There is a building. It is located at 8500 Melrose Avenue. It is situated in the city of West Hollywood. It sits just down the street from Urth Cafe, and on the corner of Melrose and La Cienega Boulevard. And LAist is pleading the City of Los Angeles to tear it down.
Although featured in a prominent scene in the movie Ruthless People, the pink and black checkered building has done more than corner the market on "public eyesore" for more than a few decades — but has continued to give motorists and pedestrians migraine headaches by simply looking at the Miami Vice tic-tac-toe design for a mere ten seconds.
LAist says tear the damn eyesore down.
Isn't it time that this corner of the city become beautified with some kind of granite or stone or marble that fits our society today? Isn't it obvious that one-hundred years from now no public official will be spending their personal time trying to "Save 8500 Melrose!" from destruction? Don't we care about our children and those moving to Los Angeles enough to remove said eyesore before it is too late?
We think so. How about you? Or is there something even worse that should turn to rubble before this one?
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Yikes.
This building reminds me of Pepto Bismol. In a bad way.
Not to be too picky (just picky enough), but since it's in West Hollywood, you probably want to be asking the city of West Hollywood to tear it down. For all of the faults of LA City's government, I don't think we've come to the point that we go into other cities and tear down their buildings...
I went to elementary school directly across the street. Even us third graders, with our yet-to-be-developed aesthetic sensibilities, had no idea what the hell was going on with that thing. You'd think its cartoonish hideosity and Lego-ish quality would appeal to kids. Nope.
They never manage to keep decent tenants in there, either. That mattress place is a little downscale for the chi-chi west Melrose design district, no?
Those of us who professionally work in the field of historic preservation continually try to project what buildings and structures from the recent past might become significant in future decades. While the site in question is certainly telling of the go-go 80s, I sure as hell wouldn't argue in support of designating it.
That's just it, ed.
West Hollywood is, obviously, doing nothing about this garish piece of glass and stone. The City of Los Angeles, who is doing a good job at destroying things, is the right city board for the job. Get in there and tear down 8500 and that horrible Irish bar building just down the street from the Pacific Design Center (the one that Miramax bought for a bartender there when they picked up his script) while you're at it!
Woo hoo!
Yes this building it hideous. But I would rather see the beverly connection rebuilt and used. That fact that it sits there half empty is much worst for such a valuable area.
Yes, lets tear down the Beverly Connection, followed by the Beverly Center. This is random but does anybody else dream of a monorail/subway between the Grove and the Beverly Center. HECK, a monorail or subway down Beverly Blvd? Or Melrose? or Santa Monica even?
This is a great feature! And a good pick -- I shudder every day when I go past that building.
Can I recommend Oki Dog on Fairfax for a future installment? It's like Pink's with sub-par food and a crack house decor. (Of course, that would leave the hairy old men in tank tops nowhere to play backgammon.)
Be careful. This is why the vast majority of historic buildings are torn down, and we look back and shake our heads and wonder why we did. Because ten years after they're built, they look terrible. In the craftsman era the most gorgeous Victorian homes ever built were torn down, decried as gaudy, garish, ridiculous, and worthy of the scrap heap. Now they sell for millions. Hold that wrecking ball. In not too long this building might be considered a civic treasure.