Gentle reader,
The city we love is dissolving like a sandcastle at high tide.
Wildfire, mudslide, blight, arson and bulldozers poised to crush useful, beautiful and long vacant historic structures that stand in the way of some speculator’s upzoned profits. Our supposed leaders squabble like school kids. Federal contractors cut down living trees in the burn zones. Legacy businesses lock their doors.
But there are still moments of such grace and hope in Los Angeles, and they come from the people.
On Saturday, while leading The Real Black Dahlia tour in historic Skid Row, Kim noticed a yellow zippered Amazon delivery box with artsy writing on the lid:
PREGO CAT / PLEASE HELP IF YOU CAN!!! / IF NOT… LEAVE HER BE!!!
Peeping inside, she locked eyes with a beautiful, green-eyed orange tabby cat.
Time, tide and trolly wait for no man when a tour is underway. But there was enough time to snap a photo and post it to social media.
And over the next hour or so—unbeknownst to us, as we finished telling the tragic tale of how the homeless, depressed and self destructive Beth Short was kidnapped and killed by person or persons unknown after spending her last hours of freedom in the neighborhood in 1947—a small army of cat lovers dropped everything to coordinate the rescue of the little cat on the sidewalk at 7th and Main Streets.
Checking the comments after the tour, it made us misty to think how many kind souls stepped up to help a creature that was so vulnerable, and to wish that Beth Short might have found friends like this in life.
When the Luxe Paws team was able to assess the cat’s condition, they discovered she was not pregnant, and not even a she!
The sweet neutered male tabby is safe and looking for a foster home. If you’d like to look after this lucky little guy, or chip in with some donations for cat food, vet care and rescue supplies, visit this Luxe Paws link. And you can also support NELA Cats, the other feline rescue on the scene.
Had we not gone south on Main to talk about the illegally wrecked historic sign on the south facade of the Hotel Cecil, we would have missed the cat entirely! So that’s one good thing to come out of leaseholder Matt Baron’s wanton destruction, at least.
But there wasn’t time to feel warm and fuzzy. Also in our Instagram inbox was an urgent alert from preservation pal @d__t_fox: a demolition notice had been posted outside one of the strangest places on Sunset, the Hollywood Center Motel!
We bid farewell to our gracious tour guests, packed up our gear and raced over to Hollywood, parking in front of the demolition threatened Las Palmas Apartments, where the beautiful pink magnolia tree still blooms in hopes she and the 84 rent controlled apartments can be saved.
The mysterious, non-operational Hollywood Center Motel, with its pre-consolidation Queen Anne William A. and Sarah Avery house “El Nido” (built around 1901), sweet row of 1922 bungalow court duplex units and jazzy mid-century breeze block and pole sign, is just across the street. For the complicated history of this property, we defer to J.H. Graham’s 2020 blog post.
As for the status of the site, LADBS shows only an application for six demolition permits, and no proposed new project. The motel doesn’t seem to have been on the market, but it changed hands on 04/10/2023. Jeweler Andranik “Andy” Sogoyan registered the sale to Titanium Legacy LLC, an entity that has since been terminated for the recently established 6720 Sunset LLC.
If the new owner has a desire to redevelop the parcel, that’s his right. But we don’t believe six historic residential / motel units ought to be torn down for nothing, especially right after tens of thousands of historic buildings were destroyed in the Eaton and Palisades fires.
We have already heard from people in Altadena who don’t want to build a brand new house to replace what burned, but hope to save and move an old house that might otherwise be demolished.
The main house is explicitly called out on page 110 as an Individual Resource on the Historic Resources Survey, Hollywood Redevelopment Project Area as a “Rare example of residential development that predates Hollywood’s consolidation with the City of Los Angeles in 1910.” While not a city landmark, this inclusion can grant “El Nido” the possibility of protection from immediate demolition. But it’s not automatic, and here’s where you can help.
If you care about the Hollywood Center Motel and think demolishing good buildings for nothing is bad public policy, please take a moment to call (213-473-7013) or email (councilmember.soto-martinez@lacity.org) the office of Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez and let them know you don’t want demolition permits to be granted for the historic buildings at 6720 West Sunset in Hollywood, especially with no new project planned for the site.
Maybe the new owner has a great idea for this parcel, and we’re eager to hear what that is. And perhaps these historic buildings can be moved to Altadena or to Pacific Palisades to serve as housing. Or maybe the long shuttered motel can once again shelter travelers. There are many good options, and only one terrible option: destroying something historic and useful, for nothing.
Updates on Hollywood Center Motel:
Preservation pal marwinski compiles vintage TV clips (1960-1983) featuring the demolition threatened Hollywood Center Motel, back when it looked good enough for Jim Rockford and was open for nightly bookings.
Update April 21, 2025: On the LADBS portal, corrections have just been issued for one of the applications for demolition, for the original house. Locals report that the gate has now been draped in green demo fence, so it’s no longer possible to see the property from the sidewalk. And in a video posted a week ago, German in Venice says a man on the property told him a museum owner had offered him $1500 for the iconic neon sign. There is still no new project proposed for the site.
Update September 14, 2025: A small fire broke out on the balcony of the main house, El Nido, and was extinguished by LAFD, with 11 units assigned. We email Council District 13 and inform them of the fire, adding: “We’re concerned about potential demolition by neglect, since the new owner is seeking demolition permits. It is hard to keep an eye on the buildings due to the fencing that has gone up. Could your office please get an inspector over to see if the compound and structures are secure and how serious the fire was?” (no reply).
Update September 22, 2025: After visiting the property to assess the condition after the fire (no fire damage is visible from the sidewalk), we follow up with an email to Council District 13 expressing alarm: “The current condition of the Hollywood Center Motel property is extremely concerning. Every unit with a door that is visible from Sunset appears to have been broken into, with contents strewn around. There is tagging on an abandoned car parked on the lot and on the sign…. It looks like trespassers are gaining access to the property by entering the vacant lot at 1445 Las Palmas, where the historic Writers’ Club Theatre / Hollywood Center Theatre / Hollywood Playhouse burned in 2022. That parcel is fenced with no trespassing signs, but the fence is open and the fence surrounding the Hollywood Center Motel is not secure. These historic RSO units are in immediate danger of burning down or otherwise suffering irreversible demolition by neglect. Can your office PLEASE get an LADBS inspector to assess the situation on both the unsecured 1445 Las Palmas parcel and the 6720 West Sunset Boulevard parcel, and do something to ensure this property is made more safe?” (no reply)
Update October 18, 2025: A large fire breaks out in the front bungalow on the east side of the property and is extinguished by LAFD.
Update October 19, 2025: We send an email to Council District 13 (and have received no reply as of the morning of October 21): “(Un)happy Sunday. Hollywood Center Motel burned last night. [We] alerted you twice in September to the immediate threat to these historic RSO buildings, which were left unsecured by the property owner to whom you have not granted demolition permits because there is no new project. Was anything done in response to [our] request that an inspector be sent out to assess the situation? If so, what inspector was that? Will those demolition permits now be forthcoming?”
Update November 7, 2025: See our newsletter with video and photos of the fire and aftermath, and directions for contacting the CD 13 council office to demand the buildings are secured as well as another empty landmark in the neighborhood has been.
Update November 10, 2025: Office of Historic Resources accepts a landmarking application submitted by Hollywood Heritage, calling out the immediate risk of demolition by neglect. You can read it here. Stay tuned for an opportunity to tell the Cultural Heritage Commissioners that you want them to vote yes on designation.
Update November 11, 2025: Scott Michaels, who has a quarter of a million YouTube subscribers, publishes a video showing him being hit by a rock thrown by a trespasser inside the compound. This happened while Michaels was standing on the public sidewalk documenting the condition of the buildings. We urge our readers to exercise caution when visiting abandoned places, and continue to call on Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez to make the property owner secure the compound, or direct LADBS to do so for him.
Update November 13, 2025: In their newsletter, Hollywood Heritage confirms the first Cultural Heritage Commission hearing for Hollywood Center Motel will be Thursday, December 4 at 10am at Los Angeles City Hall room 1010. The public will be able to make comments in person or via phone or Zoom, or you can simply email your support of landmarking to chc@lacity.org.
Update December 4, 2025: At the first hearing before the Cultural Heritage Commission, Hollywood Center Motel was taken under consideration as a potential landmark. A rather ramshackle live feed from the hearing can be found here. And cordial discussion followed with the property owner’s representative and preservationists from Hollywood Heritage and the community, seeking to stabilize the dangerous conditions and find a happy solution for a the troubled property. Stay tuned for the second hearing where the public will have a chance to speak again, and hear what the Commissioners saw when they walk the site!
Update December 14, 2025: In response to seven individual LADBS code violation complaints dated 11/24/25 through 12/3/2025 about “ABANDONED OR VACANT BUILDING LEFT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC,” inspector Glen Rand issues an abate order with the following violations: 1) Electrical permit required. 2) The building or premises is Substandard due to inadequate sanitation caused by general dilapidation or improper maintenance.
Update December 23, 2025: After the CHC hearing on December 4, we spoke with the property owner’s representative about our concerns about security at the potential landmark and asked that they seek a vacate order to give LAPD the authority to remove any squatters or vandals found on site. We’re happy to report there is now a posted vacate order!
Update December 25, 2025: On January 7, tune in for a free virtual presentation from Hollywood Heritage on The Hollywood Center Motel: A Case for Preservation.
Update January 4, 2026: Firefighters responded to a massive predawn fire at Hollywood Center Motel, with trespassers trapped inside the historic El Nido residence. Arson investigators are on the case. Around 11am, the LAFD heavy equipment crew, led by Capt. Richard Diede, began to demolish the house and fire damaged front bungalows due to the threat to public safety. The video below is from a concerned citizen.
We arrived around noon to find Sunset Boulevard closed, with fire fighters hosing down the ruins of one of the oldest houses in Hollywood. The videos you’ll see below are our live Instagram reporting, first from the the Sunset Boulevard sidewalk…
…followed by a complete walk through the inside of the property, to assess the status of the bungalow court units.
We found that buildings number 2, 3, 4 and 6 are still standing, and quite charming, despite all the neglect and recent damage from squatters and taggers.
The loss of El Nido is heartbreaking, and we hate that unhoused people were trapped inside the burning house and had to be rescued. But we are relieved that so much of the compound survives, still full of history and potential, and we look forward to speaking up for it at the second landmarkhearing at City Hall. Perhaps a demolition threatened house of the same vintage as the lost El Nido can be moved to the center of the Hollywood Center Motel?
On Wednesday, January 7 at 7pm, Hollywood Heritage is hosting a free virtual presentation, The Hollywood Center Motel: A Case for Preservation. Join them to hear about why this place matters, and how the tragic loss of El Nido can be a beacon for better preservation policies in Hollywood and all of Los Angeles.
This Saturday’s tour is Hotel Horrors & Main Street Vice, a true crime and weird social history walk through some of the most beautiful and peculiar landmarks in Downtown Los Angeles, telling strange tales of freak shows, ghouls, nuts and mummies. Join us for a time travel trip you won’t soon forget!
And the Supervisors have rescheduled discussion of Rancho Los Amigos redevelopment to Tuesday, 3/4, which means you still can provide a brief public comment asking that the beautiful Rusty Leaf Fig trees are not chopped down by 4pm today. Full instructions are at the link.
Yours for Los Angeles,
Kim & Richard
Esotouric
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Our work—leading tours and historic preservation and cultural landmark advocacy—is about building a bridge between Los Angeles' past and its future, and not allowing the corrupt, greedy, inept and misguided players who hold present power to destroy the city's soul and body. If you’d like to support our efforts to be the voice of places worth preserving, we have a tip jar, vintage Los Angeles webinars available to stream, in-person tours and a souvenir shop you can browse in. We’ve also got recommended reading bookshelves on Amazon and the Bookshop indie bookstore site. And did you know we offer private versions of our walking tours for groups big or small? Or just share this link with other people who care.
UPCOMING WALKING TOURS
• Hotel Horrors & Main Street Vice Downtown L.A. (Sat. 3/8) • Bunker Hill, Dead and Alive (Sat. 3/15) • Raymond Chandler’s Noir Downtown Los Angeles (Sat. 3/22) • Franklin Village Old Hollywood (Sun. 3/30) • John Fante’s Downtown L.A. (Sat. 4/5) • Angelino Heights & Carroll Avenue (Sat. 4/12) • Elmer McCurdy’s Main Street Revival (4/15) • Leo Politi Loves Los Angeles (Sat. 4/19) • Downtown Los Angeles is for Book Lovers (Sat. 4/26) • Human Sacrifice: The Black Dahlia, Elisa Lam, Heidi Planck & Skid Row Slasher Cases (5/3) • Charles Bukowski’s Westlake (5/10) • Highland Park Arroyo Time Travel Trip (5/17) • The Run: Gay Downtown History (5/24) • Evergreen Cemetery, 1877 (5/31) • Angelino Heights & Carroll Avenue (6/7) • Raymond Chandler’s Noir Downtown Los Angeles (6/14) • Miracle Mile Marvels & Madness (6/22) • Westlake Park Time Travel Trip (6/28) • Film Noir / Real Noir (7/12) • The Real Black Dahlia (7/19) • Broadway (7/26)
