WTF Is Going On With the Sunset Junction Sign and That Strange New Concrete Corner Wall?

The corner in question, with the sign, without the wall (Photo by i_hate_my_screen_name via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr)

If you've been along Sunset Boulevard in the well-known area of Sunset Junction, you might have noticed a few strange changes at the intersection. In case you were wondering WTF is happening with the Sunset Junction sign, and why on earth there's a concrete block wall up on the corner, the Eastsider LA has provided some much-needed answers.

First, relax: The Sunset Junction sign will be back, it's just down for some cleaning, and it will "reappear in the same colors and style," per a painter who is part of the fix-up project.

Okay, but the wall? It juts out of the building at the corner of Sunset and Sanborn, and could be an extension of Café Stella, surmises the Eastsider, though it could also be part of the retail shop at the end of the building.

Its ultimate purpose is not only a mystery, but also a source of chagrin for locals. One Silver Laker tells the Eastisder the wall "cuts into the very nature of that corner," and kills the "pedestrian environment" while ruining the "transparency of the corner." Yeah. It's kinda ugly and in the way, right? What's the deal? (Eastsider LA has a current photo.)

In any case, ch-ch-changes are a comin' to Sunset Junction when it comes to construction. A developer wants to level all existing buildings within a three-block strip on or near Sunset Boulevard between Santa Monica Boulevard and Bates Avenue, and up will go about 300 housing units, while down will go structures like the former Sunset Pacific Motel and the 4100 Bar.

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By Lindsay William-Ross in News on January 30, 2012 11:15 AM 0 Comments

Comments [rss]

bophisto

Is it really that big of a deal?....

Guest

exbaytriate...wow, personal attacks, NICE!

exbaytriate

Also, jcnla, you know that Disqus remembers how many comments you make even if you make them anonymous after the fact.

exbaytriate

"Anonymous Guest" ... wow, feigned indignation, NICE!

Guest

It's called a Property Line. He can do whatever he wants with it.

chairs_missing

True, but it's been open sidewalk and pedestrian friendly shop entrances for as long as the building has existed (long before Kantner moved in)... I guess I thought this neighborhood was about open minded people and community, not secluding all the yuppies behind ivy walls or privatizing de-facto public spaces.

jcnla

Wow. Hipsters bitching at their own success. I wonder if they bitched this much when the pupuseria spot was replaced by a trendy hipster eatery. I LOVE the new wall. And hope they run into it when they're wiping the tears off their moustache.

exbaytriate

did you ever eat at that grade B pupuseria? stinky cabbage and shitty service? good riddance.

and that trendy, hipster eatery you speak of? drink 10 beers and go eat there. perhaps you won't be so quick to criticize.

or maybe you will, because you sound like you don't know how to enjoy life.

Mario Sosa

You actually need 10 beers to eat at that shitty hipster spot, the food tastes like crap.

exbaytriate

the food from this "hipster spot" is literally the turkish equivalent of our mexican street dogs. it's not supposed to be fancy or cool, it's supposed to be slammed between bars (drinking, not prison) as they do in berlin.

life frequently makes sense in perspective if you care to look.

chairs_missing

No one's begrudging this guy success, the community just wants the sidewalk back for *everyone* in the neighborhood.

dave90026

According to reader Jessica on Eastsider LA, this thing is permanent: "The wall is a permanent part of the permit they pulled, you can find the plans here – http://pdis.lacity.org/pdf/vie... and here’s the building permit https://www.permitla.org/ipars...
and these plans were fully approved by the neighborhood council! the only thing they asked for was more bike parking"

Not to be a NIMBY, but this thing is going to be friggin' ugly, even after they stucco it. It really does cut into the pedestrian feel of that corner. If they were going to have a wall, I wish it would be half that height.

chairs_missing

Cafe Stella is selling out the community to make a quick buck... nothing new in this retarded city. The thing is, the junction is appealing because of it's pedestrian friendly nature (walkable shops, people watching, etc.) and this wall damages that by closing off a significant portion of the walkway to the public.

margatefam

A city can't be retarded. Retarded means to slow down. Next time you want to use the word stupid you should do so, and leave behind the words that hurt the disabled. I mean, you don't use other slurs, do you?

chairs_missing

my bad, didn't mean to offend you... asinine would've sufficed.

exbaytriate

yes, it not only "cold [sic] be an extension of Café Stella [...]" but it is going to be a full bar for your cocktailing pleasure.

i'm bummed that retail space is gone, but i'm stoked on the fact i'll be able to slam gin and tonics before i devour a nice tasty short rib.

dave90026

According to reader Jessica on Eastsider LA, this thing is permanent: "The wall is a permanent part of the permit they pulled, you can find the plans here – http://pdis.lacity.org/pdf/vie... and here’s the building permit https://www.permitla.org/ipars...
and these plans were fully approved by the neighborhood council! the only thing they asked for was more bike parking"

Not to be a NIMBY, but this thing is huge and is going to be friggin' ugly, even after they stucco it. It really does cut into the pedestrian feel of that corner. If they were going to have a wall, I wish it would be half that height.