The City of West Hollywood invites community members to attend the third Neighborhood Conversation about a Laurel House and Park Artist Residency Program. The Conversation will be led by consultant team Kimberli Meyer and Sara Daleiden on Friday, March 17, 2023 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Plummer Park Community Center, located at 7377 Santa Monica Boulevard. The consultants will share updates on the project and seek feedback from the community.
The City-owned real property at 1343 N. Laurel Avenue, known as Laurel House and Park, consists of a 30,000-square-foot lot, a 7,177-square-foot former single-family dwelling, and an unattached accessory structure that is approximately 2,379 square feet and consists of a chauffer’s cottage and garages. The original portions of the structures were built in 1917. The conversion of the original single-family residence into four apartment units and the southerly four-car garage addition were completed in 1941. The property was designated as a Local Cultural Resource by the City of West Hollywood in 1994.
In 2010, the West Hollywood City Council directed staff to develop a plan to open the grounds at 1343 N. Laurel Avenue as open space on a temporary/interim basis for public use. From 2013-2014, the City conducted an extensive community visioning process for the Laurel property. The community expressed support for several potential uses during the visioning process and prioritized several factors, including: access to more community gathering spaces; activation as an Arts and Cultural Center; maintenance and/or enhancements of the property’s use for peacefulness and beauty; preservation of the house and gardens, but activation through new features and programming; and, continued use for dog walking.
In 2018, the West Hollywood City Council received a report forwarded by the Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission focusing on Artist-in-Residence programs, including consideration of the use of 1343 N. Laurel Avenue as a potential Artist-in-Residence site. This recommendation was forwarded to the Council Subcommittee for further review and consideration. In October 2022, in a feasibility study update, the City Council confirmed that the site should be used for arts and culture programs and it directed staff to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a qualified architectural design firm to continue the programming and design process.
Kimberli Meyer and Sara Daleiden are guiding the development of the Artist Residency Program for the cultural resource, Laurel House and Park, located at 1343 N. Laurel Avenue. Meyer is an independent cultural producer, curator, writer, and designer working across the fields of art and architecture. She served as the Director the MAK Center for Art and Architecture, at the Schindler House, 835 N. Kings Road, from 2002-2016. Daleiden is a consultant who specializes in facilitating civic engagement using arts and cultural exchange strategies. She encourages local cultures to value neighborhoods, public space, civic art, business development, as well as artist residencies, creative placemaking and media culture-making.
This conversation has been had since 1993. It’s time to move on. Do something city.
20 Years of Negligence.
The public outreach has been a nightmare on this issue. But then again, not posting up to date flyers, pretending that they are reaching out to residents all seems a blur because city staff is notorious for making mistakes, apologizing up & down when it’s too late, no accountability, just shove things through when no one is looking….I have seen this happen more times than I can count. It’s appalling! But it will continue unless we DEMAND otherwise!
Please read the latest comments on the other article appearing last evening. Same photo, different message.
The city should not own real estate. Inappropriate use of hard earned tax dollars.
Ham,
In this case, the city doesn’t “own” real estate per se. The late owner bequeathed the house and property to the citizens of West Hollywood as a PUBLIC facility. The fact that the city has basically held it hostage for twenty years, is the inappropriate part of this story.
Since 2010 the destiny of this Cultural Resource has been involved in endless discussions without any knowledgeable people at the table. Rejecting any access to professionals that are actually involved in productive, notable properties the city plods along allowing many of the aspects of the property to deteriorate. The City has no knowledge about how to restore this property so it can be a sustainable, respectable example of an early piece of architecture in its timeless setting that was “gifted to the city” and shamelessly allowed to deteriorate. Eligible for the Lump of Coal Award.
Not sure what kind of “conversation” this is going to be about. Apparently this huge beautiful property will house a rotating group of 4 artists at a time, end of story. Will the “conversation” be about paint color or curtain styles, who knows? But I guess the city doesn’t believe in a housing crisis anymore. Maybe they’re right.
It does seem odd that we are paying consultants to get input on a decision that is pretty much a done deal. But I am sure the neighbors want to insure the site will be open to the public and that some sort of off leash area is created. But who holds a meeting at 5:30 p.m. on a Friday, particularly when it is going to be St. Patrick’s Day? Why not a weekend morning on site with coffee and snacks to attract the public, when many of them are already there using the park? This schedule seems like it… Read more »
The less the public is informed and/or the city does send out an invite for reasonably convenient hours the better. This was deemed a park for “leashed dogs”however owners fail to respect tha. Consequently the dogs have peed away most of the small and medium sized vegetation. It smells bad and the former resident wildlife has visibly diminished. It looks scruffy when while the uninformed have been deliberating, the grounds could have flourished. How many nails will it take to decimate this once lovely place? Wait until 4 supposed “West Hollywood Artists” decimate the grounds. It will be cheapened into… Read more »
What is unreasonable about the time of the *conversation*?
Friday, March 17, 2023 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.is extremely reasonable.
Unless, of course, you needed to say something unpleasant or negative or just persist in whining about something.
Having consistent meetings on the premises would be very helpful because the subject of the meeting would be present. The last was on a weekend. Also having meetings in the Quonset hut at Plummer park is the furthest location from the ambiance of Historic Preservation.
Thank you for explaining.