The famous movie hangar featured in the very last scene of "Casablanca," the scene about sacrifice, loyalty, and beautiful friendships has been saved from the wrecking ball. The hangar's facade, built in 1928 in Van Nuys Airport, was purchased before Christmas by Airtel Plaza Hotel owner Jim Dunn and moved to the hotel yesterday morning. According to the LA Daily News, "Dunn plans to reconstruct the original hangar facade for public display next to the hotel swimming pool, alongside the airport runway." We love the idea of this little bit of movie memorabilia displayed in an airport-themed hotel.
Related: the LA Times has an update on neighborhood efforts to preserve the Tower Records building on the Sunset Strip, and according to the article, it's "a black-and-white issue." No, that's not a metaphor--there's a photo issue as preservationists submitted color photos with the application but needed to submit black-and-white pictures. No one knows how to use Photoshop? Preservationists want to turn the place into a music museum, neighbors in the hills want their view protected, and we want more posters of naked people for the David Barton gym proposed at that site. [Photo of Casablanca Hangar from you-are-here.com]
· 'Casablanca' hangar facade lands home next to airport [LA Daily News]
· Tower Records to be scratched from Strip [LA Times]