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LOU EHLERS CADILLAC DEMOLISHED

Lou Ehlers Cadillac building, August 5. Photo by LAC staff.

The mid-century classic Lou Ehlers Cadillac showroom at 5151 Wilshire Boulevard is disappearing before our eyes, along with the annex across Wilshire and the adjoining Bob's Big Boy restaurant.

Demolition began July 3, 2008, just days after new owner Sonic Automotive closed the dealership and a few days after the Conservancy contacted Sonic to request a meeting to discuss alternatives to demolition. Our call was not returned.

Opened in 1955, the Lou Ehlers showroom was designed by the noted firm of Stiles Clements Associate Architects. Floor-to-ceiling plate glass windows gave passing motorists and pedestrians unobstructed views of the showroom floor, while the use of Cadillac’s logo for immense script signage on the building’s exterior attracted customers from afar.

Lou Ehlers Cadillac, 2005. Photo by Larry Underhill.

The Conservancy and its Modern Committee have long considered the building to be one of the three most significant postwar auto showrooms remaining in Los Angeles, along with Casa de Cadillac in Sherman Oaks and Felix Chevrolet near the University of Southern California’s University Park campus.

Sonic plans to construct new facilities on both sides of Wilshire for the relocation of Beverly Hills BMW, including a new showroom and auto service center on the main Ehlers site and a three-story sales office and car lots on the south side.

Bob's Big Boy (partially demolished, at right), August 5.

The neighborhood associations represening the south and north sides of Wilshire along this stretch had contacted ModCom to discuss potential landmark nominations for the showroom buildings and Bob's Big Boy restaurant, a late design by the renowned firm of Armet and Davis.

One community group voted in late June to nominate the auto showroom for Historic-Cultural Monument (HCM) status, but demolition started as a consultant was preparing the nomination.

Lou Ehlers annex, August 5.

An emergency HCM nomination was submitted on July 7, but the building had been largely destroyed by the time it was considered by the Cultural Heritage Commission on July 17.

This tragic circumstance underscores a serious flaw in the city’s cultural heritage ordinance, which is now undergoing revision.

Under the existing ordinance, a stay of demolition takes effect only after the Cultural Heritage Commission has taken a nomination under consideration, which can be days or weeks after a nomination is submitted, depending on the next scheduled commission meeting.

A sign proclaiming "Let's Deal" on the Ehlers annex proved untrue, as new owner Sonic Automotive didn't respond to the Conservancy's request to discuss preservation options.

One of the proposed revisions to the ordinance would impose the stay upon submission of a complete HCM nomination to the city, so that preemptive demolition -- or demolition underway, such as at Lou Ehlers -- does not irrevocably damage the resource before a determination can be made. We hope that this deep loss to the community and Los Angeles will ultimately help to ensure this change to the ordinance, for the future protection of our beloved historic resources.

Learn more about proposed changes to the city's preservation ordinance