I remember when I first came to Los Angeles many years ago, going to the Friars Club in Beverly Hills and seeing the likes of Milton Berle, Suzanne Pleshette, and numerous other personalities wandering around. The buffet at the Friars Club was amazing. More food than you could ever think of eating. It was old Hollywood personified. This piece of Beverly Hills real estate is no more. The Friars Club Beverly Hills, a branch of the famed New York establishment of the same name opened in 1947. In 2007, after losing a lawsuit to its New York namesake, it changed its name to Club 9900 and closed shortly after. The Friars Club has lost another battle waged by the Los Angeles Conservancy Group to include its 1960's modernist design in the California Register of Historical Resources. The architect, Sidney Eisenshtat, was a prominent Los Angeles figure known for his oversized interiors and exteriors of brick, thin slab or concrete. Unlike Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, has no preservation ordinance, but there is a move next year to possibly implement the Mills Act, which offers tax credits to Los Angeles homeowners who preserve historic structures. Had there been plans to rebuild after the demolition, the City of Beverly Hills might have had some review power. But, as of now, there are no plans in the works.
Map of Friars Club Beverly Hills
View Larger Map
Buying or Selling Los Angeles Real Estate
Buying or selling a Los Angeles home can be a daunting process in a city this size, especially if you're new to L.A. Town. You'll need a resident expert to show you around and help you narrow down the areas where you might like to live. I will help you find the perfect home in the right area to fit your lifestyle, budget and needs! When I list and sell Los Angeles homes for my clients I strive to make the experience a pleasant one. My mission is to provide outstanding service while utilizing the best practices and systems available. If you are an absentee owner, you'll need someone to handle all the details that you can't handle remotely. That's where I come in - I'm there when you can't be. I also specialize in lease property in Los Angeles. Westside Los Angeles Real Estate, including, but not limited to:
- Westwood Real Estate - Westwood single family homes, Westwood condominiums, Wilshire Corridor condominiums, Century City condominiums
- Brentwood Real Estate - Brentwood single family homes, Brentwood condominiums
- Santa Monica Real Estate - Santa Monica single family homes, Santa Monica condominiums
- Beverly Hills Real Estate - Beverly Hills single family homes, Beverly Hills condominiums
- Culver City Real Estate - Culver City single family homes, Culver City condominiums
- Palms/Mar Vista Real Estate - Palms/Mar Vista single family homes, Palms/Mar Vista condominiums
- Silver Lake Real Estate - Silver Lake single family homes, Silver Lake condominiums
- Echo Park Real Estate - Echo Park single family homes, Echo Park condominiums
For more information on how I can best serve your Los Angeles real estate needs, please fill out the online contact form or give me a call at 310-473-6919.
Jane Peters, connecting you to the L.A. real estate scene
Buying or selling real estate in Los Angeles can be an overwhelming process. Contact Jane Peters, Los Angeles realtor specializing in absentee owners, out of town buyers, and those who need that extra attention, in order to make the transaction a smooth, trouble-free, and fun experience.
Search Homes for Sale in Los Angeles
Los Angeles Lifestyle Home Search
Search Homes for Sale in Beverly Hills|
Search Homes for Sale in Brentwood
Search Homes for Sale in Culver City
Search Homes for Sale in Silver Lake-Echo Park
Search Homes for Sale in Santa Monica
Search Homes for Sale in Venice CA
Search Homes for Sale in Westwood-Century City
Other Los Angeles Communities
Jane, I know time waits for no one, but hate to see iconic structures go the way of the dinosaur.
Bill, especially when there are no plans to rebuild. What on earth was the point.
Jane,
Too many historic buildings and traditions are being torn down without consideration of value and preservation. This is actually sad to me... g
Jane, I have to admit I'm kind of shocked that they're going to tear it down. I've driven by the place a few times, and it's a unique building.
Jane
That's sad to see. I have not been there although I've heard about it. Wonder what the reason is for its demise?
Jeff
This sucks, plain and simple, and the fact that I know who the likes of Milton Berle is, really sucks...dang I am old
Gordon, especially when they don't even know what they are going to replace it with.
Jeff, sign of the times.
Gerry, sad isn't it :)
Jane - Thirty years ago (maybe even more - GASP - this has gone from a comment to a remembrance of my life) this was as important an address as the Brown Derby ... iconic and completely ... Los Angeles - in the greatest sense of that description! Sad to learn of its demise ... and without either cultural or architectural replacement!
Its always sad to see iconic places like that disappear - especially for our generation! :)
Jane, this is really sad news, I don't see any sense in tearing down-especially if there are no plans to rebuild unless it's to avoid ridiculously high property taxes on a vacant building. Even then, I hate to see such a beautiful structure going against the wrecking ball.
It is sad to see a place with so much history being torn down. I am surprised there is nothing in place to protect some of these buildings.
Hi Jane,
Really sorry to hear this wonderful structure is being torn down..this is sad news for sure!
No historic register in Beverly Hills . . . figures. That's how Pia Zadora and her "old man" were able to tear down Pickfair . . . Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks mansion. They had NO sense of history. I hope they enact this registry soon!!
I read about this yesterday and, even though I have never personally been inside the Friar's Club, I felt a little twinge on my heart. I hate it when a piece of history vanishes.
Jack, that is what is so amazing. No replacement. Simply raze it to the ground.
Liz, what generation is that? :)
Mary, that is probably the reason. Avoid the taxes. But still....
Jim, they are working on it.
Dorie, it is indeed.
Carla, they are working on it.
Elizabeth, it was not a pretty building, but full of history.