| Cherokee Building | |
| Nocat: | yes |
| Nrhp Type: | cp |
| Partof: | Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District |
| Partof Refnum: | 85000704 |
| Coordinates: | 34.1015°N -118.3344°W |
| Built: | 1927 |
| Architect: | Norman W. Alpaugh |
| Architecture: | Spanish Colonial Revival |
| Designated Nrhp Type: | April 4, 1985 |
The Cherokee Building is a historic two-story commercial structure located at 6630 W. Hollywood Boulevard and 1652 N. Cherokee Avenue in Hollywood, California.
The Cherokee Building was built by Norman W. Alpaugh in 1929 and features a Spanish Colonial Revival design.[1] The building was Hollywood's first drive-in business, and it catered to the automobile by having a large motor entrance at the rear of the building where motorists could park and enter, rather than entering from the street.[2]
One of the Cherokee Building's original tenants was a hair salon that acted as a front for a Prohibition-era illegal card club and gambling speakeasy. In the 1930s, Gene Austin opened a nightclub in the building, and that business was followed by several bars, including a gay bar.[3] [4] In 1944, the bar changed to Boardner's, whose name has remained ever since.[5]
In 1938, Larry Edmunds Bookshop moved into one of the building's storefronts.[2] In the 1960s and 70s, several clothing stores popular with rock musicians were located in this building.[4]
In 1984, the Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District was added to the National Register of Historic Places, with Cherokee Building listed as a contributing property in the district.[1]
In 1993, the building was sold for $2.76 million.[6]
The Cherokee Building was built with concrete in an L-shaped configuration. The building features a Spanish Colonial Revival design, one that includes an elaborate stringcourse, a tiled roof, Moorish arches, a brick patio with a tiled fountain as its focal point, Churrigueresque and wrought iron ornamentation, and ornamental medallions.[1]
Cherokee Building tenants Boardner's and Larry Edmunds Bookstore are popular film locations.[7] [8]