Court OKs demolition of Hollywood building for Frank Gehry project, dealing a blow to preservationists

Court OKs demolition of Hollywood building for Frank Gehry project, dealing a blow to preservationists
David Zahniser LA TIMES
Developer Townscape Partners is looking to build a mixed-use development designed by architect Frank Gehry at 8150 Sunset Blvd., shown in a rendering. A three-judge panel has handed a defeat to historic preservationists in Los Angeles, upholding the city’s plan for demolishing a 1960 bank building on the site of a planned Frank Gehry-designed mixed-use complex. In a ruling issued last week, California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal overturned a Los Angeles County Superior Court ruling blocking the city from razing the Lytton Savings building in Hollywood, which is considered a strong example of the angular Googie design style.
However, the appellate court also found that the city mishandled another aspect of the project — closure of a right-turn lane from Sunset Boulevard onto southbound Crescent Heights Boulevard. The court sent the project, known as 8150 Sunset, back to the city so that a hearing can be conducted on that lane closure.
A representative of City Atty. Mike Feuer called the ruling a “significant victory” for the city, which had argued that its environmental review was prepared correctly. The court confirmed the City Council’s decision to “approve a project that meets the city’s objectives,” Feuer spokesman Rob Wilcox said.