Design revealed for futuristic hotel/condo to replace Viper Room

Silver Creek Development is planning 15-story project along entire block of Sunset Blvd.

Morphosis Founding Principal Thom Mayne and hotel rendering (Credit: University of Huston)
Morphosis Founding Principal Thom Mayne and hotel rendering (Credit: University of Huston)

West Hollywood is in line to get another striking architectural landmark on Sunset Boulevard.

Silver Creek Development Co. has revealed a futuristic design for a proposed hotel one block west of the Arts Club site, where the infamous Viper Room now stands, according to WeHoville. The design by architects at Morphosis shows one building resembling a white claw rising to the side and then cantilevering over a more traditional 15-story tower.

The development team revealed the designs to community members to gather design feedback before taking it to the West Hollywood Planning Commission. Thom Mayne, a Morphosis principal and Pritzker Prize-winning architect, is a lead designer, along with Arne Emerson.

Silver Creek Development, an affiliate of REM Finance Inc., said it solicited 12 design submissions before choosing Morphosis. In most cases, developers and architects have to scale back dramatic designs during the municipal approvals process.

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The developer plans for the the property to have 115 rooms and 31 condos, with 10 set aside for low-income renters. There would be a spa, gym, pool, restaurant and lounges.

The Viper Room would also get a space in the building, and the existing building would be demolished.

The hotel would stretch the length of the block between N. San Vicente Boulevard and Larrabee Street. REM Finance purchased those properties for $80 million in July and said at the time that there was no development plan in place.

The project would sit directly next door to the Arts Club building. The project was approved over the summer and will go to the voters for approval in a ballot vote in the spring. The building’s eponymous anchor tenant is a posh club for creative types based in the United Kingdom. The 120,000-square-foot project also has a striking pyramid-like design by Gensler. [WeHoville] – Dennis Lynch