Many of the iconic landmarks along the Sunset Strip such as The House of Blues, the Tiffany Theater, the Viper Room, and Larry Flynt's Hustler Hollywood store, are now being redeveloped into luxury hotels and condominiums by companies such as AECOM, Combined Properties, and CIM group, according to a recent report from Nadja Brandt at Bloomberg.
However, in the early 20th century avocado groves populated the Sunset Strip area. Then, shops, restaurants and bars began to emerge along the boulevard beginning in the 1920s, according to the non-profit Sunset Strip Business Association,
Assistant director at West Hollywood's Community Development Department John Keho sees the future of the Strip as helping to, "attract a higher-profile entertainment crowd and people from around the world. And that in turn will spawn more destination venues like restaurants and bars."
However, Ian Schrager, a boutique hotelier with a major stake in these redevelopments, adds that "Sunset shouldn’t be dominated by steel buildings." In a telephone interview with Brandt, he comments "there shouldn’t be a whitewashing of what I continue to think is a unique atmosphere. It doesn’t mean that you can’t build, but you have to be respectful of what Sunset means to me, to everybody."
