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  #221  
Old Posted May 1, 2008, 3:06 PM
JDRCRASH JDRCRASH is offline
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Hope none of the Walk of Fame was damaged.
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  #222  
Old Posted May 1, 2008, 5:40 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JDRCRASH View Post
Hope none of the Walk of Fame was damaged.
building destruction >> damage to sidewalk

that could probably be repaired very quickly, esp since Hollywood is used to vandalism and other damage to the stars.
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  #223  
Old Posted May 1, 2008, 5:47 PM
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building destruction >> damage to sidewalk

that could probably be repaired very quickly, esp since Hollywood is used to vandalism and other damage to the stars.
People need to respect that sidewalk. There are over 2,000 of them, but each one tells a story.
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  #224  
Old Posted May 2, 2008, 4:31 AM
Echo Park Echo Park is offline
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the walk of fame is the ugliest, tackiest shit.
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  #225  
Old Posted May 2, 2008, 5:28 AM
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Originally Posted by Echo Park View Post
the walk of fame is the ugliest, tackiest shit.
What's with all the negativity? The Walk of Fame is an icon not only for Hollywood, but for the entertainment industry. It may not be an architectural gem, but it's very effective at serving its purpose. It immortalizes entertainment's biggest names, and is a huge tourism draw. It's been a part of Hollywood since 1958, far longer than most of us have even existed. You're allowed to your opinion... but you come across as a self hating Angeleno a lot of the time.
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  #226  
Old Posted May 2, 2008, 5:46 AM
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^Tacky, maybe, but that sidewalk and that sign on the hill bring in a boatload of tourist dollars. cha-ching!


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I wonder if Pailhouse would want to buy Basque's property for future additions. Seems stupid to rebuild the same type of building there when someone could do some kind of mix-use project. Whatever happens, I just hope they use a lot of glass on the ground floor to open it up to passing pedestrians

Photo Credit: Curbed LA


During the fire a reporter mentioned how valuable all the property near Hollywood and Vine is now due to the renaissance going on in Hollywood. What a coincidence that this little one floor building would burn to the ground now of all times.
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  #227  
Old Posted May 2, 2008, 3:51 PM
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When I first turned on the news and saw the fire next to the construction cranes, I swear I thought the W Hotel complex was burning down. I almost went
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  #228  
Old Posted May 2, 2008, 5:48 PM
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Originally Posted by JDRCRASH View Post
People need to respect that sidewalk. There are over 2,000 of them, but each one tells a story.
some of them do.

but most of them simply remind us about the needless nonstop patting on the back that the entertainment industry gives itself.

jerry buss getting a star for his contribution to television . . . really?!?!
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  #229  
Old Posted May 2, 2008, 5:50 PM
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the walk of fame is the ugliest, tackiest shit.
ugly? probably not. it's actually pretty eye-grabbing and a clever way to jazz up what would otherwise be just another sidewalk.

tacky? absolutely.
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  #230  
Old Posted May 2, 2008, 6:14 PM
Echo Park Echo Park is offline
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Originally Posted by StethJeff View Post
ugly? probably not. it's actually pretty eye-grabbing and a clever way to jazz up what would otherwise be just another sidewalk.

tacky? absolutely.
I wish the whole sidewalk would be revamped. That's probably for time when money is available, but I would like someting more sleek then the 60s countertop gravel whatever it is they're currently using. A lot of it is cracked anyway.

I like the footprints in from the grumans though. That itself is an LA monument.
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  #231  
Old Posted May 2, 2008, 6:39 PM
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From Wikipedia:

Quote:
Originally Posted by StethJeff View Post
some of them do.

but most of them simply remind us about the needless nonstop patting on the back that the entertainment industry gives itself.

jerry buss getting a star for his contribution to television . . . really?!?!

Star nomination process

In order for a person to get a star on the Walk of Fame, he or she must agree to attend a presentation ceremony within five years of selection, and a $25,000 fee must be paid to the Trust for costs such as security at the star ceremony; a 2003 FOX News story noted that the fee is typically paid by sponsors such as film studios and record companies, as part of the publicity for a release with which the honoree is involved.[citation needed] On other occasions, the fee is paid by a fan club or the nominating person or organization.
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  #232  
Old Posted May 2, 2008, 6:51 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Echo Park View Post
I wish the whole sidewalk would be revamped. That's probably for time when money is available, but I would like someting more sleek then the 60s countertop gravel whatever it is they're currently using. A lot of it is cracked anyway.

I like the footprints in from the grumans though. That itself is an LA monument.
i see what you mean. but in my book, i'd also throw the footprints into the 'tacky' category as well. any representation that attempts to deify actors of all people screams of stupidity.
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  #233  
Old Posted May 2, 2008, 7:09 PM
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I deleted some posts that had personal attacks - and I'm getting tired of doing so. You guys need to cut it out with the personal attacks. Read LASam's reply for how to respond to an opinion that you don't agree with. It's perfect.

The next person who posts a personal attack will be suspended.
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  #234  
Old Posted May 3, 2008, 6:37 AM
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If you guys really need to have a discussion about the Hollywood Walk of Fame, create a thread in the California forum. No more hijacking this thread, which is for LA Metro projects.
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  #235  
Old Posted May 5, 2008, 3:48 AM
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Um....okay.
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  #236  
Old Posted May 6, 2008, 4:17 PM
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Building Boom Gives Hollywood Pause


Construction cranes soar above the landmark corner of Hollywood and Vine. More than a
dozen multimillion-dollar projects have been announced, launched or just completed in
Hollywood that promise new stores, restaurants, apartments and towers of glass and steel.


Some worry that a proliferation of high-end projects will bury the charm of the storied area's golden past.

By Roger Vincent,
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
May 6, 2008

Construction cranes hover over Hollywood as the movie industry's historic home undergoes another sweeping -- and sometimes wrenching -- transformation. More than a dozen multimillion-dollar projects have been announced, launched or just completed that promise new shopping and restaurants, thousands of new apartments and condominiums and towers of glass and steel.

Glitzy clubs dot once-sketchy street corners. Residents swim atop the former Broadway department store at Hollywood and Vine. Construction projects cuddle up to Grauman's Chinese Theatre and are popping up in the shadow of the landmark Capitol Records tower.

The changes can be both impressive and alarming to those who know Hollywood best. Residents and business owners marvel at the improvements around them. Yet they prize the lingering charm of Hollywood's golden past and fear that the place they love is slipping away.

"My worst-case scenario is that it loses the special flavor that is unique to Hollywood," said neighborhood activist Cheryl Holland, who has lived there for almost 20 years. "We want some give and take" with planners and developers, she said. "Our streets are unique because we abut commercial property." But, she added, "this is a very historic neighborhood with streets that are quaint and charming."

The love-hate battle over development that is playing out in neighborhoods all over the Southland and elsewhere is amplified here. Every construction permit faces questions about parking, open space, blocked views, historic preservation and the stress on basic city services. To be sure, some outsiders may dismiss the concerns as grousing by people who don't appreciate how good they have it. After all, this is a neighborhood of growing affluence seeing an explosion of new entertainment venues and luxury housing and hotel rooms that would be the envy of much of Southern California.



Not just a neighborhood

Reinventing Hollywood is a challenge more daunting than most city centers ever face. "It's a place of dreams, a metaphor and not just a neighborhood," said urban expert Joel Garreau. People have so many different visions in their mind of what Hollywood is, he said, "you are going to get incredible culture clash, economic clash and political clash."

Since the days of Cecil B. DeMille, Hollywood has been larger than life and still holds a grip on people's attention and fascination with Southern California. Changes like those underway today come with protest, boosterism, second-guessing, excitement and angst.

With traffic already awful at many hours, fears multiply that congestion will make Hollywood truly unbearable if developers aren't reined in. Parking has become a fractious issue, too, as prices rise at a diminishing number of lots and local leaders debate whether to build more garages.

Between the traffic and parking difficulties, "it's not much longer that we are going to be able to come down there," said Hollywood Hills resident Daniel Savage. "There is a fantastic domino effect that happens when traffic backs up."

For many, it is all a mixed blessing. No one seems to miss the bad old days dating back to the 1960s, when the neighborhood started losing its luster as many prosperous residents decamped L.A.'s urban core for the suburbs. Entertainment industry businesses fled too as teen runaways, drug dealers and prostitutes populated the boulevard and traditional Main Street-style stores gave way to strip joints, tattoo parlors and touristy trinket shops.

The neighborhood's reputation was so bad by the 1980s, recalled honorary Hollywood mayor Johnny Grant in an interview shortly before his death in January, that "it was tough to get people to come accept a star on the Walk of Fame." Grant's boosterism was a source of amusement, he recalled. "The big sport was laughing at me because I kept saying that Hollywood was coming back."

Observers stopped laughing a few years ago as investment exploded in Hollywood. Nearly 5,000 condominiums and apartments have been built or are soon to be underway in the blocks around Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street, where a glitzy W Hotel is also under construction. Plans have been announced to add 10 stories of office space atop the historic Pantages Theatre to complete the original 1920s design. And nightclubs seem to be opening on every block -- there are, according to police, about 100 establishments in the core entertainment district licensed to sell liquor.

Meanwhile, crime in Hollywood is down 32% from 2003, said Capt. Clayton Farrell of the Los Angeles Police Department. "We don't have the endemic crime problems that Hollywood experienced in the '80s and '90s in spite of an increase in the number of persons coming to Hollywood for entertainment," Farrell said. "The nightclubs bring in alcohol and other issues but also a lot of affluence and people" who patronize other businesses.


With traffic already awful at many hours, fears multiply that congestion will make Holly-
wood truly unbearable if developers aren’t reined in.


'A little tawdry'

In the years after World War II, Hollywood was "a glamorous little town," said writer Milt Larsen, with chic nightclubs, elite restaurants including the Brown Derby and live theater. He enjoyed going from studio to studio to sit in the audiences of radio broadcasts by the likes of Jack Benny, Fanny Brice and Groucho Marx. Magicians still perform to crowds in the legendary Magic Castle that Larsen founded in Hollywood in 1963. But by then, he said, Hollywood Boulevard was "starting to get a little tawdry."

Now it's on the upswing again. In five years, the boulevard "will be a cross between Melrose Avenue and the Third Street Promenade" in Santa Monica, predicted developer Richard Heyman. He is working on a $12.5-million refurbishment of the Art Deco-style former Kress dime store that later became the flagship of racy lingerie seller Frederick's of Hollywood.

When the Kress opens in a few weeks, it will house a nightclub, restaurant, sushi bar, banquet room and rooftop bar. Owner Michael Viscuso also has acquired other property nearby, with plans to add more stores and to build a 15-story hotel-condominium. Viscuso said he had watched Hollywood for almost a decade but "the streets looked pretty rough." Around 2005 he could see change coming and wanted to get in on it. "It's amazing now."

The heady pace of that change -- more than $2 billion worth of development since 2003 with an additional almost $1 billion approved and ready to start -- is unnerving people like Hollywood Hills resident Savage, who is also president of the Hollywood Knolls Community Club homeowners group. "It's all going way too fast for me," said Savage, who fears that growth will overwhelm roads, mass transit and other public services. "I'm not a Luddite," he said. "I generally believe in the free market, but I think someone needs to call a timeout and let the infrastructure catch up."

Pendulum swings

Hollywood has long been known for low rents and as a destination for starving artist types such as actors and musicians as well as home to a large number of immigrants. Losing such residents would reduce some of the "economic diversity" special to Hollywood, says City Planning Commissioner Michael Woo, a former City Council member. "I anticipate more concern about gentrification and people being pushed out."

But there is probably no stopping it. Hollywood is going through a type of dramatic change that is sweeping many of the country's city centers, said analyst Christopher Leinberger of the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank. "What we are dealing with here is the pent-up demand in this country for walkable urban places."

By Leinberger's reckoning, there are two models for real estate development: "walkable urban" and "drivable suburban." After more than 60 years of focusing almost exclusively on the latter, the pendulum is swinging back toward urban living in the United States, and the Los Angeles region is woefully short of neighborhoods where residents can work, shop and entertain themselves on foot, he said. "Great urbanism attracts people," Leinberger said. "Places that do have it are going to have overwhelming demand."


When owner Michael Viscuso opens the Kress — a $12.5-million refurbishment of the Art
Deco-style former Kress dime store — in a few weeks, it will house a nightclub, restau-
rant, sushi bar, banquet room and rooftop bar. Viscuso has assembled other property
nearby with plans to add more stores and build a 15-story hotel-condominium.
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  #237  
Old Posted May 6, 2008, 4:38 PM
Echo Park Echo Park is offline
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I wonder what people mean when they worry about developments changing Hollywood's "flavor" or when Zev says something like condos ruining a hood's "character?" By character and flavor are they talking about all the ugly surface lots ? By "quaint and charming" do they mean all those run down one story buildings, tacky gift shops and suburban style strip malls? I wonder if provincial neighborhood councils have this much unwarranted power in other cities.
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  #238  
Old Posted May 6, 2008, 4:55 PM
JDRCRASH JDRCRASH is offline
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Echo Park, I went to www.abc7.com's "Ask the Mayor" link again; this time I asked why Zev Yaroslavksy appears to discourage high-rise density development anywhere in Los Angeles.

Quite frankly, this new development should be tied-in with historic landmarks.
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  #239  
Old Posted May 6, 2008, 4:57 PM
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Hollywood had been neglected for so long and now it's finally seeing the development it was always envisioned as having. I find it hard to believe when groups or individuals talk about it losing it's "charm." I have lived in Hollywood since 1978 and I have to ask what were these people doing about it's "charm" then? Hollywood was run down and suburbanites were frightened to visit. Retail was abyssmal and the homeless, drug dealers and runaways ruled the streets. Some charm. Tourists would get off on Hollywood Blvd. and gasp, "This is it?!"

Now we have a wonderful subway and bus service. What area is better poised to take advantage of this infrastructure than Hollywood? These so-called community activists need to take a good look around and realize this ain't Kansas. Hollywood's time has come to take its place as one of the great urban centers of this country. Traffic is a problem all over LA County and is not exclusive to Hollywood. The homeowners in the hills can stay up there for all I care, they never did anything for those of us who live on the flats below, now they want to control its development in order to retain their suburban lifestyle in the hills, gracing our presence only when they have to go to the supermarket, movies and other amenities only found in urban centers. They should move to Santa Clarita.

Last edited by circuitfiend; May 6, 2008 at 8:48 PM.
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  #240  
Old Posted May 6, 2008, 8:09 PM
citywatch citywatch is offline
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Originally Posted by circuitfiend View Post
Tourists would get off on Hollywood Blvd. and gasp, "This is it?!"

That's been an often described reaction from many ppl visiting the hood written about in countless numbers of articles. In spite of that, there are a variety of locals who've made it sound like keeping Hollywood exactly as it's been was a good thing. And if the ppl in the hills, inc all the nimbites, had their way through the yrs, projs like Hollywood & highland never would have been built.

I notice the proj listed as no. 9 in the LA Times diagram, which is boulevard 6200, now is supposed to break ground in fall in 2008 instead of the previously predicted first or 2nd qtr of this yr. That's too bad cuz that proj will replace a lot of parking lots on both sides of Hollywood blvd, so it would be nice to see it under construction ASAP.
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