R.I.P. Rock ‘n’ Roll Balconies at Hyatt ‘Riot House’

Travel Blog  •  Jim Benning  •  08.06.07 | 2:46 PM ET

imageReports ‘Laurel Canyon’ author Michael Walker: “The textured concrete balconies (above) from which Led Zeppelin and entourage hurled bottles of Dom Perignon, Zeppelin drummer John Bonham teetered and singer Robert Plant crowed ‘I’m a golden god!’ (immortalized in Cameron Crowe’s ‘Almost Famous’) are being ripped out like so many meth-rotted teeth as part of a $24 million renovation of the property.” The West Hollywood hotel on the Sunset Strip is replacing the balconies with glass that will enclose the rooms. That might be an improvement to the property, but writes Walker: “[I]t’s always mournful when another little piece of L.A.‘s anarchic rock and roll heart is taken away.” The changes are part of a larger trend, Walker e-mails:

After its big comeback in the late ‘90s, the Sunset Strip is sort of fading away; the hip nightlife has moved to Hollywood or downtown,  and the character of the street is becoming more touristy as things like the flagship Tower Records close and the Riot House is turned into just another generic glass-fronted hotel and the House of Blues seems like the dominant live-music venue ahead of icons like the Whisky and Roxy.

Too true. I still can’t imagine Sunset Boulevard without the old Tower Records.

Related on World Hum:
* New Travel Book: ‘Led Zeppelin Crashed Here’
* Rolling Stone Picks 25 Best Road Songs Ever

Photo via Wikipedia Commons.

 



2 Comments for R.I.P. Rock ‘n’ Roll Balconies at Hyatt ‘Riot House’

TambourineMan 08.07.07 | 4:53 PM ET

Drove by the old Tower store yesterday. All boarded up. All the signage is gone. A heartbreaking sight.

Michael Yessis 08.07.07 | 5:49 PM ET

And not too long after the Ambassador left us.

http://www.worldhum.com/weblog/item/farewell_to_las_ambassador_hotel_20051218/

Heartbreaking, indeed.

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