![]() I’ve also attached the municipal code section that triggers review of work when a permit is applied for. I suspect the alterations to the sign require a permit and will require OHR and Planning review. The Pig ‘N Whistle cartouches on the facade have been covered with foam and were not removed. It appears that most of the new finish work is cosmetic. I’ve asked the business owner to prepare a document to discuss the original restoration work they did in 1999, changes to the space over time, and the most recent work they have done so we can better assess the condition. “Craig Bullock and Dan Halden coordinated a meeting at the property yesterday with the business owner, building department and me. That brings us to today’s email from Lambert Giessinger, the preservation architect in the city’s Office of Historic Resources and one of the recipients of all those angry emails. Tempo’s landlord from pulling a stunt like this? We hope so! Could Pig ‘n Whistle be the exception that scares the next Mr. But City Hall rarely cracks down on developers and businesses that wreck protected buildings. ![]() ![]() The city has the discretion to hold a property owner accountable in a situation like this, to demand that historic resources that were damaged be repaired or replaced at the owner’s expense. ![]() Tempo’s workers have whitewashed the interior and slapped new signage onto the facade, all without permits. It would have been nice if something had been done when the first complaints were made to his office, in August, but we believe his office did ask for quick action in response to the public outcry. And with constituents and Hollywood history lovers from around the world bombarding the city with outraged messages, Mitch O’Farrell took credit for getting Building and Safety over to halt the destruction. Meanwhile the press was calling, asking for clarification on the differences between official city landmarks and protected contributors like the Pig ‘n Whistle. Shortly after that, Valley Relics announced that they had “saved” and taken away the protected historic resource signage. Then we posted Brian’s photograph to our Twitter and other social media with the text “Are you mad Pig ‘n Whistle at 6714 Hollywood is being wrecked with no permits? Email Lambert Giessinger in OHR & Daniel Halden at CD 13 and ask them to file a stop work order and protect this designated historic resource!” A lot of people emailed, as word of the destruction spread (thanks, Alison Martino of Vintage Los Angeles), and by day’s end, a stop work order was posted on the building. So on Monday, we reached out to our contacts at Building and Safety expressing concern about the inspector who had closed a major violation improperly and asking that the case be reopened, ideally with a new inspector assigned. We’re tour guides and preservationists, too, and we wanted to do our part. The worst of the facade photos was captured by tour guide Brian Donnelly in August, tour guide April Brooks Clemmer captured a shocking image of the whitewashed interior, and we’re told that preservation groups informed Mitch O’Farrell’s staff and the Office of Historic Resources that the Pig ‘n Whistle was being illegally altered, but nothing was done. And a building inspector just blew the complaint off? Doesn’t anybody in this paragraph give a damn about Los Angeles? Now, with the theater shuttered and nobody around to keep an eye on the scandal-plagued, also shuttered restaurant next door, a precious landmark was being wrecked in slow motion. First, Councilman Mitch O’Farrell worked behind the scenes with Netflix to help the $289 Billion company take control of the Egyptian Theatre from the community non-profit American Cinematheque, despite Netflix executive Ted Sarandos sitting on the Cinematheque’s board. In fact, somebody had complained about unpermitted work on October 19, but inspector Alfredo Balandra had bafflingly closed the complaint noting “no violation.” We confirmed with a search of the LADBS website that there were no building permits to do anything to the Pig ‘n Whistle, which while not a city landmark, is a recognized and protected historic district contributor at the local, state and national level. ![]() Tempo Cantina and dropping the neon signs on the sidewalk. On October 23, photos first circulated on social media showing workers on top of the awning of the historic Pig ‘n Whistle cafe at 6714 Hollywood Boulevard, covering the beautiful 1920s facade with cheap plastic signage for a Mr. ![]()
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