8901 W. Sunset Blvd., built in 1930 as the Republic Bank, has been the Whiskey a Go-Go since 1964. It was the first discotheque-inspired club in the city, the source of the iconic 1960s go-go girl and became one of the most famous music venues in rock and roll history. It was patterned on a club in Paris that had been visited by Elmer Valentine, the original owner and operator. The Whiskey opened with a live band led by Johnny Rivers. Valentine had girls dancing in suspended cages because the floor was so small. They came to be known as go-go girls.
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Thanks for posting. i found this all fascinating. I drive by these places and am always curious what they were before. I always wondered the significance of 902 Westbourne Drive, across from 24 Hour Fitness.
Mike
7 years ago
Lets face it, West Hollywood didn’t become a city until decades after these buildings went up. I see no compelling reason to keep them. They are just generic buildings that are duplicated all over L.A. county.
J Simmons
7 years ago
HOW MUCH DID “THIS STUDY” cost the coty and WHY did they commission it. There is a current clear history that weho city hall doesn’t care about “historic buildings” WHEN THEY WANT THEIR .NEW PROJECTS to be whete a clearly historic building now stands.
Why spend so much money for a report the City hasn’t followed and won’t in its ongoing overbuildig?
Preservation opportunity
7 years ago
Pasadena has the same type of buildings in Old Town and South Pasadena. The residents and the business community loves them and care for them. How about that for a plan?
Tom Smart
7 years ago
I realize you can’t save everything but it’d be nice to hear from the city as to what they believe IS worth saving.
Fellow Weho-ians: It’s time to tear these buildings down! It’s reprehensible that in this day and age our City Council cannot get rid of these unsightly and unseemly buildings. I’m not sure what ol’ John Heilman is up to with his obsession with these buildings, but we will see. It’s sad to see another part of our community on the chopping “Block”, but it’s time to start thinking about the future and what we want our city to be. Frankly, half the buildings on this list have no historical significance and the rest should be cleared away, especially those on… Read more »
SaveWeho
7 years ago
We should now make a list of the ugliest buildings in town and proceed with demonstrations to have them removed. Whats interesting is drive by a few of these “new” style boxed buildings with wood-planked siding that were built about 10 years ago. They look horrible, dilapidated, etc. The wood needs replaced or refinished again. Hysterical how some of these old buildings in this article still stand the test of time and the new stuff is barely standing.
mike dunn
7 years ago
There are many buildings in West Hollywood that were not mentioned including Long Hall and the other WPA building in Plummer Park. But I guess the city did not want to mention them sense they want to tear them down. Also missing but hated is the MTA facility at 8800 Santa Monica Bl. The building is unique and the property, what is left of it , is extremely significant in that Sherman (West Hollywood ) was developed around it as the Pacific Electric. The rest of the original property is now the PDC which contains one of the ugliest buildings… Read more »
Mike
7 years ago
@Justin K: “Old Queens”??? Is your disrespectful, rude attitude representative of “progress”?
Tom Smart
7 years ago
I’m appalled that Justin’s hateful comment was approved.
Justin Knoltie
7 years ago
These places are dumps and should be crushed. Its these old queens in this city that try and block us from progress.
luca d
7 years ago
come on weho city council, tear them down !
you know you want to.
just raze them and build something grand and tall and boxy, with wood planks, they’re sustainable !
rip them all down. think of all the parking and unaffordable housing you treasure. or perhaps, a hotel, we need hotels, badly.
Thanks for posting. i found this all fascinating. I drive by these places and am always curious what they were before. I always wondered the significance of 902 Westbourne Drive, across from 24 Hour Fitness.
Lets face it, West Hollywood didn’t become a city until decades after these buildings went up. I see no compelling reason to keep them. They are just generic buildings that are duplicated all over L.A. county.
HOW MUCH DID “THIS STUDY” cost the coty and WHY did they commission it. There is a current clear history that weho city hall doesn’t care about “historic buildings” WHEN THEY WANT THEIR .NEW PROJECTS to be whete a clearly historic building now stands.
Why spend so much money for a report the City hasn’t followed and won’t in its ongoing overbuildig?
Pasadena has the same type of buildings in Old Town and South Pasadena. The residents and the business community loves them and care for them. How about that for a plan?
I realize you can’t save everything but it’d be nice to hear from the city as to what they believe IS worth saving.
Fellow Weho-ians: It’s time to tear these buildings down! It’s reprehensible that in this day and age our City Council cannot get rid of these unsightly and unseemly buildings. I’m not sure what ol’ John Heilman is up to with his obsession with these buildings, but we will see. It’s sad to see another part of our community on the chopping “Block”, but it’s time to start thinking about the future and what we want our city to be. Frankly, half the buildings on this list have no historical significance and the rest should be cleared away, especially those on… Read more »
We should now make a list of the ugliest buildings in town and proceed with demonstrations to have them removed. Whats interesting is drive by a few of these “new” style boxed buildings with wood-planked siding that were built about 10 years ago. They look horrible, dilapidated, etc. The wood needs replaced or refinished again. Hysterical how some of these old buildings in this article still stand the test of time and the new stuff is barely standing.
There are many buildings in West Hollywood that were not mentioned including Long Hall and the other WPA building in Plummer Park. But I guess the city did not want to mention them sense they want to tear them down. Also missing but hated is the MTA facility at 8800 Santa Monica Bl. The building is unique and the property, what is left of it , is extremely significant in that Sherman (West Hollywood ) was developed around it as the Pacific Electric. The rest of the original property is now the PDC which contains one of the ugliest buildings… Read more »
@Justin K: “Old Queens”??? Is your disrespectful, rude attitude representative of “progress”?
I’m appalled that Justin’s hateful comment was approved.
These places are dumps and should be crushed. Its these old queens in this city that try and block us from progress.
come on weho city council, tear them down !
you know you want to.
just raze them and build something grand and tall and boxy, with wood planks, they’re sustainable !
rip them all down. think of all the parking and unaffordable housing you treasure. or perhaps, a hotel, we need hotels, badly.