Renovations to West Hollywood Recovery Center Werle Building are COMPLETE!

The wait is finally over. Extensive renovations to the new West Hollywood Recovery Center Werle Building are complete! The City of West Hollywood is hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the grand re-opening of the historic city-owned building.

Mayor Pro Tempre John Duran tells WEHO TIMES the first 12-step meeting at the new West Hollywood Recovery Center is scheduled to take place on Saturday, November 4, at 9am (visit thewhrc.org for a meeting schedule).

The ribbon-cutting event will take place on Monday, November 6, at 5 p.m. at the Werle Building, 626 N. Robertson Boulevard. Members of the West Hollywood city council will join members of the recovering community for the ribbon-cutting festivities. The event is free and open to everyone. No RSVP is required. There will be light refreshments. Parking will be available at the five-story West Hollywood Park/Public Parking Structure, located at 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard; validations will be provided at the Council Chambers/Public Meeting Room lobby, adjacent to the structure.

The Werle Building, located on the northeast corner of Robertson Boulevard and El Tovar Place, is a 7,533-square-foot two-story office building built in 1940 in the Streamline Moderne style. The City of West Hollywood purchased the Werle Building in 1987. In 2003, the City entered into agreements with various nonprofit organizations for the use of the property on a temporary basis. In late 2011, the West Hollywood City Council approved a plan to develop long-term relationships with tenants and to make necessary property improvements.

The Werle Building serves as a dynamic space to support the needs of community members through local nonprofit organizations, which include:

• The West Hollywood Recovery Center, which serves more than 6,000 visitors monthly and provides a meeting place for 12-step groups and assistance with addiction recovery, prevention, and education;
• The ONE Archives Gallery & Museum, West Hollywood, which, as part of the ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, hosts regular shows and exhibits for the community; and
• The June L.  Mazer Lesbian Archives, which is the largest major archive on the West Coast dedicated to preserving and promoting lesbian and feminist history and culture.

The Werle Building is named for Daniel Werle, a fashion designer whose “Werle Originals” graced film and television actresses such as Loretta Young, Gloria Swanson, Barbara Stanwyck, and Marlo Thomas. Werle’s ready-to-wear creations were sold nationally in such stores as Saks Fifth Avenue and I. Magnin. Werle died in May 1985.

For more information about the City of West Hollywood’s Werle Building or about the Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony contact the City of West Hollywood’s Department of Public Works at (323) 848-6375.