West Hollywood Winter 2015

JOHN TERZIAN

BREATHING NEW LIFE INTO THE SUNSET STRIP

HOUSES & HOTELS LORCAN O’HERLIHY MAKES HIS MARK IN WEST HOLLYWOOD

THE MOTOR HEAD BRYAN THOMPSON DESIGNS FOR THE FUTURE

THE GODMOTHER Alison Martino: The Guardian of Old Hollywood’s History WINTER 2015

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C O N T E N TS TRADE SECRETS Interior Designer Jamie Bush / 20 22

WALKING OLD HOLLYWOOD What’s Now West Hollywood is Where Stars Called Home

HOME IS WHERE THE ART IS

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For the Denenbergs Life is Art, Art is Life

BRICK AND MORTAR Holiday Shopping for Real / 36 40

THE CURATOR LA A Shop that Shows and Tells, and also Sells

A HEAD IN THE FUTURE

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Bryan Thompson Designs Cars for Tomorrow

MANNEQUIN MENAGERIE With His Collection of Silent Friends ChadMichael Morrisette is Never Alone / 48 52

LORCAN O’HERLIHY Architecture that speaks to the Sidewalks and Streets

THE GODMOTHER

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Alison Martino Explores and Protects The Old Hollywood that is West Hollywood 62

ON THE OUTSIDE Stylish Layers for a SoCal Winter

WINTER’S BLOOM Seasonal Beauty Looks / 72

PETAL WORKSHOP Wrapping Fashion with Flowers / 80

REINVENTING THE STRIP

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John Terzian Entertains with Style 86

THE GETAWAY Downtown L.A. isn’t as Far as You Think

LOOKBOOK Real Style on the Streets of West Hollywood

BEDTIME STORIES Misti Cooper Explores Miracles / 98

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PUBLISHER’S LETTER HENRY E. SCOTT

Creating West Hollywood’s Future While Acknowledging Its Past

T

o some degree every human being struggles with making sense of and accepting the past, while also living in the present and trying to anticipate the future. That struggle also is played out in West Hollywood, as it is in every notable city.

Do our memories of nightlife at The Factory warrant including a piece of that old industrial building in the Robertson Lane project, which will add a bit of much-needed glamour (not to mention hotel rooms and shops) to Robertson Boulevard?

Should we have found a way to preserve some part of the Streamline Moderne building at 9080 Santa Monica Blvd.? But what if that had disrupted the stunning design of the Melrose Triangle project, which will let eastbound travelers crossing Doheny know that they’re not in Kansas (er, old Beverly Hills) anymore?

And what should we do about the Sunset Strip? Once the locus of American rock, The Strip is evolving into a hub for hotels while rock recedes into history as quickly as the hairlines of its famous players (and many fans).

This issue of West Hollywood Magazine takes a look at two people who are involved in the evolution of West Hollywood’s Sunset Strip and the preservation of its past.

One is John Terzian, co-founder of the h.wood Group. Terzian is the man behind Blind Dragon, the Asian-themed restaurant and karaoke bar, and Bootsy Bellows, which manages to wrap together burlesque and puppetry. Terzian has brought creative menus, eccentric entertainment and exceptional interior design to The Strip, making it once again the hotspot for celebrities that it was in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s.

PHOTOGRAPH BY MIKE ALLEN

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Then there is Alison Martino, who has preserved and promoted the history of Los Angeles, especially that of the Sunset Strip of old Hollywood and the early rock era. Martino’s Vintage Los Angeles page on Facebook is the place to go to make sense of and enjoy that past. She is a powerful force for the preservation of what is really unique about the city’s past.

Evolution is inevitable. But thanks to people like Terzian, it is creative and exciting, and thanks to people like Martino it can happen without our forgetting what got us to where we are today. ### On another note, we are delighted to announce that Darren Gold has agreed to chair West Hollywood Magazine’s advisory board.

The purpose of the board is to give us deeper insight into the people and places that make West Hollywood the creative center of California. There is no better person to do that than Darren, a cultural strategist who combines the talents of a merchant, retail programmer, curator and trend expert with his deep knowledge of West Hollywood and the greater L.A. design world.

Darren has been featured in Vanity Fair, GQ, DNR, Angeleno, Los Angeles, the Hollywood Reporter and on the TV Guide Channel. Women’s Wear Daily named him as one of five “players” in the LA fashion scene.

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Life in West Hollywood is worth smiling about.

PUBLISHER / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF HENRY E. SCOTT henry@WestHollywoodMag.net CREATIVE DIRECTOR MATTHEW MORGAN matthew@WestHollywoodMag.net ADVERTISING DIRECTOR SKY WOROSZYLO sky@WestHollywoodMag.net BEAUTY EDITOR GARRET GERVAIS garret@WestHollywoodMag.net COPY EDITOR TERRY RANDAZZO CONTRIBUTING DESIGN EDITOR CHRISTOS PREVEZANOS EDITORIAL ASSISTANT DANNY MANJARREZ CONTRIBUTING WRITERS NATE BERG MARIA BERTRAND TIM CHAN KYVELI DIENER JULIETTE MUTZKE-FELIPPEL JASON GIBBY CHRISTOPHER LISOTTA TRACY PATTIN CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS MIKE ALLEN LAWRENCE ANDERSON WILLIAM CALLAN STEPHEN HERNANDEZ NATE JENSEN RYAN JEROME NICO MARQUES CASSANDRA PLAVOUKOS MAGUIS SOSA JOSHUA SPENCER DANIEL TRESE STEFFANIE WALK CONTACT US hello@WestHollywoodMag.net ADVERTISING (323) 454-7707 advertising@WestHollywoodMag.net FOLLOW US WestHollywoodMag.net Facebook.com/WestHollywoodMagazine Twitter @WestHWoodMag Instagram @WestHollywoodMagazine

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O U R C O N T R I B U TO R S NATE BERG

MARIA BERTRAND

Twitter @nate_berg

Instagram @inspirebydoing

TIM CHAN

KYVELI DIENER

Instagram @mrtimchan

Instagram @kyvelisophia

JASON GIBBY

NATE JENSEN

Nate Berg is a Los Angeles journalist who writes about cities, architecture, urban planning, design and technology. His work has been published in publications such as The New York Times, The Guardian, Wired, Metropolis, Fast Company, Dwell and Foreign Policy. He is a former staff writer at TheAtlanticCities.com and was assistant editor at Planetizen.

Tim Chan is the founder of the arts and culture publication, Corduroy, and a regular contributor to magazines and newspapers around the world.

A native of Toronto, Canada, Tim has also worked in Montreal and New York both as a writer and creative consultant for emerging fashion and lifestyle brands. He currently lives in Los Angeles.

Jason Gibby draws heavily from John Carpenter and the cyberpunk genre. Camp also informs his work, allowing him to playfully comment on the realities of urban life. As a native Angeleno, the perpetual motion of the Los Angeles landscape keeps his work on its toes.

Maria Bertrand, a Montreal native, is a screenplay and freelance writer. As the Director of Marketing and Content for a fashion/tech company, she happily spends her days producing fashion shoots, interviewing trendsetters and writing content.

Always in search of fascinating people, brands & ideas to bring to life through storytelling, L.A. is the perfect palette of inspiration.

Santa Monica native Kyveli Diener launched her journalism career in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2008 as a general assignment reporter for the Bay Area News Group and Bay City News Service.

She currently lives in Hollywood and contributes to Al Jazeera America, The Inertia, and West Hollywood Magazine.

Born and raised in the Midwest, Nate Jensen was eager to explore the world from a young age. He studied in Rome before moving to L.A. where his photography career took off. Both his personal and collaborative work have international visibility spanning advertising campaigns of fashion labels and luxury hotels to Hollywood’s A-listers.

Instagram @inn8creative

RYAN JEROME

CHRISTOPHER LISOTTA

Ryan Jerome is a renowned celebrity and fashion photographer & co-founder of Eggy Production.

After being based in some of the fashion capitals of the world, his recent move to L.A. has had a profound effect on his photography, bringing a film-industry influenced cinematic quality to his imagery.

Christopher Lisotta has written for a wide range of political, business and style publications, including LA Weekly, Frontiers, The Advocate, Out, Variety, TV Week, The Hollywood Reporter and Portfolio.com. In 2005 he won a GLAAD Media Award for a piece he wrote in The Nation on homophobia and racism.

Instagram @ryan_jerome

Instagram @CLMelrose

NICO MARQUES

TRACY PATTIN

Nico Marques’ background in architecture has given him an edge in drawing out subtleties of designs with his photography, and a deeper understanding and respect for what it takes to turn an initial sketch into a structure. He is a Portuguese transplant based in Los Angeles and more of his photographs can be seen at nicomarques.com.

Tracy Pattin is a West Hollywood-based writer/ producer specializing in everything West Hollywood. From walking tours and promoting tourism to Old Hollywood projects like Hollywood and Crime and The Garden of Allah, she’s always looking for the next fascinating West Hollywood tale. Her motto: Live a Great Story.

Instagram @photekt

CASSANDRA PLAVOUKOS

Cassandra Plavoukos is an L.A.-based photographer with a lifelong passion for the visual and performing arts. Her study of the formal, athletic and whimsical nature of movement is integral to her commercial work and portraiture.

Instagram @cplavoukosphotog

CHRISTOS PREVEZANOS

Christos Prevezanos began his design career in the fashion industry, producing runway shows for avant-garde designers in New York. Translating creative direction to interiors, Prevezanos headed west and trained with influential designers Brad Dunning, Ruthie Sommers and Kelly Wearstler.

He practices interior design at his L.A.- based Studio Preveza.

Instagram @cpreveza

MAGÜIS SOSA

Magüis Sosa was born in Mexico City and moved to L.A., where she took a fashion-styling course and studied interior design. Her passion for cool cities, coffee shops and stylish people led her to create Melrose Place Diaries, a lifestyle blog. Her focus is on Southern California fashion, lifestyle, design and up and coming talent. She currently lives between L.A., Mexico and New York City.

Instagram @melroseplacediaries

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STEFFANIE WALK

Steffanie Walk says her suburban upbringing in Orange County left her with a hunger for culture and diversity and an obsession with shadows, shapes and a look that can stop you in your tracks.

She creates in her studio or on sets, and in her spare time captures live music and takes portraits of friends.

Instagram @steffwalk

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TRADE SECRETS The ‘rough around the edges’ architect and designer reveals that working your ass off for other designers and making a lot of mistakes are the secrets to becoming a better designer.

INTERVIEW BY CHRISTOS PREVEZANOS PHOTOGRAPHS BY MIKE ALLEN Trade Secrets is West Hollywood Magazine’s look at prominent local designers and what inspires them about life here.

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“

Work your ass off for lots of different people before going out on your own.

”

Where are you from?

A little seaside town on the south shore of Long Island called Bayport.

What is West Hollywood’s best kept secret?

The Cowboy Cookie at Tender Greens. It kills.

When did you move to L.A.?

I moved to L.A. a week before the Northridge earthquake in January 1994, which was quite a welcome.

What is your ideal night out in West Hollywood?

Getting a corner booth at the Sunset Tower early, and sitting there drinking and eating all night with friends stopping by and people watching. Such good celebrity sightings!

Why did you get into this business?

I grew up surrounded by inspiring houses and interiors which lead me to train as an architect. After practicing for several years, I started to become much more captivated by furnishings and how many architects left the interior spaces design unresolved, which I took as an invitation to me.

What interior design continues to inspire you?

Certain designers like Stephane Parmentier out of Paris and Roman and Williams from NY constantly surprise me. I also look to the magazine World of Interiors which consistently dishes up unusual historical and “off ” interiors which are always dreamy.

Where would you take family members visiting West Hollywood?

Laurel Hardware for drinks, Soho House for dinner, Sweet Lady Jane for dessert and then Astro Burger for a night cap.

Where in West Hollywood do you take an out-of-town guest?

Night & Market If you’re shopping for a holiday gift or birthday present, where is your first stop?

Kelly Wearstler’s amazing shop on Melrose.

What was your first job?

I worked as an assistant exterminator for Jarvis Pest Control.

What do you think West Hollywood lacks?

A cozy, delicious dark restaurant open all night long.

Have you seen the interior design profession evolve during your career? In a positive way or negative way?

I think I’ve been incredibly fortunate in that I started in this business 15 years ago, made lots of mistakes and made it through the recession, and now with the economy booming and Los Angeles having a moment we are in a great place and receiving amazing commissions.

What building in West Hollywood grabs your attention for its design?

Villa d’Este apartments on North Laurel. One of the most beautiful of the 1920s Spanish courtyard apartment buildings in all of Los Angeles.

What advice would you give someone who is thinking of entering this field?

Work your ass off for lots of different people before going out on your own.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

Working at a big auction house like Sotheby’s or Christie’s, or raising lion cubs.

In what era would you like to have lived in L.A.?

The late ’20s so that I could have a great Spanish ranch house on 20 acres for $18,000.

Is there anything you wish would come back in style?

No. I don’t really think about design as what’s in style or out.

Things should just be beautiful on their own merit regardless of if it’s in style at the moment.

Is there any style you wish would go away forever?

SHABBY CHIC

Where do you go to take a break from it all? Runyon?

West Hollywood park? The beach?

I do go to Runyon, but lately I’ve been going up to Ojai. Only an hour and 15 minutes away and it feels like old California 80 years ago.

What is the most valuable lesson you learned the hard way?

Put yourself in your client’s shoes.

Have you ever had something happen to you that you thought was bad but it turned out to be for the best?

I didn’t get into the college of my first choice. My best friend did and I hated him for it. BUT it made me go to New Orleans for college and THANK GOD because it changed my life forever.

What was the first thing you bought with your own money?

An 1884 Silver Trade Dollar.

What is your biggest guilty pleasure?

Ice cream, which if allowed I would eat 3x a day.

What’s something most people don’t know about you?

That I’m obsessed with turtles.

Have you ever won an award?

I won the Pinewood Derby in boy scouts coming in 1st place with my race car.

What’s something you wish everyone knew about you?

That I love a surprise gift of a beautiful box of artisanal dark chocolates delivered to my doorstep. ;)

What would you name the autobiography of your life?

‘Rough Around the Edges’

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WALKING WEST HOLLYWOOD

THE PLACE WHERE

HOLLYWOOD WAS BORN

AERIAL VIEW, GARDEN OF ALLAH

In the past few years, West Hollywood has twice been named California’s most walkable city by Walk Score, a company that rates and promotes walkable communities. It’s no wonder. Packed with restaurants, clubs, shops and hotels, this tiny city is just 1.9 square miles, which visitors and residents can stroll to their hearts’ content.

And it’s known for its rich history— neighborhoods filled with historic architecture and stories of the glamorous stars of Old Hollywood who once lived here. Millions come to Los Angeles each year in hopes of finding traces of Hollywood’s golden age and imagining what life was like when filmmaking was in its infancy and stars were being born.

The most famous boulevard in the city

then was the Sunset Strip, the 1.2 mile stretch of Sunset Boulevard that winds through West Hollywood between Hollywood and Beverly Hills. In the golden era, the Strip was lined with world-renowned nightclubs and restaurants that catered to Tinsel Town glitterati, East Coast aristocrats and more than a few mobsters.

My friend Jon Ponder, a local history expert, and I took a stroll one recent afternoon in search of remnants of Old Hollywood. Jon’s been researching the Strip for ten years, so he has quite a few stories and details about this fascinating part of West Hollywood.

This walk takes about ninety minutes. I’m including directions, along with the names and addresses of the historic spots, so that you can

BY TRACY PATTIN PHOTOGRAPHS BY RYAN JEROME

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take a self-guided tour of Old Hollywood.

We start at 1. Greenblatt’s Delicatessen, 8017 Sunset Blvd. Housed in a block of 1930 Spanish Baroque buildings with ornate Churrigueresque moldings, Greenblatt’s has been serving pastrami, corned beef and other classic deli food since Herman Greenblatt first opened the doors more than 80 years ago. Just about every star has been to Greenblatt’s, says the deli’s current owner, Jeff Kavin. Errol Flynn would buy liquor and stuff the bottles in the pockets of his fancy overcoat. In the era before the restaurant had seating, Bing Crosby dined on corned beef while sitting on a crate. Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio were also frequent customers.

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1 After a quick bite, we head out the door to Sunset. Jon notes that it’s great that this historic building is still standing since the evengrander Schwab’s drugstore, the headquarters of Old Hollywood, was demolished in 1988 and replaced with the 8000 Sunset mall.

Stars like Orson Welles, Judy Garland and Marilyn Monroe frequented Schwab’s, not only to get their prescriptions filled, but to shop and dine at the lunch counter. Charlie Chaplin often stopped by to play pinball. Lana Turner was rumored to have been discovered at the soda fountain.

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Not true, but the rumor gave hope to thousands of aspiring actresses who made pilgrimages to Schwab’s hoping for instant stardom.

One evening in 1940, F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of “The Great Gatsby,” shocked patrons by collapsing on the floor after suffering a mild heart attack. A few weeks later, Fitzgerald was stricken again, this time fatally, in the apartment of the famous gossip columnist Sheilah Graham. Scott and Sheilah’s relationship was a bit scandalous because Scott was very much married at the time. The last thing he ate before he died was a Hershey bar he bought at Greenblatt’s.

The apartment buildings where Fitzgerald and Graham lived are both still standing— Fitzgerald’s is a block east of the Schwab’s site at 2. 1403 N. Laurel Ave. and Graham’s building, where Fitzgerald died, is two blocks east, at 3. 1443 N. Hayworth Ave. Oh, and speaking of scandals, before they were married, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, future producers and stars of “I Love Lucy,” lived next door to Graham. Jon and I continue west on Sunset to the shopping center at 8150 Sunset Blvd. This was one of the most infamous Old Hollywood sites—the Garden of Allah Hotel.

Broadway and silent-film star Alla Nazimova bought a lavish estate at this address in 1919, Jon tells me, but in 1927, after her movie career collapsed, she converted the 2.5 acre property into a bungalow hotel. She soon sold it and returned to Broadway, but by the early 1930s, the Garden of Allah had become the favorite hotel of Hollywood’s bohemian elite. The Garden’s enormous swimming pool was the hotel’s gathering place and main attraction.

The list of stars who lived there is a veritable who’s who of Old Hollywood. Scott Fitzgerald was living in Villa 1 in 1938 when he met Sheilah Graham. Humphrey Bogart lived at the Garden twice—the second time was in 1945 while he was waiting to finalize his divorce from wife number three so that he could marry number four, Lauren Bacall. Ronald Reagan lived there a few years later when his marriage to Jane Wyman went south. And in one of those “it’s a small world” ironies, Alla Nazimova was the godmother of Reagan’s second wife, Nancy.

Sadly, the hotel went into a decline and was bulldozed in 1959, making way for the bank and shopping center that are there today. Now the center itself is slated for demolition, and a project designed by “starchitect” Frank Gehry is in the works that will include apartments, shopping and restaurants. It is rumored that the Garden’s enormous pool lies intact under the shopping center’s parking lot. So who knows what secrets the Garden of Allah has kept all these years?

“The last thing F. Scott Fitzgerald ate before he died was a Hershey bar he bought at Greenblatt’s.”

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We continue west on Sunset to the next block.

Although the Garden is gone, Havenhurst Drive acts as a historic placeholder with several beautiful Old Hollywood buildings still intact.

We pause at Havenhurst Drive and look up at the 4. Chateau Marmont Hotel, which has been towering above the Strip at 8221 Sunset Blvd. since 1929.

Jon tells me that discretion has always been the watchword at the Marmont. Its famous guests know they can cavort in private, protected from peeping paparazzi and scandals.

In the 1940s, Jon says, Columbia Pictures mogul Harry Cohn reportedly told his male stars, “If you must get into trouble, do it at the Marmont.” However, some incidents are too big to be hushed up—most notably the overdose death of John Belushi in Bungalow 3 on March 5, 1982, one of the biggest scandals to transpire on the Sunset Strip.

Next we take a left on Havenhurst Drive, which Jon says has been one of Movieland’s most desirable addresses for 90 years.

On our right, is the 5. Andalusia, 1471 Havenhurst Drive, built in 1926 by Arthur and Nina Zwebell, who designed and constructed several other buildings on the walk. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, its famous residents included Clara Bow, the silent-era sex symbol known as the “It Girl”; actor Caesar Romero, best known today for playing the Joker in the 1960s’ kitschy “Batman” television series; Oscar-winning supporting actress Teresa Wright (for “Mrs. Miniver”) and MGM mogul Louis B. Mayer, one of the most powerful men in Hollywood.

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Next is the 6. Colonial House, 1416 Havenhurst Drive. This is one of several buildings in the area designed by architect Leland Bryant, all of which are on the National Register of Historic Places. In the early 1930s, Colonial House was the venue for an intriguing slice of Hollywood life when it was home to a close-knit group of big stars who were friends, lovers and spouses, both on screen and off.

In 1931, leading man William Powell lived here with his young wife, comedy star Carole Lombard. They divorced two years later, however, after Lombard fell in love with their Colonial House neighbor, Clark Gable. Gable, of course, would soon achieve immortality playing Rhett Butler in “Gone with the Wind.”

The Gable-Lombard marriage was one of the happiest in Hollywood, but it ended in tragedy in January 1942, when Carole Lombard died in a plane crash while on a trip selling war bonds.

Another Colonial House resident was the great actress Myrna Loy, who played opposite William Powell in 14 films, including the “Thin Man” series. No romance there, just a close friendship. The same is true about Myrna and Clark Gable, with whom she appeared in seven films. Our next stop is 7. Mi Casa, 1400 Havenhurst Drive, a Spanish-style complex built by the Zwebells in 1927. Bette Davis lived here in the 1930s, as did the Marx Brothers and writer-director John Farrow, father of actress Mia Farrow.

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8 Jon says Mi Casa was a venue for what may have been the first Hollywood blockbuster bromance—the devoted friendship of screen heartthrobs Cary Grant and Randolph “Randy” Scott. The two rented a house together in Los Feliz not long after they met in 1932. Two years later, Cary married actress Virginia Cherill, and set up housekeeping with her at Mi Casa.

Within a few months, however, Randy moved into the apartment next door. Cherrill sued for divorce. After Cary and Randy moved into a beach house together, a gossip columnist snarked, “These guys are carrying this buddy business a bit too far.”

We continue south on Havenhurst to Fountain Avenue. At the corner, we pause and look to the east at 8. La Fontaine, 1285 N. Crescent Heights Blvd., a large red-brick building designed by Leland Bryant that has been home to Hollywood elites since 1930.

We turn right and stop mid-block at 9. Patio del Moro, 8225 Fountain Ave. Built in 1926 by the Zwebells, its seven maisonette apartments have been home to Humphrey Bogart, Joan Fontaine and other stars. Before Charlie Chaplin and Paulette Goddard were married, they shared adjoining apartments here that were reportedly connected by a secret door.

We continue west down Fountain to Harper and the heart of the Harper Avenue Historic District, which contains some of the city’s finest older buildings.

In the northeast corner is 10. Villa Primavera, 1300 N. Harper Ave. Designed in Spanish Colonial Revival style by the Zwebells

and built in 1923, it is one of the oldest stilloccupied residences in the area. Jon says James Dean, Katharine Hepburn and director Nicholas Ray all lived here. In fact, Nick Ray loved the place so much he used a replica of it as the set for his 1950 film noir, “In a Lonely Place,” which starred Humphrey Bogart and Gloria Grahame.

“These guys are carrying this buddy business a bit too far.”

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11

Across Harper on the southwest corner of Fountain is the 11. Romanesque Villa, 1301 N. Harper Ave., designed by Leland Bryant and built in 1928. It was the scene of offcamera drama in 1930, says Jon, when Marlene Dietrich moved in down the hall from Josef von Sternberg, the director who discovered her. His wife objected to this arrangement and filed for divorce. The Romanesque is also one of several places Marilyn Monroe lived in the area. Actress Zsa Zsa Gabor also lived there.

Heading up Harper, we stop on the right at the Spanish Colonial Revival 12. El Pasadero, 1330 N. Harper Ave., built in 1931. It has the red-tile roofs, arched entrances and windows that are a frequent motif in West Hollywood architecture.

Next door is 13. North Harper House, 1334 N. Harper Ave., another Spanish Colonial Revival, this one designed by Leland Bryant and built in 1929.

Next to it is 14. Villa Sevilla, 1338 N. Harper Ave., which was built in 1931 in the Monterey Revival style. One door up is the 15. Casa Real Apartments, 1354 Harper Ave., built in 1930.

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As we reach Sunset, we turn left and walk about five minutes to one of the most iconic Old Hollywood buildings on the Strip—the 16. Sunset Tower Hotel. At 8358 Sunset Blvd., this 1931 Art Deco masterpiece was designed by architect Leland Bryant. Jon tells me that millionaire filmmaker Howard Hughes kept several apartments here, and that other famous residents included Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne, Frank Sinatra, Errol Flynn, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra and Paulette Goddard. Mobster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel was busted here on bookmaking charges in 1944. He paid a fine and got off, but soon headed into the desert and the harassment-free environs of Las Vegas. In 1947, Truman Capote wrote in a letter, “I am living in a very posh establishment, the Sunset Tower, which, or so the local gentry tell me, is where every scandal that ever happened happened.”

We then turn back and go east, crossing at the light at Kings Road for a five minute walk to 17. 8225 Sunset Blvd. now the Pink Taco Mexican restaurant. In 1940, brilliant film director Preston Sturges turned this building, a former wedding chapel, into the Players Club, one of the hottest spots on the Strip. It soon became a favorite haunt of celebrities like Humphrey Bogart, Dorothy Parker, Barbara Stanwyck, William Faulkner, George S. Kaufman, Charlie Chaplin, Orson Welles and Howard Hughes, who was rumored to have rented out the entire upstairs for just himself (and maybe a few select friends).

As we relax at the bar, Jon tells me that for decades, there was a rumor that there was a secret “tryst tunnel” that led from the Players into the basement of the Chateau Marmont, which stands on the hill above it. The legend, he says, is that Frank Sinatra would do a set at Players and walk through the tunnel and do another kind of playing with a starlet at the hotel. During a 2012 renovation, the tunnel was found.

As we end our tour over cocktails at the Pink Taco, the bartender overhears our conversation about the building. He tells us that many staff members have had some unexplained experiences there over the years, leading some to believe that the restaurant is haunted, which makes me wonder about all of the locations we visited and the stars who lived in them. Is it just the nostalgia for Old Hollywood that we’re haunted by or are the spirits of the stars still hanging around? Just ask a closing bartender, bus person or janitor on The Sunset Strip. They may have a few tales of their own to tell!

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Where the Heart (and Art) Is The Gallery that Stuart and Beverly Denenberg Call Home

BY JULIETTE MUTZKE-FELIPPEL PHOTOGRAPHS BY NICO MARQUES

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W

alking into fine art galleries can sometimes be intimidating.

Maybe it’s the often-times indifferent gallery assistant or the presumed etiquette that comes along with the dealings in fine art, but one might agree the term “welcoming” doesn’t usually come to mind at the typical gallery. Walking into the Denenberg Fine Arts gallery, however, is a completely refreshing experience since you aren’t just entering Stuart and Beverly Denenberg’s place of business, you are entering their home.

The Denenbergs are some of the most knowledgeable and community-dedicated art enthusiasts you will come across in Los Angeles. Stuart, celebrating his 50th year as an art dealer, opened his first gallery in Boston in the 1960s after falling in love with art despite an early education in psychology. His passion for collecting and connoisseurship is well documented through his numerous contributions to publications and guest lectures. Beverly had a “straight line into art,” as she puts it, and recalls always having a passion for museum work. With degrees in Fine Arts and Museum Studies, she is a founding member of the Los Angeles Conservancy and is currently a commissioner on the West Hollywood Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission. For more than 30 years, they have run their private art dealership, but it wasn’t until 2002 that they purchased their current property in West Hollywood.

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The exterior of Denenberg Fine Arts is unmistakably modern. It was built in the 1960s by architect Michael Morrison, an associate of Frank Lloyd Wright, and served as Morrison’s design studio and showroom of antiques while he worked for designer William “Billy” Haines. Stuart and Beverly bought the building after responding to a real estate ad for a building with “landmark architecture.” They envisioned using the building as a private gallery and living space, as it had been used

by Morrison. They spent the next year rebuilding it and, keeping with the same minimalistic aesthetic, transformed it into a modern work/live space where they could receive clients on their first floor art gallery and live their private lives on the second floor.

Upon entering the building, guests are greeted by cool, climatecontrolled air and a first peek into what the gallery has to offer. A colorrich James Jarvaise painting hangs by the front door and leads the eye to the gallery floor, where a simple elegant lounge provides a scenic view.

From here, guests and clients can view a majority of the works for sale, which range from old master drawings to contemporary sculpture and everything in between. A particularly stunning 1960s piece by American artist Alfred Jensen, comprised of two canvases titled “Mars” and “Saturn,” sits above a white leather sofa. Experiencing it is what Beverly Denenberg describes as part of the joy of visiting galleries. “Nowadays, everything is being done online, and people are missing out on the visual and tactile experience of art in person.”

The joy of experiencing art is clearly an impetus for Beverly and Stuart’s living in a space surrounded by it. And it doesn’t end in the first floor gallery. Walking upstairs, you can immediately see that their devotion to art continues into their personal lives. The modern, open second floor provides a similar gallery-like backdrop to their equally stunning personal collection of artwork and artifacts. From the Warhol mounted above the fireplace to the beautiful collection of ancient treasures on their console, including a 5th century BC Greek hand mirror given to Stuart by the Boston sculptor Kahlil Gibran, a Chinese geomancer’s compass, and a Tiffany bowl given to them by their dear friend and architecture critic Ada Louise Huxtable, it is a magical ambiance that could only be created by this duo.

While art is the common thread between their business and private lives, Stuart says they do maintain separation. He explains, “The difference between a collector and dealer is that a collector stands in a pool that deepens and widens. A dealer stands in a stream that freshens.”

That said, they have had a couple of pieces come through their gallery that they wish they had kept for their second floor home. One was a rare early 20th century Picasso charcoal drawing created during the artist’s Blue period that Stuart said they just “sold too soon.”

Stuart and Beverly’s new fall exhibit, on loan from the Felix Landou estate, showcases American artists such as Sandy Skoglund, Max Weber, Irene Monat Stern, Martin Facey and many others. It is available for viewing by appointment.

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“THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A COLLECTOR AND DEALER IS THAT A COLLECTOR STANDS IN A POOL THAT DEEPENS AND WIDENS. A DEALER STANDS IN A STREAM THAT FRESHENS.”

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VIBRANT, NOT VIRTUAL:

CLARE V. When she worked as a reporter for French television, Clare Vivier lamented the lack of functional yet stylish laptop cases. So she created her own, and a line of handbags and accessories as well. After moving to Los Angeles, Vivier opened a shop in Silver Lake and soon expanded to Santa Monica, West Hollywood and New York City’s NoLita. Vivier also expanded her offerings. These days Clare V. offers Vuarnet sunglasses, Annie Costello jewelry, men’s wallets, business card cases and money clips. And then there are the eclectic t-shirts whose slogans will broadcast that you are a Francophile.

619 N. Croft Ave. West Hollywood, CA 90069 (323) 592-3115 clarev.com

PHOTOGRAPHS BY MAGÜIS SOSA / MELRSOSE PLACE DIARIES

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Shopping in the Brick & Mortar World

MAX & MORITZ It bills itself as a “not so general store,” but Max & Moritz really is a general store, albeit one with an incomparable sense of style. Where else can you shop for pre-1920s European furniture and wonderfully styled dustpans? For Riess cookware and enSoie cups, plates and vases? First Aid kits, key rings, dish towels and pencil sharpeners—when it comes to stocking the Max & Moritz shelves, it’s clear that Esther, Nino and Ashley put amazing design first. “ We are trying to push the envelope and not have what others have,” they say. “We’re taking great effort to discover gems and want to bring them to you.” And they’re doing it.

7209 Santa Monica Blvd.

West Hollywood, CA 90046 (323) 851-2200 maxandmoritz-la.com

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THE APARTMENT BY THE LINE The Apartment is the Los Angeles iteration of the NYC brick and mortar store that was created to prove that there still is an advantage to actually experiencing what one is shopping for in this Internet era. It’s creators are Kate and Morgan Wendelborn and Vanessa Traina (daughter of romance novelist Danielle Steel). You won’t find The Apartment’s offerings in display cases or shelves. Instead you’ll be walking into an “apartment,” where what’s on offer is displayed as it would be used. Furniture, accessories and even apparel, they are all there as you would imagine them in your own home.

8463 Melrose Place, 2nd Floor Los Angeles, CA 90069 (323) 746-5056 theline.com/the_apartments/los_angeles

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TWEAK When we stopped by Tweak, we asked owner Tara Riceberg how she would describe the location of her Beverly Boulevard shop. “I’m in Lower WeHo,” she said. How could you not love her? Tweak reflects her playful personality—the store policy is “touch everything, have fun,” and Riceberg has been spotted playing hopscotch with her customers on the sidewalk outside of her store. This is truly a gift shop, with something for everyone and an especially large assortment for kids. And almost everything is pre-wrapped, for those of us making those last-minute purchases.

8384 Beverly Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90048 (323) 653-6531 bestgiftstoreever.com

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The Curator Touriya Haoud Presents an Ever-changing Story at Her Hidden Gallery/ Shop/Salon

BY MARIA BERTRAND PHOTOGRAPHS BY STEPHEN HERNANDEZ

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When Touriya Haoud walks into the room, everyone stares—not only because of her beauty and her sense of style, but also because of her energy. When she walks into the room you want to know more, to turn the page, to get to the next chapter, and you hope the story never ends.

The Curator LA, which Haoud recently opened at 555 Norwich Drive, has the same effect. While the building sits secluded at the back of a parking lot behind Balenciaga, the art gallery cum shop cum salon tells a story that is always changing.

“When people walk into The Curator LA, I want them to feel like they are playing in a big playground, and that it’s their home,” Haoud said. “I want all of their senses to be touched. I want to tell a story.”

The story does begin when one steps into The Curator LA. Today there is “Turkana”, a photograph by African artist Lekha Singh of a young girl in Kenya wearing rings and rings of necklaces. It is Haoud’s current favorite. “I’m half African,” she said. “And I love this piece and feel connected to it. It represents spirituality. Each necklace she is wearing stands for something—power, virginity etc… This piece has a lot of grounding spirituality. It represents purity to me. I feel like we get bombarded with a lot of superficial stuff—this picture brings me back to ground.”

But the Kenyan photography is temporary because The Curator LA is always evolving. “I want to tell a different story every month,” Haoud said. “Throughout the month I want to highlight different artists, creating a story about them so the end result translates the story to the consumer or viewer. I want people to feel what the story is behind the brand/designer/photographer/artist. We want to make people have an experience through the creator by coming to us. The constant is that we sell, at all times, men’s, women’s and kids’ fashion, lifestyle accessories and art. But the story changes.

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The Curator LA’s evolution reflects that of Haoud. Her story begins in Holland, where she grew up. She started modeling at twenty-two, appearing in Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, Vogue, Glamour and other fashion magazines. Her first big campaign was for Tommy Hilfiger; Campari, Replay Jeans and Tony Cohen were soon to follow. The transition into acting was easy for Haoud, and at the age of twenty-six she was cast in the movie “Five Fingers,” opposite Lawrence Fishburn and Ryan Phillippe. After the filming in Holland ended, agents brought her to Los Angeles. “I was twenty-five and ready to explore so I came to L.A.” Haoud said. “I never planned to stay, but then I met my (now ex-) husband. We got married, had kids and L.A. became home.”

After a few years of acting, Haoud said, she “wanted to do something in the fashion and creative industry ... I wanted to have control over my own life instead of waiting for managers, agents and directors.” In 2010, she started her own public relations company promoting brands and designers including Peace Love World, Marlies Dekkers, ILJA, Anine Bing and Tony Cohen.

After four years of running a successful PR company, Haoud made another evolution; “I decided I needed to do something more creative and inspiring,” she said. “Something that warmed my heart. If I get bored I need to evolve. I need to grow. “ During a vacation abroad, Haoud developed a passion for art. “I got interested in art for the first time when I went to Costa Careyes.

They have a huge art festival, and I met so many cool artists like Tasya Van Ree and Timothy Goodman. Everything in Europe was so ahead of us. Art and fashion are completely different, but I saw a niche for bringing fashion, art and lifestyle together.” Thus was the inception of The Curator LA. Why did Haoud choose West Hollywood for The Curator? “I love the energy and vibe in West Hollywood,” she said. “I feel that it is really in line with what I want to do with The Curator LA. I have always loved West Hollywood, it reminds me a little bit of home (Amsterdam). You can walk around, hop into a café or sit and have a glass of wine without ever needing your car.”

Haould’s cosmopolitan life has influenced her own approach to fashion and style. When asked about her biggest fashion influences she said “I don’t really have one person. I get inspired by all kinds of people from around the world. Different cultures, different fashion and the different ways in which people express themselves. I enjoy people with their own identity rather than people who follow what’s in right now.”

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DESIGN

BRYAN THOMPSON West Hollywood’s Own Motor Head Is Designing the Next Generation of Cars

As a car-crazy kid in Prescott, Arizona, Bryan Thompson didn’t have posters in his room of the latest ultimate driving machines. Instead, he favored pictures that were far more humble. “I had a poster of the Datsun B210,” he admits, sitting in his jewel box, salmon-colored bungalow just off Santa Monica Boulevard. “I love cars that are the fabric of everyday life for a distinct time period and then kind of disappear once society moves on. I’m much more inspired by that kind of thing than a one-off supercar that maybe eight people own.”

Thompson keeps that sensibility with him now that he is a soughtafter product designer. After a decade at Nissan’s La Jolla studios, Thompson made the move to Los Angeles in 2011 to embark on a freelance career, which has him working on products as basic as custodial shirts for a uniform company to designs as specialized as the interior of private business jets for Brazilian aircraft company Embraer.

“I packed everything up and found a place in the Norma Triangle, and for the first six months I didn’t really work. I just wanted to be an Angeleno,” he explained, noting that West Hollywood was always someplace he wanted to be. “I’ve lived in France, Japan, Brazil, Austria, and I just really feel like Los Angeles is kind of a center of the universe in

terms of pop culture.” West Hollywood also brought Thompson luck in terms of romance—soon after moving here, he met his current boyfriend, photographer Gabriel Goldberg.

This setting has served Thompson well, because as a freelancer who works regularly for Airstream, Subaru and Volvo, he needs to keep his head about five years in the future in order to keep up with the long lead times automotive companies require to get their designs ready for the road. That puts Thompson smack in the middle of what he argues is the most significant paradigm shift the automotive industry has even seen.

“It’s a very exciting time to be a car designer, especially a car designer who focuses on interiors,” he explains. “Ever since the beginning of ‘automotive-dom,’ we sit in the car in a very artificial way.” But with the advent of self-driving cars, which Thompson predicts will be ubiquitous sooner than many drivers think, the car is primed for an overhaul. “When you take out the need for the driver to be on call all the time, it changes what you can do with an interior, and the interior becomes more of a social space,” he says, noting that the shape of cars will change to allow people to interact with one another or engage in other activities, like watching content or accessing the Internet.

BY CHRISTOPHER LISOTTA PHOTOGRAPHS BY NATE JENSEN WINTER 2015

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“People are fearful that technology is actually taking us away from each other,” Thompson says. “I think in the future it will bring us back together again in a more holistic, integrated way.” This optimistic outlook typifies Thompson’s personal style, which he describes as “timeless, whimsical, happy, optimistic design.” That point of view can be lacking in the dominant car designs popular today, which Thompson notes is focused on a more aggressive stance. “What I like about the older cars is they were lighter on their feet,” he notes. The owner of a yellow base model 1978 Subaru DL two-door sedan, Thompson appreciates how his classic budget ride has “a benign charm that isn’t trying so hard to be terrifying.”

But Thompson balances out his vintage utilitarian car with something new; he has designed for himself a singular Fiat 500 Cabrio Abarth, which he created by melding two models together. He loved the styling, but called the “primitive” color palette available—assertive reds and blacks—“all wrong” for what he sees as a happy, whimsical car.

Thompson gave his Fiat “an attitude adjustment” which includes a baby blue exterior paint job and an interior with lightly colored plaid seat fabric and ivory interior accents. “The car makes me smile,” he says as he drives down Santa Monica Boulevard. As a designer for big brands, Thompson often has to sublimate his personal tastes to better serve the client, but with his Fiat he gets to drive around in a car that’s also a “portfolio piece.”

Thompson isn’t high on the term “retro,” noting that he doesn’t like to focus on the past, but instead pulls referential cues from items that have a timeless-ness to them. “I would say if you’re going to look backwards, look backwards for the feeling, for the emotion, but look forward for the aesthetic cues,” he explains. “In my own work I always want to do something very bold that you will remember, and something that pushes forward and has never been done before. Otherwise, what’s the point?”

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Experience the world of Leica Leica Store Los Angeles 8783 Beverly Blvd West Hollywood, CA 90048 (424) 777-0341 http://www.leicastorela.com WINTER 2015

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THE COLLECTOR WITH HIS HUNDREDS OF MANNEQUINS, WINDOW DESIGNER CHADMICHAEL MORISSETTE IS NEVER HOME ALONE

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n aria echoes from the basement. Pop comes from the kitchen. And Broadway lights up the den. To most of us, inaudible voices.

But in a house of silent mannequins, ChadMichael Morrisette hears them sing.

“Inspiration always sings,” says Morrisette, citing a favorite quote. “It never explains.” Known for his inventive—and often unconventional— window displays, Morrisette’s work speaks for itself. Showcased in his windows are more than five hundred rare and exotic mannequins from his personal collection, the bulk of which he stores in his West Hollywood home.

The collection itself reads more like a museum than a workforce.

A masked Rene Russo stares at the Andrée Putnam mannequin in the French twist, and across the hall, Twiggy, with her Sandra Dee flip, keeps watch in the office.

“Twiggy was the first celebrity face that they put in fiberglass, so she started the trend in real mannequins,” Morrisette said. “There are about four known to still exist in the world, and that’s one of them.”

But make no mistake, these mannequins—from the stacked limbs in the closet to the Pucci in the basement—are a working lot. Half designer, half conjurer, Morrisette summons a rare, lifelike authenticity from his subjects owed, in part, to the exacting details of his realistic collection.

At fifteen, Morrisette left home in Alaska and landed in San Diego.

After testing out of high school, he secured the men’s trimmer position at Nordstrom. And just one year after that, at only seventeen years old, he was recruited by the visual manager at Saks Fifth Avenue.

BY JASON GIBBY PHOTOGRAPHS BY DANIEL TRESE

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“That’s where I got my training on window displays and the art and the lighting,” Morrisette said. “And it’s where I heard about the wigs for the first time, and what a Pucci mannequin or a Rudestein was.”

Not much later, Morrisette found himself living on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, and a local jewelry store, Caviar and Kind, caught his eye. It was there, after calling the owners, that he constructed his first window display.

“Most of their friends owned stores in Los Angeles. So I started doing windows for all the independent boutiques. They all wanted windows like Caviar and Kind.” From then on his displays, like those stores, became fixtures of the neighborhood.

“I did this fantastic Halloween window about ten years ago called ‘Dental Phobia’,” Morrisette said. “Half a million people walked by to view it. Some of them were upset. But the owners didn’t buckle under the pressure. They kept the display.”

Perched above the patient, a mannequin, its shirt untucked and tie loose, readies the forceps for another extraction. Bloodied handprints claw at the window. In the seat, the patient, a mannequin dressed to the nines, squirms in agony. Behind them, a jumbled cabinet spills old surgical gloves and a doctor’s coat hangs on the wall.

“Mannequins are the most overlooked people,” says Morrisette.

“They’re everywhere. They’re in every window. They’re like decades and decades staring back at us. And consumers are so drawn to them.

Sometimes they’re creeped out, but no matter what, there is always a reaction to mannequins.”

At the height of the 2008 presidential campaign, Morrisette made headlines by hanging an effigy of Sarah Palin from his rooftop. Dolled up in Palin’s black heels and signature red overcoat, the mannequin dangled from Morrisette’s home with a noose around its neck. Above her, flames scorched John McCain as he flailed his arms in the chimney. Protestors and supporters gathered outside, some even covering the display with blankets, but the consensus amongst them was, as it often is with Morrisette’s work, “I can’t believe he just did that. “ Even Morrisette’s more playful displays, like his neo-nativity, dubbed “The Naughty Nativity” for Mary’s short skirt, arouse a gut reaction.

Each scene carries with it the gravitas of high drama—the mannequins, masked and wigged, performing in visceral recreations of life.

But with the arrival of the featureless mannequins so emblematic of retail, often known as ‘eggheads,’ came the decline of the more realistic stock. At a design event, Morrisette caught the attention of a well-known sculptor. “He said to me, ‘Do something to save this art form because it’s dying.’ He meant specifically realistic mannequins, the ones with faces, the ones that peaked in the 1980s. That’s when the collector in me was born.”

As a sanctuary, and, he hopes, a place other than home in which to store his collection, Morrisette dreams of opening the first museum dedicated entirely to mannequins. “There’s nothing like it in the world yet. So to make a museum to save the paper mâché ones from the ’20s and the wax ones from the 1800s, as well as the famous mannequins, it would be a dream project.”

Chalky white limbs and fiberglass frame, the blonde-wigged model flashes her ecstatic face. The Pucci blows a red-lipped kiss as the faceless abstraction stares in wonder. Eggheads line up beside the ticket booth, and here, for once, the attendees number fewer than the display pieces.

In Morrisette’s museum, the mannequins, once a collection of disparate voices, finally unite into one seamless chorus.

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LORCAN O’HERLIHY

The Man Whose West Hollywood Architecture Reaches Beyond Its Physical Boundaries

You don’t need to look far to see the imprint of architect Lorcan O’Herlihy on West Hollywood. His L.A.-based firm, Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects (LOHA), is one of the most prolific designers of contemporary architecture in the city—from award-winning residential projects on Formosa Avenue and Gardner Street to flashy new billboards on Sunset Boulevard. With an emphasis on design that draws both the eye and activity, LOHA’s work is helping to bring about a new form of urbanity in the city’s quiet neighborhoods and bustling corridors.

And there’s more on the way. LOHA recently received approval for a 30-unit condominium project on Kings Road close to Santa Monica Boulevard. And in the heart of the Sunset Strip at the corner of Sunset and La Cienega, LOHA is building a large residential, retail and hotel complex in conjunction with the global architecture firm SOM. Across

Sunset, his bright blue billboard structure—built through a partnership with the City of West Hollywood and ACE Advertising—is adding a new flavor to the billboard showcase along the Strip. These are just the latest in a string of projects that have permeated the city with O’Herlihy’s unique brand of modern architecture.

O’Herlihy’s connection with West Hollywood dates back to the early 2000s. With a slate of successful residential projects that had already been completed throughout L.A., O’Herlihy was commissioned by developer Habitat Group LA to translate his single-family modern architecture into a multi-family project for West Hollywood. The result is Gardner 1050, a 10-unit residential courtyard project that fronts the street with an eye-catching jewelry box staircase and amber-toned wood paneling. The project quickly sold out.

BY NATE BERG PHOTOGRAPHS BY LAWRENCE ANDERSON / ESTO

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TOP ROW LEFT: SUNSET LA CIENEGA, MIDDLE ROW LEFT: SUNSET BILLBOARD 8535, RIGHT: GARDNER 1050, BOTTOM: FORMOSA 1140 WINTER 2015

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That led to more projects with Habitat Group LA, including the thencontroversial Habitat 825, built in 2008. Because of its location right next door to the historic Rudolph Schindler House on Kings Road, many were nervous about how a new building might detract from the quality of the mid-century modernist landmark. But LOHA and Habitat Group LA proved many naysayers wrong with a bold yet elegant courtyardstyle housing design that makes a statement without compromising the Schindler next door.

“Making a pretty building is certainly part of it,” says Richard Loring, the developer behind the now-defunct Habitat Group LA. “He also does it in a way that people who might not know anything about architecture can appreciate.”

O’Herlihy says a lot of that appeal comes down to how his projects fit into their surroundings.

“Our work makes the edges of our properties much more welcoming and porous, so there isn’t this edge between private and public, but that it’s blurred,” O’Herlihy says. “The idea is that architecture can extend beyond its boundaries.”

Before starting his firm at the early age of 28, O’Herlihy worked for the Pritzker Prize-winning architect I.M. Pei on the pyramid at the Louvre Museum in Paris, and for the renowned architect Steven Holl, whom O’Herlihy cites as a major influence. Educated at the Architectural Association in London, O’Herlihy holds a Master’s degree in History and Critical Thinking and has always been interested in the overlap between architecture and social strategies. His dissertation—”Towards New Models of Social Connectivity”—continues to influence his designs.

That comes across clearly in his project Formosa 1140, an 11-unit residential project completed in 2009 that uses almost half of its footprint to create a mid-block public pocket park. He calls this approach “amplified urbanism”; using the architecture project as a way to affect the

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city around it.

“It’s about collaborating with the city, clients, neighbors, everyone, so that the projects you do resonate beyond just the idea of it being a building,” O’Herlihy says. “I think that’s perhaps why we’ve continued to have great success in West Hollywood, because the work is driven by an idea that architecture should be engaging and address the sidewalk and streets where they are. So it became much more about a pedestrian spatial quality.”

And this approach has been widely praised. Formosa 1140 has received multiple local and national architecture awards, as have more recent projects in Hollywood, Westwood and the Miracle Mile.

“Arguably Lorcan is doing some of the most innovative residential work here in the city today, both single and multi-family,” says architectural curator Danielle Rago, who included LOHA’s work in “Shelter,” an exhibition on the future of housing in Los Angeles shown recently at the Architecture and Design Museum in Downtown L.A.’s Arts District. “We were asking these architects to look at new challenges the city’s facing, like population saturation, stratospheric costs, congestion, environmental crises, and really looking for innovative solutions,” Rago says. “And Lorcan, in a lot of his work, addresses these concerns while still maintaining a strong connection to nature.”

And O’Herlihy plans to stay involved in West Hollywood with his current projects and perhaps more to come. But he does concede that with the city’s progressive design sensibility and active community members, it’s not always easy to push the architectural limits. Some residents filed an appeal on the planning commission’s approval of LOHA’s project on Kings Road, but that appeal was recently denied.

“It can be a messy, unique process. You just have to engage everybody,” he says. “If your project is strong, it will move forward. If the project’s weak, it won’t.”

ALISON MARTINO AT DAN TANA’S

THE GODMOTHER

BY KYVELI DIENER PHOTOGRAPHS BY STEFFANIE WALK

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W

hen Alison Martino enters a room, it’s as if someone flipped the switch on a spotlight. Maybe it’s her creative energy, which has been channeled into television, music, writing and interior design. Maybe it’s the shiny blonde locks, sun-kissed skin and boho chic style that give her away as the ultimate native Angeleno. Or maybe she’s just refracting the years of camera flashes and limelight that have shined on the Martino family and inspired her to instinctively preserve what she feels this town is truly about: showbiz.

Martino is the creator and curator of “Vintage Los Angeles,” a Facebook community that has amassed a following of nearly 200,000 people.

Its fans are all driven to share their memories and experiences of L.A. history while also drinking in the behind-the-scenes stories from Martino’s upbringing. For example, as Halloween approached, she shared a memory of her childhood friendship with Mickey Yablans (who, thanks to being the son of producer Irwin Yablans, had a scene in the film Halloween where he runs into Michael Myers), and how she would jokingly play the horror movie’s creepy theme song on the piano whenever he entered the room.

“For me, every day is Throwback Thursday,” Martino says. “I live very much for today, I keep up with current events, and I live on the Internet, but I love history. I’m sort of a history junkie. Once VLA took off, I thought ‘Okay I’m sticking with this, let’s see where this goes.’ Now all these followers will educate me on stuff I never knew about. It’s a real community; I just start the conversation.”

Martino’s cascade of stories about Hollywood’s heavy hitters from the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s comes from being the daughter of powerhouse crooner Al Martino, who rose to fame with the ballad “Here in my My Heart” in 1952 and secured his iconic status among Italian-American singers with his 1967 hit “Spanish Eyes.” He parlayed his musical success into an opportunity to act in the Godfather films as singer Johnny Fontaine.

Originally from Philadelphia, Alison’s father remained based on the East Coast during the early days of his career, but while flying around the country promoting his records in 1963 he met a striking American

Airlines stewardess. Her name was Judi and she was a model for the airline’s promotional photographs. The singer knew the moment he met her that he would marry her. After four years of trying, Judi decided to give him a chance, and they were together until the famed musician’s death in 2009.

The couple moved to California in 1968, were married the following year, and in December of 1970 they welcomed their only child, a little girl whose name pays tribute to her devoted dad. Martino says her days of collecting vintage memorabilia essentially began on her first day of life, when she was born at the former Cedars of Lebanon Hospital on Fountain Avenue just west of Vermont Avenue (now the headquarters of the Church of Scientology).

The hospital was in the process of changing its name to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and the small white button given to Judi Martino that read “Congratulations, it’s a girl!” in pink lettering was among the first items imprinted with the hospital’s then-new name.

“So, I guess I was collecting from birth,” Martino joked as she held the special pin lovingly in her cupped palm. “This pin maybe had magical powers, like, ‘Your daughter’s going to be a collector’ because I don’t know anyone else who still has this!”

Martino lives in one of West Hollywood’s best known buildings, Empire West, which Suzanne Pleshette, star of Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds,” once lived in and managed. It was built in 1964 by famed L.A. architect Dan Dworsky, whom Martino tracked down after moving into the building in late summer. She brought Dworsky back to his building for the first time in 50 years, and she learned what about her apartment was original or altered.

Martino makes finding proverbial needles in Hollywood haystacks look easy, but then she’s been doing it since her days with the E! Television network in the 1990s. The entryway of her apartment gives testament to her research skill. The wall is covered in classic and rare photos of Martino’s icons. There are many photos of the Doors, for whom she ran a fan club when she was 19, including several shots by Henry Diltz that allow Martino to fancy her wall as a personal extension of Diltz’s esteemed Morrison Hotel Gallery inside the nearby Sunset Marquis hotel.

ALISON MARTINO IS THE GUARDIAN OF THE HISTORY OF OLD HOLLYWOOD AND THE SUNSET STRIP

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n Martino’s office, every available surface is adorned with photographs and memorabilia. Photos of her father seated at a table with Marilyn Monroe and swing dancing with Nancy Sinatra are on the same wall as his gold record for “Spanish Eyes.” There’s also an old color photo of Martino around age four lovingly gazing up at her dad, who is smiling at the camera. That photo ended up on the back of her father’s 1975 album “Door of the Sun,” and the framed image on the wall was a gift from Capitol Records.

Mixed with the books on her Beatles memorabilia-laden shelves— each piece collected from her childhood—is Vincent Bugliosi’s classic about Charlie Manson, “Helter Skelter.” Portions of that book were written while Bugliosi was living in the Martino family’s guesthouse at the Beverly Hills home where her mother Judi still lives today. Academy Award-winner Mario Puzo, who wrote “The Godfather” novel and was a screenwriter on the film, also lived in the guesthouse for a time during Martino’s childhood.

When she was growing up, Martino’s favorite people around the house were the men her father considered brothers: comedian Morey Amsterdam and entertainer Joey Bishop, who would eventually join the Rat Pack. She recalls the antics her father and Amsterdam put on to make Bishop laugh and how her father happily revived his earliest job as a bricklayer to construct Bishop’s driveway around the corner from the Martino house.

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Martino’s childhood also featured some of the most famous establishments to ever grace the streets of L.A. and the Sunset Strip. One was Dino’s Lodge, which was opened by Dean Martin in 1958 only to become a tourist trap after being featured in the show “77 Sunset Strip.”

After it closed, it was turned into office space and ultimately demolished in 2013. But its place in music history and L.A.-based television history earned it a special place in Martino’s heart. Martino has a collection of small items from that celebrity hotspot of the early 1960s.

Ever since childhood, it was small mementos like those from Dino’s Lodge that drew Martino’s attention. She felt compelled to grab a matchbook from every place she visited. She also developed a taste for branded ashtrays that led to an impressive collection on display in her apartment. Beginning in kindergarten, Martino had a best friend who moderated Martino’s desire for tokens such as the tiki glasses from Trader Vic’s at the Beverly Hilton hotel. Laura Fleming (now Laura Fleming-Hizami) lived near Martino in Beverly Hills, and the two were inseparable from early childhood through their late teens.

“I was the Ethel to her Lucy,” Fleming-Hizami recalled, adding that she always knew Martino would end up in a creative field, especially because of her apparently natural ability for music. “She is musically gifted almost to the point of genius, because she can hear a song and play it on the piano after hearing it once.”

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leming-Hizami remembers the hours she and Martino spent in cherished haunts that no longer exist, including Poster Mat in Westwood where the girls would buy movie and music posters, the unforgettable Tower Records store on Sunset Boulevard, and Flipper’s Roller Boogie Palace, a roller rink that opened in 1979 at the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and La Cienega Boulevard in the heart of West Hollywood.

“It was fabulous. During the day, it was great for kids’ skating, but at night it became Studio 54 and celebrities would go there,” FlemingHizami recalled. “We’d have our birthdays there and skate there every weekend. It’s a CVS now.”

Fleming-Hizami said Martino has always had a knack for knowing “what would be popular before it became popular.” She shopped at vintage boutiques in Beverly Hills before any other teens thought to look through used clothes for fashion gold. In 1995, when Chasen’s closed after 59 years, Martino thought it would be cool to have the maitre d’ sign one of the paper menus printed up for its last supper. After she snagged the autograph, the other guests quickly caught on and all rushed the maitre d’ with their own menus to secure a piece of Hollywood history, Martino style.

Pop culture commentator and historian Charles Phoenix, a friend of Martino’s for several years, thinks Martino’s sense for the next big thing

led her to choose social media as her platform for a public tribute to bygone L.A. Phoenix said he thinks Martino is perfect for the job of curating a living tribute to vintage L.A. “She is the real McCoy, she is not a poseur.

She’s passionate about what she’s doing, and she does it with incredible skill and style, and she happens to be a great beauty and, to me, a fashion icon.”

Martino’s collecting goes beyond old Hollywood memorabilia. There are signs of her favorite things throughout her home, all meticulously organized. Her walk-in closet is home to more hats, vests and sunglasses than are likely in stock at a local boutique. Randomly scattered renderings of Robert Indiana’s LOVE sculpture dot the house, an homage to Al Martino’s hometown of Philadelphia as much as to pop art itself.

There is a personal story behind each piece. The black grand piano in the open space between her living room and kitchen was once brown and labeled on the side with “ABC” when it was used on the Joey Bishop show. When Bishop gave the piano to his buddy Al Martino, Al decided to paint it black, much to his daughter’s dismay. On a nearby wall is a framed cutout portrait from Disneyland®, a souvenir one can still get today. But today’s cutouts are done with computers, whereas the one hanging on Martino’s wall is of her as a toddler, and was hand cut at the amusement park in the early 1970s.

PHOTOS OF HER FATHER, AL MARTINO, AT A TABLE WITH MARILYN MONROE AND DANCING WITH NANCY SINATRA ARE ON THE SAME WALL AS HIS GOLD RECORD FOR “SPANISH EYES” WINTER 2015

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he showcased memorabilia is complemented by the apartment’s mid-century modern style—inspired by the Peter Sellers film The Party—that is part of Martino’s passion for interior decorating. A scalloped wallpaper design by David Hicks in the guest bath is just a few strides away from a 1972 lucite table and chairs by Charles Hollis. There are choice pieces

by Martino’s favorite furniture designer, Jonathan Adler, including a pair of Tiffany blue chairs adorned with criss-crossing gold support beams, whose square shape and simple legs give a 1960s mod vibe.

Martino has amassed so much physical L.A. history that it can’t all be displayed at once. There is a closet entirely devoted exclusively to collected and vintage items, as tidy and organized as her walk-in, so that Martino can easily find anything in the mass of postcards, matchbooks, ticket stubs and hundreds of ashtrays from restaurants that no longer exist. Behind the frosted glass doors of another cabinet is a meticulously displayed collection of lighters, ashtrays, cups and buttons alongside such unique tokens as a candle from Dino’s Lodge and a NOW SHOOTING sign from the set of Godfather II. “I’ve never seen someone become more joyful over a pack of matches from a once-great lounge!” said Tina Malave, senior producer of ABC 7’s “Eye on L.A.” and Martino’s friend of 15 years. Malave highlighted the online community created through the Vintage Los Angeles Facebook page, as well as its significance in connecting the L.A. of then and now, on a segment for “Eye on L.A.” in 2014.

“We are a city that sees new transplants moving here in droves,” Malave said. “Without informing and educating and entertaining people with these stories of its past, it becomes, to many, nothing more than a 2D drive down Hollywood Boulevard. Once you know these incredible little gems of information, where you live becomes infinitely more interesting and you become more endeared to the city. You find yourself swelling with pride about the place, and that lends itself to a much stronger community.”

Martino’s posts of factoids and photos and stories to Vintage LA’s Facebook and to Twitter and Instagram is creating a resource that has been called “The DeLorean of the Internet,” a reference to Back to the

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Future’s time-traveling car. But she works just as hard to keep Hollywood history alive in the offline world. She hosts screenings of old films and shows that include visits from the filmmakers at the Million Dollar Theater downtown or at the Hammer Museum, where she showed several episodes of the 1964 series “Robert Story’s Los Angeles” on November 14th in conjunction with UCLA. Martino also advocates for landmark status for vintage locales like Dan Tana’s and the Troubadour.

This summer she worked alongside the Los Angeles Conservancy to successfully get the Norm’s diner on La Cienega Boulevard—a unique Googie-style building that has stood there since 1957—declared a culturalhistorical landmark by the City of Los Angeles. On top of all this, she’s begun the process of creating her first Vintage Los Angeles book.

Martin has had several preservation victories. When a Rocky and Bullwinkle statue that had stood on the Sunset Strip near the Chateau Marmont from 1961 to 2013 was unceremoniously hoisted from its place by a crane so DreamWorks Studios could repair a crack on it, Martino drummed up concern for the sudden disappearance of the statue through a Los Angeles magazine article and Vintage Los Angeles. DreamWorks donated the statue back to the City of West Hollywood in August so it could be reinstalled on Sunset Boulevard. In late 2014, Martino went on what she calls “a crusade” to save the 2,300 caricatures of famous entertainers that adorned the walls of The Palm restaurant in West Hollywood. Several of the rescued characters are stacked in her office as she continues to try to track down people connected to each of them so she can return these irreplaceable pieces of history.

As for her father’s character, she plans to frame it alongside that of his soul brother, Morey Amsterdam.

“I’m very protective of L.A.,” Martino said. “I think what’s great about Vintage L.A. is I’m not only praising the past, but I’m praising the future. And that’s very important because you don’t want people to go ‘Oh, so L.A. sucks now?’ There are a lot of people on Vintage L.A. who live in other countries who have never even been to L.A. yet, and I want to get them here and I want them to experience it.”

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ON THE OUTSIDE Layering Up for theWinter

PHOTOGRAPHS BY RYAN JEROME MODEL JAKUB K @ TWO MANAGEMENT STYLISTS ART HUNTER + BRANDON NICHOLAS MEN’S GROOMING BY GARRET GERVAIS FOR GRID AGENCY USING TEMPTU™ AND BAXTER HAIR PRODUCTS PRODUCER ERICK STRYKER / EGGY PRODUCTION

SHOES BY DIESEL PANTS BY CPO COAT BY INDU HOMME SCARVES BY GANAHO TSHIRT BY AMERICAN APPAREL

JACKET BY G-STAR RAW PANTS BY MARC JACOBS POLO BY RALPH LAUREN

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CARDIGAN BY DIESEL PANTS BY DIESEL TOP BY ZARA MAN SHOES BY BED STÜ

COAT BY YOUR NEIGHBORS SWEATER BY HAWKINGS MCGILL PANTS BY G-STAR RAW BAG BY JACK SPADE SHOES BY DR. MARTENS

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PANTS BY PUBLISH BRAND VEST BY J CREW HENLEY BY NAUTICA

SHOES BY HAWKINGS MCGILL JACKET IS VINTAGE SWEATER & PANTS BY CPO

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SUIT, SHIRT & SWEATER BY SEIZE SUR VINGT

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SWEATER BY GAP DENIM JACKET BY LEVIS SHOES BY WILLIAM RAST

PHOTOGRAPHS BY NATE JENSEN BEAUTY EDITOR, GARRET GERVAIS MODEL NATALIE HOCKEY, LA MODELS HAIR BY TIMOTHY DURANT USING KEVIN MURPHY FLORAL DESIGNS BY MATTHEW HERON & DANIEL RAMIREZ, THE PETAL WORKSHOP

WINTER’S BLOOM Building Beauty with The Petal Workshop

Cosmetics/KEVYN

AUCOIN

Cosmetics/DIOR

BEAUTY

Cosmetics/TOM

FORD BEAUTY

Cosmetics/DIOR

BEAUTY

Cosmetics/BOBBI

BROWN COSMETICS

Cosmetics/LAURA

MERCIER

WORKING WITH COLOR Only in Southern California can we forget that the nation’s color palette often runs white in the winter. We’re lucky. Here, the undergrowth matches the sunset—the above and the below, a perennial backdrop of color. But sometimes nature needs a helping hand. And for that, says Matthew Heron, owner of The Petal Workshop, it’s all in the arrangement.

The Petal Workshop, on Edinburgh Avenue near Rosewood, just south of Melrose Avenue, opened in 2014. “We became official a year ago today,” Heron said. “I’ve always been into gardens and flowers and arrangements. My parents had incredible green thumbs, too, so that’s where I think it all comes from.”

“West Hollywood is our biggest base,” said Heron, who lives there. “We’ve received incredible support from our friends in the city. It’s where all the imagination started.”

Each morning, Heron and his business partner, Daniel Ramirez, comb the local flower market to create, what Heron calls, that ‘wow’ factor.

From their fall collection, the Kick-Ass Autumn arrangement paints a harvest still life. A patchwork of orchid popcorn, peach roses and yellow blooms, this arrangement broadcasts its attitude in fierce chromatic notes.

At a recent photoshoot, they experimented with a hybrid arrangement: part floral, part human.

“We’re doing a piece that combines the flowers with the makeup, the stylist, the photographer, and the models to showcase what we do as a shop.

And we’re using more rustic flowers for an edgier, natural look,” Ramirez said.

Lavender petals shower the table and the model rests her head on the counter. Her skin casts a porcelain silhouette on the surface. She hides behind her violet eyeshadow, a delicate anchor for the petals—the flowers, an extension of her body, and her body, a continuation of the colors.

“I heard from the beginning, before I ever started the business, wow, you should do this for a living,” Heron said. “Well, you keep hearing that and hearing that. And finally you think, ‘hey, maybe I should do this for a living.’

“But the truth is, I’ve always had something for it: a vision, a desire to get creative with a group of different petals and put them together.”

MATTHEW HERON, THE PETAL WORKSHOP

BY JASON GIBBY PHOTOGRAPHS BY NATE JENSEN

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Where can you go to find the very best that Southern California has to offer? Follow your dreams to a city unlike any other. Where the legendary Sunset Strip meets the stylish West Hollywood Design District. Where eclectic dining meets electric nightlife.

Leave everything that’s conventional, expected and mundane at home, and go big, go bold, go WeHo. visitwesthollywood.com

JOHN TERZIAN

The Man Bringing Glamour (and Style) Back to West Hollywood Nightlife

BY TIM CHAN PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOSHUA SPENCER

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Ask anyone here in the city and chances are, they’ll have a story about one of John Terzian’s venues. “Henry’s is the place to be on Mondays,” they’ll say, and “you have to check out the burlesque show at Bootsy Bellows.”

Haven’t tried the orange-chicken and waffles at Blind Dragon? “You’re totally missing out.” And everyone has a Miley spotting to speak of at The Nice Guy. The threads spun from these venues have become the stuff of tabloid legend, but they typically fall into one of two groups: it’s either a story about how you had the best time ever—or a story about how you couldn’t get in.

Confronted with this on a recent Thursday night on Sunset Boulevard, Terzian is surprisingly nonchalant. Dressed in a black suit, crisp white shirt and tie, the owner and co-founder of the h.wood Group is tucked into a corner booth at Blind Dragon, the Asian-themed karaoke bar he opened with partner Markus Molinari last year on the Strip.

Adorned with red lanterns, pagoda-style seating and even a Bruce Lee statue, the former Chi Lin Restaurant has been converted into a kitschy speakeasy, with an open seating area flanked by four private karaoke “cubes.” With its hidden back entrance and dim, vaguely moody lighting, it has become a favorite of celebrities like Rita Ora, Kendall Jenner and Cara Delevingne (“Cara is a really good singer!”

a source who was once there told E!) The bar is quiet, but it’s early—9 p.m. “Things don’t really pick up until 10:30 or 11,” one of Terzian’s attractive publicists tells me. Then, a line will form outside the secret entrance and it will be up to Terzian, or his designated “rolodex” for the night, to decide who gets to come in—and whose story will end at the door. It’s the stuff Yelp reviewers live for, and something Terzian understands well, though he’s remarkably unperturbed.

“People can be so critical,” Terzian explains. “If it’s not packed by midnight, they’ll be like, ‘Why is it so dead?’ If it’s too crowded, they’ll say, ‘It’s too insane.’ I’m looking for people who will just come and enjoy the moment.”

But isn’t everyone having fun when they’re downing pineapple cocktails at Blind Dragon?

According to Terzian, it’s not that simple. “I hate when a good crowd is here but they’re all standing around expecting something else,” he says. “It’s almost like they’re chasing something better. My venues are about the people in it—not about putting on a show.”

Terzian was born in Santa Monica and grew up on the Westside, though he’s lived near West Hollywood for the past decade. “This part of L.A. is the closest thing to a small community,” he says, when asked why he relocated. “You feel like everyone kind of knows each other here.”

LEFT PAGE: BLIND DRAGON, THIS PAGE: BOOTSY BELLOWS, HENRY’S WINTER 2015

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Terzian has been promoting events and parties since he was 18, though his plan was to become a sports agent or film producer. He studied communications at USC and completed a law degree at Pepperdine.

But a traditional career wasn’t in the cards. “I went on a hundred job interviews and didn’t get a single hire,” he recalls.

In the early 2000s, Terzian became friends with Adam Goldstein, better known as DJ AM, and he became a manager of sorts to the budding musician. As Goldstein’s profile increased in the city, so did Terzian’s reputation for curating exciting, must-see experiences. Together, the two helped open the buzzy LAX nightclub in Hollywood, and Terzian worked his way up to chief operating officer before branching out on his own.

“My family thought I was insane,” he recalls of his decision to work in the hospitality industry full time. “I come from a family of lawyers and teachers and they’re about the most ‘9 to 5’ type of family you can get.”

Still, it was a no-brainer for Terzian.

Despite the fact that he doesn’t smoke and rarely drinks, he had always envisioned himself as a host of sorts, bringing friends together to celebrate and connect. “I always had a bigger picture in mind,” he says. “I may not have known how it would play out, but I knew this is what I wanted to do.” As for what his family thinks now: “My dad had his 80th birthday at Bootsy’s,” Terzian says with a laugh. “It was a Sunday afternoon but it was raging!”

A few years ago, Terzian found himself confused and depressed after coming off some self-admitted “major failures.” He needed to re-brand himself and find a place to do it in. Observers pegged him as right for Vegas, where Terzian had helped to structure a deal to license the LAX brand to The Luxor Hotel. Others saw him trying his luck in New York. But the native Angeleno decided on somewhere closer to home. He would re-brand and revamp himself, only this time, it would all happen in West Hollywood.

“It was a major turning point for me,” Terzian confesses, in between sips of a vodka and soda (his first and only drink of the night). “The most major decision I ever made was to move everything to West Hollywood.

This is where my friends and family are; this is where new things are happening. This,” he says with conviction, “is where I belong.”

Bootsy Bellows opened in 2012 as a sort of art deco-inspired playroom, with live burlesque dancers, musical acts and puppetry.

“Everything about it was so different, and people didn’t get the concept at first,” Terzian recalls, “but I credit it with giving me the confidence to do concepts that push the boundaries.”

In his 20s, Terzian would frequent Guys & Dolls (later known as Guys) off Beverly Boulevard. Years later, the property became available, and Terzian opened Hooray Henry’s (now just known as “Henry’s”).

The Nice Guy is tucked away on a nondescript block of La Cienega and has been the hottest ticket in town. Its name is a playful response to

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the idea that, “you can’t get ahead in the nightlife industry as a nice guy,” Terzian explains. While the celebrity wattage includes bold-face names like Sean Penn and Kanye West, the inside of the Nice Guy is modest, designed to mimic a cozy, retro living room, where friends can catch up over a $20 burger and a signature whiskey drink served in a branded flask.

Terzian has a hand in everything—from choosing a space, to sourcing furniture, to the personal touches that line the walls of each venue. “I like to go to my grandma’s house and pick out little knickknacks to put on the shelves,” he says, in case you were wondering how a framed picture of an Armenian family fits the British vibe of Henry’s, say, or the neon glow of Blind Dragon.

Another personal touch: a piano in each of his West Hollywood venues.

Terzian grew up taking piano lessons, and says he loves it when musicians come in for impromptu jam sessions.

Tori Kelly had her album release party at the Nice Guy, and hit the stage with Meghan Trainor for a stripped-down version of “All About That Bass.” You’d be forgiven if you hadn’t read about that—most blogs were focused on two other guests who may or may not have reunited there that night: Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez.

Terzian admits his celebrity clientele is “important,” though he counters that, “you don’t have to be a celeb or billionaire to get in the door.”

“It has to do with whether or not you’re part of our family,” he says. “A lot of our regulars have normal jobs, are normal people…” He trails off a bit, then offers this: “I want it to feel exclusive but not pretentious.”

It’s almost opening hour and the team at Blind Dragon is making last minute preparations for what will most likely be another busy night. Terzian greets everyone by name; he’s known for the way he cares about—and promotes— his staff, and he says he’ll be heading over to Henry’s to check in on the team there as well.

For someone who spends more than 60 hours a week talking and thinking about nightlife, Terzian’s ideal evening is surprisingly tame.

“Honestly,” he says, “I love being at home, on my couch, watching football with my fiancé.”

Still, his unadulterated enthusiasm for his work is infectious, and you can’t help but feel like you’re a lucky bystander paying witness to John Terzian’s love letter to the city. Beneath the nice suit and nice shoes, there’s still a sense of that college kid from West L.A. who knew all the coolest places in town—and couldn’t wait to tell his friends about them.

These days, Terzian’s list of friends is just a little more influential, and it’s not hard to believe him when he says he’s formed genuine relationships with most of them that extend beyond the 2 a.m. last call.

Does he ever worry about fake friends, i.e., people who start dropping his name at the door? “Not at all,” he says with a smile. “The minute people stop trying to get in, is when I know it’s time to retire.”

TOP & BOTTOM RIGHT: HENRY’S, BOTTOM LEFT: BLIND DRAGON WINTER 2015

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The Getaway

DTLA

A PLACE THAT’S NOT AS FAR AWAY AS YOU THINK When you live in West Hollywood there is no shortage of places to escape to for the weekend to shop, party or just relax with a drink in hand. Palm Springs, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez, even Las Vegas. But there’s a closer getaway too few of us think about.

With its bustling cultural scene and some of the best dining and shopping in Southern California, downtown L.A. (now popularly known as DTLA) has quickly become one of the coolest neighborhoods in the country.

The once-abandoned warehouses and run down streets

have been replaced with boutique hotels, craft cocktail bars and galleries, while an influx of young professionals in fashion and media have given the gritty blocks a glossy makeover.

It’s still more grit than glam, but there’s an unmistakable energy in the air that is breathing new life into the neighborhood. Spend a weekend there and you’ll understand why downtown is the new uptown— and why the best vacations always start close to home.

BY TIM CHAN PHOTOGRAPHS BY CASSANDRA PLAVOUKOS

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DAY 1: ON BROADWAY

DTLA may not have the lights and marquees of Manhattan’s famed Broadway, but its Broadway is a destination unto itself, thanks to its mix of contemporary shops and old school allure. Everyone credits the Ace Hotel at 929 South Broadway for restoring the luster of Broadway, and that’s not entirely unfounded. Located in the former United Artists theatre, the Ace has transformed the building into one of DTLA’s most popular destinations. Have the avocado toast at L.A. Chapter, the Ace restaurant started by the team behind Brooklyn’s beloved Five Leaves (co-owned by the late actor Heath Ledger). Then take the elevator to the rooftop to get a rare, unobstructed view of the city. You’ll want to spend some time up there, so order a drink and dance the night away at one of the hotel’s weekly parties. Or check the calendar to see who’s playing at the theatre. Last time we were there, Arcade Fire surprised the crowd with the U.S. debut of their documentary, The Reflektor Tapes.

Use the Ace as a starting point for your jaunt down Broadway, then cross the street to pick out your new favorite jeans at the A.P.C. store, or a handmade belt from Oregon-based Tanner Goods. Head south on Broadway, stopping to pass the Orpheum Theatre at 842 South Broadway (which opened as a vaudeville house in the 1920s and now hosts everything from concerts to tapings of “America’s Got Talent”) and pop into the Rialto Theatre which has been converted into a sprawling and cavernous Urban Outfitters.

Your destination is Grand Central Market at 842 South Broadway, which is home to more than 40 food vendors representing over a dozen different cultures and flavors. The sandwiches at Eggslut are made for Instagramming, and you’ll always see a long line for Thai comfort food at Sticky Rice. End your visit with a Churros Con Leche sundae from McConnell’s Ice Cream. The family-owned shop has been churning out unique flavors since 1949.

LEFT PAGE: CHINATOWN CENTRAL PLAZA THIS PAGE: GRAND CENTRAL MARKET WINTER 2015

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DAY 1: ARTS DISTRICT

MAMA GALLERY

SHOPPING & EATING IN THE ARTS DISTRICT Part of what makes DTLA unique is the small-town, community feeling that still pervades its many streets. Nowhere will you find that feeling more than in the Arts District. Located east of the downtown core, the Arts District is no longer home to the number of galleries for which it was famed in the late ’70s. But it is home to the Southern California Institute of Architecture and to some of the city’s best independent boutiques and cafes, where you’re still likely to be fitted by the designer, or served coffee by the restaurant owner himself.

Start at the One Santa Fe complex, 300 S. Santa Fe Ave., a bustling live/shop center that’s home to much of the neighborhood’s creative class.

The menswear store, Wittmore, hosts monthly pop-ups or “takeovers,” welcoming artists and designers into its thoughtfully curated space.

Next to Wittmore is the Voyager Shop, the first retail outpost in L.A. for the San Francisco-based boutique. With cozy tees, unique housewares and handmade accessories, you won’t leave empty handed. And you’ll want to check out the new Malin + Goetz space to stock up on shower and skincare faves, like the brand’s best-selling rum body wash and peppermint shampoo.

The main strip of the Arts District centers around East Third Street.

There, you’ll find Blacktop Coffee, the arty gift shop Poketo at 820 W. 3rd St. and Alchemy Works, a gallery and retail space at 826 E. 3rd, that sells apparel and accessories from local designers almost exclusively. We discovered our new favorite envelope clutch from travel brand Clark & Madison, and also stocked up on “cord tacos”—the leather digital cord wrappers—from cult fave This is Ground.

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Looking for a place to grab a drink? You’ll want to go to Cerveteca at 923 E. 3rd St. for its “build your own mimosa” bucket, or pop into EightyTwo (as in 1982) for an old-school arcade bar experience. Bonus Instagram points for passing the “New Girl” loft—the building at 836 Traction Ave. that the sitcom uses as an exterior shot for Zooey Deschanel and the gang’s home.

Our favorite place in the Arts District is a hidden gem. Tucked into a cobblestone alleyway off Industrial Street is Daily Dose Café. Owner Sarkis Vartanian converted the crumbling, forgotten space into a lush oasis in the middle of the urban jungle, complete with outdoor seating and twinkling lights strung overhead. Order the “Inside-Out Grilled Cheese” from the menu, or ask Vartanian to just make you something delicious. He’s brought us everything from a herb-infused omelet to homemade Armenian desserts.

Looking for vegan cuisine? Café Gratitude just opened a location in One Santa Fe, while The Springs at 608 Mateo St. is a combination vegan restaurant, juice bar and “wellness center” that has become one of the hippest—and healthiest—spots in the neighborhood.

SLEEPING OVER Book a room at the Ace Hotel at 929 S. Broadway (rates from $236), which includes a minibar stocked with local treats, and a custom Revo radio. Select rooms also include a Martin acoustic guitar or an Ace turntable with a curated selection of vinyl from Amoeba Music.

TOP ROW LEFT: WITTMORE, RIGHT: MALIN & GOETZ, MIDDLE ROW LEFT: THE DAILY DOSE, RIGHT: ALECHEMY WORKS, BOTTOM ROW LEFT: VOYAGER, RIGHT: THE SPRINGS WINTER 2015

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DAY 2:

The hottest ticket in town right now isn’t for some Hollywood club or restaurant. Rather, it’s for a contemporary art museum located at 221 S. Grand Ave. The Broad is a 120,000-square-foot space that opened in September with the goal of making contemporary art accessible to the general public.

Founded by philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad, the museum is home to more than 2,000 works of art, including pieces by luminaries such as Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jeff Koons and Cindy Sherman.

The Broad family has been collecting some of this art for more than five decades and, reportedly, their collection grows by one or two pieces every week.

Tickets to The Broad are free, but you’ll have to book in advance.

Not much of a planner? Same-day tickets are available in a standby line, though wait times can vary from 30 minutes to over an hour. Still, it’s worth the wait to see some of these famous works of art up close and personal.

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GET CULTURED Los Angeles is one of the country’s most diverse cities, and nowhere is that represented more than in Downtown L.A. From the glowing lanterns of Little Tokyo, to the butter chicken poutine at Badmaash, the Indian restaurant at 108 W. 2nd St., DTLA is a feast for the eyes as much as it is for the taste buds.

Start your cultural excursion at Olvera Street, the famed and bustling, Mexican marketplace situated on one of the oldest city blocks in L.A. You’ve never had tacos this fresh, or seen as many huaraches for sale than in the small stalls that line Olvera Street. Enjoy a heady margarita while listening to the strolling mariachi band or pick out some handmade crafts to add some color to your home décor.

From Olvera Street, it’s a short walk or ride to Chinatown. Though most Angelenos now get their dumpling fix in San Gabriel Valley, a variety of options for dining and shopping still abounds in downtown L.A.—one of the earliest recorded settlements for Chinese immigrants in America.

Start at Central Plaza, where the neon lights and pagodas of the East Gate frame your entrance into bright and colorful surroundings reminiscent of a small village in China. Movie fans will recognize Central Plaza from films like Rush Hour and Lethal Weapon 4, and tourists love snapping selfies with the famous Bruce Lee statue, shipped here from Shanghai.

Load up on incense, handmade crafts and jewelry from Central Plaza’s many merchants, then pop into Phoenix Bakery, the oldest Chinese bakery in the city, for its famous strawberry cream cake. Craving something more substantial? The Vietnamese restaurant chain Blossom just opened an outpost on Gin Ling Way, while rice and noodle bowls get the Roy Choi treatment at Chego inside the Far East Plaza. Then there’s the reliable standby—the multi-level Ocean Seafood on North Hill Street for its dim sum lunch.

A spirited take on Japanese culture can be found in Little Tokyo, where the Japanese Village Plaza at 335 E. 2nd St. is always teeming with activity, whether crowds are gathered for a live koto performance or standing in line for the handmade mochi at Mikawaya. You’ll also have to wait for a seat at Hama, a cozy, dive-y spot just outside the Plaza. The small restaurant only serves sushi and sashimi, but we dare you to find anything fresher in the city

LEFT PAGE: CHINATOWN CENTRAL PLAZA TOP ROW LEFT: BADMAASH, RIGHT: OLVERA, MIDDLE ROW LEFT: LITTLE TOKYO TEMPLE, RIGHT: JAPANESE VILLAGE PLAZA, BOTTOM ROW: THE BROAD MUSEUM WINTER 2015

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A GAY OLD TIME Over the past few months, Downtown Los Angeles has become a new hotspot for the gay community in the city. While West Hollywood remains the main drag, DTLA is bringing crowds south with a mix of establishments that are both upscale and urban at the same time. You may not find a go-go dancer to tip in this part of town, but you can save your dollar bills for that bartender mixing you a drink.

Located on the corner of 7th and Broadway, Bar Mattachine is described as a “gay craft cocktail bar” and pays tribute to the Mattachine Society, which was founded in Los Angeles in the 1950s as one of the first major gay advocacy groups in the country. Inside, the vibe is sleek and modern, with dark wood paneling and Queer art adorning the walls. Order one of mixologist Garrett McKechnie’s inspired takes on classic drinks, like an Old Fashioned made with a 90 proof liqueur and a maceration of cherries, cloves, roots and spices, or a Gin Fizz, made with homemade strawberry syrup and egg whites.

Redline at 131 E. 6th St. is a lofty industrial space located across from the old Pacific Electric Building in downtown’s historic core. Co-owners Zachary Beus and Oliver Alpuche are longtime downtown L.A. residents who bonded over a lack of places to go out in the area. With its big open windows and relaxed atmosphere, they have made an effort to blend into their own surroundings, as opposed to trying to bring WeHo south of Santa Monica Boulevard.

Itching to get your dance on? Grab a date and head to Precinct at 357 S. Broadway. a self-described “rock and roll gay bar” that brings to mind ’80s New York in a massive space formerly occupied by a Department of Corrections office. Come for the drag show, but stay for their selection of local craft beers, from DTLA’s own Angel City IPA to Firestone Walker, based in Paso Robles. Don’t have a date? It won’t take long for you to find a dance partner here.

SLEEPING OVER Don’t let the nondescript façade of The Los Angeles Athletic Club fool you—this is one of the most exclusive joints in town. Founded in 1880 as the city’s first private club, has undergone an extensive renovation in recent years, converting part of the space into a 72-room boutique hotel. Rates start at $189 and guests of the hotel have access to all of the Athletic Club’s facilities, including a squash court, steam room and pool.

They can also be one of the lucky few to experience the Blue Room, a former meeting room-turned-cocktail bar that’s been redesigned with Timothy Oulton interiors and a top-secret entrance (spoiler alert: check the bookcase). It’s located at 431 W. 7th St. For a slightly cheaper alternative, consider Hotel Figueroa, a Moroccan-inspired hotel at 939 S. Figueroa St., next to the Staples Center (rates starting at $124). The Omni Hotel, meantime, is conveniently located in Bunker Hill, just above Grand Central Market and a short walk from The Broad (rates starting at $199). It’s at 251 S. Olive St., a short walk from Please Do Not Enter, perhaps the most curiously named DTLA space, which bills itself as a “progressive men’s luxury retail and exhibition space.” Opened by Nicolas Libert and Emmanuel Renoird, who moved to L.A. from France in 2014, PDNE is located on the 12th floor of the 1921 Pacific Mutual Building from Pershing Square. PDNE’s inventory includes furniture by Elise Gabriel and Valentin Loellmann, sculpture and objects by Arik Levy and Guillaume Bardet, perfume by Maison Francis Kurkdjian and stationery from Japan’s Ito Bindery. Think of it as DTLA’s version of Paris’s famous Colette.

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DAY 3: Enjoy brunch at the Athletic Club’s Famous Players restaurant, where stars like Charlie Chaplin and Clark Gable once dined, surrounded by the restaurant’s porcelain tile floor and walnut paneled walls. Or, walk around the block to Madame Monsieur for the perfect French pastries and delectable mini sandwiches, inspired by the owner’s Parisian roots.

Take it with a latte to go, or better yet, stay for a little while longer. After all, you’re already in the city, and it won’t be too long before you’re home.

HOW TO GET THERE Getting to Downtown L.A. is an easy commute on the weekends. If you’re coming from West Hollywood, get onto the I-10 East and exit onto Grand Ave. Or, take the 101 South to the 110, where there are a number of exits that take you straight into the downtown core. With most people headed to the beach on weekends, you’ll be going against traffic and arrive in less than 30 minutes.

Once downtown, there are more than 1,500 parking spaces in lots spread out around the neighborhood, with rates ranging from $10 to $30, depending on the location. Most are cash only, so have those bills ready.

Only staying for a few hours? There is metered street parking available around Chinatown, Little Tokyo and the Arts District. Some places, like The Broad and Grand Central Market, offer reduced parking with validation.

If you’re taking a car service like Uber or Lyft, budget about $25-30, depending on how far you’re going.

Taking public transportation? The Red and Purple Metro lines take you to Pershing Square, which is a short walk to The Ace Hotel, Grand Central Market and Broadway. Buses also run frequently along most of downtown’s major streets.

LEFT PAGE TOP: PRECINCT, BOTTOM: REDLINE THIS PAGE, TOP: ROBERT ANTON, VOYAGER, BOTTOM LEFT: ANGELS FLIGHT RAILWAY, RIGHT: BURGERLORDS, CHINATOWN CENTRAL PLAZA WINTER 2015

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1st

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©2015 David Reid

Established 1996

WINTER 2015

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TIERRA

DANNY

SIRMA

ASSAD

JORDIS

@tierra_amira “Street glam”

@dannyhoyt “ Westcoast w/a stache”

@sirmasuyek “ Groovy, boheme, colorful”

@assadkeval “ Casual and easy to wear”

“ jordisstephani” “Day to Night, Classy, Rocker“

CHEUTINE

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@cheutine “ Effortless, edgy, chic, keep it classy!”

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“ My own style”

LOOK BOOK Styles Described in Ten Words or Less

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JERRY

MEGAN

UMARA

SCOTT

JORDAN

@jerrwinn “Punk rock with a twist”

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WEST HOLLYWOOD élu, 8575 Melrose Avenue | Photographs by Ryan Jerome

WINTER 2015

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BEDTIME STORIES Misti Cooper

Misti Cooper is known by some as a member of the board who lives on Mt. Shasta and is keeper of the 13th Mayan of the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and of the skull. According to Mayan legend, there are 13 ancient city’s Transportation Commission and by others as a former crystal skulls that will eventually be reunited in a way that owner of the Yogurt Stop. But there’s also Misti Cooper will affect humanity and the earth. “I have been activated the spiritual alchemist, a certified Holy Fire Reiki master, by Susan to do Shambhala energetic work, and I execute a keeper of a Mayan-activated crystal skull, a Shambhala healing with my own crystal skull around the world with energetic healer, a Qi-Gong Rainbow Light practitioner soul photographer Rebecca Dru,” Cooper said.

Then there’s The Alchemy of Sexual and a Lemurian Star Seed crystal healer.

Energy”

by Mantak Chia and “Telos, So perhaps it’s no surprise her “I have gorgeous gold Vol. 2 -Messages for the Enlightenment bedtime reading focuses on mysticism and white pillows, of a Humanity in Transformation” by and higher consciousness. sparkling with Swarovski Aurelia Louise Jones. Cooper describes Cooper’s favorite book is “The jewels.

Once I get on it or “Alchemy” as technical and a tough read Course in Miracles” by Helen Schucman, in it, I have a hard time while “Telos” is “super easy.” which some describe as the “New Age Cooper’s describes the bed where Bible.” “The text defines love, real love, leaving her.” she reads, a Vera Wang mattress and in a way that is pure and divine,” Cooper said. “It uncovers the blocks to love’s presence and your box spring set, as “luxurious and fit for a queen. “I have ability to receive it ... The universe is encoded with love and gorgeous gold and white pillows, sparkling with Swarovski jewels. Once I get on it or in it I have a hard time leaving was created by love.”

In the past three months Cooper has worked her way her,” she said. “Another place I prefer to read is the beach through three books. “The Eye of The Goddess -13th Crystal with its tranquil energy. She captures my imagination and Skull on Assignment in England” is by Susan Isabelle, centers my focus as much as my bed does.”

PHOTOGRAPH BY WILLIAM CALLAN

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WESTHOLLYWOODMAG.NET

VIBRANT SPACES DESIGNED TO INS P IRE EV E RY O C C A SION Imagine the twinkling lights of one of the world’s most romantic cities surrounding your Los Angeles wedding.

Andaz West Hollywood offers stylish wedding spaces, inspired service, and world-class cuisine.

START PLANNING your dream wedding today, speak with one of our Event Managers at 323-785-6058

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