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Trader Vic's(Beverly Hills)fate sealed? Not if we can help it! |
Dolewhip
Tiki Centralite
Joined: May 12, 2006
Posts: 38
From: Southern California
|  Posted: 2007-01-19 4:37 pm Permalink
So now we know it's really a goner. LA Observed posted an article today (01/19/07) with the latest news about the property. Bummer.
You can read the article here: http://www.laobserved.com/biz/2007/01/waldorf_coming_to_be.php
Thanks to Ojaitimo for suggesting I change the title of this thread to reflect our ongoing opposition to this project!
Dolewhip!
[ This Message was edited by: Dolewhip 2007-01-23 18:38 ]
[ This Message was edited by: Dolewhip 2007-01-23 18:42 ]
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arriano
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 13, 2006
Posts: 1121
From: Birdland - San Diego
| Posted: 2007-01-19 4:49 pm Permalink
Since TV seems to be in expansion-mode, I hope they will decide to open a new location in the LA area.
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freddiefreelance
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Feb 15, 2003
Posts: 2983
From: San Diego, Ca.
| Posted: 2007-01-19 6:08 pm Permalink
This sounds a little more definite than the Condo idea, since Waldorf would be an extension of the Hilton name, but there'll still be opposition from the locals. Enough of this and they may be forced to try something different to recoup the money put into the Hilton.
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RevBambooBen
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 12, 2002
Posts: 7196
From: Huntikington Beach
| Posted: 2007-01-19 6:16 pm Permalink
"Also as part of the plan, developer Oasis West says it will add two new lanes to Wilshire Boulevard (a new eastbound lane and a right turn lane) and one westbound lane to Santa Monica Boulevard."
RIP TRADER VICS!!!
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christiki295
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 09, 2003
Posts: 3616
From: LA-2547 mls east Hawaii &5500 Easter Is
| Posted: 2007-01-19 6:44 pm Permalink
The LA Conservancy has vowed the fight.
Linda Dishman, the Executive Dir, is quoted in the LA Times indicating they were going to try to preserve the 50s tiki.
www.laconservancy.org
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Ojaitimo
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 04, 2006
Posts: 1283 | Posted: 2007-01-19 6:55 pm Permalink
The local opposition is formidable. I still have hope that they will save or at least relocate Trader Vic's rather than get rid of it.
In November, Johnson the matre d said there is an extention due to the local opposition. With celebrity support they can make them at least delay this farce. I for one will never buy a computer from that company.
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Life is a state of mind
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bigtikidude
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 10, 2004
Posts: 8252
From: Anaheim,Ca.
| Posted: 2007-01-19 7:28 pm Permalink
So call me stupid,
but how much longer is Vic's gonna be there?
a month, a year, 5 years.
or nobody knows?
Jeff(bigtikidude)
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Son-of-Kelbo
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 03, 2004
Posts: 590
From: NOHO, CA
| Posted: 2007-01-19 8:51 pm Permalink
Okay, ENOUGH is ENOUGH.
Trader Vics LA is nothing short of a cultural icon for this (my/our) town, and it's time to get out the WAR CLUBS.
My wife Libby and I held our wedding reception there, and for the all the triple-digit-number of Mai Tais, Zombies, and other assorted belt-backs that flowed that night, I'm sure we can find a number of the faithful willing to chain themselves to the entranceway Tiki.
Come to think of it, maybe that's not such a bad idea... Who wants to bring the pitons, aircraft cable, anchor chain, Tarzan-vine, whatever, and hold a real, sit-in? I'm so f**king tired of hearing from everybody how f**king awful is is we lost Kelbo's (Oh, God, dear-fantastic-delightful-Kelbo's), Tiny Naylor's, The Brown Derby, POP, Bob'd BB Canoga Park - you-name-it, and then squids (no offense, Squid) from some other berg slam us for having "no culture".
Who the hell is willing to raise such a ruckus about this it will make the make the rafters tremble in City Hall? I sure as hell am.
If this thread gets any real response, if those of us who really give a damn about saving our f**ing culture in LA are willing to say it here at TC, then I say let's resolve to show up at Trader Vic's BH on SATURDAY, MARCH 17th 2007 (providing they don't bulldoze the place by then) and hold A REAL BIG-DEAL PROTEST.
Call the Media. Call the Marines. Call somebody, your friends, your friends' friends, everybody. Call the LA Conservancy, the Mayor's office, the BH CoC, Tiki News, Tiki Times, the LA Times, the London Times, everybody, and let's get a publicity laser-beam on this that makes the creeps (who probably don't even live here) who want to bulldoze LA's flagship of classic and urbane Tiki Culture blanch like sunbleached driftwood.
Saturday March 17th, 2007. You'll be drinking already, you know you will. Let's lash our raft together and kick some lunk-headed-developer butt.
Cheers and Aloha,
SOK
www.yoyoisland.com
_________________
"Don't let it be forgot,
That once there was a Spot,
Where Blowfish all wore sunglasses,
and Tiki-times were hot..."
SOK
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mzoltarp
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 28, 2006
Posts: 163
From: Bakersfield, California
| Posted: 2007-01-20 06:25 am Permalink
The irony of all of this is that Los Angeles and Orange County have always been oriented to the newest-is-bestest mindset. 50 years ago the atomic, Eames era, tiki days were the newest thing. How sad that the region has aged 50 years but not matured a day. Preserving history is a gift for the future.
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Swamp Tiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Feb 08, 2006
Posts: 158
From: The Shadowy Moss Draped South
| Posted: 2007-01-20 07:17 am Permalink
TO quote Jack Benny......"Well!"
I am glad that I made the trip out to get pictures of it a few months back. When the talk of Trader Vic's being lost began to pick up I figured that documenting it should be high on my list of things to do. Being a architectural historian, anytime a historic property becomes endangered the ole' alarms start going off. This property and its landscape qualify for the NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES. Actually the residential community across the street qualifies as a National Register District. National Register status is a pedigree that attracts attention and gives historic properties "bragging rights." I urge you Californians to contact the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO)to learn more about saving these sensitive properties from the wrecking ball. Historic districts bring ordinances that are regulated by the people who live in them, not government, not big business. Districts bring in Design Guidelines that regulates new construction, and assists locals on proper restoration and rehabilitation techniques, AND available tax incentives and grants.
Oh GOD, I'm starting to rant.....
Listen, the Beverly Hills Trader Vic's IS a historic property. The exterior of the building is filled with awe inspiring art work that is worthy for a museum. Its even signed and dated by the artist, for God's sake! Here in the Eastern United States, FOLK ART is being recognized for its importance, its rare, beautiful, and irreplaceable. The bass relief artwork on the outside of Trader Vic's falls into this category. This issue should be addressed on the state level, and could qualify for Federal attention. Historic Properties that retain their historical integrity are rare and can get the attention they deserve when the community rallies around it.
I'm not going to rattle about my business, but go to my website
http://www.historical-integrity.com
Get passed all my design pages and get to the meat of its historic preservation element. Read about the National Register of Historic Places and the Secretary of Interior's Standards for Preservation. This knowledge will help you save California's vintage tiki landmarks. Developers have no since of history or community. As long as they are tearing down and rebuilding they are making money!
Let me say that if TV's is demolished and is rebuilt in another location, will the new property have the rich patina, that original luster that only the tests of time can give..? No. What history, what memories will exist in the new construction? None. The people and experiences associated with the original location will be lost forever. Causalities of urban development. We can never fully re-create the past, modern building codes and bias contaminates that ability... this is why historic preservation is so important.
If Trader Vic's Beverly Hills is lost, be sure you learn from this mistake, take stock in the resources you have left, get organized, get the right knowledge, and see that they are preserved for your old age and the next generation of tikifiles that haven't even been born yet.
Swamp.
[ This Message was edited by: Swamp Tiki 2007-01-20 07:48 ]
[ This Message was edited by: Swamp Tiki 2007-01-20 07:49 ]
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Ojaitimo
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 04, 2006
Posts: 1283 | Posted: 2007-01-20 08:51 am Permalink
I will be there on March 17th but I would really like to get started sooner than that. I am so sick of this throw away society we live in. No history it seems. Swamp is right in that even if they do relocate TV it will end up like the Brown Derby did. We all know(or should) how that ended up.
Back in 1985 my brother Michael Mc Millen built a miniature for the Music Center in LA. His installation "Central Meridian" was at LACMA where it was until last year. Many museums around the world were displaying his work.
LA asked him to do a piece for the Music Center leaving it up to him on the content.
He created a 9 foot sculpture called "Bunker Hill" in homage to the area that the city tore out. It is still there some 22 years later.
Last year he did the cover for "Chavez Ravine" Ry Cooder's album about LA tearing it up for Dodger stadium.
Don the Beachcomber would have been 100 on Febuary 22, 2007 and we are having a party at the Warehouse that is 100 yards from Don's abandoned space on Bali Way.
Just this week I attempted to aquire the Don the Beachcomber's space in Marina Del Rey for a temporary installation based on Don the Beachcomber and his houseboat prototype with a raining stormy night scene. I had something in mind like the "Pavillion of Rain" that Michael did in 1987 but more tiki and a museum as well.
The building would have been perfect but the Pacific Hotel Group declined. " We have other plans for that space" so that plan is probably out now. Maybe we can all come up with a plan along the same lines close to TV and bring some real attention to Trader Vic's and this plight.
Michael did a installation called "Promethius" in a store down the street from Trader Vic's while it was being reconstructed that was up a few years ago. Perhaps an installation and a museum with artifacts and relics to can bring focus on this and cause some positive action could be placed in an empty building in Bevery Hills.
Any thoughts?
Critiki photo gallery of Trader Vic's http://www.critiki.com/cgi-bin/location.cgi?loc_id=15
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Life is a state of mind
[ This Message was edited by: Ojaitimo 2007-01-20 20:49 ]
[ This Message was edited by: Ojaitimo 2008-09-08 14:14 ]
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Chub
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 26, 2005
Posts: 258
From: Detroit, MI but now in sunny Los Angeles
| Posted: 2007-01-20 11:14 am Permalink
Some pics from my visit to Trader Vic's on 12-27-07
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christiki295
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 09, 2003
Posts: 3616
From: LA-2547 mls east Hawaii &5500 Easter Is
| Posted: 2007-01-20 11:28 am Permalink
Quote:
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On 2007-01-19 20:51, Son-of-Kelbo wrote:
Okay, ENOUGH is ENOUGH.
Trader Vics LA is nothing short of a cultural icon for this (my/our) town, and it's time to get out the WAR CLUBS.
. . .
If this thread gets any real response, if those of us who really give a damn about saving our f**ing culture in LA are willing to say it here at TC, then I say let's resolve to show up at Trader Vic's BH on SATURDAY, MARCH 17th 2007 (providing they don't bulldoze the place by then) and hold A REAL BIG-DEAL PROTEST.
Call the Media.
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Calling the media is key.
If I recall correctly regarding the Derby, media attention caused LA City Councilman Garcetti to become involved and successfully intercede.
Steve Lopez of the LA Times might be interested in covering the story, he referenced Trader Vics in a prior column and occassionally rails against "dumb growth."
steve.lopez@latimes.com
Also, the www.laconservancy.org may have a point person.
However, the governing body to approve the project is:
City of Beverly Hills
Department of Community Development
455 North Rexford Drive, Room G-40
Beverly Hills, California 90210
attn: Donna Jerex, Senior Planner
emails may also be sent to: HiltonHotelComments@beverlyhills.org
I don't know the status of the Environmnet Impact Report, but public comments can be included in it.
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christiki295
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 09, 2003
Posts: 3616
From: LA-2547 mls east Hawaii &5500 Easter Is
| Posted: 2007-01-20 11:30 am Permalink
This is a sample letter, courtesy of the fine folks at www.lottaliving.com :
Dear Beverly Hills:
I am writing so my opinions may be considered in the Environmental Impact Report for the proposed mixed use development at 9876 Wilshire Boulevard (The Beverly Hilton Oasis). What a shame that we are going to lose one of Southern California’s greatest examples of Tiki culture, Trader Vic’s!
Trader Vic’s is an important part of our rich recent history and culture. Beverly Hills is a young city and we don’t have 500 year-old structures to tell our story. We must preserve our recent past because it is our only history. We must see the importance of significant places like Trader Vic’s now or we will never have a sense of history even 500 years from now.
The chain is experiencing a resurgence and opening new locations all the time. A new generation is discovering Tiki for the first time and, of course, loving it. It doesn’t make sense that an area like Greater Los Angeles, which probably was instrumental in creating worldwide interest in Polynesian culture in the first place, will be one of the few places without a Trader Vic’s.
I grew up in Southern California and I just can’t imagine driving on Wilshire into Beverly Hills without being welcomed by those wonderful tiki decorations out front. This is a true landmark and I’ve seen less important structures get landmark status. I implore you to rethink this demolition and save Trader Vic’s! I know others feel as I do and I hope they speak out.
PLEASE REVISE BEFORE SENDING.
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Son-of-Kelbo
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 03, 2004
Posts: 590
From: NOHO, CA
| Posted: 2007-01-20 11:36 pm Permalink
Great Suggestions and Great Information!
Can Trader Vic's receive sanctuary via the "National Register of Historic Places"...? What does it take to qualify? A petition? We'll draft one. (Signable on-site by 3-17-07? Why not? Plus online voices from TV patrons around the world? Why not?)
Might TV's Owners and Management (You know who they are, Holden) be receptive to the idea of establishing a "Museum Wall / Display Case (possibly in the Special Event Room off the Bar) -- ? Maybe a floor-to-ceiling/wall-to-wall-built-in (with a good deal of 'tasty carving' -- C Al? Tiki D? Bko?), showcasing how TV's BH is part of a Global Phenomenon that's Still Going On: a museum-quality history of Vic B.'s life and adventures in general (JB? Sven?), artifacts from his travels, and photo-archives of the great stars, celebrities, and other luminaries, that have all infused this unique location with the excitement and glamour of their presence and patronage. Something like this might help distill-to-the-max TV's historical & cultural resonance, yet take up a minimum "footprint" in it's installation...
Great idea, CT, to contact Steve Lopez/and-everybody-else-in-local-media, who wouldn't mind having their face mingled with a montage of stars who've lit up TV's as bright as a second round of Mai Tais and Flaming-Beef-Cho-Chos. Do you know Mr. Lopez? No time like the present to ask him how he likes the idea of doing a special report. How many famous faces can be found who've got fond rememberences of their fun times at TV...? And thanks for the hands-on contact info, re, the LA Conservancy, BH Dept of Community Development, and Hilton Hotel @ BH.org. I'll be pinging each of 'em come Monday and throughout the week, and hope your post is useful to Everybody else out there ready to sharpen their spears...
Lotta Living's "example" letter, not as a cut-and-paste of course, but as a splendid guide to focusing the communication overture, was rendered and posted remarkably quickly and adroitly ("Wise Navigator Not Wait to Put Finger In Leaky Canoe"), in time to inspire others by your example. Mahalo for that.
Lastly here, if the Devil must be dealt with, what about the strategy of surfing this reef by doing with TV what's been done so keenly with the Cinerama Dome / ArcLight? Instead of dozing the Dome and losing it forever, it's been respectfully, tastefully, and splendidly incorporated into the larger "complex" around it; more for everybody, and no loss to those who care about protecting Hollywood history and culture.
Cheers and Mahalo nui to all who care, rally, and act -- while there may still be time to divert this insensible plan to destroy our TV's and replace it with empty rooms bereft of our present and past aloha.
SOK
www.yoyoisland.com
_________________
"Don't let it be forgot,
That once there was a Spot,
Where Blowfish all wore sunglasses,
and Tiki-times were hot..."
SOK
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