Peerless Motor Car Building

Hollywood Heritage is a non- profit organization dedicated to preservation of the historic built environment in Hollywood and to education about the early film industry and the role its pioneers played in shaping Spring 2012 www.hollywoodheritage.org Volume 31, Number 1 Hollywood’s history. Sunset Gordon Redevelopment Update Hollywood Heritage Congratulates Peerless Motor the Arslanians ollywood Heritage congratulates Oscar and Nyla Arslanian on their Car Building Hrecent Hollywood Star Award from n August 2011, the CIM Group purchased including the wood trusses and fireplace. the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. The the property at 5939 Sunset Boulevard In November 2011, the CIM Group ap- award was presented at the organization’s Ifrom Washington Real Estate Holdings proached Hollywood Heritage to review the November Entertainment Industry Luncheon. and announced that it planned to build the re- building’s current conditions. While a beloved The Arslanians, publishers of Discover Hollywood tail, office and residential project approved by community fixture, the building is not consid- magazine, have long touted Hollywood as a the city in 2007. ered historic due to its extensive modifica- tourism destination and promoted its cultural This property is worthy of its place in the tions, and therefore, is not eligible for code heritage resources since 1986. The magazine history of Hollywood. The original build- exemptions. has for the last 25 years promoted local retail- ing on the site opened in 1924 as a Peerless After discussion of the current deteriorated ers and entertainment venues including our Motor Car showroom and for the next three condition, Hollywood Heritage and the CIM own Hollywood Heritage Museum. Discover years featured several makes of cars. In the Group have modified their agreement to now Hollywood is published quarterly and has a cir- late 1920s, it was the home to The Motion require recreation of critical elements of the culation of 75,000. About 40,000 magazines Picture Hall of Fame. In 1934 it housed ra- building. To assure that the recreation work are distributed through hotels, visitor centers, dio station KNX until 1938 when Columbia will match the original Spanish Colonial Re- restaurants and Southern California tourist Square was built. It then became home to the vival Architectural style of the existing struc- attractions, and 35,000 are mailed to nearby Max Reinhardt Workshop of Stage, Screen ture, the developer will work with Hollywood and Radio - an acting studio of a famous the- Heritage using any photographic documenta- ater and movie director. Radio station KMPC tion it can provide of the building during the returned the building to broadcast studios in 1920s time period. The developer will also sal- 1944. Johnny Grant, who would become the vage and retain materials as architectural ref- unofficial mayor of Hollywood, was a KMPC erence for the recreation effort and work with disc jockey. It was a medical clinic in 1971 and a local architect, William Roche, approved by in 1976 the building was turned into The Old Hollywood Heritage and with the organiza- Spaghetti Factory, which served diners for de- tion included on the project design team. cades. Anyone aware of any photographs of the In 2007, concerned about the building’s Stanley W. Smith Peerless Motor Car Deal- history despite severe alterations, Hollywood ership of Hollywood, or the building shown Heritage entered into an agreement with the housing any of its other early tenants, please developer, which called for the rehabilitation contact Hollywood Heritage’s board secre- of the Sunset Boulevard facade on the south tary, Alan Simon, at [email protected]. side of the building. This included the parapet What does all this mean? As a result of roof tiles and windows that matched the orig- the work of the CIM Group and Hollywood homes. The Arslanians have long been allies inal size of those in the Peerless Motor Car Heritage, the character of the Peerless Mo- in preservation efforts and have contributed showroom, recreation of the significant char- tor Car showroom from the 1920s will soon their time to Hollywood Heritage by serving acter-defining features of front porch walls be returning to its original Hollywood site at as board members. Thanks, Oscar and Nyla, and columns of the building, and restoration the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Gordon for your continued promotion of Hollywood of the significant character-defining features Street as part of a new development. and the entertainment industry. Best wishes for of the main and secondary reception rooms, your continued success. President’s Message Hollywood Heritage’s Rosenfelder Collection www.hollywoodheritage.org by Richard Adkins qualified under this overly vague descrip- s part of the tion - a group had been formed to turn the BOARD OF DIRECTORS ongoing im- Garden Court Apartments into a museum Richard Adkins, President provements called Hollywood Museum Associates, and A Claire Bradford, Vice President at the museum, older the County of Los Angeles was the owner of database files are those items collected in the early 1960s for Alan H. Simon, Secretary being updated into a museum, therefore it also qualified as a le- Randy Haberkamp, Treasurer our current database gitimate “Hollywood Museum.” Luckily, Al program. In the current program, Hollywood had attached his Hollywood Heritage mem- Heritage member Amy Higgins has entered bership card to his will and we were then Robert S. Birchard over 3,000 items. As we add the substantial identified as the third eligible organization. performer photograph collection donated The three organizations could not have been Bob Blue by the late Albert C. Rosenfelder, it occurred more different. Hollywood Museum Associ- to me that few people knew of this former ates had a building that was involved in liti- Amy Condit member who was so instrumental to the suc- gation, as the previous owner of the Garden cess of the museum. Court Apartments had appeared to sell the Bryan Cooper building to two different parties at the same Denise DeCarlo time, so they had neither a building nor a collection. The County of Los Angeles had a Margot Gerber collection, but no building. At that time Hol- lywood Heritage had a building, the Barn, Mary Mallory but no collection to speak of. Hollywood Heritage had already negoti- Christy Johnson McAvoy ated a long-term lease with the county for the Dr. Meredith Drake Reitan land opposite the bowl and county officials contacted us with an offer to withdraw their Stan Taffel claim if we would use the proceeds from the Rosenfelder estate to improve the museum Tracy Terhune Al Rosenfelder, Tom Schimmel, silent film actress Mary building, an offer we were only too happy MacLaren, author Chaw Mank, and Jack Smith at Miss to accept. The court decided that The Hol- Valerie Yaros MacLaren’s Los Angeles home in the 1960’s lywood Museum needed both time and some Mr. Rosenfelder was a dedicated movie funds to be able to become a viable museum fan and lamented the lack of a film muse- and they were granted both, with the proviso Committees & Chairs um in Hollywood. His dream was to open that if at the end of the time granted them Finance & Development - Claire Bradford a museum, and to that end he had collected by the court they were not able to prove they thousands of photographs of silent film stars, were to proceed on their plans to open a mu- Museum - Richard Adkins talking film stars, television stars and stars of seum, that the estate of Albert C. Rosenfelder Membership - Richard Adkins (acting chair) radio and the stage. His home in Hollywood would go to Hollywood Heritage, Inc. Unfor- Nominating - Robert S. Birchard was filled with file cabinet after file cabinet of tunately The Hollywood Museum group was these photographs and index card files which not able to demonstrate their eligibility and Preservation Issues - Dr. Meredith Drake Reitan cross-referenced them for easy access. After the estate was granted to us. The estate con- Public Relations - Bryan Cooper Hollywood Heritage obtained the Lasky- sisted of a residential lot in Hollywood and Publications - Alan H. Simon DeMille Barn and sited it opposite the Holly- the collection, which for the most part was wood Bowl, Al would stop by periodically to stored in the Rosenfelder garage, and was not Silent Society - Randy Haberkamp check on our progress. He would have long in the greatest of condition. Hollywood Heri- Mary Zickefoose conversations with co-founder Marian Gib- tage volunteers, primarily from a committee Director of Membership Development bons, talks that influenced him to alter his then called the “Special Projects” commit- John Clifford will in Hollywood Heritage’s favor. tee, spent countless hours going through the Newsletter and Web Site Editor Not long after the museum had opened, garage, sorting through photos, magazines Hollywood Heritage Newsletter is published Hollywood Heritage was notified that Al had and ephemera, preparing to move it from the quarterly by Hollywood Heritage, Inc., passed away. In his will, he had left his estate decrepit garage. Luckily in 1985, Hollywood P.O. Box 2586, Hollywood, CA 90078 and his collection to “a Hollywood museum.” Heritage also was granted the management 323 874-4005. At the time, there were three entities which continued on page 4 2 Hollywood Heritage Newsletter | Spring 2012 Cinerama Makes History at the Lasky-DeMille Barn esidents of Southern California are places you’ve never been before and let you subject. Critics and fans alike have lauded his more than used to seeing camera see these frontiers in a way you’ve never ex- love tome to the art of the three-film format, Rcrews filming on location. It has be- perienced. Audiences the world over packed Cinerama Adventure.

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