WeHo Preservation Commission Unanimously Gives Standard Hotel Local Designation

At a virtual meeting on April 25, 2022, West Hollywood’s Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) unanimously gave The Standard Hotel building (formerly The Thunderbird Hotel) a local designated cultural resource recommendation. The 139-room Mid-Century Modern building located at 8300 Sunset Boulevard, in the heart of TheSunset Strip is on its way to become a West Hollywood landmark. The recommendation will move forward before the West Hollywood City Council, which will undoubtedly vote to seal the building’s historic preservation status.

“We’re very happy to see the HPC’s unanimous recommendation to have this excellent example of mid-century modern architecture on the Sunset Strip designated as a local cultural resource,” said Victor Omelczenko, Board President of the West Hollywood Preservation Alliance. “And we look forward to the City Council ratifying that recommendation and making the designation official at a future meeting.”

The West Hollywood Preservation Alliance released a statement urging the Historic Preservation Commission to affirm city staff’s recommendation to support local cultural resource designation for the property. “The WHPA concurs with the findings of applicant Steven Luftman and the organization Save Iconic Architecture regarding this mid-century masterwork,” read the statement. “Formerly known as the Thunderbird Inn and most recently as The Standard, this property retains all seven aspects of historic integrity as defined by the Secretary of the Interior Standards for historic preservation. Few structures in our city and adjacent areas retain this much integrity, showcasing a style that is emblematic of a vital and creative Southern California typology.”

The West Hollywood City Staff report describes the subject building as a Mid-Century Modern architectural style with subtle Googie-themed features designed by architect Herbert R. Kameon, constructed in 1961-1962. Built on a sloping hillside, the building is three stories tall at the front on Sunset Boulevard and five stories tall at the rear on De Longpre Avenue, where the two lowest stories are primarily the parking garage. The reinforced concrete and steel structure is configured in an asymmetrical F-shaped plan, with the main stem of the F spanning about 350 feet along Sunset Boulevard that encloses the courtyard pool area from the east, north and west. Behind the parapet the building’s roof is flat, and various mechanical structures placed on the roof rise above the parapet. Mounted on the roof and near the northeast corner of the building is a large white globe mounted on a pole that rises about ten feet above the parapet. Named Luminous Orb, the globe is a sculpture by the artist Piero Golia.