State of California - The Resources Agency Primary #: _______________ DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI #: _______________ Trinomial: _______________ PRIMARY RECORD CRHR Status Code: 6Z Other Listings: ________________________________________________________________ Review Code______________ Reviewer_________________________ Date_______________ Page 1 of 3 *Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder): 686 N Robertson Blvd P1. Other Identifier: Modern Records *P2. Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted *a. County Los Angeles and (P2c, P2e, and P2b or P2d. Attach a Location Map as necessary.) *b. USGS 7.5' Quad: Date: T : R : of S : ___B.M. c. Address: 686 N Robertson Blvd City: West Hollywood Zip: 90069 d. UTM: (Give more than one for large and/or linear resources) Zone: 11S, 372203.9128 mE / 3772255.7313 mN e. Other Locational Data: (e.g., parcel #, directions to resource, elevation, etc., as appropriate) : Parcel # 4336-008-017 *P3a. Description: (Describe resource and its major elements. Include design, materials, condition, alterations, size, setting, and boundaries) This is a 2-story restaurant lounge/tavern in the Spanish Colonial Revival style with Gothic/Neo-Gothic influences built in 1936. Exterior walls are stucco and stone veneer. The building has a hipped gable roof clad in terra-cotta tiles with extending and exposed rafters. The roof over the rear portion of the building is flat. *P3b. Resource Attributes (List attributes and codes): HP6: 1-3 story commercial building *P4. Resources Present: Building Structure Object Site Element of District Other (Isolates, etc.) P5a. Photograph or Drawing (Photo required for buildings, structures, and objects.) P5b. Description of photo: (View, data, accession #) View facing east, July 2016. *P6. Date Constructed/Age and Source: Historic Prehistoric Both 1936. Los Angeles County Office of the Assessor *P7. Owner and Address: *P8. Recorded by: (Name, affiliation, and address) GPA Consulting, 617 S. Olive Street, Suite 910, Los Angeles, CA 90014 *P9. Date Recorded: Date surveyed: 2016. Record prepared: 08/15/2016 *P10. Survey Type: (Describe) Intensive *P11. Report Citation: (Cite survey report and other sources or enter "none.") West Hollywood Historic Resources Survey *Attachments: None Location Map Sketch Map Continuation Sheet Building, Structure, and Object Record Archeological Record District Record Linear Feature Record Milling Station Record Rock Art Record Artifact Record Photograph Record Other (List): __Photograph Sheet__________________________________________ DPR 523A (9/2013) *Required information State of California - The Resources Agency Primary #: _______________ DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI #: _______________ Trinomial: _______________ BUILDING, STRUCTURE, AND OBJECT RECORD CRHR Status Code: 6Z *Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder): 686 N Robertson Blvd Page 2 of 3 B1. Historic Name: Modern Records B2. Common Name: The Abbey B3. Original Use: Commerce/Trade: Business B4. Present Use: Commerce/Trade: Restaurant *B5. Architectural Style: Spanish Colonial Revival , Gothic/Neo-Gothic *B6 Construction History: (Construction date, alterations, and date of alterations) Date: 1936. Source: Los Angeles County Office of the Assessor *B7. Moved? Yes No Date: Original Location: *B8. Related Features: B9a. Architect: Unknown b. Builder: Unknown B10. Significance: Theme: Postwar West Hollywood Area: Period of Significance: 1946 - 1965 Property Type: Restaurant lounge/tavern Applicable Criteria: (Discuss importance in terms of historical or architectural context as defined by theme, period, and geographic scope. Also address integrity.) Constructed in 1936 as a commercial building, this property was occupied by Modern Records from the 1940s to the 1960s. It is ineligible for listing in the National Register and California Register or for designation as a West Hollywood Cultural Resource through survey evaluation (6Z). Although Modern Records may have played an important role in the history of music, the property does not appear to retain integrity from the period of significance. The property has been occupied by The Abbey since 1991, but is not old enough to warrant evaluation as a potential historical resource for this association. Modern Records was a trailblazing record label founded in 1945. Run by brothers Lester, Jules, Saul, and Joe Bihari, the company was a pioneer in both rhythm and blues and rock and roll. Searching out unknown artists in the segregated South, the Bihari brothers produced songs by Little Richard and Etta James, as well as John Lee Hooker’s first hit, and the first recordings of B. B. King and Howlin’ Wolf. Based upon visual observation, the property does not retain any aspects of integrity from the period of significance except for location and setting. Historic photographs of Modern Records were not found. Sanborn maps reveal that the footprint of the building is unchanged, but it is apparent that the exterior walls, doors, and windows have been altered since 1936. These alterations likely occurred since the building became The Abbey in 1991. B11. Additional Resource Attributes (List attributes and codes): *B12. References: Sanborn Map, vol 20, 1926-50; Los Angeles County Assessor Records, 1936-62; Los Angeles Sentinel various dates; Los Angeles Times, various dates; "The Modern Records Story," bsnpubs.com. B13. Remarks: B14. Evaluator: GPA Consulting, 617 S. Olive Street, Suite 910, Los Angeles, CA 90014 *Date of Evaluation: Date surveyed: 2016. Record prepared: 08/15/2016 (This space reserved for official comments.) DPR 523B (9/2013) *Required information State of California - The Resources Agency Primary #: _______________ DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI #: _______________ Trinomial: _______________ PHOTOGRAPH SHEET CRHR Status Code: 6Z Property Name: 686 N Robertson Blvd Page 3 of 3 View facing east, July 2016. DPR 523L (9/2013) *Required information.