Former Amoeba Records building, facing demo, will host Immersive Van Gogh exhibit

GPI Companies is still fighting preservationists to raze the Hollywood structure

(Getty, Immersive Van Gogh, iStock)
(Getty, Immersive Van Gogh, iStock)

GPI Companies is still getting some use out of the old Amoeba Records building in Hollywood.

The firm plans to demolish the building at 6400 Sunset Boulevard to make way for a 200-unit residential tower, but in the meantime, the building will host the Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit, according to the Los Angeles Daily News.

The exhibit includes projections of Vincent Van Gogh’s art on walls and the space’s architectural features. There are also animations and music.

(Immersive Van Gogh)

(Immersive Van Gogh)

The exhibit has been shown in cities worldwide since first premiering in July 2020. Around 2 million tickets have been sold to shows in other cities, according to the L.A. Business Journal.

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GPI Companies bought the Amoeba Records property in 2015 for $34 million and two years later filed plans with the city of L.A. to replace it with an apartment tower.

The plan received significant opposition, but the city ultimately approved it in June 2019. Opponents sued about a month later to stop the demolition, arguing the Amoeba Records store had historical significance.

Amoeba Records last year found a new location a few blocks away at 6200 Hollywood Boulevard. The coronavirus pandemic accelerated the company’s moving plans and the old store shuttered for good in April.

The pandemic also stalled the Van Gogh exhibit’s scheduled opening in May. The exhibit will now open July 31 and it is scheduled to run through January 2022.

[LADN] — Dennis Lynch