WEST HOLLYWOOD—The city is inviting community members to attend the fourth and fifth Neighborhood Conversations regarding the renovation of Laurel House and Park. The renovation will be led by the architecture consultant team from Page & Turnbull in partnership with consultants Kimberli Meyer and Sara Daleiden, who are guiding the development of the Artist Residency Program for the cultural resource.
According to a news release from the city of West Hollywood, the meetings will offer a preview of initial designs and provide feedback on the architectural plan development for Laurel House and Park Artist Residency Program.
On Tuesday, September 26 there will be an in-person Neighborhood Conversation from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Plummer Park Community Center located at 7377 Santa Monica Boulevard in Rooms 5 and 6. Drop-in, no RSVP is necessary. On Wednesday, September 27, there will be a virtual session from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. via Zoom. Register in advance for this virtual meeting using the Zoom platform.
Laurel House and Park located at 1343 N. Laurel Avenue, which is city-owned real property consists of a 30,000-square-foot lot, a 7,177-square-foot former single-family dwelling, and an unattached accessory structure that is approximately 2,379 square feet and consists of a chauffer’s cottage and garages. Original portions of the structures were built in 1917. The conversion of the original single-family residence into four apartment units and the four-car garage addition were completed in 1941. The property was designated as a Local Cultural Resource by West Hollywood in 1994.
The West Hollywood City Council in 2010 directed staff to develop plans for open grounds as open space for temporary public use. During 2013-2014, West Hollywood conducted a visioning process of the property. Members of the community gave support for various uses.
In 2018, the West Hollywood City Council received a report forwarded by the Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission with a focus on Artist-in-Residence programs, including potential use of 1343 N. Laurel Avenue as a potential Artist-in-Residence site. The recommendation was forwarded to the Council Subcommittee for additional review. In October 2022, in a feasibility study update, the West Hollywood City Council confirmed the site should be used for arts and culture programs and it directed staff to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a qualified architectural design firm to continue the programming and design process. Page & Turnbull was awarded the architectural contract to start design development for the project.
For additional details contact Alicen Bartle, West Hollywood Project Development Administrator, at (323) 848-6323 or at abartle@weho.org. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing call TTY (323) 848-6496.
By Trevor