Remember when we wrote about the Hollywood neighborhood meeting in January where a Northeast neighbor burst into tears over the plans to destroy the iconic Pagoda restaurant and make way for a bland KeyBank building? Local architect John Perkins vowed he would find a way to save the landmark.
Well, last week Perkins completed his research on the building and came to two tragic conclusions.
Tragic conclusion #1: It would cost $76,000 to remove the wood-and aluminum pagoda intact. Wait, if the pagoda is not crafted of pure jade, how did it become that amazing green-blue color?
Tragic conclusion #2: The pagoda’s “brilliant color” comes from lead-based paint.
Well shit. Perkins is now looking into whether the Pagoda’s design can be incorporated into a nearby bus shelter. KeyBank offered to donate the restaurant’s neon sign but isn’t willing to rethink its boring, corporate design for the building that involves scrapping the whole faux Oriental motif.
It sucks, but that’s pretty much what the bank people originally said. $76K is pretty spendy.
If it’s not a bland beige cube, how are people gonna know it’s a Key Bank?
Maybe the architects can get together and move the Pagoda down by the Coliseum. That way they can keep all the old buildings that are falling apart in one place so they can look at them.
Should also be renamed ‘Cesar Chavez Key Bank’
$76,000 is nothing for the banks, compared to the near quarter trillion dollars the government just gave them.
chicken coop
It’s too bad. I love that building. You didn’t mention the glorious orange tile walls! Just one more bit of character leeched out of the city.
@Will Radik
I will miss the goldfish pond the most.
The loss of the Pagoda is just the latest example of the Hollywood neighborhood losing all of its wonderful late 50’s/early 60’s architectural character. The marvelous old bank bulding on 43rd and NE Sandy was demolished for the ugly new mixed use/Whole Foods box. The old library building still stands, but the building that houses the new library location is hideous, as is the interior of the library itself. Quite a pity.