Landmark status for Jim Morrison’s last U.S. residence is ruined

As the recognizable and much-memorialized lead singer of The Doors, Jim Morrison is one of the most iconic figures in Los Angeles’s rich music history. So, it stands to reason that the West Hollywood apartment building where he is said to have lived with his girlfriend, Pamela Curson, from 1969 and 1971 would be shoo-in for historic monument status.

That appeared to be true in October, as WeHo’s Historic Preservation Commission unanimously recommended that the City Council approve the property’s application for cultural designation. But now Wehoville reports the building’s maverick owner, Cheri Woods, has withdrawn the application after the commission sent a memo to the council recommending it deny the nomination.

What happened? Commissioners discovered this Craigslist ad offering up an impressive array of memorabilia from the building, known as the Cheri Amour. Items available for sale include paint chips from the kitchen for $10, a broken shower faucet—also $10, at least three toilets ranging from $100 to $500, and a “huge palm tree” that you’ll have to dig up and transport yourself (it’s $300).

While it’s not at all clear that Jim Morrison interacted with any of these objects during his time in the building (the ad does note that the bags of dirt offered for $20 include soil that “Jim may have walked or sat on, but definitely passed by and looked at”), the commission told the council that by selling off these items, Woods was effectively stripping the building of its “character-defining features.”

Commissioners appear to have been most upset by the removal of tiles that contributed to the building’s Spanish Colonial Revival style as Morrison would have experienced it.

Woods, former matriarch of a ring of escorts called Cheri’s Angels, purchased the property in 2003 and has been in a protracted battle with former tenants and the city of West Hollywood since at least 2014, when she revealed plans to turn the place into a bed and breakfast. Since then, the city has accused Woods of evicting residents from the building, while illegally renting out units on Airbnb.

As Wehoville notes, securing a designation of cultural significance would make the structure eligible for key rehabilitation incentives.

Woods has also tried to sell the property multiple times, but most recently delisted it shortly after the commission recommended approval of her cultural significance application. It was most recently listed for $3.495 million.

Update: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the West Hollywood Historic Preservation Commission reversed its recommendation that the council approve the application. In fact, the commission sent a memo recommending the council deny the nomination.

• Landlord Withdraws Application for Cultural Designation of Jim Morrison’s Apartment [Wehoville]
• Jim Morrison's Reported Last Apartment Up For Sale in WeHo [Curbed LA]
• Former Madame Wants to Turn Jim Morrison's Old WeHo Apartment Building Into a B&B [Curbed LA]