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I'll Lock Up
- Messages
- 5,926
- Location
- Sydney Australia
January 8, 2007—For a city that's always looking for the Next Big Thing, Los Angeles seems to be on an extended nostalgia trip. First there was the reborn Roosevelt, then Social Hollywood, and now comes the Edison (left), housed in what was downtown L.A.'s first private power plant. Rather than gut and Starck-ify the long-vacant space, co-owner Andrew Meieran, a historical preservationist by trade, retained the original concrete and steel structure and added antique light fixtures, worn leather banquettes, and industrial-style suspended elevators. "Most L.A. clubs are known for whatever three flavors of the month the paparazzi happens to catch there," says Meieran. "We're modeling ourselves after classic lounges that existed for decades." That explains why he's stocked the cocktail menu with old-school standards like Manhattans as well as a legal version of absinthe.
Over in West Hollywood, meanwhile, another rearward-looking watering hole has just opened its doors. Winston's features a massive crystal chandelier (also from the 1940s), mid-century landscape paintings, and Art Deco–style furniture, and the no-frills bar is heavy on Scotch and Irish whiskies. What's more, the owners—a group that includes actor Andy Fiscella, movie producer Beau Flynn, and the Australian designers behind Tsubi—are eschewing the velvet-rope mentality for a first-come, first-serve door policy. Now that's old school.
The Edison bar, 108 W. 2nd St., (213) 613-0000. Winston's, 7466 Santa Monica Blvd., (323) 654-0105.
— Monica Khemsurov
Over in West Hollywood, meanwhile, another rearward-looking watering hole has just opened its doors. Winston's features a massive crystal chandelier (also from the 1940s), mid-century landscape paintings, and Art Deco–style furniture, and the no-frills bar is heavy on Scotch and Irish whiskies. What's more, the owners—a group that includes actor Andy Fiscella, movie producer Beau Flynn, and the Australian designers behind Tsubi—are eschewing the velvet-rope mentality for a first-come, first-serve door policy. Now that's old school.
The Edison bar, 108 W. 2nd St., (213) 613-0000. Winston's, 7466 Santa Monica Blvd., (323) 654-0105.
— Monica Khemsurov
