STRIPPING UP

SUNSET STRIP SHEDS ITS PAST FOR A WHAM-GLAM COMEBACK.

Sunset Strip sheds its past for a wham-glam comeback.

Once upon a time, people looking for a high-rise home above Sunset Strip had only one option:

Sierra Towers, the 1965built, 31-story building at Sunset and Doheny Road, which has housed everyone from Sandra Bullock and Joan Collins to Emma Watson and Lindsey Lohan. These days, however, an explosion of high-end residential, retail, and hotel projects is taking the Strip into high-stepping, wellheeled terrain. In fact, the former Hustler building on Sunset will be reborn as The Arts Club (thearts club.co.uk), the Gwyneth Paltrow–backed, $2,000a-year private retreat (with a no-swearing policy!), clinching the iconic boulevard’s A-list upgrade that began with Soho House West Hollywood way back in 2010.

Call it a case of location. Perfectly perched at the base of the Hollywood Hills, the Strip not only offers a central locale, but newly built luxury condos tout an amenity usually reserved for those with Bel-Air and Bird Street compounds: celeb-worthy city, mountain, and ocean views. “Compared to views in Downtown or in Santa Monica, high-rises off the Strip cover a 360-degree perspective, from the snowcapped mountains down to Orange County and directly west to the sea,” says real estate agent

Justin Alexander,

director of sales for Halton Pardee + Partners (halton pardee.com). “You can’t beat the full package.”

At 8500 Sunset (8500sunset .com), a just-opened, resort-style project at the corner of La Cienega and Sunset, residents in the eight-story towers will not only enjoy commanding views via oversized windows, but also primo access to onsite amenities, such as the ground floor Fred Segal, which will be the retailer’s largest location in Los Angeles. Other projects are soon to debut, including the West Hollywood Edition (editionhotels.com), designed by Ian Schrager (an early adopter of Sunset Strip, with his Mondrian Hotel). Slated to open in 2018, the 150-room hotel will be topped by 20 condos, each some 3,000 square feet and featuring expansive terraces and outdoor kitchens.

Starchitect Frank Gehry is poised to put his mark on the street, as well, with 8150 Sunset Blvd (8150sunset.com). Located directly across from the legendary Chateau Marmont, the five-building complex will house two residential towers along with a shopping center. Should future residents wish to skip the high-end retail and opt for a bit of the old-school Strip, the famed Body Shop “adult entertainment club” is still open for business and just one block away... Strip-hip hooray.

“SUNSET STRIP IS ALMOST UNRECOGNIZABLE WITH SO MANY DEVELOPMENTS! THE UPCOMING ARTS CLUB AND TRENDY

CONDOS WILL ALL BENEFIT FROM THE EXCITEMENT.”

—DAVID PARNES, STAR OF MILLION DOLLAR LISTING LOS ANGELES

Sunset rising! Residential projects are revolutionizing Sunset Strip, starting with the just-opened 8500 Sunset, whose ground-level amenities—bars, restaurants, and LA’s largest Fred Segal—will become a boon for residents and visitors alike. above:...

The eight-story towers at 8500 Sunset boast marvelous views via oversized windows— Laurel Canyon and the Hollywood Hills for Stripfacing units, and Beverly Grove and Downtown for apartments facing south.

WeHo privée: Members-only Soho House will have exclusive company with The Arts Club, a by-way-ofLondon private club backed by Gwyneth Paltrow (TOP RIGHT). The cost: $2,000 a month. The rules: No swearing!