BEVERLY HILLS—The city of Beverly Hills reached an agreement with the city of West Hollywood earlier this week to lease the property located at 621 Robertson Boulevard also known as the ‘Log Cabin’ property is the  location for the Lions Club of West Hollywood Recovery Center for 12 months.

Members were ordered to vacate the log cabin on March 31 due to issues with the lease with the city of Beverly Hills which owned the building.

For the past 30 years, The Lions Club has been a safe haven for members of recovery groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, 12-step programs, and over-eaters anonymous.

“The building was built in 1928 by the Boy Scouts of America, in rustic log cabin architectural style, and should be deemed a landmark cultural site for our communities.  For decades it has stood, a symbol of the power of a local community to come together to help one another, from all walks of life, whether a local resident or a tourist seeking a meeting while visiting our great city. Especially during a time when we as a society need to build more places like this, not demolish them.  It is strategically located, in the heart of West Hollywood’s entertainment district, and to tear down or relocate the building and its services would be a detriment to the cultural heritage of a community,” read a statement on the Change.org website in January 2020 that was focused on saving the property from being demolished.

The lot was believed to have been used at one point by the Beverly Hills Water Authority, which is why it remains under that city’s ownership despite being within the boundaries of West Hollywood. In 2017, the city of West Hollywood leased the property from the city of Beverly Hills, and currently draws revenue from the adjacent parking lot. The lease expires in December 2021, and before, the city of Beverly Hills expressed interest in selling the portion of the property or the entire parcel, with interest to demolish building altogether.

“We are pleased to have reached an agreement with our neighbors in West Hollywood to allow the crucial services at the Log Cabin to continue,” said Beverly Hills Mayor Lester Friedman. “We sincerely appreciate the work of the Lions Club over many years to support community organizations and provide valuable meeting space,” added Mayor Friedman.

“We are thrilled to be able to secure this space to safeguard vital recovery services. Tens of thousands of people have been helped by the 12-Step meetings offered at the ‘Log Cabin’ and with the addition of the West Hollywood Recovery Center as the lead nonprofit we can count on another four decades of meetings and community recovery,” said West Hollywood Mayor John D’Amico. “These meetings will remain a vital resource for the West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and greater Los Angeles sober community. The City of West Hollywood has been committed to preserving access to services at this addiction recovery space and this lease agreement with our neighbors in the City of Beverly Hills is a testament to working together to address community needs.”

Due to the COVID-19 health emergency and the Los Angeles County to stay Safer at Home order, recovery gathering has been suspended until further notice due to social distancing requirements. Members of the program and the community are advised to check for updates via  http://thewhrc.org.

Written By Anita Brown and Casey Jacobs