The Chateau Marmont at 8221 Sunset Boulevard is a true rarity in Hollywood. Other than its initially brief period as an apartment building before the Great Depression forced it to become a hotel, this landmark has kept the same name and function since 1929. Just down the street at 8225, the same cannot be said for the Chateau's neighbor, which was a private residence, then a restaurant and club in the 1940s called The Players:
which was followed by The Imperial Gardens in 1953 and then the notorious Roxbury in 1989. After the Roxbury faded away in 1997, Miyagi's Club/Restaurant took over. I managed to photograph it myself in 2011 before it was changed into...
The Pink Taco!
Speaking of change, note that since the previous May 2014 photo a gigantic guitar has been added to the exterior decor:
This particular one in a series of Sunset Boulevard guitars celebrates the Viper Room. Why it is in front of the Pink Taco and not the Viper Room itself is a mystery to me.
Whatever the reason, it doesn't interfere from the visual splendor of the kitsch that one's eyes can enjoy inside:
The same cannot be said for my stomach which is still churning from my recent lunch there.
See more Daveland Pink Taco photos at my main website.
3 comments:
Nice stuff, Dave.
Preston Sturges! I just bopped off and read about the club on Wikipedia. The article says he had a theater built at the club. Do you suppose its name was "The Playroom"?, like the lettering on the left-hand side of the facade reads?
That would make sense, but that would just be a guess on my part. Not a whole lot of info out there (or photos) for The Players.
I'm late to come across this but love the first color photo. The Playroom was added in 1942. The theater with revolving stage in April 1951.
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