Word has it the Norm's Restaurant on La Cienega Boulevard in West Hollywood may be heading for demolition. No date has been announced and its owners say they have no such plans. But they have obtained a permit to level the place so campaigns to save it are springing up.
Norm's is a chain of coffee shops that are open 24 hours and offer food that's a notch (well, maybe half a notch) above what you'd expect for their low prices. People seem to love them mainly for breakfasts or for a late-night meal when most everything else is closed. A Norm's is better than a Denny's but not by much. A lot of affection for the place seems to flow from the classic architecture and that sense of "It's been a part of Southern California as long as I can remember." We don't like to see places like that go away.
I've never dined at that particular Norm's. When I want the kind of meal I'd get from there, I go instead to Canter's Delicatessen, which is also open 'round the clock and has, I think, pretty good chow. I have eaten at other Norm'ses and it's like, "Hey, this ain't a bad steak for eight bucks." I'm glad there are places like that.
As with the matter of Ray Bradbury's house, this topic forces us to balance two possibly-competing interests. One is that of the property owners to maximize their income from what they own. The other is community concern: A lot of people would like the property to remain as it is for historical and sentimental reasons. Usually, to preserve whatever the latter wishes to preserve, someone has to come up with a plan where the owners can make a comparable amount not tearing the place down.
This article talks about a crusade to declare Norm's a historic-cultural monument and says, "This would put the restaurant in the same category as famous L.A. landmarks like the Capitol Records building, the Griffith Observatory, the Hollywood sign and Johnie's Coffee Shop, which is seen frequently in films."
Johnie's is indeed seen frequently in films and that's its only function. It is no longer a working restaurant and its interior is not open to the public. They just rent it out as a location. There obviously isn't enough else happening right around there to make it profitable to operate a working restaurant. (A Johnny Rocket's that was across the street just closed and a year or two ago, so did a Sizzler that was a few doors away.)
Inside actually, Johnie's is pretty shabby and film crews that come in have to redress it and spruce it up for their purposes. It's been "saved" but it sure looks sad. So does that whole block, which is filled with empty or failing businesses, including that abandoned and empty Sizzler. I suspect the owners are trying to put together a deal to redevelop that whole area with new construction and tenants. The Los Angeles subway is being extended in that direction and there's supposed to be a station at that corner.
When that happens, one assumes that Johnie's — since it does have its landmark status — would be refurbished and reopened to serve the folks shopping at the new enterprises nearby or getting on and off the subway. At least, I hope that would happen. Maybe the same kind of redevelopment deal could save that Norm's. Or better still, maybe the campaign to save it will give it more attention and business so the owners will decide their best option is to just leave it where it is, serving cheap steaks and pie to the masses.