Sunset & Vine

    I’d like to know what’s up with the white plastic. I mean, I know what’s going on at Sunset & Vine in the old “Earthquake” building, but why the white plastic? Is that to keep the dust from demolition from spreading across the intersection like so much asbestos fallout? It’s interesting.

    Sunset & Vine

    In an effort to find answers, I turn to that oasis of Los Angeles real estate info, CurbedLA, for an answer and get this:

    It may look like a giant condom, but the Sunset-Vine Tower is just undergoing some internal reworking. An email tipster says: “That’s CIM and Kanner Architects at Sunset + Vine Tower. Right now, within that “giant condom,” demolition is under way. The project will feature 63 market-rate apartment units. Construction schedule is unsettled at this point. The exterior will have a new curtain wall that will make the tower more transparent than the old black glass building.”

    I’m just glad that I’m not the only one who thought it looks like a giant condom.

    And as long as we’re talking Sunset & Vine, might as well be listening to it. This is a tune from the latest Charlatans album, Simpatico. I’m a HUGE Charlatans fan, going all the way back to Some Friendly. And yes, they’re still together, and still putting out decent music. This is the instrumental with which they close out the album.

    The Charlatans UK: Sunset & Vine (224kps mp3)

    Let There Be Q

    7 Comments

    1. Posted July 27, 2006 at 9:06 pm | [link]

      it just looks SO odd. it throws the scale off completely. i keep thinking it’s a quilted miniature.

    2. Posted July 28, 2006 at 11:40 am | [link]

      The scale looks off because I added the clouds in the background. In reality, the background was an ugly, hazy gray, which is about how things look down here in all this heat. I wanted to blue-ify it a little.

    3. Posted July 28, 2006 at 5:23 pm | [link]

      I’ve been wondering what is going on there.

    4. Urb - LeftLane
      Posted August 6, 2006 at 3:20 pm | [link]

      I think it looks dope. I would love to bomb it with light projection. Great surface for visual light art. Its like a white subway train from beat street.

    5. Posted August 9, 2006 at 10:04 pm | [link]

      I love that they still use it for advertisements. Might as well not waste all that space…

    6. Ed
      Posted August 14, 2006 at 1:08 pm | [link]

      I notice a number of buildings in LA wrapped in this white sheathing, which I assume is construction/renovation-related. Kinda reminds me of that artist Christo, and what he did with the Reichstag building in Berlin.

    7. zed null
      Posted January 11, 2007 at 5:17 pm | [link]

      The “Condom” building on Sunset and Vine. (Former location of the “Hollywood Offices of the FBI”; before the FBI became a target for Timothy MacVey!!!)

      Besides keeping the asbestos and other construction “flotsum” and “jestsum” from being “dropping down” on somebodies head, or being “blown and spread, far and wide”; it keeps observers from knowing “what will eventually end up there!

      Far ranging stories abound; from “floor-wide time shares” to “market rate” apartments… (with “narry any parking” on or adjacent to the property)!!!

      The interm “wrapper/billboard advertising” no doubt generating revenue, to help pay for the “remodel”; until it’s done!

      Hmmmmm!