An illustration of a proposed hotel, apartment, retail project for 8447 Santa Monica Blvd. as viewed from Sal Guarriello Park (Credit: MAD Architects)
A West Hollywood hotel and restaurant project at the site of Barney’s Beanery is getting a design overhaul. But lost in the new concept would be the gastropub itself.
Under a revised plan from MAD Architects, the new development calls for an 88-room hotel with 45 apartments, 11 of which would be offered for below-market rents, according to WeHoVille.
The development’s owners include Barney’s Beanery owner David Houston, as well as Phil Howard and Dean McKillen, the owners of Laurel Hardware and Ysabel, as well as Zach Vella of Vella Group.
The old plan called for including the existing Barney’s Beanery at 8447 Santa Monica Blvd., which would have been disassembled then restored following the construction.
MAD Architects presented a plan on Tuesday that excludes the Beanery but would still incorporate its facade in the design. The global design firm replaced R&A Architecture and Design, whose previous plan called for a hotel with 113 rooms and a below-grade live music and recording space.
The newly proposed project would also feature two restaurants, an 80-seat underground live music venue and recording studio, and retail shops and a public plaza on the southeast corner of the site. It will replace the existing surface parking lot with 244 underground spaces. The project still will need approval by the city’s Planning Commission.
MAD Architects, based in Beijing, is also the principal designer of George Lucas’ $1.5 billion Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Exposition Park, which is under construction.
Barney’s, which originally opened in 1927, has a storied history for hosting artists, musicians and filmmakers, including poet Charles Bukowski, the Doors’ Jim Morrison and writer-director Quentin Tarantino. But its history also has a darker side, including discriminatory practices against homosexuals. [WEHOVille] — Alexei Barrionuevo
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