UNITE HERE LOCAL 11 Buyer Alert: Historic Nomination Sought for the Standard, West Hollywood May Impede Billboard Potential

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Save Iconic Architecture, a local non-profit organization, is seeking to nominate the historic Standard Hotel, originally designed by noted architect Herbert Kameon, as a designated cultural resource in the City of West Hollywood. The property is already designated as a historic resource on the California Register of Historic Resources and as eligible for local resource nomination by the City of West Hollywood, requiring additional review under California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and limiting the size of any prospective digital billboards.

Under West Hollywood’s cultural heritage preservation ordinance, alterations, demolitions, new construction additions, repair/rehabilitation, replacement or removal of any designated cultural resource, must be reviewed by the Historic Preservation Commission. Under the City’s Billboard Policy, modification of billboards (including conversion to a digital sign) on any cultural resources site must be reviewed by the Historic Preservation Commission, with special limitations including no more than 1 sign face per site and limits of no more than 4000 square feet. Demolition of a cultural resource is generally allowed only if there is no possibility of profitable use of the site without demolition.

“As a union whose members are rooted in Southern California, we urge prospective buyers to respect our local history when they buy world renowned assets like the Standard West Hollywood,” said Kurt Petersen, Co-President of UNITE HERE Local 11.

UNITE HERE Local 11 is a labor union representing over 32,000 hospitality workers in Southern California and Arizona who work in hotels, restaurants, universities, convention centers, and airports.