Oscar-winning actress and former 'Mrs Coldplay' Gwyneth Paltrow, is working with architecture firm Gensler to develop a branch of the private Arts Club on Hollywood's Sunset Strip. Paltrow and Arts Club chairman Gary Landesberg purchased the 132,000-square-foot plot that was once the flagship location of erotic boutique Hustler, for the members only club. The original Arts Club was founded in London in 1863 by authors Charles Dickens and Anthony Trollope, and sculptor Frederic Leighton, to provide a safe heaven for “People who had professional or amateur relationships with the Arts, Literature or Sciences.” In 1896, the club relocated from its original London home on Hanover Square to its present location inside an 18th century townhouse on Dover Street.
The pair have enlisted the help of Gensler's California office to transform the building into a nine-storey club, complete with a wellness centre, restaurants, cinema, nightclub and a subterranean car park. Membership to the Los Angeles Arts Club is expected to cost approximately £2,126 a year. Paltrow's proposal is still awaiting planning consent for various aspects of its design, most notably the structure's nine-storey height. Before it becomes a reality, proposed plans will have to be vetted at public hearings and receive feedback from city officials, and it could take 18 months to two years before approval is given.
Judging by the concept art it's certainly not pulling any punches. Unlike it's original London counterpart, the West Hollywood branch will offer some public amenities including retail spaces and an art gallery on the first floor. Offices will occupy floors two to four. The fifth floor will comprise a private dining terrace, screening room, and gym; the sixth floor will house 15 guest rooms for members. A restaurant, another terrace and a lounge for members will be located on the seventh floor, while a Japanese/Latin restaurant is planned for the storey above. A further terrace, swimming pool and helipad will be located on the building's roof. Vertical aluminium fins covering the building's facade will move and pivot upon axial fittings.
The LA Arts Club is the latest in a long line of major developments slated for Hollywood's Sunset Strip, and will be just a few blocks away from a branch of another members-only club: Soho House. It's also just east of a planned James Hotel, which would bring 165 rooms and its own rooftop deck. According to international and local studios, the city of LA is turning into a “Dystopia gone right,” and is now the most interesting place in the USA for new architecture. Last year, architect Frank Gehry unveiled plans for a development of five buildings along LA's famous strip, and Rohan Silva, former senior policy advisor to UK prime minister David Cameron and founder of creative workspace company Second Home, is among those who believe LA is becoming the new hot destination for the US design scene. He said: “I think that there are three reasons why LA is really working right now. One is property prices. You can have space there. If you're an artist, you can have a big artist studio and a place to build.” Sounds like heaven to us!
