Hart residence wanted to replace the house with a parking garage.
“A coalition of neighborhood groups, the Sierra Club and Hart Jr. opposed the developer’s proposal,” Bishop writes. “The battle took four more long years to play out, but ultimately, the plan for a parking garage was denied by respective planning and review authorities in both cities [West Hollywood and Los Angeles].
The victory was doubly sweet because it ensured that the wishes of the home’s original owner, silent-film cowboy star William S. Hart, were finally fulfilled. Hart had donated the property to the public in 1944 with the intent that it serves as a park.
Check out the full story at WehoVille.com…
At its meeting on March 7, the West Hollywood City Council approved a moratorium on Craftsman homes in the city while the council and staff consider whether to formalize permanent protection for the buildings, many of which are 100 years old or older, according to the Beverly Press.
“The moratorium gives these Craftsman homes some degree of protection while the historic survey is being conducted,” Victor Omelczenko, a member of the West Hollywood Preservation Alliance Board, said, in reaction to the news. “We are very happy the city council was open to this moratorium. It’s a very good sign.”
WHPA Board members Roy Oldenkamp and Jon Ponder toured the Factory site at 611 N. Robertson, with developers Jason Illoulian and Darren Embry of Faring Capital and architect Katie Horak of ARG, as well as former founding WHPA board president Jennifer Dunbar from ARG, Architectural Resources Group.
Developers previewed their plans for the Factory building, which was built in 1929 by the Mitchell Camera Company. Later in the 20th century the building housed a number of nationally and internationally known nightclubs, including one of the first planned clubs catering to the gay community.
After reviewing preliminary plans for the site, the board members encouraged the developers to keep the board informed as plans for the site evolved.
The Draft Environmental Impact Report on the site is in the works and will likely be released in the spring.
From local historian Alison Martino.
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