The W Hollywood Residences
A transit-oriented mixed-use development in image-obsessed Hollywood? You bet your Botox. This Dwell on Design partner delivers something the hood's been craving: Sustainable, high-density glitz.
For four years I lived in a little house tucked into a hill in Hollywood, and every morning as I brushed my teeth, I checked the progress of the cranes hoisting the massive W Hollywood Hotel & Residences into reality. Marty Collins has been watching it a little longer than that. For the past 12 years his Dallas–based development company, Gatehouse Capital, has been deeply invested in bringing the largest sustainable, mixed-use development in the city (maybe the state) to what's possibly the world's most famous—and, says Collins, the most misunderstood—neighborhood.
A view of the W Ciné plaza from the third floor. The Hollywood/Vine Metro station is being renovated under black steel girders.
"Twenty-one million people show up here and ask, 'where's Hollywood?'" Collins says. It's a fair question, considering that "Hollywood", one of the most well-known brands in the world, has no physical anchor, no tangible base within which to tout its glamorous roots. The W, he says, will be a "catalyzing" factor for the historic neighborhood, and will embrace its entertainment past. "This is the 800-pound gorilla," says Collins. And a gorilla it is. The 143 Residences and the 305-room W Hollywood Hotel hug the 1923 Taft Building, and includes 60,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, numerous bars and clubs and the outdoor W Ciné, with its huge screen for events and red-carpet receptions. The project also boasts the hooray-for-Hollywood claim of LA's largest signage entitlement—about 30,000 square feet when combined with Legacy Partners' development within the same city block. "This isn't Hollywood the movie. This isn't Hollywood the ride," Collins says triumphantly. "This is the real Hollywood."
The hotel lobby as entered through the motor court, with a circular staircase at far end.
Along with bringing the Hollywood back to Hollywood, Collins was focused on making it the most sustainable project for its size. As the largest developer of W Hotels, as well as other Starwood properties, Collins assembled a winning green team: exterior architects HKS, hotel interior architects Architropolis, residential interior architects Daly Genik and landscape architects Rios Clementi Hale. On a hard-hat tour of property, which is scheduled to open this fall, Collins bounds through the worksite with his signature exuberance, pointing out details like energy-efficient windows shaded by overhangs and a white "cool-roof" for the pool that's meant to deflect heat (I even spied a biodiesel-fueled generator). There's artist Pae White's "hanging garden," an interactive installation by Christian Moeller, and woolly lobby accessories by Claudy Jongstra. Plus, each unit has what you might call sustainably-chic appointments: Poliform kitchens and closets, Kuppersbusch inductive heating ranges, and Sub-Zero refrigerators.
The north view from the 14th-floor unit. Capitol Records is to the left, and the Hollywood sign is at dead center.
A unique partnership with LA transit authority Metro, whose Red Line subway to downtown LA has a station tucked within the W's courtyard, also brings public transportation possibilities front and center to the project. The development is nestled in what is already a highly walkable neighborhood (there are 16,000 parking spaces, says Collins, but they're expensive). Critics say the density features are just feel-good measures for developers and city planners, and residents will still climb in their cars—a claim Collins dismisses. "It's not our job to change people," says Collins. "But I think this will mark one of the early times in which people will pay a lot for housing and really use public transportation."
The view west, from a 14th-floor unit with a balcony, looking across Vine.
From the 14th floor, where units are delivered as a raw shell for ultimate customization, residents get jaw-dropping views of the stacked-disc Capitol Records building and a full-frontal panorama of the Hollywood sign (and while we were up there, we also got a 4.0 earthquake). But Collins' own unit is as low to the ground as you can get—it's a third-floor, 2,000-square-foot, two-bedroom unit with a terrace that practically sits on the Pantages' marquee. He stands there, surveying his personal slice of Hollywood Boulevard. "Those units are really, really nice," he says, nodding upstairs. "But I want to be part of that"—he gestures towards the storied intersection of Hollywood and Vine—"and part of that"—a sweep of the hand towards the hot pink Dirty Dancing signage plastering the Pantages—"and part of that!"—he points straight down to the Metro station, which he can reach via his own private "staircase to Hollywood" that drops him onto the plaza. Even Collins has adjusted his own car-focused mentality. When he needs to get downtown—which, for a developer, is a lot—he always takes the train.
The view from Marty Collins' third-floor unit, looking east onto Hollywood Boulevard.
The rooftop residential pool, where the W signage will tower over sunbathers. The pool is being poured behind those wooden frames.
The demo kitchen with Poliform, Sub-Zero and Kuppersbusch appliances, at the W Hollywood Welcome Center.
The bathrooms feature fossilized Brazilian limestone, Kohler fixtures, and Poliform closets.
Learn more about high-density living at Vertical Los Angeles, a panel discussion moderated by Dwell editor Sarah Rich at the W Hollywood Residences, and don't miss the new density panel at Dwell on Design, which is taking place June 26-28 in downtown Los Angeles. Register at dwellondesign.com.
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Sofia Coppola has a nice loft for sale in Little Italy, but how 'bout those bentwood Breuer chairs? http://t.co/w4OdmvgZ #design #hubbahubba
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This is great news that the developer didnt back out when the economy tanked. Hollywood needed a anchor to make it more complete.
I work in the Taft Building. The extremely bland exterior of the new W hotel next door relies on billboard advertising to provide a sense of style to the complex, which I consider a total design cop-out. Developers always argue that 10 story cell phone ads create visual excitement, when the real reason for their inclusion in a project is that they generate huge amounts of revenue for the owners. "It's just like Times Square," they argue. Well, Hollywood is not Times Square. I agree that Hollywood is a misunderstood city, but your article did nothing to convince me that Marty Collins understands its unique history or complicated social issues. Years ago, there was another mega-development in Hollywood that was covered with billboards and billed as an 800 pound gorilla that was going to catalyze development in the city. It's the Hollywood and Highland Mall, and it has been a colossal failure. Building huge private developments (that, in the case of the W complex, actually demolished some of the historic character of Vine Street) is not going to create a great city. Sensitive integration with the scale of existing and historic structures gives the city a more authentic feel, and one that's worth visiting. This W Hotel could just as easily be located in Houston or Cleveland than Hollywood.
hi, i am amazed, just as everybody else, about the proecess and progress of this project. .... though i am still deeply saddened about the fact that several businesses had to give way and ultimately went belly-up because of this project. .... is it really worth it to "kick out" the local small mom and pop venues in order to make way for a "bigger, brighter and high-cost" high-rise? .... i for one miss the small stores and the DMV! at least at those place i was able to chat with the people that worked there while buying something that fit my budget. honestly, i cannot say that i am looking forward to the "things to come", since this might mean for me to "relocate", like all those little shops. joey b.
very beautiful i wish to live in your building, me encanto, me faccino estos son condominios para vender, oh para rentar, pero estan divinos
I am very excited to see this development completed. The opening of this hotel in Hollywood starts a new era for Hollywood. Future additions include a Whole Foods and more. We can't wait to see what's next
The W Hollywood is a development that actually makes sense. WIth a location above the Red Line subway and in an area with a nightlife and business thsi hotel is sure to see great business and bring class to the Hollywood area east of Highland.
I cant book a room or get any info here....when will they put their website up? Their rates supposed to be in line with other W hotels....or more cause in Tinseltown? You know if they will have an all purpose gym?
An unfortunate development, seemingly thoughtless and profit-driven at the worst possible timing. Though conceived before the market crash, the residences (like many things LA) are superficial in its design and execution and looks like it was built on a fast-track schedule. Hotel residences are usually vehicles in funding the hotel contruction and to add to the hotel brand The units are nice, but not special. You could find the same finishes in many upscale condo development. The draw is the hotel service and the hip lifestyle, which W does well in, and that is why purchasers are paying a huge premium over comparible properties. For the money you could buy a much larger and nicer house with your very own pool and cabana. What really is disappointing is the rather bland exterior that has to rely on billboards, neon lighting and other flashly decorations. The exterior is basically made up of massive amounts of beige precast panels, which is commonly found on spec office buildings. Possibly some value engineering was involved? While the area needs some new injection of new energy and excitement, the W hotel and residences fulfills this marginally due to its overwhelming scale, overwrought eye candy and lack of refinement and sophistication.
I am trying to remember; what was sitting there before this freak of masonary and plaster appeared? Not happy about this thing. Would rather that they had tried to make the place look more old school "Hollywood" rather than some bland blonde of a building.
so hideous!!! should be interesting to see how long this hotel lasts in new economy...
They tried to get a Green (LEED) rating but the electrical/mecanical + other systems in this building are so basic + cheap that effort failed. The Ownership's construction project manager was a bumbling incompetant unsober fool and his multi-million budget overruns were unnecessary but catastrophic for the Conn. hotel group funding this boondoggle. Over 300 CA hotels went back to banks in 2009 and this one will too because you could buy this building today for 65 cents on the dollar vs. what it cost to develop/build. This is ego driven flashy architectural eye candy lacking a soul. Nothing especially dynamic to add to Hollywood here.
How do you get on the housing list for a rental. I am interested in a 1 bedroom and my income comes from my social security. Please advise.
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