Silver Creek Alters Redevelopment Plan for Viper Room

UPDATED: MAY 9 at 1:30 p.m.:

Silver Creek Development has updated its plans to remake the famous Viper Room nightclub in West Hollywood with double the number of homes from its previous design.

The Scottsdale, Arizona-based developer now envisions 76 apartments and fewer hotel rooms at its 11-story redevelopment of 8850 Sunset Boulevard, Urbanize Los Angeles reported, citing changes made on the Silver Creek website. The historic Viper Room would be demolished.

The new plans represent the firm’s third vision for a redevelopment of the iconic nightclub on the south side of the Sunset Strip, between Larrabee Street and San Vicente Boulevard.

The latest plan by Silver Creek calls for a single 125-foot highrise to contain a revamped Viper Room plus 62 market-rate condos, 14 affordable units, plus a 90-room five-star hotel with meeting rooms, restaurants, cafes and shops.

The revised project, designed by Miami-based Arquitectonica, does away with a former box-shaped design in favor of undulating balconies and cascading terrace decks on the top floors.

The new plan, while retaining the glass-heavy facade, balconies, LED panels and drought-tolerant landscaping of the prior design, calls for a public plaza along the street and a central breezeway that cuts through the building toward a park-like setting off Sunset Boulevard.

The new Viper Room, on the ground floor, would have a tall glass entrance, larger concert stage and auditorium, memorabilia hall and a recording studio.

It replaces a former Arquitectonica design, introduced in March of last year, with 34 homes, including 26 market-rate condominiums, eight units of affordable housing and a 113-room hotel.

The original plan included a controversial 200-foot tall building, designed by Morphosis, that had a white claw rising to the side and then cantilevering over a traditional 15-story tower with 115 hotel rooms and 41 condominiums.

If approved, the Silver Creek project is expected to take three years to construct, though a timeline hasn’t been announced.

Silver Creek Development, which has a Brentwood office, is an affiliate of REM Finance, based in Scottsdale. In 2018, REM Finance bought the Viper Room and three other properties on Sunset for $80 million.

In August, Silver Creek secured a $62 million loan to finance the Viper room makeover.

The Viper Room, the rock club once partially owned by Johnny Depp, started out as a jazz club called the Melody Room that was said to be frequented by mobsters Bugsy Malone and Mickey Cohen. It was known as Central in the 1970s and 1980s.

The Viper Room opened in 1993. During its first year in business the actor River Phoenix died after suffering a drug overdose on the premises. It soon became a hangout for such young Hollywood stars as Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire, who came to see such acts as Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Johnny Cash and Courtney Love. Depp sold his interest in the club in 2004.

Correction: Previous story said the project would feature condominiums; in fact, it will contain apartments.

— Dana Bartholomew