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Once upon a time, the stars of a burgeoning SoCal celebrity scene frolicked at the Garden of Allah, a hotel and retreat operated by silent screen star Alla Nazimova at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Crescent Heights.
While the hideaway and haunt of many a local luminary in the 20s and 30s was fated to demolition in 1959, there's been a bank and a shopping plaza in its stead for over four decades. But the site is slated for a total overhaul yet again, and what it will be is up for discussion.
"The Hollywood Hills West Neighborhood Council will hold a public meeting Wednesday, Sept. 25 to receive feedback from the community regarding the proposed mixed-use project at 8150 Sunset Blvd. at Crescent Heights," reports WeHoVille.
Townscape Partners is behind the property revamp, and they are going to level the existing structures and are proposing to put up two apartment towers plus retail space. The new development "would span 2.56 acres and include 249 total apartment units and 111,000 square feet of commercial uses."
It so happens that a tower was a part of the initial vision for the commercial development at the site of the Garden of Allah back in the late 1950s, but it never panned out. Those planners said at the time of their intent they looked at their development "from the point of view of creating a beauty spot at this important intersection, rather than from how many square feet we can cram on the lot."
There are scant signs left of the former beauty at this intersection, and a last reminder—a model of the Garden of Allah—went up for auction a couple of years ago.
Check out what once was as the corner prepares for its next chapter:
Garden of Allah - West Hollywood - Now And Then from WEHOville on Vimeo.
