Post #249148 by vintagegirl on Tue, Aug 15, 2006 7:00 PM

The property has been sold to the new developer. That part is pretty certain. But according to Bruce Beckett (the son of the original architect, Welton Beckett) he told me that the developer will still need to get his plans approved by the city of Beverly Hills and that Bruce would be watching the proceedings carefully. Bruce is also an architect in West LA and doesn't care much for the new plan for the Hilton Hotel that Trader Vic's is attached to. With parking space for 3 times as many cars, he's very concerned what that would do to the already-heavy traffic congestion in the area.

I wish you all could see the 1950s photos of the original decor of both the hotel and TV's that I got to view in Bruce's archives. They were stunning. I also seem to remember early photos of TV's that show the dining area being more open than it is now.

If anyone on here really wants to get involved with any Modern/Tiki preservation efforts, this is the place to go:
http://www.modcom.org/

Also, if there are any preservation efforts in gear, the LA Conservancy would know: 213-623-CITY (2489)
(The Modern Committee is a subcommittee of the LA Conservancy.)
A lot of times there just aren't enough people to tackle all the efforts they want to go after. So if you know of anyone willing to devote a lot of time and energy to organize such an effort, please contact the LAC. It's a lot of work, but I have seen ordinary individuals that have made quite a difference in whether something stays or goes. The last I heard is that they were trying to get historical status for the entire hotel. But that was a few months ago.