That unattractive strip mall on the corner of Sunset and Crescent Heights boulevards — at the so-called “gateway to the Sunset Strip” — will be razed in favor of a Frank Gehry–designed mixed-use development, which will include 249 apartments as well as restaurants, retail storefronts and a “central plaza,” developers announced today.

The world-renowned local architect, known for designing Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, said the project “is poised to become the eastern gateway to the Sunset Strip for future generations.”

Developers say they want the development to be part of a new walkable community. Based on an initial site plan, the state last year deemed the project to be L.A. County's first California Environmental Leadership Development Project.

To qualify, developments must see at least $100 million in investment, achieve LEED Silver certification or better, and emit zero net greenhouse gases.

A statement from real estate investment firm Townscape Partners says, “The initial design principles focused on environmental sustainability, open spaces and pedestrian and public transit accessibility.”

The developers desire “an environmentally sensitive building that complements and contributes to the historic architecture in the neighborhood,” Townscape stated.


The location was home to a long-gone Hollywood haunt called the Garden of Allah Hotel. Developers today call it one of the Sunset Strip's largest contiguous parcels of land. (Technically the property is just a hair east of the city of West Hollywood and its Sunset Strip.)

Gehry is already at work, and initial plans for the development were slated to be released this spring. Townscape partner Tyler Siegel says:

Frank Gehry’s deep understanding of the property, its history and the context will elevate the project to the iconic and timeless status that it deserves.

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