Originally posted 3/3/2011
It was late November that I made loop upon loop on foot of Robertson Blvd: down to Melrose then back up to Santa Monica Boulevard. I was going to a ONE Institute photography exhibit yet didn’t bring the address because---- I'm stubborn. The 600 block of Robertson is a short stretch of street, and jam packed with Bossa Nova cafe, The Abbey, the back of the dance club The Factory, West Hollywood Park, Christian Louboutin and other smart, chic boutiques. So, an art gallery should be easy. Not so.
As I made loop number 3, exchanging smiles with Lindsay Lohan as she stepped out of a snappy car (this was between court appearances) voila, there was a sign directing me left onto El Tovar
Place, and at the very end of the street, was a tiny sign marking the ONE Gallery.
I time-stepped up a short set of stairs and confronted with 4 doors, I marched straight ahead and into an acting class: whether it was Strasberg method or Meisner technique I wasn’t sure. Wait! Not so.
On the blackboard in giant letters: CMA. Yowza! A crystal meth anonymous meeting. And the dirty looks began to fly my way.
I apologized, backed out and went to the door marked ONE Gallery, which was the size of Midtown Manhattan apartment's kitchen.
Investigating later, I learned this was the Werle Building: better known to everyone but me as the West Hollywood Recovery Center. Imagine a small office building made entirely up of 12-step programs A (alcoholics) to U (under-employed)
The Werle Building has been WHRC's ‘temporary’ home of 8 years and it serves around 6,500 people a month. It's elegant and discreet in its own way and an asset to the community.
Not for much longer. The WeHo City Council, which has not been getting the best press for a year now, voted to tear down the Werle Building. The Werle butts up to WeHo Park and its demolition allows the City to expand the WeHo Library (much needed) and the ‘Tiny Tot’ Playground (no comment). This is not the first time WeHo has altered the park. A few years back, the baseball diamond gave way to parking.
The super bad news is that there is no relocation plan at the moment for the WHRC. None. Where will those who depend on WHRC’s meetings go?
Tuesday is Election Day. If you are a registered voter in West Hollywood, I urge you to study each
candidate’s position and cast your vote with an informed mind. You may not miss something until it’s truly gone.
As they say on TV: “This is Topman California and I approve this message.’ Because I typed the damn thing
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