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Then and now: See how much the Sunset Strip is changing

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Tall hotels, private clubs, and a Frank Gehry-designed shopping center are refashioning the boulevard

By Bianca Barragan
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4kclips/Shutterstock.com

The Sunset Strip holds a special place in the hearts of generations of Angelenos, whether it was those who knew it as the counterculture hub of the 1960s or those who flocked there in the ’80s to hear hair metal bands play at the Roxy and the Whisky.

Now the Sunset Strip is in flux, with proposals cropping for new tall hotels and large-scale mixed-use developments. (Not everyone is pleased about it: A plan to build a Frank Gehry-designed retail and residential complex at Crescent Heights was sued twice.)

There are plenty of developments underway right now that will soon bring hundreds of new hotel rooms, residences, and store fronts to this part of Sunset Boulevard. Below, photo comparisons show the difference between today and the Sunset Strip of just five or 10 years ago.

But work has yet to start on some of the Strip’s most high-profile projects, from private clubs to that Gehry-designed development. In those cases, present day photos are contrasted with renderings that show how different the boulevard will look once those developments are complete.

The southeast corner of Doheny and Sunset in 2014 (left) and 2018 (right). The Edition Hotel and Residences is seen under construction in 2018.
Via Google Maps
Slated to rise right next to the West Hollywood Edition and Residences a eye-catching 19-story building from developer The Charles Company. The project would hold 185 rooms, an art gallery, and a restaurant.
Via Google Maps
8500 Sunset, seen in 2018.
Via Google Maps
Low-rise buildings (seen in 2008; left) on the site at Alta Loma and Sunset gave way to a huge new development by CIM Group called 8500 Sunset. Seen in a 2018 image (right), the development spans two blocks, with buildings to the West of La Cienega and more to the east. This eastern section is now the AKA West Hollywood.
Via Google Maps
An office building on the southeast corner of La Cienega and Sunset (seen in 2011; left) has been replaced by The Jeremy hotel—the other half of CIM’s 8500 Sunset project (seen in 2018; right). The Jeremy opened in 2017.
Via Google Maps
The House of Blues (seen in 2009: left) closed three years ago. It was demolished to make way for a mixed-use development with hotel rooms, housing, and retail called Sunset Time. As seen in the 2018 image (right), Sunset Time is under construction now.
Via Google Maps
Developer Townscape Partners is hoping to build a Frank Gehry-designed mixed-use complex to the corner of Crescent Heights and Sunset. The project would create 229 residential units and 60,000 square feet of commercial space.
Via Google Maps
The Hustler Store is on the chopping block. Set to replace it: the Arts Club, a members-only club with another location in London. The club would rise nine stories high and hold the club, creative office space, a gallery, a rooftop pool, and a restaurant.
Via Google Maps
Developers plan to turn this lot at Hilldale and Sunset into a hotel with 169 rooms, four residences, a rooftop pool, and space for restaurants.
Via Google Maps

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