A hotel and restaurant project proposed for 8447 Santa Monica Blvd., the site of Barney’s Beanery, has undergone significant changes under a new architect.
The project design was presented at a neighborhood meeting last night at the Palihouse hotel at 8465 Holloway Drive at Hacienda Place. It once was proposed as a hotel with 113 rooms with a below-grade live music space and recording studio. It would replace the existing surface parking lot with approximately 244 underground parking spaces. That project also would have included the existing Barney’s Beanery, which would be disassembled and then restored to its current location at the center of the site. The designer of the project was R&A Architecture and Design.
The project presented last night, designed by MAD Architects, would include an 88-room hotel along with 45 apartments, 11 of which would be available at below-market rents. It also would include three restaurants (including Barney’s Beanery) and incorporate the façade of Barney’s Beanery into its design. It also would include an underground 80-seat live music venue and recording studio. There would be retail shops and a public plaza on the southeast corner of the site.
In addition to the inclusion of apartments and retail, a major difference in the latest iteration of the project is that it would extend east to Olive Drive and slightly up that residential street. The Olive façade would feature a major entrance to the complex.
“This is a truly transformational project,” said Aaron Green, project spokesperson. “We have purposefully designed this with an architectural and project program that pays homage to cultural importance of the site while focusing on providing significant community benefits. We look forward to a engaged dialogue with our neighbors, which we believe will result in a project that we and the community will be equally excited to see built.”
MAD Architects is a global firm with offices in Beijing, New York City and Los Angeles. MAD Architects is the principal architect of the now-under construction Lucas Museum of Native Art in Los Angeles.
The owners of the project include Phil Howard and Dean McKillen, owners of Laurel Hardware and Ysabel; Zach Vella of Vella Group, and Barney’s Beanery owner David Houston.
Barney’s, which opened in 1927, is known for customers such as musicians Jim Morrison of the Doors and Janis Joplin, poet Charles Bukowski and screenwriter Quentin Tarantino, who is said to have written the script for “Pulp Fiction” at Barney’s. It also is known for a sign that read “Fagots Stay Out.” That sign was removed in December 1984, days after West Hollywood was incorporated as its own city, by then-mayor Valerie Terrigno and the city council.
The project will have to go through standards steps for approval, including an evaluation by the Planning Commission’s Design Review Subcommittee and by the Planning Commission, before finally being approved.
I think it’s probably a poor rendering of a decent idea similar to the project on San Vicente and La Cienega that houses Trader Joe’s and The Larder.
On the other hand, something about this project says this is what you see at the end of a business cycle. It will never be built….
This is truly grotesque. Th question is ….why.’..? There are so many beautiful & classy architectural designs available & I know that architects (can) have more creative talents than this mess. It looks like a docked cruise ship – only worse. Unfortunately I live very close by. I guess I’ll have to close my eyes when I walk by. Sad
Random pancakes from Mars have landed!
this is so ugly, like U2 ruining 120+ undisturbed acres in Malibu…..only comfort is theu can only build a small road up and its on a fire ridgeline..let mother nature do her work..in regards to Barney’s who ever likes this needs there head examined..it kills all the cool places tourists come to LA for…..
Its obvious there is a paid pr team commenting here..PATHETIC
Don’t you wish most of the tourists would just f*ck off? Would love to know what “cool” places you mean. Maybe the IHOP.
This design only preserves the facade of Barney’s Beanery! Facadism is the worst kind of historic vandalism, masquerading as honoring heritage. This design is as disgusting as the developers. And it will instantly dated. This building and the ethos behind it are total garbage.
Yes, it’s kind of an afterthought trying to save the hate-filled, gay bashing past of the Beanery, but it’s been saved. This design matches the trend of new buildings going up in the area. It improves the area. Santa Monica Blvd. is basically a dump but many developments are in the works to improve this strip. Makes it feel safer, more enjoyable to walk on with new and exciting developments. We need the trashy buildings gone to continue to improve the area. I support this. Great design. That said, may not visit the place. Most restaurants don’t serve quality, healthy… Read more »
The new design is hands down better than the old one.
Finally, a developer is willing to invest some serious money into stunning architecture in West Hollywood. I love this design. It’s fluid, elegant, and beautiful. It’ll make a fantastic replacement for the ugly parking lot that takes up most of that site. Go check out the architect’s website (i-mad.com) – their projects are pretty amazing. This is the same group that designed the Lucas Museum. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a housing affordability crisis in LA, and it needs to be addressed. But this project is providing 11 affordable housing units out of 45. That’s almost 25% affordable housing. I’m… Read more »
Frankly there is and apparently always will be a housing crisis with no real achievable limit. The figures just keep moving and driving construction under the perception of a real crisis.
Would like to see some credible evidence to the contrary.
As to those who love/like the design(no shade, everybody has their own opinions & taste).
BUT honestly, how often does a preliminary artist rendering ever look like the finished project (a universal Problem, but much more so in WeHo)
This is a joke, right? The proposed building belongs in Las Vegas. The only things missing are a casino on the ground floor, a caged tigers display, and a roller coaster on the roof!
This has to be the non-serious proposal submitted in hopes of minimizing opposition to whatever the genuine proposal is because “at least it’s not as bad as that ‘stacked potato chip’ design!”
I love this design. I live nearby and roll past this entire lot daily. I currently find the entire block to be a major eyesore. It even presents safety issues for me, which make it the most stress-inducing part of my rolls around the block. Unfortunately, the design of the block and handicap accessibility issues make avoiding it impossible. The chronically empty building on the Olive side is not only an eyesore, but also a magnet for the homeless. Things are so bad there that the ‘stock ticker’ from the celebrity stock exchange is still mounted on the roof after… Read more »
Great. Just what West Hollywood needs… more hotels and less destinations. There’s no way once that building is finished they are going to put Barney’s back in. It’s to much of a contrast. Can anyone from the historical society step in and help save this 100 year old establishment!??