Yet Another Fire at the Hollywood Center Motel
I swear this motel is going to be the death of me.
El Nido, Hollywood Center Motel’s original house from 1905, burned down a week ago.
LAFD knocked down El Nido along with two other bungalows, but a few other bungalows were left standing.
Guess what? A trash fire was reported at the motel earlier.
It’s open season on older, neglected buildings in Hollywood, unfortunately. The motel is still under landmark consideration, but if this continues, there may be nothing left to landmark.
Never mind that fires pose a threat to neighboring buildings, too (coincidentally, the motel is VERY close to the former Hollywood Playhouse, which burned down in 2022). The neighbors don’t deserve this.
It's kind of hard to keep track, but the only building effected by fire last Sunday was El Nido, and possibly the small bungalow that was hard to see to the west. LAFD chose to immediately demolish El Nido and that small bungalow, and also knocked down the previously burned easternmost bungalow fronting on Sunset.
Most of the buildings on the parcel are still standing... but if the property is not secured, for how long? Does someone have to die before the City does anything to hold this property owner accountable?