West Hollywood

About West Hollywood

West Hollywood (WeHo) is an energetic, colorful neighborhood, centrally-located at the foot of the Hollywood Hills where it is flanked by Beverly Hills to the west and Hollywood to the east. With a storied history, this urban community offers a fast-paced life and countless amenities in a tightly concentrated area.

 

The city is compact and nearly everything you need for daily living in West Hollywood can be found here. Most businesses like grocery stores, shops, restaurants, and services are a short distance from every home.

 

The land that would later become West Hollywood was established as the town of Sherman, named for its founder Moses Sherman, a land developer and railroad magnate who ran the Los Angeles and Pacific Railway. The town of Sherman housed the railway's main yard and was became home for many of the railroad employees. During this time, the community began to earn a reputation as a loosely regulated place for eccentric people wary of government interference, a reputation that was further solidified during its liquor-friendly policy during prohibition.

 

The City of Los Angeles attempted to annex the town on several occasions, but the town declined on each occasion and remained under the governance of Los Angeles County. In order to align itself with its neighbor that was garnering international recognition, Sherman, in 1925, adopted West Hollywood as its informal name, a designation pioneered by the West Hollywood Realty Board a few years earlier.

 

For many years, the area that is now the City of West Hollywood was an unincorporated area in the midst of the City of Los Angeles. Gambling was illegal in the City of Los Angeles, but still legal in Los Angeles County, so the 1920s saw the proliferation of many night clubs and casinos along Sunset Boulevard on what is known as The Sunset Strip. With a location outside the City of Los Angeles, these businesses were immune from the sometimes-heavy-handed law enforcement of the L.A. Police Department. For this same reason, the area appealed to bars catering to homosexuals, as the LAPD often raided gay bars within the City of Los Angeles.

 

West Hollywood was incorporated in 1984, in large part, because Los Angeles County was planning to discontinue rent controls. Being an area densely populated with renters, a group of the renters banded together and voted to incorporate as the City of Los Angeles. The new city immediately adopted one of the strongest rent control laws in the United States.

 

West Hollywood's irregular shape came about as West Hollywood was formed from the unincorporated area of Los Angeles County that was not already part of the surrounding areas.

 

One of the appeals of West Hollywood is a dense urban form with small lots and mixed land use. The commercial corridors with boutique shopping, dining, and nightlife are focused on Santa Monica Boulevard, the Sunset Strip on Sunset Boulevard (which is technically part of West Hollywood), La Cienega Boulevard, the quaint Melrose Place, and the Avenues of Art & Design (centered around the Pacific Design Center) running along Melrose Ave, Robertson Boulevard, and Beverly Boulevard.

 

West Hollywood is a socially progressive, even for being located on the Westside of Los Angeles. Examples include:

 

• Among the nation's first mandatory green building ordinances dictating all new buildings are more energy efficient and healthier for residents
• One of 19 cities in California to ban the use of gas-powered leaf blowers
• Ban on smoking in public places
• Ban on the sale of handguns
• Ban on single-use plastic bags in checkout lines (that was later adopted by Los Angeles)
• West Hollywood was the first official pro-choice city in the United States
• West Hollywood is among the forefront in the nation when it comes to social justice legislation
• City legislation restricts the city from conducting business with any country known to violate human rights
• One of 92 jurisdictions in the nation to ban discrimination based on gender identity and gender expression
• Discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation is prohibited by some of the toughest legislation in the United States
• The first city to offer domestic partnership registration to same-sex couples and heterosexual couples and offer domestic partner benefits for West Hollywood employees. These registered unions are treated as equal to legal marriages in regard to city benefits and services
• The first city in the nation to ban the sale of clothing with real animal fur
• City legislation designates pets as "companions" and pet owners as "guardians"
• The first city in the country to outlaw declawing cats

West Hollywood micro neighborhoods include: the Norma Triangle, West Hollywood North, Melrose District, West Hollywood West, West Hollywood East, West Hollywood Heights, and the Fountain Avenue Thematic Courtyard District.

 

Notable West Hollywood Estates and Homes:

• 833 North Kings Road (a.k.a. Schindler House): The birthplace of modernist architecture in California. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and voted as the number 1 home on a list of the best all-time houses in Los Angeles by an LA Times panel of experts. Former home of Rudolf Schindler and Richard Neutra. Architect: Rudolf M. Schindler
• 9255 Doheny Road (a.k.a. Sierra Towers): Tallest residential building in Los Angeles as far altitude relative to sea level. Attracts many celebrity residents. Architect: Jack A. Charney
• 912 North West Knoll Drive: 2003. Architects: Jacques & Marquez Architects. Remodel Architects: Jacques & Marquez Architects. Interior Designer: Mina Javid
• 8235 Romaine Street: 1922 duplex in a style nearing Art Deco built as spec investments. Architect: R. M. Schindler
• 901 North Spaulding Avenue: Former home of Faye Dunaway
• 1471-1475 Havenhurst Drive (a.k.a. Andalusia): 1926 Spanish Revival courtyard building. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Architects: Arthur and Nina Zwebell
• 907 North Alfred Street: 1937. Former home of Milton Katselas. Renovation architects: Marmol Radziner
• 8491 Fountain Avenue (a.k.a. El Palacio): 1931 Spanish-style multi-family residence. Developer: William R. Hauptman. Former home of Marilyn Monroe and Dorothy Dandridge
• 1400 North Hayworth (a.k.a. Hollywood Riviera): 1954 mid-century architectural condominium building. Architect: Ed Fickett
• 551 Norwich Drive (a.k.a. Norwich Drive Residence): 2007 contemporary architectural home. Architect: Clive Wilkinson, FAIA

Notable West Hollywood Residents (Past and Present):

• Cher: Singer and Actress
• Elton John: Musician
• Marilyn Monroe: Actress and Sex Symbol
• Rudolf Schindler: Modernist Architect
• Richard Neutra: Modernist Architect
• Bette Davis: Actress
• Bette Midler: Singer-Songwriter, Actress, Comedian and Film Producer
• Dorothy Dandridge: Actress and Singer
• Faye Dunaway: Actress
• Lindsey Lohan: Actress

West Hollywood Zip Codes

Portions of West Hollywood sit within the 90069, 90046, 90048, and 90038 zip codes.