WEST HOLLYWOOD—The West Hollywood House of Blues will shut its doors on August 7. The closure will make way for a 149-room hotel, 40 condominiums, apartments for low-and moderate-income families, 35,000 square feet of shops, restaurants and a nightclub. The new complex will also include a 6,000 square foot digital sign on Sunset Boulevard.
The closure was verified by a document filed by Live Nation Entertainment, which owns the popular chain of concert halls, with the state Economic Development Department. Nearly 200 employees that work at the location will be laid off beginning July 31.
“We’ve had a terrific run with our Sunset location and we’re actively searching for a new venue as our flagship,” a Live Nation spokesperson said in a statement. “We’re actively working with our employee base to assure them of employment.”
Combined Properties, a Beverly Hills based real estate developer, is heading the project known as Sunset Time. Construction is expected to begin by the end of the year.
The House of Blues has expressed interest in moving into a new space somewhere in Los Angeles after failing to find a reasonable space in West Hollywood.
The Southern style venue originally opened on the Sunset Strip in 1994 and has been the host of musical artists such as Prince, Aerosmith, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Eric Clapton and Justin Timberlake. The site also holds gospel brunches every Sunday morning.
According to a study of the most popular music clubs in the country last year by Billboard Magazine, the West Hollywood location ranked ninth with an attendance of 172,005.
The final shows listed on the venue’s calendar include Steel Panther, Soul Asylum, Tokio Hotel and Stiff Little Fingers.
There are currently 12 other House of Blues venues around the country in cities such as Anaheim, Boston, Dallas, New Orleans and Orlando.
