Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony Set Today for Re-Opening of the Werle Building

The City of West Hollywood will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony this afternoon to celebrate the completion of renovations to the city-owned Werle Building, which houses the West Hollywood Recovery Center, the ONE Archives Gallery & Museum and the June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives.

The ceremony will take place at 5 p.m. The building is located at 626 N. Robertson Blvd. at the corner of El Tovar Place. Members of the City Council will attend. The event is free and open to everyone. No RSVP is required. There will be light refreshments. Parking will be available at the five-story West Hollywood Park/Public Parking Structure, located at 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard; validations will be provided at the City Council Chambers lobby, adjacent to the structure.

The Werle Building is a 7,533-square-foot, two-story office building built in 1940 in the Streamline Moderne style. The City of West Hollywood purchased the building in 1987. In 2003 the city entered into agreements with various nonprofit organizations for the use of the property on a temporary basis. In late 2011, the City Council approved a plan to develop long-term relationships with tenants and to make necessary property improvements. The city recently completed extensive renovations to the building.

Renovations to the Werle Building were overseen by the City of West Hollywood with IDS Group, architect; Archico Design Build, Inc., contractor, and Heery International, construction management. Modifications to the Werle Building include up-to-date Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility, elevator modernization and the creation of a meeting space on the building’s second floor, which is dedicated in part to community programming and events of specific interest to the lesbian community in West Hollywood.

The Werle Building is named for Daniel Werle, a fashion designer whose “Werle Originals” graced film and television actresses such as Loretta Young, Gloria Swanson, Barbara Stanwyck, and Marlo Thomas. Werle’s ready-to-wear creations were sold nationally in such stores as Saks Fifth Avenue and I. Magnin. Werle died in May 1985.

The Recovery Center serves more than 6,000 visitors monthly and provides a meeting place for 12-step groups and assistance with addiction recovery, prevention, and education. The ONE Archives, part of the ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, hosts regular shows and exhibits for the community. The June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives is the largest major archive on the West Coast dedicated to preserving and promoting lesbian and feminist history and culture.