Check out these hollywood images:
DASH Hollywood-Vine Station
Image by Metro Transportation Library and Archive
LADOT Dash Bus at Hollywood/Vine station. Photographer Scott Page
03f Hollywood and Vine – W Hotel – Wall over Bar in Lobby (E)
Image by Kansas Sebastian
W Hollywood Hotel & Residences
6250 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood (Los Angeles), CA
HKS Hill Glazier Studio
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I’d heard so much about the W Hollywood Hotel & Residences, I was excited to see the building.
Owing to the fact they had to build the hotel over the Hollywood and Vine Metro Red Line Station, and around other historic buildings, the HKS Hill Glazier Studio did a remarkable job designing the "W." The exposed structural details are clever and add lightness to the cantalevered portions of the building. The way the building curves around the station creates some unexpected and delightful spaces. A colorful mobile and hand-print art are especialy charming. On the interior there are also great details such as: the catwalk above the lobby, the lobby bar, the tastefullness of the conference rooms, and the arrangement of the retro furnishings.
But that’s about where my interest faltered.
The fact that the building was designed as one giant billboard may entice tourists and help generate income, but it does little to endear the people of Los Angeles — the people who actually live here and constantly be bombarded by the ads. The angles of the building are unique and interesting, but if the billboards and ends were removed, all that would be left would be an uninteresting 1950′s-styled Holliday Inn.
I was unable to find the interior desinger on the internet, and perhaphs it’s just as well. The mirror backed floating staircase and chandelier are the focal points of the lobby. They are supposed to be eye-catching and dramatic. Insead these details look like they would be more at home on a cruise ship. Actually, the entire space made me think of planning my next cruise.
Don’t get me wrong, I liked the "W." The exterior is quirky and fun like Hollywood Boulevard itself. But it also personifies the changes which are stripping the boulevard of it’s unique flavor in favor of a hermogenous corporate America. Of course, most people don’t choose their hotel on the architecture of the building (or do they?). I wasn’t a guest at the "W" so I have no way of juding their services, and I’m sure it’s worth every penny of 0 per night.
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