WeHo's The Factory named a national preservation win

Once on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s “most endangered” list, West Hollywood’s The Factory flipped into the opposite column in 2016, making the organization’s list of preservation wins and losses—as a win.

The Factory is most famous for its role as a trailblazing gay club and its association with the gay rights movement. (One of the first major AIDS benefits was held at The Factory.)

It also served an important role in early Hollywood history as a production space for the Mitchell Camera Corporation, which manufactured cameras that helped make the transition from silent films to talkies smooth.

As recently as 2015, the structure was in danger of demolition, scheduled to make way for a new hotel and retail project called Robertson Lane. In June 2015, The Factory made the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s list of most endangered sites in the nation.

Then, in July, the hotel’s co-developer Faring Capital announced new plans that would incorporate The Factory into the new Robertson Lane project instead of demolishing it.

Under the new plan, the Factory would be moved to align with Robertson, and more than 60 percent of the building would be saved and adaptively reused. Possible uses include retail, a restaurant, or, fittingly, a nightclub.

Courtesy of Faring Capital

• 11 Preservation Wins and Losses in 2016 [National Trust for Historic Preservation]
• West Hollywood's Famed 'Factory' Might Be Preserved Instead of Demolished [Curbed LA]
• West Hollywood's Famous Factory is One of the Most Endangered Places in the US [Curbed LA]