The new Starbucks Drive Thru at Highland and Willoughby officially opens today! However, yesterday March 26, 2015 was their soft opening… and it was a smashing success.
I have to admit that I’ve never been more excited about the opening of a Starbucks, because the opening of this Starbucks means that a dilapidated Historical-Cultural Landmark has been restored. For me this is a very personal story, because for the last 20 years I’ve been driving by this crumbling aluminum and wood building, sad for the loss of an elegant bygone era. The little white building with its faded green trim was slowly falling apart before my very eyes. Surrounded by a chain link fence, it seemed inevitable that a developer would find away around the landmark status and destroy it. So you can only imagine my excitement as I saw construction crews rebuilding it a few months ago as I whizzed by. I suppose if I actually read the newspaper once in awhile I might have had a heads up about this. Suffice it to say, I’m beyond thrilled that I’m not the only Art Deco enthusiast in the city of angels who loves to see gyms like these salvaged and restored.
Built in 1935 by RJ Kadow, it was part of a string of gas stations owned by the Gilmore Oil Company. You might recognize the Gilmore name not from the TV show, but rather as the original developers of LA’s historic Farmers Market on the corner of Third and Fairfax that began in 1934. Also, the Gilmore’s independent oil company became the largest on the West Coast, famous for it’s Red Lion logo.
The buildings last incarnation was as a Texaco gas station that closed in the early 90’s, and it was also the gas station featured in the film L.A. Story. Iamnotastalker.com reports that it was the Melrose Neighborhood Association that stepped in on March 23rd of 1992, and got the building declared a Historical Cultural Monument to prevent if from being torn down. Who would have guessed that it would take over 20 years for someone to breath new life into this beautiful little building. Having grown up in Seattle, I’m not surprised that a major company like Starbucks stepped in to save the day. That’s how we roll in the Pacific Northwest. To fully appreciate what they’ve accomplished, take a look at the photo below. It’s so exciting when a major corporation re-invests in its community. Thank you Starbucks!
