An illustrated history of West Hollywood

Book Reviewed: West Hollywood (CA) (Images of America) (Images of America (Arcadia Publishing)) [Paperback] by

Ryan Gierach

Anyone interested in West Hollywood would love to cherish this book and the numerous pictures that come with it. The author describes the birth and growth of this little city wonderfully. The book reads great and the pictures do a wonderful job of grasping many features of this town and how it evolved over the last 120 years.

In 1894, a man named Moses Sherman bought the land and designated it as the headquarters of the Los Angeles Pacific Railway Co., and year’s later motion picture studios of Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks rolled into town; other studios like Chaplin Studios, Lasky studio and Union studios followed. Filming of the movies started in 1916 in West Hollywood. The present Sunset strip became the stomping ground for the elites of entertainment industry with its nightclubs, hotels, and apartments. It was the most glamorous nightlife destination. The author observes that its trendy nature made it a hub for the people of alternative life styles because the Los Angeles County’s law enforcement largely ignored this part until much later. In the 60s it became a major gathering place for the social revolutionaries and counter culture groups; hippies, musicians, and actors roamed in this town. Screen vamp Alla Nazimova an open lesbian and radical bohemian built the garden of Allah in 1921 for fun and frolicking; wild parties lasting days, orgies, pranks, fights, suicides and deaths. The Sunset strip turned into a play ground of stars: Luxury apartments such as Sunset Towers and Chateau Marmont were also built in late 1920s. The Gene Autry’s Hotel Continental (later became Hyatt House) was the sight of the storied hotel room destructions ever recorded in the tabloids. The parties lasted days. Nightclubs like Ciro’s, Mocambo and Trocadero sported top names during strips heyday. Schwab’s Pharmacy also became a center for publicity hangout. Aspiring stars and singers dined at the lunch counter waiting to be discovered. In 1930s, the film actors frequented shops along the strip such as Elizabeth Arden, and Montgomery’s Sunset Plaza became a glamorous shopping center. Many original buildings of the plaza still exist in the Sunset strip.

There are too many pictures to cherish; my favorites are photos from 1930’s Sunset strip area that included; the pictures of Chateau Marmont, Ciro’s (currently the Comedy Store), Café Trocadero, and The Sunset Towers. Other pictures worth mentioning are; the 1907 picture of Lauren Canyon rail line that ran on Sunset Blvd; 1920s shooting of film in W. Hollywood; the Pickford – Fairbanks studios of 1919, and the Los Angeles Farmer’s Market.